Under a Red Roof

Taste of Cherry

May 29, 2009 in Spotlighting, Thinking, Watching by Colleen | 1 comment

This past weekend we watched Taste of Cherry, a splendid Iranian film from director Abbas Kiarostami. The story follows a man Mr. Badii (masterfully played by Homayon Ershadi) on what may be his last day of life. He is on a quest to find a man willing to place the final shovelfuls of soil over his body after he commits suicide.

It is a very meditative film with long stretches of time spent with Badii as he drives and drives his Range Rover through the streets of Tehran and the surrounding hillsides, searching for just the right man. Over the course of the day, he finds men of various ages, nationalities, and beliefs about suicide, and attempts to sway them into his favor. You need not worry; there is little repetition in this, as the various conversations form a single thoughtful narrative.

As someone who has suffered from suicidal bouts since the fourth grade, I could appreciate the steadiness of Badii’s desire to end his life as well as the longing to meet it with a certain dignity. Perhaps it is also why, when I asked Gregory if he would do as Badii requested and he said “No,” I already knew, without question, that I would. I know that pain. That being said, this, for me, was ultimately an uplifting and hopeful film, for isn’t it marvelous when you can connect with the right person at just the right time? I think so.

Everlasting Moments

May 15, 2009 in Remembering, Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 1 comment

When I was little, the first camera I had was a Kodak Pocket Instamatic. I liked the feel of it in my hand and the power associated with it – this moment will be mine, not only in memory, but as something tangible, for as long as I have the photograph. I remember being so excited to take pictures – there was a distinct thrill in finding a certain light or subject, winding the film, putting my eye to the view finder, and hearing the very sharp click of the shutter. I took a picture! Twelve photos later and I was ready to drop them off at Target, wait another week, and then see the results.

Sometimes they were disappointing – a finger or a blurred image marring what I thought was the perfect composition, but most of the time they were exactly how I remembered the scene to be: my cat Tasha licking her paw, the glorious Royal Gorge Bridge, or the beautiful and prolific sweet pea blooms in our neighbor Helen’s yard. I guess not much has changed, actually. I still get the same thrill when I snap photos now, only I get the instant gratification of seeing my work on the tiny digital screen of my camera.

It is this same thrill that echoes throughout the superb Swedish film from Jan Troell, Everlasting Moments. The story follows Maria, her husband, friends, and children with the same careful attention one pays in capturing the singular moments of life. From her first photograph to her last, we watch this woman grow in maturity, wisdom, and age, all the while taking photos of the mundane to the sacred. No matter what is on the other side of the lens, beyond her eye, she treats it with the delicacy and wonder of a rare object.

However, I would be remiss if I led you to believe this is a film about photography. It certainly is that, but it is really so much more, too. It is about the joys of living, the ways we love, fidelity, sacrifice, loss, and a changing world. I think, oddly enough, what I found most striking was the way everyday sounds, like birdsong, the fluttering of leaves in the trees, even children’s laughter, were incorporated into the story, like a heart beating in time.

Musical Firsts

May 8, 2009 in Listening, Spotlighting by Colleen | 2 comments

When I was little, my dad got an iron on transfer for St. Pauli Girl beer with the purchase of a six pack. It had the ubiquitous beautiful blonde holding up two beers and said, “You never forget your first girl.” I was too young at the time to know what this meant, but it’s always stuck with me, especially about the firsts.

The other day I was in the car when “Late in the Evening” by Paul Simon came on the radio and with it, a certain cohesion of elements – the Saint Pauli Girl and music, for “Late in the Evening” was the very first 45 I bought with my own money and played, rather proudly, on my Mickey Mouse Record Player. I was nine years old and have never forgotten it. It is a toe tapping, dance till you’re sweaty kind of song, filled with adult references that I didn’t understand at the time.

Three years later, I bought Robert Plant’s Principle of Moments album at Sweets Records and Tapes at the Target Shopping Center at 80th and Wadsworth. I remember Danny, the odd man who ran the place (and now is a purveyor of books in the same shopping center, different location), asking me what the picture on the album cover meant. I was twelve, prone to fits of shyness and embarassment and really just wanted to hear “Big Log” whenever I wanted and not be at the whim of the radio or certain record store clerks, and shrugged, cheeks crimson, “I don’t know.” He looked at me with disdain, and very nearly didn’t let me buy the album, before saying, “It’s THE principle of moments!” “Um okay, can I take it home now?” I enjoyed, at my leisure, some good, but what now sounds like very 80’s music.

When the new and revolutionary technology of CD’s came into the fore, and I bought my first player in 1990, I went back in time with my first musical selection, also from Sweets and thankfully, without hassle from Danny. I got Elton John’s Greatest Hits. It still gets air time around here. The hubster and I both love him!

I think we were among the last people we knew to buy an I-Pod. Our system of CD’s was working pretty well. Now, as with many gadgets technological, it’s hard to imagine what we’d do without it. Anyhoo, the first song I bought was The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army.” Unlike the Paul Simon of my youth, it isn’t quite dance-able, but it does have Jack White’s stellar voice and an awesome drum beat.

