Bklyn - Teak to Chocolate

Joan Horton - JHorton Store, Connecticut

Joan Horton - JHorton Store, Connecticut

Today was a Williamsburg adventure day with the intrepid Joan Horton from JHorton Store in Madison Connecticut. I love working with Joanie. Her never ending quest for the new and exciting has led her from being VP of Corporate Communications for Revlon to having her own Lifestyle store.

We started out navigating the streets of Williamsburg in search amazing organic teak bowls. They are so beautiful and capable of withstanding the punishment of the outdoors. We compared and contrasted several petrified wood stumps to act as cocktail tables, seating and pedestals. Finding elements of Pat Steir’s drip paintings and loving the simple yet distinct differences in each and every one.

After the bowls were dusted and polished we took our starved selves on a safari through Williamsburg. The now pristine hipster hood is home to countless shops and restaurants but we had bigger game in mind. Mast Brothers. That’s right, we needed chocolate. 

With our steady guide, Waze, we found ourselves at Mast Brothers Brew Bar. Furniture shopping on an empty stomach is never a good idea and so the perfectly broken squares of dark chocolate imbedded with pepitas, cranberries, almonds and did I detect a hint of bitter orange?, was gobbled up in about 30 seconds as we were schooled on the latest brew from The Brothers who brought chocolate back to Brooklyn. We chose the salted caramel and watched as the cacao nibs were ground in a special grinder so as not to disrupt the healthful butters and then the grinds were prepared in what looks like a tea bag, covered  in boiling water and steeped like tea. Add some simple syrup and it was truly a new taste sensation. So new it propelled us down the street to the factory to snatch up an assortment of truffles and bonbons to take back to the prisoners on Manhattan island.

Ciggies


How many times today I wanted a ciggie.

276

Cigarettes actually smoked: 0

Cigarettes in possession 0

I know, I know, I’m a Lifestyle Evangelist who waxes poetic about green juice and grass fed beef. I also say Life is short and perfect is boring. I have my vices and cigarettes are on the top of that list.

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More addictive than heroine and a lot easier to get at a moments notice.  I often wonder what my life would be like if Omar at my corner deli would sell me one cigarette at a time….

What’s my biggest excuse? It’s genetic. My Great-Grandmother Lilian May was born on a tobacco farm in West Virginia. She smoked up until the stroke, three months before she died at 93. Nicotine is in my blood.  

To this day, almost 16 years since I quit smoking, I scan the room when the phone rings in search of the red pack that morphed into the blue pack when all of a sudden I thought that smoking organic had to be better for my health than just plain old smoking. 

Ahhhh, that feeling when the first deep breath, in what feels like forever, releases my soaz muscle and delivers that first blast of nicotine to my system. My shoulders come out of my ears and there just ain't no substitute, electric or otherwise, that will be better than that.

Helen Mirren Smoking - Oh she so hot!

Helen Mirren Smoking - Oh she so hot!

I confess its vanity more that keeps me from puffing up. Yes, I hate the smell of smoke in my hair and on my clothes. I can wash those. It’s the lines on the upper lip that keep me from sucking back a few ciggies when the going gets tough or when I want to celebrate or when I want to be sure that lunch is really over.

 

 

 

'The Judge' vs. 'Low Down'? - Am I there yet?

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I could look at RD Jr all day long and that’s a good thing because when you see 'The Judge' you see a lot of him. In every angle, from Mt. Rushmore to Rodin, and God Bless, he looks great at every turn. And, as always, Robert Duvall’s performance as the Judge is spectacular.

The cast, story, lighting, camera work, cutting all bring words like epic, monolithic, grand and opulent to mind. Truth is, the film didn’t bring me to the place I wanted to be when I took my seat. 

My experience of 'Low Down', the story of jazz pianist Joe Albany, based on the memoir of Joe’s daughter Amy, took me where I wanted to go.

Amy Albany, with my fellow Bennington College alumni, Topper Lilien collaborated on the screenplay and Low Down was made on a shoestring over the course of 9 years.

