Fun Stuff – Page 6 – Karen's New York Love Affair

The Fascination with Campbell’s Soup Cans

Andy Warhol added to the popularity of the image of Campbell’s soup when he began painting the cans in 1962. Certainly it was innovative to use an everyday object as the focus of artwork, and I think Warhol deserves the kudos he received for this irreverent innovation that shocked the art world at the time. At a recent MOMA exhibit, the colours and images of the soup cans were used as an iconic touchstone for Warhol’s work.

Seeing the Warhol exhibit at MOMA, I began to wonder about the appeal of this image that has become almost as pervasive as Coca-Cola. (Note that both these products use an iconic cursive script that evokes an old-timey, homey feeling. Shockingly, today’s British Columbian schools no longer even teach handwriting! It is indeed becoming a thing of the past.) Campbell’s soup is on every store’s shelf in North America, from the biggest supermarket chains to the smallest out-of-the-way bodega in Big Sur! According to Campbell’s US website, Campbell’s tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, and cream of mushroom soup are each numbered in the top 10 “shelf-stable” food items sold in US grocery stores today.

So who deserves the credit for creating a package design with such universal appeal? I think it’s the commercial designer who designed the Campbell’s soup can in 1898, when a company executive, Herberton L. Williams, attended a Cornell-Penn football game and was impressed with Cornell’s brilliant new red-and-white uniforms. According to The New York Times, when asked the question of who designed the label, the company spokesperson said it was a joint effort, with different elements contributed by different people over the years. For example, the Campbell’s script was based on Campbell’s own signature. In 1900 they added the gold medallion that Campbell’s won at the Paris world exposition.

The basic label has changed very little since then. I just saw a Campbell’s tomato soup can in Big Sur that looks exactly the same as the can in my toy kitchen in 1970. (The 20 billionth can of tomato soup was produced in January 1990.)

Sure, there are some new twists to the packaging, like the can I photographed in my Mushroom Soup series, which boasts Vitamin D and real cream. There is a cream of potato soup that says it’s made with “fresh Canadian potatoes” too. So Campbell’s is trying to keep us hooked as we become more health conscious, and has different packaging for Canada and the US. They redesigned the label in 2010, retaining the red and white elements but adding a swirl around the mid-section. However, the top three flavours mentioned previously retain the classic label.

Sadly, my tastes have moved away from canned soup altogether. But when I see a can of Campbell’s soup, it tugs at my heart. The positive associations of many childhood lunches of Campbell’s tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches–this totally defined comfort food for me. And what about putting that cream of mushroom soup into a macaroni and cheese casserole. Brilliant! Or using it as a topping for porkchops. I do harbor a secret wish for these delights from a simpler millenium.

On the other hand, I had a boyfriend once whose culinary crowning glory was a mixture of unheated, undiluted Campbell’s mushroom soup mixed with tuna on toast. Yes, it was as gross as it sounds. Even Campbell’s soup can be used for good or evil!

The story of Campbell Soup began more than 140 years ago, in 1869, when Joseph Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abraham Anderson, an icebox maker, formed the Joseph Campbell Preserve Company in Camden, New Jersey producing and selling canned fruits and vegetable preserves. It wasn’t until 1897 that the concept of condensed soup was born, due to the genius of the then 24-year-old Dr. John T. Dorrance—a nephew of the company’s general manager, and a chemist—who invented condensed soup. (Think what an impact this invention has had on our world!) Dorrance later became president of the company from 1914 to 1930. The original label looked like the ones shown above.

I think one of the reasons we love the Campbell’s soup design is that is it something that remains unchanged. It evokes our nostalgia, our longing for a simpler time, for childhood pleasures. It is an archetypal image in our collective unconscious, and this is what it symbolizes for us.

For me, when I saw a stack of Campbell’s soup cans in Val and Garry’s cupboard, it sent me on a two-day romp through the forest hiding cans for when they returned, and it led to an explosion of artistic inspiration. I hear that several Chelsea galleries in Manhattan also recently featured artists whose work included Campbell’s soup cans. So it’s not just me that still goes crazy for these red-and-white darlings!

