S T A C Y V E R B

Happy birthday to me!

So!  I turned 40 years old today.  It was not traumatic.  Mostly I think birthdays that end with zero are just fantastic excuses for bigger celebrations.

A while back, I told Adverb that all I wanted for my Milestone Birthday was for us to take a great trip somewhere.  So when some friends of ours who live in San Francisco announced that they were getting married on Labor Day weekend, I was like, score.  A fabulous trip, right after my birthday, to a place I've always wanted to visit?  Perfecto.

We leave in the morning.  (To any bad guys who may be reading this: there will be people staying at my house, so don't make the mistake of thinking there's no one around.)  Bags are packed.

My real present is the trip, of course, but this evening my hubby also treated me to a pre-vacation date: Julie and Julia (which we both thought was great fun) at the Movie Tavern.  We sat in the back and giggled like fools, ate pizza and drank beer, and partway into the movie, a guy quietly and magically appeared with refills.  Gotta love the Movie Tavern.

Oh, and also?

 

I wore sparkly devil horns all day.  Just because I could.  Let's hear it for celebrating every day like it's a birthday that ends in zero!

Don't you forget about him

And so it seems we've lost another icon of my youth.  Director John Hughes died yesterday.  He was only 59 years old.

For those of us who came of age in the 1980s, it's hard to imagine our teen years without the work of John Hughes.  Although he was closer to our parents' ages than ours, he completely "got" what it was like to be a teen in the 80s.  Brains, athletes, basket cases, princesses, criminals...somehow he understood us all.  And he gave us credit for being more complicated than most adults did. 

Were his movies always realistic?  Would Jake Ryan really have showed up in his Porsche to whisk Samantha Baker off for a romantic birthday cake?  Maybe not.  But these movies were hilarious without being condescending, sensitive without being sappy, and hopeful without being schlocky.  That's no mean feat, especially when your target audience consists of hard-to-impress adolescents.

For people my age--and those who came up behind us--John Hughes movies became part of the fabric of our lives.  I think I've probably quoted his movies at least once a day for the past 25 years.  His words are just part of our vocabulary.  "Bueller?  Bueller?"  "What's happenin', hot stuff?"  "Screws fall out all the time.  The world's an imperfect place."  I could go on and on. 

Hughes movies also had great soundtracks.  As a teen in a midwestern small town/suburb of a city that wasn't exactly a cultural center, these movies introduced me to bands like The Smiths, New Order, Jesus and Mary Chain, and the Psychedelic Furs--bands that got zero airplay where I was.

Farewell, John Hughes, and thank you.  Those of us who continue to cherish your movies would do well to remember the wise words of the great Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."

Overstimulated

Once upon a time, writing was my main (and sometimes only) creative outlet.  During that time, writer's block could bring my creativity to a complete standstill.  I'd hit that wall and that would be it. 

Nowadays, I'm involved in many more creative endeavors, and lack of ideas is never an issue.  If anything, right now I'm suffering from too much inspiration.  With spring right around the corner (in Atlanta, at least), I'm thinking about new clothes to sew and knit.  My brain is swirling with ideas at all times.  Working at a knitting shop doesn't help.  We keep getting new things in every day, and even if I gave up sleeping and eating and all other interests, I could never complete even half of the projects that are on my mind.

This knit dress by Louisa Harding, for instance.  It's not so much the dress that has my wheels turning, but the color palette--suddenly I'm attracted to these fleshy, rosy shades.  Shape-wise, I'm in search of the perfect cut that drapes loosely over the body without making it look like you're wearing maternity clothes.  And for textures, I've been inspired by the clothes from Vicky Cristina Barcelona--fabrics that are crisp yet light, like linens and silks.  Slinky.

These are the easiest things to show you.  But I've also been inspired by conversations, by reading, by music, by the tremendously smart and talented people I'm lucky enough to know.  It's hard to be articulate about it all, really.  Life is too full of interesting things, isn't it? 

Verb...STACYverb

Ah, the decadence of having Mondays off!  (Sure, I was at work on Saturday while most other people were off, but still.)

Adverb and I treated ourselves to lunch and a matinee at the Movie Tavern.  We like going there.  You can eat a real meal (well, real bar-type food at least--sandwiches, pizza, chicken fingers, etc.) and enjoy adult beverages if you so choose.  They even bring it all to you inside the theater.  Nice!  That beats a four dollar box of Milk Duds any day.

Our movie of choice was Quantum of Solace.  Action-packed fun.  It actually held my attention the whole time, which is pretty rare for an action movie.  I'll skip the plot synopsis and let you see it for yourself.  Here are a few random thoughts, though:

* That Jack White/Alicia Keys song is growing on me.  Jack is awesome, and if he wasn't so ugly I would consider making him my celebrity boyfriend.

* I want to be Judi Dench when I grow up!

* Wow, a lot of stuff blows up in this movie.

* I like Olga What's-her-name's hair, although I'm sure it's a wig.  Maybe I should start wearing bangs again.

* James Bond is such a bad ass!!!

* Etc.

So, obviously the movie didn't generate any deep thoughts or profound cinematic moments, but it did what a James Bond film is supposed to do--provide you with two hours of escapist fun.

P.S. Carrie and Susan, I saw both of your cars in the parking lot--I know you were at the Tavern watching High School Musical 3! :)

I also adore his chocolate cookies

I had plans for a different post today, but then I fired up the computer and saw this. 

It’s not a surprise, of course.  Paul Newman was 83, and had been in declining health for a while.  But even so, I gasped and shed a few tears when I read the headline. *sniffle*

Paul has always had a special place in my heart as one of those great old-style movie stars.  There aren’t many of those left, and none who starred in several of my most-beloved movies.  From the tortured melodrama of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to the cold ruthlessness of Road to Perdition, he always commanded the screen.  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a movie that I’ve watched probably dozens of times, and I never get sick of it.  Paul delivers William Goldman’s brilliant dialogue in a way that cracks me up every time (“The next time I say, ‘Let's go someplace like Bolivia,’ let's GO someplace like Bolivia!”).

 Plus, let’s be frank--Paul was one gorgeous man.  The chemistry between Patricia Neal and him in Hud?  Hot!  Sure, Hud has to be one of the most callous, self-centered screen characters of all time, but really, who gives a crap?  Those cheekbones!  And even in black and white (see photo at the top of this post), his legendary blue eyes twinkled.  Sure, that was in 1963, but even four decades later, he was still strikingly handsome.  Everyone should age that well.

In addition, Paul was a famously faithful husband, a humanitarian, and a passionate liberal activist.  It’s always nice (though too rare) when people whose work you admire turn out to be admirable in their private lives as well.

This weekend, pop up some organic popcorn, settle in and treat yourself to some Paul Newman screen classics.  The guy was a legend, and his legend will live on.  RIP,  Paul.