wordless exchange

I've been ever-so-quiet in this space lately - I know. I feel the silence between posts and it provokes a gnawing in my forearms, as if the blog's in danger of drying up and blowing away if I don't apply my wrists to a keyboard and start to rake and hoe, to try to plant something, to tend to it properly.

I've been half-heartedly composing a post about a trip I took with my fam to the Spiral Jetty (the picture of my dad, sis and mom above is borrowed from that excursion), but the trip was significant to me and convoluted in its significance and thus needs effort and the sort of words that need mining to explain it and lots of them... soo... hence the wait.

BUT I came across a wonderful site today called Pictory and decided my silencebreaking piece about the Spiral Jetty would just have to wait. Pictory is an arty sort of digital rag where pictures meet story, but the crossroads are executed in such a distilled and potent and significant way that it addresses a problem I have with much of the Internet in general - namely, that most of the content lacks *meaning* - substance.

In particular, I came across a Pictory spread about "Life Lessons" picked up from those who are older and wiser and was struck by this enlightened tidbit:

"I can’t hear you because your actions speak so loudly." - Larry to his to his mentee Tyler

Now, I've heard this before. And we all know the maxim Actions speak louder than words, but it has become trite and has almost taken on the patronizing ring of I know you are, but what am I? such that we no longer hear its message.

But in this incarnation of the quip, the speaker is acknowledging that the words of the other person have been taken into account, nevertheless, there is a discrepancy. I can almost picture Larry telling Tyler in a cowboy drawl, "I get what yer saying, but I can't heeeare you because yer actions speak SO dang loudly..." In effect, pinpointing the frequent contradiction between words and action.

Most of us are guilty of this failing from time to time, but it's one that's easy to dodge, mask, evade, and thus avoid being called on it. I know I'm particularly good at making excuses for people, yet, this is the sort of credo that works like a mirror - making it hard for either party to deny what the reflection actually reveals. I think I owe it to myself to use it as a rejoinder more often.

Which brings me back to my silence. What you are hearing now, in the empty oasis of quiet between posts, is seismic activity. There is a lot ambition, there always has been... and right now, in fact, (hopefully) for the next while, the reason you aren't hearing my words is because my actions are speaking so loudly.

Not a bad excuse - eh?

auld lange syne

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
- Dylan Thomas

A winter sunset as seen from the mountain behind my house - captured during a snowshoeing trek with Kasey, Tom and my dad.

Farewell 2009... x

deck the halls

We're getting into the Christmas spirit at our house... maybe a little late this year, but with no less enthusiasm. We were without a tree when I landed, so one of the first things we did when I arrived was set off on a hunt for the all-important Tannenbaum.




The lots were a little picked over, but I think we managed to find quite a good one - perhaps this particular fir was meant just for us!


Thar she lies, waiting for her coach home...


Part of Kasey's marvelous holiday table centerpiece.



Glittering foil-wrapped candy all they way from Slovakia!



The nostalgic silos of the still-functioning Lehi Roller Mills - a *must* stop for unique Utah-made gifts.


Not only do they grind their "Turkey" flour right on the premises, our Grandma has come to expect their exceptional blueberry pancake mix in her Christmas package.



At historic Wheeler Farm - telling Santa that "yes, I have been a *very* good girl."


And what's Christmas without a sleigh/hay/tractor ride through a forest of fairy lights?


Here's my fam waiting (freezing) patiently as we await our turn - hot cocoa in hand.


Yay! After an hour... at last we board!


Giddy-up let's go!


Singing carols with brisk air against your face and a backdrop of laughing little lights in the trees...


Magic.

poor little bear pup

I'm back in Utah... and came home to an ailing/injured Bear!


He does *not* understand why we're taking such measures to prevent him from chewing on his leg.


Or *why* he has to wear this stupid bonnet.


Poor babe. Wish him well! x

**snow** *post*

A few majestic snow pictures before we get too far away from winter and my trip home and they entirely lose their relevance. The snowy mountains are, by far, my favourite thing about Utah... these were all taken at Sundance - the ski resort on the backside of the mountain where I grew up. Enjoy!


I almost died on this run once!


Snowboards overlooking my valley.


Dining, literally, on the edge of the world.


Frozen cascades of waterfalls.



