Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Day After
We are fine here in Jackson Heights. We even have electricity! But we are also stuck: all the subway lines running under the East River are flooded, and most of the bridges are closed too. Portions of La Guardia's runways, just two miles from us, are under water (the same with JFK). It makes us realize that we live on an island off the mainland of the United States. Our friends in lower Manhattan didn't fare so well: streets flooded, no electricity, no subway or bus service. Also, our favorite beach, Breezy Point, in the Rockaways, is a disaster scene.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hurricane Sandy!
As I write this, the winds are kicking up and the storm is barreling toward us here in NYC. We've stockpiled canned food, lots of water, batteries for the flashlights and radio. Logan and Jett are thrilled to be out of school. Hopefully, we're prepared. Heather arrived on a flight from Nashville, her plane being the last to get into La Guardia before it shut down. Here we are in the busiest city in America and there are no subway, trains, or planes moving. Eerie. So, now, we wait.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
NYC Indie Film Festival
How can it be October already? I mean, it was July, like, yesterday.
Okay, time for an update:
In August, Can't Dance screened at The Feel Good Festival in North Hollywood. I was amazed at North Hollywood's transformation since my L.A. days. It's no longer a cultural wasteland of tract houses and strip malls -- far from it! It's a hip community of ethnic restaurants, loft apartment buildings, and art galleries. This town has come a long way since the Northridge Earthquake nearly flattened it.
At the festival, I particularly liked the feature film Barmy, the story of a disabled misanthrope who falls in love with his nurse. I owe a big thanks to my generous friend Susan Cartsonis for offering to let me stay with her at her home in Santa Monica. What a dream to wake up every morning and walk the beach! I teach with Susan at the Wilkes University M.F.A. program, and she's the talented producer of films such as What Women Want.
While in L.A. I saw Herington High School buddy Craig Meyers who -- how is this for a small world story? -- happens to randomly know Susan. We all went to dinner at the L.A. Farmers Market on my last night in town, laughing and eating too much. I was sad to fly out the next morning.
In September, Can't Dance screened at the D.C. Shorts Film Festival to a packed house, along with
a line up of films from around the world. It was beyond cool to be screened on Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House, and across the street from the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Headquarters.
While in D.C., Heather, Logan, Jett and I stayed with Stacy Parkinson, former First Lady of Kansas. She and Governor Parkinson have purchased a new home in Bethesda, Maryland, and we were their first overnight guests at the new digs. Stacy took us on a nature hike along the Potomac River, and Logan and Jett actually jumped in to cool off! Man, is D.C. humid in August.
Can't Dance will next screen at the NYC Indie Film Fest on October 20, 11:30 a.m. at the Producer's Club, 358 West 44th Street in New York City. Please come out. After NYC Indie, Can't Dance will be distributed by Indie Flix and will be available on-line for all to see.
Finally, My Kansas, the memoir/documentary I'm collaborating with Don Cato on is plugging right along. More on that experimental film soon...
Okay, time for an update:
In August, Can't Dance screened at The Feel Good Festival in North Hollywood. I was amazed at North Hollywood's transformation since my L.A. days. It's no longer a cultural wasteland of tract houses and strip malls -- far from it! It's a hip community of ethnic restaurants, loft apartment buildings, and art galleries. This town has come a long way since the Northridge Earthquake nearly flattened it.
At the festival, I particularly liked the feature film Barmy, the story of a disabled misanthrope who falls in love with his nurse. I owe a big thanks to my generous friend Susan Cartsonis for offering to let me stay with her at her home in Santa Monica. What a dream to wake up every morning and walk the beach! I teach with Susan at the Wilkes University M.F.A. program, and she's the talented producer of films such as What Women Want.
While in L.A. I saw Herington High School buddy Craig Meyers who -- how is this for a small world story? -- happens to randomly know Susan. We all went to dinner at the L.A. Farmers Market on my last night in town, laughing and eating too much. I was sad to fly out the next morning.
In September, Can't Dance screened at the D.C. Shorts Film Festival to a packed house, along with
a line up of films from around the world. It was beyond cool to be screened on Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House, and across the street from the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Headquarters.
While in D.C., Heather, Logan, Jett and I stayed with Stacy Parkinson, former First Lady of Kansas. She and Governor Parkinson have purchased a new home in Bethesda, Maryland, and we were their first overnight guests at the new digs. Stacy took us on a nature hike along the Potomac River, and Logan and Jett actually jumped in to cool off! Man, is D.C. humid in August.
Can't Dance will next screen at the NYC Indie Film Fest on October 20, 11:30 a.m. at the Producer's Club, 358 West 44th Street in New York City. Please come out. After NYC Indie, Can't Dance will be distributed by Indie Flix and will be available on-line for all to see.
Finally, My Kansas, the memoir/documentary I'm collaborating with Don Cato on is plugging right along. More on that experimental film soon...
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