If you’re interested in reading more about the history of Campbell’s soup, check out this Canadian site and this UK site.

Mushroom Soup

I took this photo series while I was creating the Warhol in the Forest treasure hunt for Val and Garry at Starshine Valley. It was mid-September, and mushrooms were blooming shyly, peeping out from grasses and bits of wood.

Mushroom Soup

Warhol in the Forest

This is a treasure map for Val and Garry, to help them find the 28 pieces of gold hidden in the Starshine Forest.

1-beam — *Beaming at Andy in the heavens*

3-wildlife cam with camo — *Wildlife cam in camo*

4-by ford — *Hanging out in the creek [Hint: by ford]*

6-Inukshuk in headlights — *Caught in the headlights*

11-the end of the road — *At the end of the road [Hint: go for the gravel]*

14-3 in the corner — *Three in the corner*

16-under the vol-cone-oh — *Under the vol-cone-ah*

18-triangle rock — *Triangle rock in the forest*

19-between a cow and a cowboy — *Between a cow and a cowboy*

20-tripod — *Tripod at the center of the universe*

21-medicine wheel — *Medicine wheel – eat your broccoli, it’s good for you*

22-the person by the road — *The person by the road*

23-sitting by the dock of the bay — *Sitting by the dock of the bay*

24-rock hill hint-sw corner — *Rock hill [Hint: SW corner]*

*Boulder hill with triangle rock [Hint: S of thinking post]*

26-ideas raining down at the thinking post — *Ideas raining down at the thinking post*

27-at the end of the fence — *The end of the [fence] line*

28-sitting on a stump — *Sitting on a stump*

Black Rook Bakehouse is back!

I wrote in August about the sad closure of Black Rook Bakehouse’s funky E. Hastings location. It seems that renovations and permitting took a lot longer than they planned, and it was many months before they re-opened at their new location, a few blocks further east, on the opposite side of the street. Well worth the wait!

I had been jonesing for their coconut cream pie for months, so I was really excited to visit BRB shortly after they re-opened in December. I was very sad to discover that there was no coconut cream pie to be had. I had a cookie instead, and some pretty awesome quiche, but the craving went unsatisfied. Then, just last week, I met a friend there to try again. I was speeding across town to meet her when she texted me that there was a pie situation. They were almost out of pie! She said there was one piece of berry pie and one piece of coconut cream, and she asked if I wanted her to reserve one for me. I took the first safe opportunity to text her back CC!

And oh, the beauty of that last glorious slice, sitting on a plate waiting for me when I arrived. I dug in too eagerly to think of recording the moment. Partway through, the craving starting to settle into a feeling of purring satisfaction, I recalled my blog and took this pic.

The new location is at 2474 E. Hastings, in the East Village. There is a cozy fireplace, and the same kind of country-homey furniture and friendly neighbourhood vibe as the old location. Check it out!

The Metal Era

Karen at MSG — *Waiting for the show to begin*

Being here in Greenwich Village has awakened the nostalgia I have always felt for the 60s. Being born in 1965, I was influenced by the vibe of the 60s, but I never got to see the greats as it was happening. I never got to see Led Zeppelin or the Beatles. One of my first concerts was The Who’s first farewell tour, in 1982 (they recorded Who’s Last on that tour). Guess what? (Guess Who? I am overcome with my own cleverness.) The Who are currently having their 2015 farewell tour—33 years later! OK, so farewell tours are a joke, because the bands often have numerous farewell tours. But the point is, I wish I had been here in Greenwich Village to see the first Bob Dylan show, as one of my friends did. I wish I had seen the Beatles play in Vancouver at the Empire Stadium in 1964. I wish I had been part of the aliveness, joy, and hope of the summer of love. A time of social change and new freedom. A time of excitement.