Also, about the picture. I didn’t feel like putting up each of the album covers, so this is a random dog spotted out walking one day. Its title could be “First Squirrel.”

Let’s Pretend

May 1, 2009 in Being, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 2 comments

I wish I had something substantial to say for the Spotlight, it being the day and all, but I don’t, so let’s pretend (oh goodness, how many times did I say that as a child?) that you’re my neighbor, which you kind of are, and we’re chatting over the back fence. That’s my shadow wearing my favorite hat, waving at you. Good morning!

How are you today? I hope well. I am fantastico. I awoke to Greg’s warmth next to me and a billowing bedroom curtain. Gosh, that might be the finest AM combination. Despite whatever turmoil I might be experiencing, there is always joy in being with the hubster and seeing a curtain fluttering in the breeze.

As for Spotlight potential, I am reading a book, a monster of a book, page wise, probably the longest I’ve read, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t written much this week. I’ve had my nose in that book since Monday. It is really good too, at least so far. I’m 475 pages of 1164 into the story, and boy does it have me going. Who is John Galt, and why would he start such things in motion, really, just because he can? I don’t know; it seems sort of wicked, but also pretty right on, too. I think, like Ms. Rand, I am a bit of an Objectivist, though to a lesser degree – I am also a Gemini, and this trumps all! I kind of wish I could just sit in my comfy chair until it’s done, but I’ve got things to do, like get ready for tomorrow.

That’s the other bit that’s been keeping me from writing. We’re having a party for the neighbors tomorrow. I’m calling it an “afternoon social” with lemonade, chips, dips, and four kinds of cookie – sugar, chocolate drop, gingersnap, and my triple threat peanut butter. I’ve got the dough for the first three cookies made, a batch of lemonade in the freezer, so we’ll have lemonade ice rather than diluting something so delicious, and two of the three dips ready to go. Now, I need to get some weeds pulled, the last bit of bark mulch and rocks spread in the yard, the vacuum out to tackle the dust bunnies, mop the floors, and clean the icky mess that is my stove top.

Oh yes, that’s something else special that happened to keep me from the blog. I made omelets with my friend Amber yesterday, and she got to see said stove top in all its dirty glory. We had a grand time making our delicious omelets (filled with roasted asparagus, mushroom, and Willamette Valley gouda, zowie!), chatting, and enjoying a bit of sun out in the yard. It’s funny how a person can be in your life for literally years, yet there is so much you don’t know. I’m glad we had the chance to get to get better acquainted yesterday. It’s like having a lens you thought was clear come into greater focus – the colors are brighter, sharper, and even more eye-catching. Thanks Amber.

I better get a move on, so much to do! Think good thoughts for dry weather until 4:00 tomorrow because if everyone comes, there will be fifty of us crowded in the house. After that, I don’t mind if it pours. As a matter of fact, I’d rather like it.

Have a great weekend!

Birding

April 24, 2009 in Learning, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 1 comment

Remember when I told you that I liked to feed the birds in our backyard? Well, I think it is safe to conclude that I’ve taken my love for all things avian to a new level, as in I think I can officially call myself a birder. Since I first wrote about my fine feathered friends, I must say that my interest and awareness has only increased, finding my eyes peering through the binoculars (or “bins” as the veterans say) more and more.

However, what gave the stamp in my passport, so to speak, was participating in my very first Bird Song Walk this past Wednesday morning, organized by the Portland chapter of the National Audubon Society. We met at Mt. Tabor at 7:00, walking hither and yon through the park listening to and observing many a beautiful winged creature. An added bonus – the trilliums were in bloom!

Apparently it was a banner day, as we saw: a Merlin, two Red Tailed Hawks, Spotted Towhees, Orange Crowned Warblers, Creepers, Bush tits, Hummingbirds, Stellar Jays (six or seven enjoying a coffee klatch!), Flickers, Thrushes, Crossbills, House Finches, Goldfinches (American and Lesser), Sparrows, Nut Hatches, Pine Siskins, and more that I cannot recall at the moment. I remained in awe and occasionally on the verge of tears throughout the walk. That I was in my own neighborhood (a mere fifteen minute walk), among so many beautiful birds and people with such great knowledge (not to mention ears and eyes) was quite humbling.

Apparently, the Merlin was our greatest “get,” as many of the veterans had never actually seen one live and in person. It was beautiful and incredibly swift – gone in 60 milliseconds! One of the hawk sitings was rather cool, too. It was perched on a lamp post near one of the reservoirs, and remained there for the full five minutes we observed it. Once, as I was watching, I swear our eyes locked through the binoculars. I felt a wonderful sense of communion.

When I arrived home, I immediately turned to my Birds of the Willamette Valley Region to learn more about each species I hadn’t known before. Normally I am not one to make such statements, but the book is a must have for Portlanders observing the myriad feathered creatures here in the city, as there is no need to search through page after page of North American birds that may or may not inhabit or migrate through the region. Additionally, each bird is very well photographed, so there is relatively little guess work. I highly recommend it.

Who knows, maybe I’ve piqued your interest enough to see you at next Wednesday’s walk! See you soon…