movie weekend

Well, I hope you all had a great weekend, it was beautiful, sunny and Hot here! Of course, we were mostly inside, mostly.

Poor Richard's (not almanac)... Back was out, and he really needed to just Veg., rest, read, and watch Tv....but, since I didn't feel like watching 24 hours of Sci-Fi TV, I decided to get some Redbox dvds.

So, I got 4.

1.) The Day the Earth Stood Still, with Keanu Reeves. Totally sucked, I knew it would, but Rich wanted to watch it anyway, so I got it for him...he said it was ok, a little boring. The original was a masterpiece, why do they always mess with perfection? Klatu Verada Nickto.

2.)Revolutionary Road. This one we both liked, although it was a little slow at times. I loved the 50's style sets, cars, & shots of NYC. Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet were excellent & charming together. Their 'fragile harmony' of being 50's suburbanites, the perfect couple on the outside and hopelessly unhappy inside is fractured, and all along you know that something is not gonna end happy. To that end, it reminds me that women absolutely did not have the same choices as we do today, not the same anything. People thought they were crazy if they wanted a life beyond wife & mother, and they were recommended to see psychiatrists. Young women today (some of the ones I know,) take these changes & choices for granted, 'cause they never knew any other way, but seeing this might open their eyes a little, maybe.

I really think it is a must-see, but not at all a feel happy movie.

3.) Defiance. First of all, let me just say, "Daniel Craig."

And then, Liev Schreiber. Their 2 hulky personas fill the screen. So, even if the movie was not great, (which is not true, it is great,) you've got these 2 wonderful actors, acting their hearts out. Tons of intense drama, 'heavy hitting action', and a TRUE Story make it amazing, historically relevant, & empowering. We loved it, even if there was a lot of crying going on, on my part.

4.) Rachel Getting Married. Anne Hathaway is superb. Deep, full, sad, funny, desolate, & complex, with lots of realistic family angst, and rich music. Definitely See it, and get blown away.

Sorry this is so long, it was a weird choice of movies....mostly sad, some hopeful, but some great performances, and truly riveting stories.

Peace Out.

xxx jani

What's for dinner or How do I love Wegmans? let me count the ways...

So, I've been cooking a lot lately. I mean, I always have cooked a lot, but sometimes it just seems like a lot of work for only 2 people. It took me a while to get used to making less food, 'cause I was still cooking for more than just me & Rich. But I'm better now, I just make a little more than I need, and then we have left-over night, or lunch.

While some of you know about Wegmans, for those who don't, it's a supermarket. But, it's really kinda special. Or, it makes you feel special when you shop there. It's not that the food is so great, or unique...I've been to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, & other's like that. I mean it's the feeling.

When we first got our Wegmans, I was so enthralled the kids used to say I was a Wegman's cheerleader! But I'm better now. And I don't mean this to be an ad for them, just a head's up for a couple of good products.

The 2 I'm showing here are the Wegmans basting oil & Wegmans Pan Searing Flour. They come in smallish bottles, and are kinda pricey...but you don't use that much & they're so worth it. You can use them for chicken breasts, fish fillets, meat (like browning meat for a stew,) & veggies.

Last night I made scallops, so you just heat a little of the basting oil, lightly coat them with the flour & sear them for a few minutes, turn them over with tongs and let the other side do the same, then cook for about 5 minutes longer. The main trick is to NOT move them or touch them when they are searing. They get a great crust, and come out having the most 'scallopy' flavor ever! I've been making them like this for a while now, and they really come out tasty every time.

I made some creamy risotto & wilted spinach with balsamic glaze to go with them, & it was a totally delish meal (if I do say so myself! ( My final 'plating' doesn't look much like Top Chefs, but it's a start. :-)

for other recipes using this stuff, see the Wegmas site, Voila~!

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomepageView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1

Jerry's Artarama trip!

I've been getting emails for Jerry's Artarama , a discount art supply store , for years. I just found out that they have an outlet store in NJ, and now that I moved up here, it's only about 35 minutes away, so yesterday I went!

I took the Garden State Parkway to Exit 145, then Route 280 West, to Exit 8A, then to Prospect Street in West Orange to the store! It was easy and Rt 280 is an amazing road, it's huge, lots of inclines and grades, kinda cutting thru some Huge Hills, and actually turns into Interstate Rt 80,which crosses the entire US! http://www.nycroads.com/roads/I-280_NJ/

Anyway, the store is great, if you love art stores, Like I do. So much fun, I can get really lost in these kind of stores, and there are not many of them left anymore, due to the giant crafty ones like Michaels. And,of course, I bought some stuff: a couple of sketch books, a few watercolor pencils, and the Derwent Intense Pencils I have been wanting to try. (plus a few more things. :-)

the Highway next door

So, I live in a really busy area, Edison, NJ. It's in central NJ, near Raritan Center, a huge business hub. The condo I'm renting is about 100 yards from the New Jersey Turnpike, (at Exit 10,) and Route 287. Both roads are extremely busy, day and night, and are major highways in the state.

