world of video

I don't know about you, but I've noticed the demise of a lot of movie rental shops in recent times. I can only guess it's the combined impact of Netflix, Redbox and other internet streaming tools that have made it difficult for these shops to survive, especially in this economy. So a few weeks ago, I was all in the mood to watch a movie and I didn't have anything in from Netflix that I hadn't watched and the nearest Redbox was a half a mile away (that's far when you live in Manhattan) and I thought— maybe, just maybe, there's actually a movie rental shop in my neighborhood. I Googled it and found a super shop called World of Video. (It's such a straightforward title that it sounds ironic and hipster.)

via Total Film Gallery

via Listal

World of Video is located a convenient 5-minute walk from my front door (awesome) and boasts more than 30,000 titles (wow), including a collection of silent films. Because of the vastness of the collection, it's a natural place to go when you're looking for something obscure, which, in fact, I was. I was looking for one of my absolute favorite movies, The Out-of-Towners remake from 1999 with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. For some reason, this movie seems to be so difficult to find. Netflix doesn't even have it in stock! (Say wha?!) I walked in, and the friendly staff at World of Video pulled it off the shelf within seconds. Admittedly, they did rib me when I said it was one of my favorites and asked me if I've seen the original. (I'll be honest, I haven't.) The guys behind the counter are serious movie watchers. There is a poster for each staff member on the front of the counter that has their names and their top 10 favorite movies. They recommend titles and I hear they have specialties. (Here's an article about the store.)

The only problem is that it's pricey— $5 for a one-night rental. You can buy an annual membership (first year, just less than $22) that comes with a few free rentals and then rentals are $4.75. Or you can buy rentals in bulk for cheaper. Even at these prices, it doesn't feel like a rip-off, since they are a specialty shop in a business that's changing, and they're paying West Village rent.

All in all, 4 stars. Enjoy :)

photo by Shanti Knight, Los Angeles, California, August 2007

beky makris

In recent times, I've had to get some new jeans hemmed to fit my short little legs. Whenever I'm in need of a seamstress, I always pick Ms. Beky Makris. She's based here in Bloomington and she is so incredibly skilled— every single time she does a project for me, it amazes me how perfect it is. Beky doesn't just know how to sew— she knows how to see and how to style. So when I need trousers hemmed, she doesn't just make them shorter, like seamstresses in the past have. She actually seamlessly reattaches the original hem to the bottom, so they have the complete look that they did when I bought them. Way to be awesome, Beky!

Here are some shots I did of Beky a few weeks ago. Lots of fun!

Photos by Shanti Knight

vermont

So sorry for the late posting! I've been feeling a little under-the-weather.


This past weekend, I brought in December with a visit to Vermont to visit Karina and our friend Charlie, who drove up from Philly to spend his birthday with us in the mountains!  We went to Bennington, where Karina goes to school in the foothills of the Green Mountains, and it was goooorgeous. The views from everywhere are just breathtaking— the mountains are grand and it's just so picturesque. On our Friday morning walks through the Bennington College campus, the town of Bennington and the woods, I just couldn't stop taking pictures. It all looked so Jane Austen!

The Bennington view

In Bennington, it seemed everyone was so environmentally aware! There are little stations with free coffee  all over campus, but no disposable cups provided. Instead, we took our mugs with us everywhere. When we went on a little hike, we left our mugs sitting on a little stone post next to the road— it was so sweet! And the funny thing was, carrying our mugs with us everywhere was no trouble at all.

After hearing one of Karina's friends, Stephanie, deliver a presentation of her recent research on newts, we went to Complaints Choir.

Complaints Choir involved the collecting of students' general complaints about life. Then a group of student singers composed the complaints into a song that they performed. Above is the room In the Bennington Visual and Performing Arts Center (VAPA) where Complaints Choir performed before walking campus (caroling-style) to sing the complaints. It was quite funny.

The ever-present mug.

In the afternoon, we met up with Karina's friend Lauren and Lauren's boyfriend Victor (visiting from Montreal) and went into town to look into the cute little shops and restaurants. At a local bagel company, we ate these apple-and-cheddar calzones. So very Vermont, so very tasty. I should say here that I was delighted to sample all sorts of awesome Vermont foods— in addition to apples, apple cider and great cheese (including an awesome sage cheddar), we ate our pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup. (Wow.)

Friday evening, Karina and Charlie and I went to Bennington Monument. It's a big obelisk on a hill above the town (the tallest structure in Vermont!) and it honors the Green Mountain Boys' Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War. Just after nightfall, we drove down the road a bit from the monument to Robert Frost's grave, in a creepy old cemetery. Karina and Charlie put pennies on Mr. Frost's grave (I was sad to not have brought any change) and we read lots of old tombstones.

In our dark drive back to campus, we managed to get supremely lost for a full 30 minutes in Green Mountain foothills. Back at campus, we went down to Karina's friend John's house for a fabulous party to celebrate her upcoming graduation! (Side note: John lives in Shingle Cottage, which is a house in which Robert Frost himself lived for a while.) Anyway, there were lots of cute decorations honoring Karina, including a poster with a fantastic drawing of Karina on which her friends wrote her sweet notes. On the whole, it was a ridiculously fun time, getting to talk to lots of Karina's Vermont friends, singing music and trying to contact Mr. Frost via a Ouija board.