And all along, I didn’t realize that I was actually a part of a new exciting movement—the metal years! Yes, the 1980s were also a time of social change, with the Punk movement and Heavy Metal movement expressing the angst of a new generation of teenagers who wanted to fight the man.

This didn’t come home to me until another farewell tour—Mötley Crüe‘s farewell after delivering 33 years of kick-ass glam metal. (Gotta love the umlauts!) I saw the concert poster on a hoarding on Battery on Monday, and was lucky enough to get a ticket that night for Tuesday’s show. So there I was, Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Madison Square Garden, watching Alice Cooper and Motley Crue! I have seen both of these bands several times in Vancouver, and most notably, early tour dates in the 80s. For example, I saw them at the 1982: Crüesing Through Canada Tour! Surprisingly, the Crue is one of the bestselling bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. I think they started the whole tattoo thing.

I sat in the stadium on Oct. 28, relishing the fact of being in New York, in this semi-historic building. The Garden moved from its second site in Madison Square to 8th Ave in 1925, to its current location on 31st St in 1965. Construction began at the current location 50 years ago, Oct. 29, 1964! I looked around as the seats began to fill. In my row, two teenaged young men were in the row already. They were the first to stand when Alice Cooper took the stage, and were on their feet for the whole show. I was glad to be in their row, because I too wanted to stand and dance.

One of the things that occurred to me as I relished the wall of noise for over 3 hours was that I really had been part of something special. To those teenagers, the 80s was the time they wish they had been at the rock concerts, at the beginning of the metal wave. And I really was there! I just didn’t realize it was a part of history. Thanks to my boyfriend Rick and friends Ray, Mark and Joe, Johnny and Dianne and Silvia, sister Kim, cousin Sherry, we were all part of our own time of rebellion and self-definition. Listening to metal was our revolution. Our way of staking our claim in time and space, and differentiating ourselves from our parents.

I want to write more about this revelation, but I’ve got to go take a nap. The big four-nine!

Later…

I guess the point is this moment is where it’s happening. This is the exciting time to change the world. After the nap…

Think Coffee

Cafe Wha? — Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan both played their first or early gigs here

At Think Coffee in NYC. Drinking a decaf soy latte (organic, fair trade, socially responsible). Eating a Johnny Boy sandwich–peanut butter, banana, and cinnamon! I found this place by Googling best New York cafes to write in. This one got the best ranking on numerous factors, including comfort level for occupying a seat for a long time! (That is, not getting the hairy eyeball if writing and not ordering much.) Also quality of coffee. I totally agree!

I just submitted my website to the STC Regional Competition – New York Metro, Philadelphia Metro, and Houston chapters. It seems extra special to submit the entry to the New York chapter from a New York cafe!

Will upload pic of the Think Coffee cafe later. For now, here is Cafe Wha?!! I will be going there tonight to listen to world-class musicians pay a tribute to the founder of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim.

New York is such an inspiring city! I wish I could just sit in a cafe and write all day. But there is also so much to see and do. It is hard to get enough sleep with the lure of the city keeping me out late every night. Luckily, I have a nap booked at 3:00 this afternoon at YeloSpa in midtown Manhattan!

In New York City!

As some of you know, I am currently in New York doing a two-day course with Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. I want to share some of my travel adventures, starting with a few highlights & filling in the details later. Here is a pic from Sunday night. I arrived at about 9:00 PM at La Guardia. Had a kamikaze taxi driver whiz me to the Washington Square Hotel. Unpacked and then went looking for the city I have dreamed about. The Blue Note is close to my hotel, so I walked over there, but it was just closing! Around midnight. Not an impressive start for the city that is reputed to never sleep! But just down the street was NYC Groove . Funk-o-rama! I went in (no cover charge), and had a great time listening to a funk band. The crowd was very friendly. Mostly younger student-types, as the rep for this neighbourhood would have it. After listening to a few songs and dancing my hello to the city, I went across the street and got a huge piece of pizza for $4. Cheap night out, and a great start to my trip. More layta!

