The Little Things.

Ever have something that occurs on a daily basis that you expect as a part of your routine? An Alarm clock going off, birds chirping outside your window(if you live somewhere where the solar rays grace) or a pet licking your face with icky breath to say good morning?

On my way to work , I usually see this little black boy about 8 or 9 wearing these ginormous headphones, rocking out to the beat, while walking his dog down to the park with a huge smile on his face. It completely makes my day.

I always wonder what it is he is listening to in his personal surround sound and my maternal instinct (yes, I have the instinct) hopes that the volume isn’t too loud so he doesn’t damage his young ears. I picture him listening to Jay Z some days and others I think he could be listening to the Jackson 5. I don’t know, but this little guessing game keeps me entertained. Whatever that joy is that is keeping that smile on his face, I want some of it.

I had gone a couple weeks without seeing him (leaving late and missing his walking time) and today there he was on the corner. Just him, his dog and those headphones. As he stood on the corner waiting to cross the street, I just smiled in his general direction as he anticipated running across that intersection the second the light allowed. Then he waved. No, not to me, but to a cop passing by and my heart seriously melted in this tiny gesture of recognition.

Maybe because of all the strife the minority community is having with police officers in Portland which prompted Jesse Jackson to visit (ugh, another blog in itself) and to see this young black boy smile and happily wave to a white cop just did something to me.

It’s these simple things that really can make our day, but so often they go overlooked. With all the stress and craziness that can enter our lives daily, it’s easy to find a way to not pay attention to the little pleasantries that life offers. For me, it’s a boy, his dog, and oh yes, his beats.

Dancin' in the Sun: Sundance Twenty-Ten

I love art. Primarily in the form of books, movies and television. I’m not too keen on the abstract painting type of art. I know, I know a picture speaks a thousand words, right? But guess what really does speak words? Books. Movies. Television.

Since the beginning of time, correction, beginning of my time, I dreamt of being a writer. I wanted to author books and wrote many a short stories in my elementary school days. I attended workshops through external programs and let my imagination run to its limits. As I grew older, I still had this fire inside me to write but developed that thing that often holds us back from chasing our dreams; fear. That icky voice in our conscience that tells us that you could possibly fail and people won’t appreciate what you consider to be a talent. So instead, I opted for the “attainable” dreams over the road of the starving artist. I hid behind other people’s work and became an avid reader, a lover of films, and an admirer of smart, witty talent where people thought outside of the box. My favorite television shows right now do not contain laugh tracks to let the audience know when something is funny; I’ve come to loathe that as of late. Instead, the writers and actors of these shows challenge their audience to really listen, think for a minute, and then understand their humor. I like that independence and intelligence that the viewer is finally given.

While on this note, I should mention my disgust for reality television. I may be guilty of indulging from time to time, but I am not a fan of the fact that these “reality stars” make money based on their bad decisions and all around stupid nature. We are now monetarily rewarding a lack of education an idiocracy? Really America? How does that old saying go? Oh yeah, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. That’s the one.

So Sundance. What is so special about seeing a bunch of movies? Well as you’ve just heard my rant on reality television, independent movies are the exact opposite. Most of these films are made literally on a dream, a few bucks, and raw human talent; Talent that introduces us into these stories of the human condition in its purest forms. Stories that we’ve never seen first-hand in our own neighborhoods, but we know exists somewhere. Stories that may have dark undertones but are somehow made humorous because laughter has a way of resonating with us and keeping these important narratives in mind. Stories that take chances, chances that might fail at the box office, but the writer knows are necessary to take despite harsh reviews. Pure stories of this chaotic, confusing, messy, and beautiful disaster of a world.

Every story touched my soul in some way. Five films that I hope you all will get to see someday on the big screen: Hesher, Welcome to the Rileys, 8: The Mormon Proposition, Howl, and Winter’s Bone.

I guess it also didn’t hurt that I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Adrian Grenier there as well :). Those were just two beautiful, hot, bonuses.

Sundance Twenty-Eleven. Who’s in?