Nadine Feldman, Author

celebrating strong female characters and whatever else strikes my fancy

friday

Friday Random 5

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How did it get to be Friday already? Specifically, mid-afternoon on a Friday here in the Pacific Northwest (later for many of you). Thanks to Nancy at A Rural Journal, though, I can offer my Random 5. I’m hoping to be back to a regular blogging routine by September. Have a great weekend!

  1. I have a superpower. It’s the incredible ability to ignore commercials. Hubby will look at me, incensed about some advertisement, and my response is usually, “Huh?” I have no idea what he’s talking about because I shut off my attention. What’s your superpower?
  2. The last few weeks, I’ve been tied up working on the programs for two different theatrical productions. Normally I volunteer on Tuesdays, but I’ve had to put in some long hours lately. Writing material, I can do. Layouts, not so much, though I’m giving it the old college try. Fortunately, this is temporary, as a new person starts September 1, so I get my regular routine back starting…now.
  3. This week I took an exciting next step in my gardening career: I had enough produce to give some away. It wasn’t much, just some plums and tomatoes, but it felt really good.
  4. We’ve had gloom and mist in the mornings all week long. Last night the top of the ferry glided through a cloud, and it looked like a submarine. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it in time to get a good photo, but it was way cool. Trust me. The locals call this month Fogust, and rightly so.
  5. We had our first real party on our deck this past week. Some folks from the neighborhood came over, and we had a great time. Next up: the cast party for Much Ado About Nothing on August 18! I’ve never done much entertaining before, so this is a new adventure for me.

Friday Fun: Let’s Go to the Movies

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Happy Friday, everyone! I’m in the process of re-evaluating my writing career, so I’m a bit erratic with my blogging. I will share a guest post next week, and if anyone else would like to do the same, let me know. It’s time, though, for some Friday fun! Have a great weekend!

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Who doesn’t love a good movie? As we settle in to colder weather, I look forward to nestling in to a comfy chair in a dark, warm theater. So put on the popcorn, and I’ll tell you about some great little films I’ve seen in town, but recently and at the film festival a few months ago.

Searching for Sugarman – Recommended for all of us creative types who toil in obscurity. Sixto Rodriguez is a singer/songwriter/street poet who recorded two record albums in the early 1970s. With a fine voice and lyrics comparable to Dylan, Rodriguez seemed poised to superstardom. Alas, both albums flopped, and he disappeared — except for a few album copies that made their way to South Africa. Bootleg copies were produced, and he became bigger than Elvis as the anti-apartheid movement embraced his political spirit. Because of rumors that he had killed himself onstage, though, he didn’t know anything about his success for many years. SFS follows the story of his rediscovery and connection with fans who idolized him for decades as a voice of their generation.

Trash Dance – Choreographer Allison Orr takes a group of Austin trash collectors and turns them, and their garbage trucks, into performers. There are two stories here: one is how Orr brings the show together, and the other shows the daily lives and challenges of these unsung heroes. Recommended for anyone who thinks the 47% are all lazy!

QWERTY – A quirky story about love and — Scrabble! Two wounded people find each other and fall in love. Unlike real live, they lift each other up instead of dragging each other down. Yes, it’s a fantasy, but it’s a sweet movie. The character of Zoe will warm your heart.

Old Goats – This is a small, quiet buddy film about three men, all retired, who still embrace life and love, but find their richest moments with each other. Their lives aren’t perfect, and each one has his own disappointments…but I love how this movie shows that older people can still be vibrant, interesting, and sexual.

Chasing Ice – If you have any doubts about climate change, see this movie, which follows documentary photographer James Balog as he undertakes a massive project to photograph, over a multi-year period, the depletion of the glaciers. See this one on the big screen if you can — it opens in major markets today.

 

Have you seen any interesting movies lately?