The snow here is insane. It's such a unique experience to be in a location where the lifestyle is so dependent upon the weather. And it is. The snow has started in hardcore and it has gotten very cold. Like, long-underwear, ice-scrapin', slip-sliding cold. Just walking around the apartment begs sweatshirts, tights under pants, thick socks and, my favorite, a blanket cape. One must have a blanket cape.
My Thanksgiving was quiet. Since I'm up all night I fell asleep about 6AM that morning and woke up at 2ish. Amanda had been invited to Thanksgiving madness at Grandma's family's house so she had gone there and then to work. I made myself a bowl of veggie soup (my favorite, oddly enough), calmly prepared myself a cup of Winter Dream tea (previously purchased at Coffee Bean during my California time-- sigh), and nestled into our Grandma couch for an uninterrupted viewing of The Royal Tenenbaums. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this movie-- I've been watching it several times a year since 2001 (it's been ten years, goodness! I didn't even realize that!) and it still feels rather new to me (while still being so comforting). It's interesting to me that so many people feel very distant and put out by Anderson's style of filmmaking while to me it is the opposite of cold. Anderson doesn't tell you how to feel, he just shows you the facts. I love that. I am more moved by that. Anyway, there's something faintly holiday-ish about that movie, and since it's about family and whatnot I thought it'd be an appropriate viewing. Every time I watch it I'm touched by something different-- there are the key scenes that still get me every time, like Needle in the Hay, She Smiled Sweetly, I'm A Widower Too (I know you are, Chas), Chas confessing to his father that he's had a rough year (okay, tearing up just thinking about that one), but this time I really noticed a scene that up until now I didn't really like. After everyone has found out that Royal is a big faker and he sets out to right things honestly and for good, he takes Margot to an ice cream parlor. She doesn't want to stay, so he tells her he's trying to make things right. Margot challenges him by quizzing him on what her middle name is, and Royal, drawing a blank, delcares that it's a trick question, she has no middle name. "It's Helen," she says, sadly. Royal is quiet for a moment. "That was my mother's name." Margot: "I know it was." The look on Margot's face, albeit still almost deadpan, is twinged with sadness. She was kept from being a part of Royal's life, but she took an interest in him. She knew about his life, and he didn't even remember that she had been named after his own mother. Sigh.
Anyway. I watched that and absorbed and enjoyed. It was made all the better due to my rereading a bit of Franny and Zooey the night before. Yes. So after that I strung up a strand of white lights over our window, made more tea, and watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has to be the weirdest Wes Anderson movie of all (I still think the plot is just mad and all over the place, but I don't really feel like that's the important thing in this particular film) but just... oozes Thanksgiving-ness with its fall colors and coziness and family and food. And Mr. Fox's speech at the end. If I ever have a family, I think I'll make that a holiday tradition.
I'm asking him if he thinks we're in for a hard winter. He doesn't seem to know.
Anyway. Film talk aside, that was my Thanksgiving. Then I went to work that night. And so on. It was a bit lonely at times, however I really enjoyed it. I like being alone, I think. At least some of the time. And now it's December and it's cold. Through incredible Grace we managed to get a living room set of wonderful black leather furniture (exactly the color we wanted) for FREE from a family desperate to move. They even brought it all the way up the stairs for us (thank GOD because three flights of stairs is MURDER). We also got an end table and a non-working HDTV out of the deal (we're going to see if we can fix it). A friend of Amanda's sent her a bluray player for her birthday. We were also given a precious little Christmas tree strung with white lights. The place is starting to fill in nicely.
My sleep schedule has been strange lately. I sleep for about 3-4 hours at a time, wake up confused but not sleepy, carry on, and then crash for another 3-4 hours before the day is done. Odd.
Christmas is coming. It's great. Still. What I wouldn't give to see some family right about now. I'm worried about them.
My Thanksgiving was quiet. Since I'm up all night I fell asleep about 6AM that morning and woke up at 2ish. Amanda had been invited to Thanksgiving madness at Grandma's family's house so she had gone there and then to work. I made myself a bowl of veggie soup (my favorite, oddly enough), calmly prepared myself a cup of Winter Dream tea (previously purchased at Coffee Bean during my California time-- sigh), and nestled into our Grandma couch for an uninterrupted viewing of The Royal Tenenbaums. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this movie-- I've been watching it several times a year since 2001 (it's been ten years, goodness! I didn't even realize that!) and it still feels rather new to me (while still being so comforting). It's interesting to me that so many people feel very distant and put out by Anderson's style of filmmaking while to me it is the opposite of cold. Anderson doesn't tell you how to feel, he just shows you the facts. I love that. I am more moved by that. Anyway, there's something faintly holiday-ish about that movie, and since it's about family and whatnot I thought it'd be an appropriate viewing. Every time I watch it I'm touched by something different-- there are the key scenes that still get me every time, like Needle in the Hay, She Smiled Sweetly, I'm A Widower Too (I know you are, Chas), Chas confessing to his father that he's had a rough year (okay, tearing up just thinking about that one), but this time I really noticed a scene that up until now I didn't really like. After everyone has found out that Royal is a big faker and he sets out to right things honestly and for good, he takes Margot to an ice cream parlor. She doesn't want to stay, so he tells her he's trying to make things right. Margot challenges him by quizzing him on what her middle name is, and Royal, drawing a blank, delcares that it's a trick question, she has no middle name. "It's Helen," she says, sadly. Royal is quiet for a moment. "That was my mother's name." Margot: "I know it was." The look on Margot's face, albeit still almost deadpan, is twinged with sadness. She was kept from being a part of Royal's life, but she took an interest in him. She knew about his life, and he didn't even remember that she had been named after his own mother. Sigh.
Anyway. I watched that and absorbed and enjoyed. It was made all the better due to my rereading a bit of Franny and Zooey the night before. Yes. So after that I strung up a strand of white lights over our window, made more tea, and watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has to be the weirdest Wes Anderson movie of all (I still think the plot is just mad and all over the place, but I don't really feel like that's the important thing in this particular film) but just... oozes Thanksgiving-ness with its fall colors and coziness and family and food. And Mr. Fox's speech at the end. If I ever have a family, I think I'll make that a holiday tradition.
I'm asking him if he thinks we're in for a hard winter. He doesn't seem to know.
Anyway. Film talk aside, that was my Thanksgiving. Then I went to work that night. And so on. It was a bit lonely at times, however I really enjoyed it. I like being alone, I think. At least some of the time. And now it's December and it's cold. Through incredible Grace we managed to get a living room set of wonderful black leather furniture (exactly the color we wanted) for FREE from a family desperate to move. They even brought it all the way up the stairs for us (thank GOD because three flights of stairs is MURDER). We also got an end table and a non-working HDTV out of the deal (we're going to see if we can fix it). A friend of Amanda's sent her a bluray player for her birthday. We were also given a precious little Christmas tree strung with white lights. The place is starting to fill in nicely.
My sleep schedule has been strange lately. I sleep for about 3-4 hours at a time, wake up confused but not sleepy, carry on, and then crash for another 3-4 hours before the day is done. Odd.
Christmas is coming. It's great. Still. What I wouldn't give to see some family right about now. I'm worried about them.
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