On Saturday morning, we explored the campus some more, including a visit to the great campus library. The shelves are set to slide along tracks, so you can crank them together and apart and fit in more books. Totally cool.

Our Saturday morning walk took us to the cemetery on Bennington campus, which totally felt like Halloween. There were tombstones leaning into each other and falling over— even one being held up from behind with a stick!

Karina's pretty hair!

The lake on campus was partially frozen-over and so pretty.

Here's the three of us, right before Charlie left!

After Charlie left, Karina, Lauren, Victor and I went to nearby Brattleboro. On the way, we stopped at this beautiful look-out point.

As we got into town, we picked up Karina's boyfriend Jacob from his work. In town, we stopped by Clayworks, where my friend Claire used to work, and then explored a used bookstore, Brattleboro Books. We also looked in nearby shops and visited the food co-op and a coffeeshop. It was a charming little town.

Victor and Lauren

Jacob– photo by Karina =)

Sunday morning drive to Albany

Saying goodbye to Karina at the airport

the sky on my flight from detroit to indianapolis was unbelievable. It was so much more vibrant in real life. The stripes of color on the horizon showed the full spectrum.

What a welcome home. As soon as we got to our gate in Indianapolis, the pilot announced the Colts score over the PA system. When I got into the terminal, every TV was playing the game and there were huge crowds gathered around to watch.

See more on my Picasa page!

I love airports

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Aiport, Concourse A. Have you seen their disco tunnel??
Photo by Shanti Knight


I do. I really do. A full review of my trip to Vermont will come tomorrow, but in the meantime, let me just say what fun it was to be on airplanes again! I hadn't flown since my most recent trip to the City, back in July with Don, and how I've missed it! Truth: I love airports more than I love flying... here's why:

• The opportunities. When I'm walking to my gate, I love seeing signs for planes that are flying to London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Amsterdam, Tokyo... It's just thrilling to know that one (albeit quite large) building holds the potential to go to all these incredible places. I love talking to people who are going to different places and finding out why they're going where they're going.

• The rush. College life can sometimes get me down— I'm just not the type who's happy to get done with a day and have done very little. I love seeing people in suits who are walking fast and getting things done. It's a nice difference from the campus atmosphere.

• The spirit. So metaphysical, but there's just something thrilling about airports. The high ceilings, the chrome and steel, the massive plate-glass windows.

• The planes. Once, last summer, Lynn and I packed lunches and just went to the airport to watch the planes. It was so fun! Sometimes, it's really healthy to take the time to notice how incredible human technology is.

• The nostalgia. I flew for the first time before my first birthday and my family lives all over the country, so plane travel has always been part of my life. In the old days, before I traveled by myself, it was so fun to travel with my parents. We would go to Starbucks and just laugh and be together. Being in airports reminds me of that.

december 1 snowfall

How perfect! I woke up today to see something like a half inch of snow on the ground. Welcome, December!

Photo by Shanti Knight

my minnetonkas

When Maria and I were in Chicago a few weeks ago, Sarah was raving about her Minnetonka moccasins. So this weekend I'm so excited to test out my new pair of Minnetonka moccasin boots! In addition to Sarah's stamp of approval (she says she has several pairs that she rotates), they got an extra thumbs-up from my godmother, Carol, who is a lifelong student of the Dakota Sioux. She explained that the fringe holds both symbolic significance and practical use: It visually resembles sweetgrass, which is used in smudging, and the layers add extra warmth while the slits allow for ventilation. Sweet, huh?

Photos by Shanti Knight

a candle burns

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is officially starting. I've been getting so excited that it's been difficult not to post about Christmas every day for the past few weeks! Last night, Augusta and I kicked off the Advent season by going to a 9 p.m. mass and then decorating the entire apartment.

A cute little tree on top of the television.

Tinsel hung at the fireplace.

An advent calendar from Augusta's mom!

Little snowflakes to hang all over.
•••
Also featuring today: "My digital life is just as excited as I am."

Exhibit A:
my desktop

Exhibit B:

my iPhone wallpaper

Exhibit C:

my ringtone is "Hey Santa Claus" by the Moonglows

How are you getting in the spirit?

All photos by Shanti Knight

give thanks

I'll see you next week! Enjoy, and give thanks.

Among all of the amazing things I have to be grateful for is this perfect rainy morning in the woods. Photo by Shanti Knight.

mitch & augusta

Last Friday night, Mitch & Augusta went out dancing. They looked so cute that before they left I insisted they let me take a few pictures outside on our deck. Here are a couple of my favorites:

photos by Shanti Knight

cute, huh? =)

happy 21st, maria!!

Today is my bestie Maria's 21st birthday! I won't get to see her to celebrate for another two weeks but here's sending her all the love and fun in the world. I love you, Maria!

Here's a portrait I took of Maria and her boyfriend, Alex, back in the spring.

Photo by Shanti Knight