An Enchanted Life

foggy night in santa monica brings a wonderful softness to the air as it touches your skin, creates a halo on all light and shrouds the views.

reflections.

interesting idea how light and time affect your view.

interesting how things become magnified, clarified, illuminated and muddled in reflection.  but the process is fascinating.

today was a great day for reflection and will be the cause for more.

so many wonderful things on a beautiful day in the home i’ve adopted for part of my life.  amazing that within the huge metropolis that is los angeles i ran into 5 people i know at one small restaurant, another friend as we both had our cars repaired and an old boss who i haven’t seen in ages as i met yet another old friend for a cup of coffee and even more folks i know or who are friends of friends at a gathering this evening.

the fact that i can’t go far without running into someone i know makes me feel at home. the irony is that the fact that my father couldn’t take us anywhere without running into someone he knew was sometimes a cause for family friction and annoyance. the fact that i can’t go far without the same thing happening in my adult life has been cause for laughter and joy. we are all the product of our parents and our experience. today’s crossed paths and experience gives me a smile and a lot to reflect upon.

more details….

last week while in san francisco i ran across a new rex ray work. while years ago i liked his work, it’s become so ubiquitous (especially in every contemporary furniture store or staged modern home) that i had become numb to his work.  but this piece caught my eye and reengaged me with his work.

i do love the attention to and in the details.  architectural details like this make me want to know more about the artists who created them and the the stories behind them.

twenty years ago the landscape of san francisco was changed with the loma prieta earthquake. everyone’s talking about where they were, what happened, how the work on repairing the bay bridge still continues 20 years later and if you are ready for the next big one. for those whose lives are tied to san francisco it was one of those pivotal moments which become a marker in your life.

one positive outcome of the earthquake is that the landscape of the san francisco waterfront changed due to the demolition of the embarcadero freeway which made this photo possible.  the new bay bridge looks like it will be a lovely structure, but it’s fairly insane that the construction has been going on for twenty years.

where was i?  while i was spending a good part of the year in the bay area for work and with friends, i was living in new york and wouldn’t move to the bay area for another year.  but on that day twenty years ago i was in new york but was with a good number of bay area friends.  the day before was a good friend’s birthday and marked the end of an east cost tour by his band.  so a good number of our friends who were in new york continued celebrating by gathering at a bar on 57th street to watch the giants in the world series.  i had some business to take care of with an office in san rafael, california and was on the phone at the bar with the office when the earthquake hit. the woman i was speaking with asked “can you feel that?”  i asked what and she told me that there was an earthquake.  the confusion cased by the quake at the game was now evident on tv but i was occupied with the phone conversation and reminded the woman i was speaking with that i was in new york.  she told me it was a large earthquake and she seemed sure that i should be able to feel it.  remarkably, our phone conversation was uninterrupted throughout the quake.  over the course of the coming days it would be near impossible to reach any other friends in the bay area as you tried to check on their safety.  fortunately no one i know was seriously hurt or left homeless.  but the magnitude of the quake was sobering.

the stories that floated in from friends varied from those in the parking lot at the game who saw the pavement rise up and roll in waves to one friend was on the richmond-san rafael bridge and didn’t know what had overcome his car.  others in the marina watched the immense fires and a friend who had left new york that day was flying back to sfo when they announced there had been a quake and they would be landing in denver where she would have to sit things out for a few days.

while i wouldn’t want to relive the destruction it is one of nature’s forces that we can only be prepared for and admire the immense strength that is beyond our simple grasp.  when i’m along the embarcadero in san francisco i am thankful that the city benefitted from the destruction and has an enhanced waterfront because of the events of that day twenty years ago.

saw “where the wild things are” tonight and it brought up a lot for me.  a lot of wonder, joy, appreciation and emotion.

the setting of the land of the wild things may have been shot in australia but it reminds me a lot of the coast of the marin headlands which is where this photo was shot and is about a mile from my norther california home.  while i’ve always loved the book, a boy i met on my way out of the film reminded me that the book didn’t really have much of a story and the film has one.  spike jonze and dave eggers did a wonderful time expanding the book into a lovely story that i think is something where most can find an important emotional thread.

while most of the films i produce are the short, sponsored type (commercials) i’m proud to have a connection to some of the great artists who help craft this film — and it took a lot of craftsman.  the attention to detail in brining maurice sendak’s classic to life is exquisite.  hair and emotion are difficult to create and convey with puppets and c.g. but i felt a real emotional connection to the wild things.

the cast of both the “real” people and the actors behind the wild things is a great assemblage that you probably wouldn’t see joined in a fully live action film.  this construct allows a wonderful connection between folks who are a bit unexpected.  i particular loved the interplay between james gandolfini and catherine o’hara.

and then there is max.  the emotion that this boy brought out for me is pure joy.  he made me miss that i haven’t had the pleasure of having my own children and also made me miss interacting with my nieces and nephews.  and, it made me want to share this film with the kids in my family.

perhaps it’s the fact that i was raised in the fantasy and adventures of a theme park that makes the world of this film so relatable and emotional for me, but i find this film a great escape that envelopes you.  the slight shift in tone in lance acord’s cinematography when you go from the “real” world” to the the land of the wild things reminds me of the shift from black & white to color in the wizard of oz — more subtle but still an emotional shift brought on by the way it’s lensed.  the attention to detail is meticulous and something i greatly appreciate.  however, more than anything i love how this film brought me in to a simple relatable story and took me for a ride.  literally i was leaning forward in my seat.

just my take on it, but i really feel that if you can’t hop in and enjoy this ride you’ve lost touch with some powerful emotions and fantasy.

don’t know why these here clouds up in the sky make me think of lots of versions of “stormy weather”.  which version is your favorite?  etta?  judy? rufus & martha wainwright?  or perhaps your thinking of santana.