Current obsessions

Hellebores in bloom at Anacortes, Washington. Photo by Kneale Culbreath

This week, I thought it would be fun to share some of my obsessions with you.

Product:  I love painting my nails and I like to use Sunday nights to pick a color, watch the Oscars or something Masterpiece Theater-ish, and think about the week ahead. The newest addition to my nail kit: Karma Organic Nail Polish Remover. It is an organic, soy-based nail polish remover that smells deliciously of lavender instead of headache-inducing acetone.  The remover takes nail polish off easily and I think my nails feel like they are in better condition instead of dry and stripped.  Yes, it's more expensive-$12 for a 4-ounce glass bottle- but you deserve to no longer inhale formaldehyde.

Teatime: Do you know about Remedy Teas on 15th Street in Seattle? Imagine a small and peaceful space done in calming white and green, where you can pick from over 150 organic teas along with tea smoothies, cookies, and sandwiches- Pesto Cream or Nutella Crisp, anyone? I spent two hours lingering with a friend and a pot of coconut chai, a green tea blend.  There is something there for everyone, including vegan and gluten-free options.  I love the idea of bringing more ritual to the everyday and this is the perfect spot to slow down for a bit. http://remedyteas.com/

Reading: I love candy, the more old-fashioned, the better: malted milk balls, Hershey's kisses, and the truly old-school Choward's Violet Mints, which make your breath smell like iris and Parma violet perfume.  I also love a good story. The Trebor Story by Matthew Crampton, is the tale of the Trebor candy company, a family-run institution that created not just candy but an entire culture.  It is a fascinating story, complete with beautiful photos and illustrations. 

Watching: I am always late to the party but thanks to good friends Sarah and Martin, have become completely obsessed with Paul Abbott's television series "Shameless," the UK edition.  If you want to discover everything you need to know about life on a Manchester council estate, please go and find "Shameless" on Netflix. Paul Abbott is a hero of mine and wrote the brilliant BBC series "State of Play."  Shameless is nothing like "State of Play," except it is also set in Manchester. But like "State of Play," Abbott's "Shameless" is full of characters you fall in love with.  It is smart, heartbreakingly sad, funny, and bitter.  The show's sharp, honest writing inspires me to always want to be a better writer.

Listening to:  I am waiting for Johnny Marr's The Messenger,  which will be released this Tuesday.  I will report back next week.  In the meantime, here's a song which shows off Marr's work with the English band, The Cribs, "We Share the Same Skies": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DbcAl3EbIs

What is inspiring you this week?

Capable of great feeling: Carol Reed's "Oliver"

It is the spring of 1974- I know this because I am in third grade and it is right before my parents separated.  School was what felt normal, when I would still walk the five blocks to school with my younger brother. This was before I switched schools, left my friends and my Westmount neighborhood and moved to Old Montreal.

One of my last memories of my childhood before my parents got divorced was a film screening at school.  All of the students from kindergarten to grade five were packed into the auditorium to watch a screening of the 1968 film of the musical, "Oliver."  This film had a profound affect on me and has stayed with me all my life.  I have Charles Dickens and the Carol Reed film to thank for introducing me to my lifelong interest in the depiction of class culture in England. In fact, I can trace my obsession with England to first seeing the cityscape of London in "Oliver."   A few months ago, I bought the original soundtrack from iTunes and found myself listening to it and crying at how familiar each song was. I have always cried easily over music that moved me. The first notes of "Who Will Buy?" took me back to the small auditorium in Montreal, surrounded by my classmates and teachers.  Nancy (Shani Wallis) singing to Oliver completely captivated me.  I recently learned that Oliver's singing part was sung by Kathe Green, because Mark Lester (Oliver) apparently could not sing. The song is sung in a call and response round-style, with each street vendor singing a different part: flower seller, fruit vendor, knife sharpener, milkmaid, each voice playing off the other. The song is plaintive and heart-rending. Like any good piece, it is not all sweet but full of dark moments, too.  At times it is not the joyous song you expect and has a bittersweet edge. The musical showcases what a vibrant piece it is, set like a period city ballet. 

"Oliver" provided me with a chance to revisit a time in my childhood.  Of course, listening to the soundtrack and watching the film as an adult, I realize I have the same problems with some of the scenes that I did when I was little: Fagin's racist depiction as a money-hungry Jew is truly awful. Oliver witnessing Nancy's death at the hands of Bill (Oliver Reed) is still the single most terrifying scene of any movie I can think of. I think I was too young to have seen this as a child and wish for some modern editing- but at the same time, the film was intensely joyful and painful at the same time, something I am glad to have experienced.

Watching the "Who Will Buy" video clip as an adult, I caught something I had not noticed as a child: the only people who can truly enjoy the day are Oliver and his fellow well-dressed, wealthy neighbors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11x9V1OyKpg

I watch it now and think, 'How would you have any time to sing or dance if you were busy beating carpets, cleaning houses, and nannying for the rich?'  The tune describes wrapping up the day in a box to remember- these words have always stayed with me. Is your friendship a memory box or something active that you can work on, letting it evolve?  I think movies, music, and friendship got me through the time of my parents divorce.  Movies were a way for me to experience enormous emotions without having to talk about them.  I do not even know if I had the words to express the tumult of feelings inside me at the time. Movies provided a safe haven, even if there were big emotions expressed, pain and sadness and heartache. 

