Venus Transit
Yesterday was the transit of Venus in front of the sun, and if you missed it, you really missed it as the next transit won’t happen until 2117. Los Angeles is notoriously bad for many celestial events, since most are seen at night and we have awful light pollution. For once, with this daylight occurrence, we had prime viewing conditions and I knew I could not miss it. I headed up to the Griffith Observatory before sunset, with countless other people, to see the tiny planet cross the surface of the sun.
I have always been fascinated by space; the complete unknown held in it’s distance and intangible beauty. In another life, one in which I was better at physics, I could easily see myself studying the planets. The experience of seeing this tiny dot cross in front of a glowing orb affected me intensely. Just a little dot, really a planet nearly the size of our own, traveling in front of the all powerful sun. The magnitude is difficult to put into words. Instead I’ll recommend that you watch Melancholia, Tree of Life and 2001:A Space Odyssey for maybe a glimpse into what I’m talking about.
There was also something great about congregating with all these other people to see it. Many of the telescopes that were set up for viewing were brought by friends of the observatory. I have so much appreciation for these people who sat out in the sun and shared their equipment with the masses so that everyone could see. I loved seeing all the various telescopes and assorted ways of capturing the event. The most astounding view for me was a binocular telescope that allowed you to see a three dimensional image of the sun in excruciating detail.
I shall end this with this stunning video of the entire transit. Were you able to see it?
Twin Peaks Marathon
This weekend we had part one of our massive Twin Peaks marathon. We made it through the pilot and first 19 episode over two days. Lots of Twin Peaks. It was so good. I shouldn’t need to sell you on the show though. In typical fashion, we went all out, with themed food and decor.
We wanted to give our living room the feeling of the black lodge, with the red velvet curtains and chevron floor. I have to admit I didn’t quite finish my chevron quilt, but I managed to put the top layer together which worked just fine. It wasn’t a full on replication of the room since comfort was also a factor in watching so many hours of television, but it definitely evoked the essence of the black lodge.
Let’s talk about food though. There was pie. Lots of pie.
I tried some new recipes for key lime pie made with avocado and coconut milk, banana cream pie, the cherry pie from The Joy of Vegan Baking
We had possibly the creamiest macaroni and cashew cheese ever. I’d like to eat this every day. Jenn also brought some super tasty donuts. Let’s not forget the signature David Lynch coffee. It was surprisingly good and quite strong, perfect for extended watching conditions. The pot pie was pretty good too. It was even better the second day.
On the second day we actually tried to eat salad, but the sweets won over. Hello waffle sundaes. More pie. There is nothing like sugar to get you through marathons.
We watched two days worth of Twin Peaks. We watched, we ate, we tweeted, we gossiped. People came and went, although for the majority there were eight of us. It was awesome. I can’t wait for the next installment when we finish the series and Fire Walk with Me.
black and white chevron project
Ever since we had out Mad Men Party there have been plans for more marathons and themed gatherings. The most anticipated is our Twin Peaks Marathon, which is happening this weekend. Being a huge Twin Peaks fan, I may have been a little too ambitious in my preparations. In order to make our living room feel like the black lodge, I’ve been making a black and white chevron quilt. I love how it’s coming along, but with so many pieces on this fairly large quilt, I’m not sure I can pull it off in time for this weekend. I’m going to try though! Thankfully I have Radiolab podcasts to keep me on task while I sew.
Beyond the quilt, I still have red velvet curtains to make. Plus lots and lots of pie. I am really good at making nearly impossible tasks for myself. I wouldn’t have it any other way I suppose.
getaways
This past weekend, though very similar to many others, has changed me, even if just a little. We shot the majority of my short film (which still doesn’t have a title by the way, or I’d tell you) over one day and night. There is still some left to do, some specialty things, but with basically no crew, we covered a lot of ground. Having shot things with more equipment and people in the past, it was freeing to work with only the bare necessities.
The whole thing was exhilarating. For the past month, or even two, I’ve been in a slump. My motivation seemed misplaced, despite my best intentions. Part of this was because I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to make this short. Until the day we started filming, I thought things would fall through. This uncertainty bled into every other thing I did. Yet when we arrived home from the last night of filming, in the early hours of Monday morning, I felt driven. I still do. I’m not quite sure where my path is heading, but I’m charging ahead.
So here is to following through, even when it gets hard in ways that don’t entirely make sense. Here is to blind ambition. Here is to following dreams you’re terrified of following. And most importantly, here is to trusting others’ faith in you and to friends who get on board your wild projects. More so, I could not have done this without Shawn’s constant support and excitement. Not to mention the fact that he shot the whole film for me. So here’s to finding the perfect partner too.
blue light
Hooray we have a three day weekend ahead of us! We’re starting to shoot my short film so it’s going to be a very hectic couple of days, rather than calm time off. Yet again, we’re turning part of our apartment into a set, which means even just relaxing at home is a constant reminder of plans and progress. The cats don’t really know what to make of it as two rooms have been commandeered for projects.
In the days leading up to shooting I’m just hoping I’m not forgetting something. There seem to be a million little details that need to be taken care of. I feel like I have a handle on everything and then I think of something that I’ve totally missed and wonder what else there might be. So much responsibility. In any case, at this point I’m more on the excited side, ready to jump in, than on the nervous side which is helpful.
Yesterday when Shawn and I settled on the final location we realized, not for the first time, that we’re not the sort of people that take a weekend off to do nothing. Instead we try to create things, to make something out of our spare time. While it’s nice to relax, it’s very rewarding to be so productive.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend filled with creativity or just a break if that’s what you prefer.