15 characteristics of eccentrics

This list is taken from Dr. David Week’s book, Eccentrics: Study of Sanity and Strangeness, co-authored with Jamie James, as quoted in The Independent article “How to spot a true oddball.”

Since I was so inspired by the movie A Different Drummer, I have listed the qualities of an eccentric here. Feel free to comment if these qualities seem to describe you! I can tell you they really ring true for me. Except for the bad spelling.

THE OFFBEAT INDEX

Dr Weeks’s 15 characteristics of eccentrics, in descending order of frequency (the first five apply to virtually every eccentric):

Non-conformity
Creative
Strongly motivated by curiosity
Idealistic
Happily obsessed with one or more hobby horses (usually 5 or 6)
Awareness that he/she is different from early childhood
Intelligent
Opinionated and outspoken
Non-competitive
Unusual eating habits or living arrangements
Not very interested in the opinions or company of others, except to persuade them of the “correct” point of view
Mischievous sense of humour
Single
Eldest or only child
Bad speller

VIFF Picks 2014

It’s the most romantic time of the year in Vancouver. Glorious fall, which brings us the most vibrant display of colour on Victoria Drive, and the Vancouver International Film Festival!

Here are my picks for this year. France, China, Spain, the UK, Canada, and the US are represented. I’ve mostly gone for light entertainment, romance, and inspiration, with some exposure to other cultures as well. As lovely as Vancouver is, it will be wonderful to experience the romance of faraway places for a while.

Miss and the Doctors, France – Romance, Women Directors, 102 min

Sunday, Sept. 28, 5:45 PM, Tinseltown

Two very different pediatrician brothers (Cédric Kahn, Laurent Stocker) fall for the same barmaid (the luminous Louise Bourgoin) in Axelle Ropert’s (The Wolberg Family) intelligent romance. “Reminiscent of… [the] cleverly scripted adult dramas of François Truffaut’s late period. It’s at once astutely observed and deeply, though subtly, passionate… The direction and performances are spot-on throughout.”—Hollywood Reporter

My review in brief: A charming film. All three main characters are wonderful. The men are heart-breaking. The woman is beautiful. It’s in French. It made me cry. What more could you ask for?

Dirty Singles, Canada – Comedy, 99 min

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7 PM, Rio (on Broadway near Commercial)

Jack (Paul Campbell) and Meagan (Alex Paxton-Beesley) have got it all. They’ve just bought a house, they’re thinking about a family and they have a close-knit circle of zany friends that love them. A few hookups, breakups and breakdowns later, the circle unravels and then regroups in this sharp-edged and libidinous comedy from writer-director Alex Pugsley.

My review in brief: Ho hum. Not nearly as sexy as it was cracked up to be. Though I found Melissa Hood to be luminously, classily gorgeous and inspiring in her role as Caprice. A bit of sharp dialogue, but neither I nor my friend found ourselves caring about these characters. The emotion didn’t touch us. There was nothing fresh about the situations or insights. Nice to see real Canadian snow falling in some of the outdoor scenes, though! All filmed in a 3-block radius in Toronto.

Martin’s Pink Pickle (How could you resist that title?), Canada – Drama, Romance, 79 min

Wed., Oct. 1, 1:30 PM, Tinseltown

A boy follows his girlfriend to Hope, an ironically named town where his dreams die a slow death. However, his settled lifestyle is disrupted by a trip back to the city for a medical appointment, where he and a friend become stranded for 24 hours. René Brar tells the story of two troubled kids who never really grew up while examining the complex nature of relationships.

– And presumably filmed in Hope and Vancouver!

My review in brief: I enjoyed this one a lot, in part because of the familiar locations. Downtown Hope! Commercial Drive (in one very brief flash). The pier and tunnel at New Brighton. So that part was fun. The two main characters were very likeable, and the story revealed depth to Martin as it unfolded. Very moving use of archival photos, as well. In some random glitch of the universe, there were problems with the sound. After about 10 minutes of not being able to hear the main sound track, though the background sound was loud and clear, VIFF staff apologized and said the film would be re-run from the beginning. Since this was a film festival, we were all wondering if the sound was supposed to be like that. Was this a way to evoke Martin’s inner world—a sense of being cut off and distant from his life? This glitch might have done more to establish his character than the film would normally convey!

