that's why her hair is so big. it's full of secrets.

It's awesome to me how immediately most of my generation will get this joke. Pop culture, you are a minx.

found on Facebook

Also, I found out recently that Janis Ian is a real live person, not just a mean girl. AND the actress who plays Janis Ian, Lizzy Caplan (she's so pretty!), is apparently dating Matthew Perry, a.k.a. Chandler from Friends. Dude. What a small world. (I love how every Google result on the search "lizzy caplan matthew perry" right now is about what an odd pairing it is, and I do like how this article shows what a fantastic pairing they are.)

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

wanderlust

I wanna see it!

The community in this movie kind of reminds me of Dancing Rabbit, to which I've never been but I would love to go. My friend Travis has been several times and it sounds like so much fun. Next step? I don't know...

vegetables

This past weekend, I watched The Kids Are All Right. Have you seen it? If you haven't, you simply must. It's just outstanding. (& nominated in four categories for the Oscars next week, including Best Picture!)

Photo of Annette Bening and Julianne Moore courtesy of Chino Kino

In this movie, Mark Ruffalo's character is an organic farmer. And everybody eats so many vegetables! It reminded me of a New York Times article ("Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries") from last September about how most Americans don't eat nearly enough vegetables. Then I became very very aware of how my eating habits have been slipping down a slippery slope. I'm normally a pretty clean eater, but this winter I have indeed eaten pizza, french fries, meat (?!), cake, milk and cheese. And on Friday night, I even allowed my friend Alen to buy me some white-chocolate frozen yogurt.

There. I've said it.

So, with all of that thrown into harsh perspective when I watched Julianne Moore & Co. eat vegetable after fresh vegetable in sunny California, I decided in no uncertain terms that the time had come for a shift. Saturday afternoon, I went to the grocery store and I bought so many vegetables. And I steamed them— kale, broccoli, garlic— and I ate them. And I was well.

It didn't stop there. Sunday afternoon I conjured up this treat:

Photo by Shanti Knight

It was some kind of pretty little orange-and-yellow-skinned tomato. I sliced it, topped it with dried sage (home-grown and home-dried by my organic gardener friend Steve from home) and then sprinkled the whole mess with Celtic sea salt. It was just delightful!

So while it's not The Master Cleanse, it's a jumpstart. Combine that with the running and Pilates I did over the weekend and my body is feeling more alive than it has in a while.

I love springtime! (Even if it is still February.)