I had the chance to revisit my childhood this weekend with a visit to Vancouver, where I saw my oldest friend- we met when we were six and had not seen each other since we were fifteen.  Another opportunity to experience a safe haven of emotional comfort and connection.

Original poster for "Oliver." Note: The film excerpt available on YouTube has Spanish subtitles.

An Insider's Outsider: Doris Duke

Courtesy Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives
Special Collections Library, Duke University

There have been a recent spate of books celebrating introverts. Books with titles like The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World; The Introvert's Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World, and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I am surely amongst many to get up and cheer - albeit silently- as I am an introvert. I love spending time with others but it is by spending time alone that I am able to re-energize, ponder, get good ideas, muster through things, write, and get my most creative work done. I am always inspired to learn of other introverts, famous or not- people who are puttering around, working out ideas and trying to better themselves and the world around them. I have decided that famous philanthropist Doris Duke (1912-1993) was clearly an introvert, someone who was happier making things happen from behind the scenes, someone who never wanted to be in the spotlight. Duke let her actions speak for her. It is difficult to underestimate her influence. I admire how a private person was able to do so much in her lifetime and beyond.

I was thinking about the idea of custodianship and the long-held notion of the wealthy using their fortunes to help others. Doris Duke lived this principle.  In "Downton Abbey," the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley, says to his family: "...My fortune is the work of others who laboured to build a great dynasty. Do I have the right to destroy their work or impoverish that dynasty? I am a custodian, my dear, not an owner. I must strive to be worthy of the task I've been set." Duke was more than worthy of her task as a cultural, humanitarian and civic custodian. Stewardship. Philanthropy. Environmental protection. Child welfare. Animal welfare. Medical research. Doris Duke was a visionary. It is unfortunate that she is no longer alive- I imagine she would be very happy with how her money has been spent.

Duke was an unusual woman for her time and perhaps because of her wealth had little concern for social conventions- after all, she had more money than anyone else (her nickname since childhood was "the richest girl in the world") and she could do what she wanted.  Her legacy is one of impressive wealth used to benefit millions of people whom she did not know. For Duke, creating public programs and giving money away was perhaps an introvert's way to develop community and to feel connected to others. The idea of legacy and programs which continue long after she was gone means that she is forever linked to strangers and people she could never know personally or meet face-to-face. Perhaps this is the ultimate introvert dream: to help others, but from a safe distance through history, or through public works, buildings, arts programs, and medical research.

I am inspired by her as someone who shared her vision of a better world in a quietly powerful way.  Originally I wanted to focus on Doris Duke and the architecture of her house, Shangri La, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Shangri La is a dream destination for me made even more fascinating by learning about Duke and her far-reaching humanitarian, artistic, and environmental efforts. Duke transformed her private home into what is now the Center for Islamic Arts and Cultures, containing the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. I wanted to know more about what would inspire Duke to create an architectural monument and to fill it full of Middle Eastern art. Duke is a model of an introvert capable of enormous, public acts of generosity and stewardship. Duke was the well-known private philanthropist, environmentalist, art collector, and preservationist who spent her entire life giving money away. She rarely granted interviews. Over the course of her lifetime, Duke gave away approximately $400 million dollars. The Doris Duke Foundation is currently estimated to be valued at over $1.6 billion dollars. I was inspired by these numbers to learn about the elusive benefactor of so many meaningful programs.

English author James Hilton coined the term Shangri La in his book, Lost Horizon. It refers to an imaginary land set in the mountains of Tibet. I am fond of mixing seemingly disparate ideas and thought I would include the magnificent Kinks song of the same name. The opening of "Shangri La" is a chance to appreciate Ray Davies's beautiful voice, guitar, and horns. The song meanders through melodic changes which remind me of many 60's pop anthems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt0IXkIVvo4
 I love a good story song, especially one that gently mocks middle class values and aspiration, done as only The Kinks can. Davies creates the portrait of an ordinary man who attempts to insulate himself in his house as protection from the worries of the outside world: bill-paying, a new car, a mortgage, the stress of everyday life. "Too scared to think about how insecure you are/ Life ain't so happy in your little Shangri-la…" I included this song because Duke certainly never had any of the concerns of living in a tidy suburb, bill-paying, or a mortgage, but her private life was messy- money may have made her life easier but it did not protect her from great sadness. Shangri La was a sanctuary for her. It is lovely to imagine her enjoying a moment of peace, much-deserved, for all of her hard work. Introverts need a place of respite and Shangri La was such a place for Duke. Shangri La exemplifies all that Doris Duke represents: her wide-ranging interest in valuing diverse cultures and people, protecting green spaces, and giving as many people as possible access to art and culture that they might not otherwise know about.

Powder compact belonging to Doris Duke.  Image courtesy of The Newport Restoration Foundation.

Sources:
www.ddcf.org 
www.shangrilahawaii.org 
http://library.duke.edu/
http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5580/
www.dukefarms.org