Double Dream Hands

Dec 20, ’10 2:04 PM

One summer my sister and I visited our family in Chicago all by ourselves. The trouble started in the airport. Big block letters, UM, printed on our boarding passes designated us as unaccompanied minors, which meant we were corralled in a terrible little corner of the airport with a bunch of little kids. Sara and I were 10 and 7, and were sure that there had been a mistake. We were worldly kids after all and didn’t need to be chaperoned through the airport. (I have since changed my tune after spending this past weekend with a 10 and a 7 year old. I now agree with those dusty airport people.)

The point is that we had to entertain each other for that long layover because the other kids were super boring. Pretty much each of us tried to get the other to crack up and we were pretty good at it. This mutual sibling entertainment continued after we arrived in Chicago. We memorized an old Empire Carpet commercial (Can’t find it on-line yet, searching.)

I know you will enjoy:

ANYWAY, long build up, ridiculous payoff. My sister and I are in the process of memorizing this dance as an homage to that time. You will be able to catch us performing this in restaurants, grocery store aisles, and at Christmas parties just as soon as we get up to speed.

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Dougy and Ralpho

Dec 15, ’10 6:16 AM

In the summer of 1995 I spent two weeks in Red Lodge, Montana with my friend Kurt and our families filming a movie. I was Dougy and Kurt was Ralpho, we were the school yard bullies in a feature called Amanda. This week I watched it for the first time.

AN INSTANT CLASSIC?

Amanda stars Kiran Culken who plays a Montanan and a pipsqueak, Biddle Farnsworth, who starts to go blind in one eye after falling from a horse. That is, until he meets Seven, a magical black blacksmith and his horse Amanda, a massive (18 hands) animal who may be an angel. Seven forges Biddle a pair of magic metal eyeglasses that improve his vision.

Kurt sent me some of his recollections of the time:

I definitely remember our production assistant, Michael who smoked all the time. I remember that we ate in a separate tent from the “extras” and had catered hot food where they had only sandwiches. I remember the problems with recording my line that I spoke in that scene, far away from you and the boom, and they had to wire me with a mike which kept malfunctioning. I remember Kieran and playing video games next to Macauley in our hotel. I remember how our moms were sitting talking with this woman about how stressful it was to be a stage mother, and then an assistant came over and said, “Mrs. Culkin, they’re ready for you.”

WORLD PREMIER

The whole experience was incredible and overwhelming in all the best ways, but for all these years, if ever the subject came up, the story ended with a big question mark because the movie was never released in the US.

Thanks go to my brother-in-law for finding the DVD. After hearing the stories my sister* and I had about the filming he refused to believe that it was still unavailable on video. After a quick search he found it for sale from this reputable online store.  Easy as that. *You can see Sara in  pink dress waking away from Jenny in the outside scene.

I’m thinking of trying that hairstyle on again though, I think it suits me.

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Hand Dancing

Dec 13, ’10 11:08 AM


Peter showed me this on Saipan, and I just came across it again.

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Bannack’s First Steps

Nov 22, ’10 4:41 AM

Way to go baby!

Bannack took his first few and steps at our good friend John Rausch’s party last night. The house was packed full of people and Bannack loves an audience so it was the perfect setting to show off his new skill. He seemed to be able to walk halfway across the room when he wanted to. He even executed a turn or two and his crashes were simple sit downs.

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Bray Christmas Opening

Nov 19, ’10 1:23 PM

This year’s Christmas show at the Archie Bray had some of the best work I’ve seen in recent memory.

Standouts for me were the dreamy and intense sculptures of  Kelly Garrett Rathbone. (I’m saving up for one.) David Peters had some beautiful crucible like cups and floral “gold pans” that looked like solid iron. It was my first time seeing the work of Jeff Campana. His carapace-like pots are made up of delicately joined slabs with glassy smooth seams between them. And maybe I’m turtle-minded after returning from Saipan, but this small piece by Bethany Krull was another favorite of mine.

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