At first, I thought it would be annoying to live so close to those highways , because of the constant noise. But since the first day, I have not only NOT been bothered by it, but I kind-of enjoy it. I mean, it is a constant din of noise, but I don't hear it inside, and from inside sometimes it sounds like rolling thunder at night, which I really like. Also, it's like a white noise background, which I also like, because I have tinitus, (ringing in the ears,) and I listen to ocean sounds to sleep to anyway.

During the winter, you could see the trucks and the roads, but now, the trees are full, and you can't see it, even though you can still hear it, of course.

I also like it because to me, it represents life going on & on & on always the same...

...even though the economy is crap, the government is basically corrupt, rising crime, general life chaos. Companies need their stuff delivered, markets need their food, & the trucks keep running.

Here is a little idea of what it's like. This was shot today, around 2 PM. I'm gonna film it at other times too, like at night, and in the morning. Monday it was Really Loud, and Richard (my dh) says it was because after the weekend, there are a lot of deliveries to be made.

Call me crazy but I like trucks. I like truck drivers too. Well, especially one.

reasons to be cheerful

To explain why I've started this blog ...

I want to really start doing my artwork more.

I don't know why I haven't. I'm not working, and I have all the time in the world to do it. Maybe that's why. I have a fine art degree, and was painting, regularly, about 20 years ago, around 1990. I was even teaching art classes with a friend.

I have plenty of materials. I have a great & supportive husband. I love him to death. and I have great grown-up kids , they don't need me, and I adore them beyond belief.

I know I was plenty depressed after my mom died. It was sudden and without warning..and we were best friends. Losing my parents was insanely hard for me. But, it's been 10 years, and I'm still here...waiting to start. So many ideas going nowhere.

After my mom died, I said I was gonna give myself a year or 2 to get my art career started. I rented a studio, but never got it together. That was over 7 years ago. I read a book about art and fear, and it was pretty spot on.

The only other thing I can blame this on is distraction and procrastination. And the internet of course, and total lack of discipline on my part.

Hence the title of this blog.

I used to believe that if I started something new, something bad would happen. I mean, It's happened before, many times...,

But, I did start something new, I Moved. and that's new. and It's a Big Thing. I moved from a big, 3 bdrm house, into a tiny 1bdm condo apt. And nothing bad happened. I actually love it.

I also used to think it was because I had so much crap that I couldn't get organized and find my stuff...and you know, feng shui says you can't work if you have clutter in your home.

So.......I took an online art class, and started drawing a bit.

And I'm putting all my art supplies out and organizing them.

So, THIS TIME I'm determined to do it.

I have several friends who are doing it, and selling their cool art stuff on eBay and Etsy.

I can do that. for sure.

Wish me luck.

Jessica Wesolek blog on commenting

I took an online drawing class with Jessica Wesolek, a New Mexican artist. It was a good refresher for me, and I actually started drawing a lot, which is something I wasn't doing,and missing it. She also has a blog, Cre8it.com , and has many good articles and ideas for drawing, and lots of interesting products to try. I started using watercolor colored pencils because of this class & I am loving them. And I started drawing in a moleskine...which is neat...She has a jounaling class that I heard is excellent.

The other day, she wrote about commenting on other people's blogs. It was such an insightful blog, I wanted to copy it and share it. I read some pretty cool blogs, usually a few times a week, other's only once in a while....but I've made some really good friends from them, and I love reading them. I do usually comment, if I have something to say, which, of course, is often. so, without further ado....


Her blog site is : http://web.me.com/jwesolek/cre8it/Blog/Blog.html

my facebook name

Today, you can pick a facebook name, so I picked janihayes , of course. Here's a link to it, for anyone who's curious.

http://www.facebook.com/janihayes

and here's a photo of yours truly for y'all.

have an excellent day.

Words I like

Sometimes I read articles and some words or phrases just jump out...here are some from a New York Magazine, and some others that I was thinking about naming this blog.

I have a LiveJournal blog, called 'allilane', but I'd like to be able to blog to other folks, so I'm starting this one. I'll try to keep it short, but I kinda feel like I hit on some trends before they become mainstream. I find a lot of cool sites, and interesting, unrelated stuff that I will post here.

Enjoy and feel free to share.

mysteries of creativity

jani's escape

streetsblog (a reference to a blog)

lifehacking ......... 43folders.com (a blog)

free-associative wandering

judicious unmindfulness

irresponsible responsibility

Being Jani

Up Your Kazoo

Focus is a paradox

attentional shift

new techno-cognitive nomadism

restlessness

the advantage of restlessness

neuroplasticity

flitting

peripheral vision

focused distraction