The Iron Ministry, China – Experimental & Avant Garde, 82 min

Thursday, Oct. 2, 9:15 PM, Cinemateque

Award-winning documentary filmmaker J.P. Sniadecki travelled throughout China by train for three years, capturing—with dazzling range and astonishing intimacy—the public and private spaces, faces and thoughts of Chinese people on the move. The film’s visceral forward-charging play of light and sound is pure cinema; what its Chinese passengers have to say to us is nothing short of revelatory.

My review in brief: A curious mixture of bleakness and hope for the future. Hearing the passengers’ views of the political situation in China was heartening. The overall feeling of the endless train noise, shaky camera view, and vibration was uneasy and vaguely disturbing. Some humorous moments and a feeling of shared humanity creating the most lasting impression of the film.

The Two Faces of January, UK, France – Crime, Thrills, Mystery, 96 min

Saturday, Oct 4, 9:30 PM, Vancouver Playhouse

Bizarre circumstances make reluctant bedfellows out of American con artist Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and Athens hustler Rydal (Oscar Isaac) in Hossein Amini’s absorbing 60s-set adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. As they evade the authorities, Chester’s wife (Kirsten Dunst) finds herself torn between these seductive charlatans. “An elegantly pleasurable period thriller, a film of tidy precision and class.”—Telegraph

My review in brief: Entertaining and gripping. Beautiful faces, plot twists, and the drama of being on the run made this a fun movie to watch on a Saturday night. Some beautiful Greek scenery too. And a psychological element that added some depth and interest to the male characters. Kirsten Dunst’s character was more a plot element than a character in her own right.

Advanced Style, USA – Fine Arts, Style, Women Directors

Sunday, Oct. 5, 7 PM, Vancouver Playhouse

Prompted by Ari Seth Cohen’s wildly popular blog (itself indebted to Bill Cunningham’s guerrilla fashion photography), Lina Plioplyte’s inspiring documentary profiles seven New York women—aged “between 50 and death”—whose eccentric approaches to style and glamour reflect their inextinguishable vitality. “They reject the youth-culture diktat that age makes you invisible, and offer us all an example of self-acceptance.”—Globe & Mail

– This looks very inspiring! For us women of a certain age!

My review in brief: Advanced Style was fantastic, and the women attending at the Vancouver Playhouse put considerable effort into getting into the mood of the film with an amazing display of beautiful dresses and footwear! I wore my beautiful green suede boots with 5-inch wedgie heels. It was an uplifting, touching movie, very inspiring, and the director did a Q&A at the end. She started filming these women when she was about 25. She’s now 32. She spoke of starting to get wrinkles (give me a break!), and being inspired by the possibility of aging with verve. Definitely, it was very inspiring to see these women living life with beauty and style, not fading into the background. I was also interested in the New York setting, as I will be visiting there for the first time during the last week of October. They mentioned a few places in the film that I hope to check out while I am there: Patina Vintage Store in Soho (oops, seems to be closed now), Off Broadway Boutique (one of the women in the film, Lynn Dell, owns this store), and Katz’s Deli (where Meg Ryan had a very enjoyable salad!).

Advanced Style started as a blog by Ari Seth Cohen, because he appreciated the style and wisdom of older women, and loved roaming the streets of New York to take pictures of sassy divas. He is now taking pictures of stylish older gents as well.