The film takes place in LA during the jazz scene scene of the 60s and 70s. 

What must it be like for Amy as she now watches that period of her life being played out by the likes of Glenn Close, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Flea and Taryn Manning, all expertly guided under the careful direction of Jeff Preiss.

Hawkes as Albany is lovable and tragic, he has style and heart and, of course, I fall in love with him a little bit. Elle Fanning kills it as Amy. Tim Daly, another Bennington alum, gives a performance so outside my expectation of him as to reaffirm my faith in creativity as it was back in the day at Bennington.

Bravo, I believed every moment of the dark, twisted story of love, devotion and acceptance.

 

Sand Mandala at Golden Visions of Densatil: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

When my friend Anne Kirkup invited me to come to The Asia Society and have a look as the four Monks from the Drigung (Drikung) Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism create an amazingly intricate and beautiful sand mandala in conjunction with the opening of the Golden Visions of Densatil: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, I practically flew across the park. The position the monks had to maintain, squatting on the floor or perched on small stools looked like the set up for a chiropractor’s dream. And there they were in their saffron and crimson glory. Carefully, with the most delicate and directed touch, bringing color to the drawing, sometimes even blowing delicately to create the proper shape and all I can think of is that crazy cocaine moment in Annie Hall.

A Sand Mandala is a painting, a sacred cosmogram representing the world in perfect harmony. It may be used to focus attention, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation. The monks use small tubes, funnels, and scrapers, called chak-pur to form the mandala, representing the world in its divine form. 

There are thrills and there are thrills but nothing compares to shaking hands with the monks during their break. All smiles as they gathered in the hallway, I introduced myself and thanked them for their dedication and the beauty they brought to the day. When they offered their hands their grasp was so electric as to make my heart open and sing in ways I had never imagined. Joking and giggling and asking if I would like to be an assistant, their joy was contagious. I always marvel at the playfulness and joy I feel when in the presence of Tibetans.

I practically skipped across the park and back to work.And FYI,The destruction of a sand mandala is also highly ceremonial. The deity syllables are removed in a specific order, as is the rest of the geometry until the mandala is dismantled. The sand is collected in a jar which is then wrapped in silk and transported to a river (or any place with moving water), and released back into nature symbolizing the impermanence of life and the world. I would be delighted to be invited back to observe them, again and again.

Namaste

 

 

"A Musical Celebration of Broadway" - Drama League Gala 2014

Neil Patrick Harris has to be one of the cutest guys ever. This was the second year I co-chaired the Drama League Gala, A Musical Celebration of Broadway, with the amazing Ellen Fox. Aside from being totally gorgeous, Ellen is an absolute dream to work with. I love her because she owns her power. Ellen is a force in the Financial World and sets an amazing example for her daughter and all the women she so generously devotes her time to.

Ellen Fox, Neil Patrick Harris, Amy Eller - Drama League Gala 2014

Ellen Fox, Neil Patrick Harris, Amy Eller - Drama League Gala 2014

The DL celebrated its 98th year, right there that’s impressive.  The event is the best ticket in town if you love the theater. This year the show was directed by Michael Mayer and Johanna McKeon, two of the many illustrious alumni of The DL’s Director’s Project and they will be Director and Associate Director of the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch Starring NPH which just happens to open on my birthday!

I cant say enough about Neil and the love he generates in the community. The night was magical. Cady Huffman, Audra McDonald, Katie Finneran, Tim Gunn, Stephen Colbert, Norm Lewis and the cast of Rent, were just a few who helped  make the evening so special. For me, the roof blew off the Pierre when Neil’s fiancé of eight years, David Burtka, sang Sondheim’s “Marry Me A Little” from the show Company. Once again I have proved there is no such thing as waterproof mascara as I just wept with happiness feeling the love in that room. Thank god the glue from my lashes held tight.

This pic of Ellen, Neil and me is a special moment. Just as the flashes popped, NPH said “Are you wearing a leather dress? That’s hot!” I replied “…yes I am, and you can borrow it for Hedwig any time” We all laughed and I will remember that moment forever.