Kasey and my Dad - at the summit.


Field of poles.



Taken in a brief pause before traversing the darkened woods.


And here's the Wasatch Mountain range from above... as seen from the plane on my way back to London.



But what to wondering eyes should appear! Lo and behold, the day I arrive in London, there was a Utah-worthy blanket of snow awaiting me; black cabs were slipping around on the icy streets... and I saw people clearing off their walks with garden shovels - Londoners are woefully prepared for snow!


Nevertheless, every London household didn't miss their once-in-a-lifetime chance to make snowmen! The quickly-melting, well-dressed, mounds were everywhere!

Wandering Banchee

Back in London now (witness the snowman remnants of our freakish snowstorm!) And I'm harried and homeless (again!) Going on week 2 of living under the roofs and good graces of friends as I'm reminded what hell trying to find a clean/modern/well-located flat can be; the places some people acceptably call "home" can be downright horrifying... and depressingly so.

Oh that the endless ugly flat roaming was only half as scenic as these pics from home.


I'd even settle for the "ignore the power lines" versions of the roadside scenery!


Cross your fingers that I don't have to reduce my standards to "slum" and that someone with a decent flat will take me in soon!

Sundance Postmortem

Maybe I'm jaded, but Sundance just wasn't that great this year. Maybe it's that I'm simply less impressed with meeting people than I used to be (wow, you're the rep for Outkast, but you're also a self-absorbed jerk), or maybe it too keenly reflected the depressed state of the economy (30% fewer people attended, 70% fewer parties were thrown), or maybe it was that I was left in pain and debilitated from a really bad slip on the ice, or that I contracted food poisoning on the second-to-last day (more on both of those later)... but yeah, it wasn't my favourite Sundance.

However, among the rubble of movies I saw (Peter and Vandy, Barking Water, and Spread were all pretty dismal) a few were worth the hours of my life that they absorbed, and are films that you should undoubtedly aim to see once they hit theatres. So, in order of entertainment value and brilliance:

1) The Greatest
Thanks to the bad title, you probably think this film is about some great sports figure, but no, it's actually about a family grieving the death of their teenage son. It's a story that's been done before, but this is so unflinchingly real and gorgeously written and paced that it feels wholly new - it's incredible that this was writer/director Shana Feste's first project.

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon (who actually played another grieving mom in another favourite film of mine, Moonlight Mile), and the most adorable pixie of a girl, Carey Mulligan, who gives a performance that is so sweet and vulnerable and strong that you will absolutley fall in love with her. Ah! From start to finish... breathtakingly superb... it doesn't miss a beat... not one.


2) Endgame
I love political thrillers, and this one is fantastic. It follows a series of negotiations during the late 80's that helped bring an end to Apartheid in South Africa... the idea of watching a film about "talks" sounds boring, but this couldn't be more engaging, action-packed, and brimming with humanity. You come away feeling not only enlightened about this era of South African politics, but a little hopeful about the potential-end of long-waged conflicts all over the world.


3) Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

People are going to disagree with me that this is worth seeing... I encountered plenty of festivalgoers who thought this film was simply awful, and actually, I'd really need to see this film again before I could give it a solid rating... but that's also why I liked it. The film is based on a book of the same name, and it unfolds more like a play... the scenarios, dialogue, and characters are all reminscient of staged theatre, but I'm kind of partial to those devices.

Interestingly, I didn't think any of the men depicted/interviewed were that "hideous" - rather, I found them extremely typical as far as guys go and how I think their minds work. However, another gentlemen I spoke with thought this portrayal of men would surely frighten women since he believed the guys in the film were all sociopaths. Ha. I guess you need to see it to decide for yourself.


Meanwhile... at the Music Cafe tent....

Hurray! Rachel Yamagata performed!

I got a copy of her latest album Elephants.. Teeth Sinking Into Heart AND practically a front row live performance out of the deal.


A couple of less famous women on the red carpet... me with Dianne.


Me with Kasey on Main Street (those orange credentials are SUCH cute accessories... oy).

At the Big Fan afterparty... the writer/director is on the right... I hadn't seen Big Fan or his debut film The Wrestler either and, thus, when introduced, painfully had nothing to say!


See? Abandoned Main Street... and the fest wasn't even over yet.


Parting shot of the Sundance House.