Worth Waiting For: Parks and Recreation

When mocu-mentary style TV show "Parks and Recreation," starring Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, and Aziz Ansari, first aired last season it was off to a slow start. The chemistry and the writing, however, has steadily improved since its pilot, and with its topical and witty season two premiere, "Parks" is proving it can contend with sister show "The Office" and comedy leader "30 Rock." In the season two premiere, Poehler's character, Leslie Knopp, the passionate albeit naive deputy director of Parks and Recreation in the small town of Pawnee, decides to help out a local zoo and marry two penguins after she learns that penguins mate for life. Unbeknownst to her, the penguins are both male and she ignites a storm of controversy, splitting the town into two camps, liberal and conservative. This episode, titled Pawnee Zoo, can be viewed at hulu.com, or just follow this link: http://www.hulu.com/search?query=Parks+and+Recreation
Upcoming episodes hold strong promise for the future of this show, which include an episode involving a Pawnee Beauty Pageant where Leslie volunteers to act as a judge, and despite her high hopes to chose a smart, sensible, community service and government-geared teen, she must deal with the stereotype that beauty, not brains, always wins pageants.

Obama On Late Show

Barack Obama appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last night to discuss health care. He brushed off allegations that protesters of health care reform had their opinions rooted in racism and instead kept the atmosphere light, stating, "I was actually black before the election." He emphasized that times of depression and the subsequent need for change have in the past "riled people up." He concluded that what needs to be discussed, "is that the overwhelming majority of people-republican or democrat-they just want to see some common sense. They want to see some honesty and integrity in Washington. I think they're turned off by the shouting and the yelling and they expect more from the Republican elected officials."

view the interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmE7tuR0364

Medieval Times

I've never been a lipstick fan, chapstick, yes...lip balm, sometimes...lip gloss, maybe-until my hair starts sticking to it...and what about those "all day" lip wear products? For me, they dry out my lips and are a pain to get off. Basically, I'm a chapstick junkie and nothing else ever really takes its place. Admittedly, chapstick can only do so much and it's become, well, rather boring, which is why when I noticed my mom getting ready for work while visiting home in New Jersey, I had to ask her what lovely shade of lipstick she had on. She showed me this lip stain that comes in the form of a tube of lipstick. It's called Medieval - Tinted Treatment and it's from the brand Lipstick Queen. It's supposed to look different on everyone and it uses your lips natural pigmentation to achieve a flattering color on you. Depending how much you put on affects how rich the color is, and a little goes a long way. The bottom line: just a tiny bit will perk your lips up without being sticky or cakey. It's one of the best alternatives to old school lipstick that I've come across in a while.

ScanFest '09!

After a few years of busy schedules and missed opportunities, my mom and I were able to attend ScanFest '09 last month. Located in Budd Lake, New Jersey, ScanFest, short for Scandinavian Festival, celebrates the heritage of Americans whose roots reach back into the Northern region of Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. My mom, like many who share similar roots, has a light complexion, (fish-belly white as she calls it), lots of freckles and green eyes. Since I have my dad's darker Sicilian looks, I've felt a strong urge to keep in touch with the side of me that's essentially under the surface, which is why I was happy to venture out into the woods of New Jersey in search of this festival.

When we first walked in we were given stickers with our nation's flag on it. We had prepaid online for a reduced rate, but tickets at the gate were 14.00$. Although, many of the festival-goers were decked out in traditional garb, which landed them free admission to the day's festivities. The festival had a large variety of tents set up with jewelry, embroidered bags, shirts, sweatshirts, dresses, books, glassware, pins, figurines, paintings, all for sale and all with ties to a particular Scandinavian country. Some of the items were handmade and some were imported. The most traditional pieces, including a painted, wooden, Swedish horse varied in price from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars depending on where the piece originated from and whether or not it was handcrafted. After much deliberation I purchased a white T-shirt with a wonderfully robust viking head printed on it as a souvenir. I also picked up a miniature viking carved out of wood for a friend. My mom found some trinkets for herself and before we knew it, we were starving. Food vendors cooked traditional meals mixed in with staple choices, such as Icelandic crepes, kettle corn, Swedish coffee bread, Danish pastries, sausages, and more. I stuck with a veggie burger and sweet potato fries, but my mom had a meal that her mom used to make for her: Swedish meatballs with lingonberries and crackers.

After lunch we browsed the aisles some more and also visited the Artisans section where artisans from all over set up instructional booths and taught traditional skills, such as Scandinavian woodcarving, paper-cutting, and weaving-a skill my mom had mastered in college. There is something about connecting with customs that go back hundreds of years that felt fresh and enjoyable, and at the very least, they were quite entertaining to observe. At the end of our day we bought some delicious ice cream and watched the live band. Many of the festival goers danced with their partners or friends with moves I had never learned. But my mom had learned the dances when she was younger and being there allowed me to hear more of her memories and reminisce about a culture she was more familiar with. Going to a festival like this is a first step in enjoying a part of your past and making it feel not so far away.

If you are interested in connecting with any piece of your heritage, I recommend doing a quick online search to find events or festivals near you because you may be surprised at what events your community holds each year. As far as ScanFest goes, you can find more information by visiting http://scanfest.org/

The Getty Museum: Round Two

This week I ventured up the California mountainside via a modest white tram and arrived at the Getty Museum for my second visit. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles exhibits a wide array of art, including European sculpture, paintings, manuscripts, artifacts, and European and American photography. During this visit, the French Bronze exhibit impressed me as much as any sculpture exhibit would with its wonderfully detailed subjects crafted from copper and tin. The subject matter of the pieces ranged from biblical to mythical to political and royal, but I decided to focus this blog on a different exhibit: the Walls of Algiers: Narratives of the City, an exhibit focused on the history and subsequent bloody battle of the African city Algiers.

The French occupied Algiers in 1830 and held this occupation until the War of Independence ended in 1962. While in power, the French segregated the city into the "Arab" sector and the "European" sector. The exhibit at the Getty Center highlighted this with old photos taken of the people of Algiers, including mandatory snapshots taken by a photographer ordered to document every Arab citizen. These photos were used to issue each citizen a French Identity Card. Think of every ID card or license you've had to get over the years. Usually the problem with ID photos is how goofy your smile is or that your eyes are half-closed and you now have to live with that photo in your pocket for the next few years. The listless expressions on the faces of the men and women I saw were cold and strong. There were no smiles and their eyes were all wide open. They had a much different problem. They looked very much like people who had something to say but had no choice but to sit or stand in the middle of the street and receive an identity they didn't believe in.

If you are interested in learning more about the War of Independence, you should check out The Battle of Algiers, a classic black and white film that came out in 1966 and highlights the brutal tactics that both the French and the Algerians utilized in attempts to gain the upper hand during the war.

This exhibit can be viewed until October 18th. The rotating exhibits and breathtaking views at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, make it worth a repeat viewing.

Parking is 15$ and entry into the museum is free.

For more information visit-
http://www.getty.edu/