sunday grace: now

now from lisa parks on Vimeo.

hello loves.

i made my very first tiny film.  i am still (forever) practicing with camera work and editing, but i kind of love it.

i hope you do too.

things have been weird lately.  i needed to focus my attention on beauty, rather than harshness.  love, rather than resentment.  all while still being present, awake and alive in the somewhat fucked up emotional landscape of now.

i love you.

best kiss

I've been thinking a lot about kissing lately. it was a recent topic on oprah and the sexpert advised that it's not really a kiss unless it lasts at least 15 or so seconds. so we held our own little scientific experiment here in our busy house and we concur: a peck just doesn't cut it. when you take the time to stop what you are doing and focus on the kiss, magical things happen. that's all I'll say about that.

think about your best kiss ever. was it your first? did your knees do that quivery buckly thing? (I love that!). was it unexpected? movie like?

and if you are in want of some kissing inspiration, the l.a. times is celebrating fifty great movie kisses (click on the photo and it shows you the actual scene). which one is your favorite? I'm torn between twilight (I know, I know...), sixteen candles and last tango in paris (but I think I like that more for the clothes).

love stories I love {film}

out of africa. for it's love of independence, nature and animals and storytelling.



the way we were. for opposites attract, that song and doing the hardest thing love ever asks of us: letting go.

becoming jane. for celebrating the intelligence and wit of a woman in a time when having and using these things meant tremendous personal sacrifice, for the library scene, for james mcavoy.

when harry met sally. for teaching me that friendship and humor are always the foundation of real love.

away we go: for showing the importance of home, love between two quirksters and the unconditional love it takes to be a good parent.

what are some of your favorites? {I need to load up on dvds for the weekend: some are saying 40" of snow!}

milling about

most saturday mornings you will find me in the kitchen drinking coffee and stirring irish oatmeal as it slowly cooks. yesterday the light was so beautiful streaming through the kitchen window, I snapped a few scenes of my cooking and dining area.

it's funny that you can become so familiar with your surroundings that they almost become invisible. while processing the images, I was pleasantly surprised to see the depth and variety of colors and shapes; that our home is coming together to truly represent who we are.

even the mix of color above the stovetop is so me. curious if I unconsciously choose paprika that will add a design element to the spice shelf...

{ processing images also makes you realize that your wood floors are in need of a really good cleaning.}

in other news:

• gratitude week helped me truly understand the depth of beauty and love in my life. I am grateful for gratitude. at the end the week, I realized that I could go on and on and on. I'll pick up a gratitude week every so often on the blog and hope you will join me. my heart feels full.

• my man gives good date: yesterday post-oatmeal, we strolled vintage shops {scored a polaroid camera for $9}, saw an education {brilliant!} and dined on mole poblano and cheap mexican beer. more reasons to love him.

• being introduced to a photographer whose work literally makes my heart beat faster.

thank you mr. hughes

for so many laughs, tears, lessons, words, moments. for iona and ducky and giving a generation a voice. for the music that fit perfectly. for the love.

five senses friday*

{see}

I'm in serious hibernation mode this week, so I'm all about reading and watching old movies and avoiding any unnecessary conversations. these three are my favorites (this week anyway). brian keith was my very first older-man crush. it's the voice.

and I'm much too old to be enjoying the twilight series this much.

{hear}

too many voices. too many complaints. too many people who need me to fix their *&%ing problems. (therefore, hibernation mode.) I'm not blaming the individual here, but sometimes when relentless neediness comes at me from all sides, it gets a little old.

{taste}

cool, crunchy cucumbers. love them.

{smell}

we mulched the landscaped areas of the yard with redwood chips. when I water (which I've been doing a lot of this week because it's the most zen thing I do and I need it), the slight scent of northern california fills the air. when I was a teenager, a group of us rode bicycles down the coast. for a short period, I was separated from the crowd and riding alone on a curvy highway. on my right was the pacific. to my left a redwood forest. I vividly remember the exhilarating and slightly scary feeling of wild independence I experienced. and the salty, woodsy air filling my lungs.

{touch}

book in hand. sun on face.

hope you experience it this weekend.

*thanks abby, I can't get enough of fsf.

cycle through

this post is kind of half 12 secrets of highly creative women and half where-I'm-at-right-now.

first the book: you may know that I'm reading and posting about the book in conjunction with a group of amazing creative bloggers. this week's chapter is called surrendering to creative cycles and is about the peaks and valleys of creativity. in life, I've learned my lesson about seasons and growth spurts and resting and changing. for me it's always a matter of inspiration versus inertia. I've never been totally devoid of creativity at all levels as described in the book. I think it's because I define creativity pretty broadly. it isn't always about producing. thinking and mulling and listening and piddling are creative. if these are indeed the "voids", then I handle and accept the voids pretty well. I am always seeking more and different inspiration and when inertia hits, I use the time to explore another venue for creativity. for example, when I'm bored with my camera, I naturally gravitate toward creativity at work or in my relationships.

next, the where-I'm-at-right-now: this week I declare that I am sick, sick, sick of the southern tendency (well, it's everywhere, but clearly more accepted and widespread in the south) to value niceness above the truth. I am an outsider here in this little southern town and am constantly amazed at the adeptness of some to spew lies through a smile as sugary as sweet tea. it's been difficult this week to speak the truth. and there will be consequences for doing so.

s. (my cohort and fellow high-falootin' california truthteller) and I feel abandoned and rejected and betrayed. it's been a hard week. we have supported each other and vow to continue to do what we can to remain honest and direct. tomorrow, we are going to see milk, to get some inspiration from another outsider who faced challenges so much larger than ours.

this line happened to be in the chapter I was reading last night in another book:

"artists have a responsibility to show others how to live truthfully."

all our kids

I'm teaching a class in which we look at the issue of child abuse across several different countries. this global perspective has pulled me out of my comfort zone of dealing with child abuse and neglect in the united states (my day job). this afternoon we watched the documentary born into brothels. if you haven't seen this film, you must. if you are at all interested in children and the transformative power of art (in this case, photography), please see it. you will fall in love with these kids and their spirit and their talent. watching their little lives unfold and knowing the likelihood of their futures, you gain a little perspective on our "woes" about the recession. for me professionally, I am grateful that I work in a system, as fractured and confusing as it can be at times, that can and does respond to the needs of children and families.

lovely weekend

I spent a simple weekend at home and it was just lovely! Here's what I did:

1. Set out on foot with my camera. The light was so pure and I discovered yet another historic neighborhood in Lynchburg (hence the cobblestone under my feet).
2. Saw multitudes of daffodils, tulips, forsythia and this lovely budding bush (is it quince?).
3. Discovered a great new place to shop (see previous post).
4. Made sunday morning pancakes.
5. Saw a movie with the initial intent of merely continuing the James McAvoy Filmfest (my husband is so understanding!), but was pleasantly surprised by a brilliantly fantastical modern-day fairy tale. See Penelope! I'm inspired to make that patchwork armoire and wear turquoise maryjanes. And James is fantastic, of course.
6. Planted my window box with yellow pansies.