Looking for Light: Jane Bown, UK – Fine Arts, Biography

Tuesday, Oct 7, 6:45 PM, SFU Woodwards

“An excellent, intelligent, and unfussily traditional documentary about a gifted artist who photographed many key 20th-century figures, including Mick Jagger, John Betjeman, Queen Elizabeth and Samuel Beckett. Now 89, a frail and lucid Bown reflects on her life… Others pay homage… and speak insightfully about aesthetics, technique, and the context of Bown’s work. Directors Luke Dodd and Michael Whyte’s austere filmmaking eminently suits the material…”—Guardian

– Mick Jagger caught my eye, of course! (I have removed the film promo pic after viewing the credits and seeing that Jane Bown asserts her copyright to all her photos. Though I am sure the film promoters had recevied the rights to use the pic of Mick to promote the movie, I will err on the side of the spirit of Jane’s wish.)

My review in brief: A gentle film, full of longing. I enjoyed this view into the quiet dynamo that is Jane Bown. The stills of her portraits were stunning, conveying the realness and complex humanity of her subjects.

Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, Spain – Audience Award Winner, 108 min

Wednesday, Oct 8, 6 PM, Center for Performing Arts (777 Homer St.)

Spain, 1966. A hapless English teacher (Javier Cámara) hits the road for the strawberry fields of Almeria, hoping to meet his idol John Lennon. David Trueba’s whimsical dramatic comedy is delightfully unpredictable. “This small gem offers a lovely evocation of Spain as well as a touching tribute to an unforgettable moment in time…”—Hollywood Reporter. Winner, Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Goya Awards 2014.

My review in brief: I loved this movie: the characters, the Spanish countryside, the simplicity of another time. The film speaks to the desire many of us have to connect with the people we admire, and to feel we have made an impact. The fact that I could relate to one of the film’s bullies as he tended his meagre tomato crop shows the movie’s capacity for evoking compassion.

Blind Massage, China, France – Disabilities, Literary, Romance, 114 min

Thursday, Oct. 9, 9:00 PM, Vancouver Playhouse

Based on Bi Feiyu’s best-selling novel, Lou Ye’s sensual drama explores a Nanjing massage parlour and the desires of the sightless masseurs and masseuses employed there. As the camera and actors (including the extraordinary Guo Xiaodong and Qin Hao) grow as intimate as lovers and Lou artfully conveys how his characters experience the world, the film becomes “entirely engrossing…”—Variety. Winner, Best Cinematography, Berlin 2014.

– I had heard this was a practice in Japan, during my massage training at Esalen. I didn’t know it was also the practice in China. I wonder what they will see through their fingertips?

My review in brief: A major disappointment. I walked out. The write-up said nothing about the graphically horrible scenes of spurting blood that occurred in the movie. If I had wanted to see this, I could have gone to any slasher movie at the local multiplex. I wish I had walked out at 7 minutes instead of 70. Unfortunately, there was nothing about the skill and art of blind massage, which was what had interested me in the film. This is an ancient tradition, and I thought the film would honour it and provide insight. Sadly, no.

Last Minute Addition – Welcome to New York, US, France – Cinema of Our Time, 125 min

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 3:45 PM, Vancouver Playhouse

This fictionalized account of the meteoric fall of Dominique Strauss-Kahn is luridly rendered and lent enthralling velocity by Abel Ferrara. A sexually explicit sensory assault, it stars a magnetic, magnificently vile Gérard Depardieu as gluttony personified. The former IMF chief may go by “Mr. Devereaux” here but his transgressions and vices are instantly recognizable as those that came to a head—and made scandalous headlines—in 2011. While Devereaux controls the economic fate of nations, his debauched desires go unchecked, allowing Ferrara to craft a portrait of corrupt authority every bit as incendiary as Bad Lieutenant.

