Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
Maybe it’s because I grew up in Phoenix, where trees either don’t lose their leaves or lose them very late (like in the middle of our “winter”), but I think there’s something kind of lovely about bare winter branches.
When we were at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in mid-January, I kept taking photos of plant shapes silhouetted against the afternoon sky.
How are the trees looking in your part of the world right now?
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We’ve been including a list of hand-picked maker/artist/explorer events in our monthly newsletter, and I thought I’d share the Arizona portion here today.
Arcosanti, near Cordes Junction. Art by Arcosanti residents and alumni for sale. The day we had breakfast at Arcosanti was also during an art show. Work for sale included jewelry, photography, and mixed media pieces.
Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina, Scottsdale. Read our review of the redesigned Macayo’s Scottsdale.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior. Whether or not you take a class, it’s a lovely place to spend the day.
10am-5pm in Hertiage Square, Phoenix. Market for vintage goods, fine art & crafts, fashion, and artisan food.
12-7pm in Downtown Mesa. Read about a previous SWMF or my travel journal workshop.
6pm at Gangplank Chandler. Meet other artists and crafters and learn something new or bring your own project to work on!
Phoenix. Self-guided tour of studios in Phoenix Arts District.
26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 100 artists set up shop under big tents in Scottsdale for 10 weeks. Also cafe, sculpture garden, and weekend music. $10 season pass.
After looking back at what an app considered my top photos from last year, I realized the app doesn’t really know my life.
So this year, I’ll be choosing one of my Instagram photos each month that speaks to where I’m at in some way and sharing it here as my own Photo of the Month.
For January, I chose this photo from the foggy day we visited Monticello during our DC and Virginia trip. Phillip and I enjoyed exploring the grounds, and the fog added a layer of romance and mystery.
Also, I find myself drawn to photos with empty seats in them. Maybe when I see this type of image, it makes me feel like there’s a place for me in the space. Maybe I take them (and post them), so you can feel like there’s a place for you in my photos too.
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If a romantic comedy took place inside a guidebook, it might look a lot like Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. The indie movie revolves around Ruby and Josh, two Americans in Hong Kong, who randomly meet. And then meet again.
It’s the first feature film written and directed by Emily Ting, who has previously directed documentaries and shorts.
Already Tomorrow is set entirely on location with city’s skyscrapers, dive joints, outdoor markets, neon-lit streets, crowded tourist hangouts, and garment district tailor shops as backdrops. Not only is there a running joke about Josh buying Ruby a guidebook, it’s sprinkled with Lonely Planet-esque tips about things like bargaining with street vendors, not expecting to find a cross-harbor taxi late at night, and the fact that the mid-levels escalator is outdoors.
Josh and Ruby’s conversations as they move through Hong Kong comprise the bulk of the film, and they are played by two actors who bring nuance and charm to their respective roles.
Actor (and fashion blogger) Jamie Chung, who co-stars as Ruby, was most recently in Academy-Award winning Big Hero 6 and actually got her start on The Real World. Opposite her, as Josh, is Bryan Greenberg, who grew up acting at summer camp and appeared in Friends with Benefits before doing a slew of indie films. The pair are now real-life married, so, apparently, not all the on-screen chemistry had to be manufactured.
The film starts slow with a lot of initial dialogue that could be reframed as 5-paragraph essay topics. (Think “Explain the difference between an expat and an immigrant.” or “Do you feel people are on their phones too much? Why or why not?”) Those exchanges feel more like talking points than authentic conversation – even awkward, just-met conversation.
That said, the movie picks up after the first 30 minutes or so. Not to say it’s ever action-packed, but the story gets more interesting and the dialogue begins to feel increasingly natural and reflective of the character’s personalities. You start to see the interplay between Josh’s impulsive, in-the-moment nature and Ruby’s more line-towing, long-term-thinking ways.
The soundtrack is a mix of acoustic and pop songs. I really dug the music in the performance by actual (but now retired) Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes.
Overall, Already Tomorrow is pleasant to watch and makes you feel as if you’ve been to Hong Kong. Or, at least, spent some time wandering through the glossy photos of a guidebook.
The film comes out tomorrow (2/12) in select theaters and video on demand and is available for pre-order on iTunes now. It’d go perfectly with takeout and PJs.
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Images and preview courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.
I cut up a card from my mother-in-law.
It wasn’t anything against her – she writes the sweetest little notes. I just happened to see it when I was thinking about cards for the Love Letters project, and I decided the balloons on the front were just the right colors to be upcycled into Valentine’s hearts.
So the card got cut up to make more cards. I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law would approve.
Have you found any interesting things to repurpose lately?
PS If you wanted to participate in the Love Letters campaign, making cards for housebound seniors, you have until 2/10 to mail them in. Sign up at dosomething.org/loveletters for details.
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