“A bluntly powerful provocation that begins as a kind of tabloid melodrama and gradually evolves into a fraught study of addiction, narcissism and the lava flow of capitalist privilege… Ferrara is no stranger to drawing great, uninhibited, end-of-tether performances from his actors… Depardieu is remarkable here on several fronts: He seems more present, more committed to the role than any of the several dozen he has played since Claude Chabrol’s Bellamy in 2009, and he charges brazenly into whatever breach Ferrara demands of him… When Devereaux is forced to strip nude by prison officers and must agonizingly contort his body to complete the task, it’s the actor and not the character who conjures our sympathies. Elsewhere, though, it is Depardieu the canny, empathic performer who finds a tragic dimension in the heretofore monstrous Devereaux…”—Scott Foundas, Variety

My review in brief: Wow! Very powerful film. A humanizing account of a sex addict. This movie was fascinating on so many levels. The documentary style was Dogme 95-like with its avoidance of background music to cue viewers on what to feel. The script was realistic, with unique voices for characters from the different milieux. Depardieu’s depiction was brilliantly complex—animalistic, self-absorbed, and yet with moments of brutal clarity about human nature. Jacqueline Bisset’s performance as his wife Simone was also an inspiration, particularly in the scene where she is almost drawn back into love with him through her own animal response to his body.

Final Addition: A Different Drummer: Celebrating Eccentrics, Canada – Comedy, 87 min

Friday, Oct 10, 1:15 PM, SFU Woodwards

Academy Award-winning director John Zaritsky (Leave Them Laughing), a bit of an oddball himself, returns with an engaging, light-hearted look at eccentrics. From a desert hermit to Denman Street’s Duck Lady, we’re introduced to those who dare, or are driven, to be different. Eccentrics are healthier and happier, as we discover in this funny, touching and thought-provoking film.

My review in brief: After the horrible experience of Blind Massage I had to add another movie so I could end VIFF on a good note. This film was the perfect antidote. An uplifting, inspiring celebration of people who are not afraid to express their uniqueness in the world. Check out the movie’s website and take the quiz to see if you are an eccentric! Bottom line: eccentrics seem to inspire people and bring joy into the world. And they are smarter than your average duck!

John Zaritsky gave a Q&A after the movie. Wow, this guy has won a lot of awards! He was able to reassure the audience that Laura-Kay is living in an SRO hotel on Granville Street and receiving medical care for her MS. Her duck is allowed to live with her. The film was inspired by a book by Dr. David Weeks that documents a 10-year study of eccentrics. Zaritsky contacted some of the book’s subjects as a starting point for his film, and he mentioned two eccentrics who declined to appear in the film. One of them was Lord Bath, a British peer who has 75 wifelets living on his estate! 😮

Zaritsky’s next project might be a follow-up film on the Thalidomide babies that he has filmed twice previously. They are now about 50 years old.

A bit about the study: “One of Dr Weeks’s most vexing diagnostic tasks was to distinguish between eccentricity and neurosis. “Simply put,” he says, “neurotics are miserable because they think they’re not as good as everyone else, while eccentrics know they’re different and glory in it.” After the research was completed, Dr Weeks and his team came up with a 15-point empirically based list of characteristics that define eccentricity.” From an article in The Independent.

Last day at Black Rook Bakehouse in the East Village

I was fortunate to enjoy a mountain of coconut cream pie on the last day at the Black Rook Bakehouse original location at 2141 E. Hastings St. These pictures from Saturday, July 19, 2014 capture the nostalgia of this unique place, and the longing for more and more coconut cream pie!

Black Rook Bakehouse will be opening at their new location at 2474 E. Hastings any day now. They moved locations because yet another condo development is slated for the 2100 block of E. Hastings. Let’s hope this one actually comes to fruition, unlike the Alba development in the 2500 block of E. Hastings, which halted after tearing down many of the buildings on the block. Luckily London Drugs still survives at one end, and Starbucks and a few local businesses like Hair Magic Salon and Cash for Gold at the other! And we now have a nice community garden in the middle.

BTW, the Black Rook Bakehouse coconut cream pie is out of this world, with the most generous amount of yummy real whipped cream that I have ever seen on a pie. It is actually too much for me to eat at one sitting. Incredible!

They also have a selection of other amazing pies, desserts, and savories. But when I see the coconut cream pie, I have to have it. I did sample their delicate little honey lavender cookies as well, and they are incredibly yum.

P.S. Check out the Google Maps street view of 2500 block from July 2012!

Google Maps 2500 Block E. Hastings July 2012