Lazy Movie Weekend: Comfort Movies

I never thought that I'd feel the way I feel about January about the month of June. June is my birth month, peonies are in bloom, and a hint of summer is in the air. If we lived in a normal world, June would be the absolute best. But seriously, it seems like June is going on forever. Every day some other terrible thing happens and just when you think people can't get worse, they do. It's overwhelming and depressing. I try not to get caught in the dumpster fire that is Twitter, but I follow a lot of political figures, activists, and regular humans who comment and I can't look away. It's not healthy; I know, but I can't help myself.

It's in times like these that I find myself turning to my old standby to make myself feel better: I watch funny movies and shows that make me feel better. I like to call these movies "comfort movies." A comfort movie (or show) is like mac and cheese or warm brownies; they make you feel loved and cared for no how you really feel.

I encourage you to enjoy some mac and cheese or brownies while watching my Comfort Movie Marathon. You'll thank me for this later.

1. To Wong Foo,Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) Admittedly, I could write an entire post about this movie, but I feel strongly that it should be included here first. This movie has everything: drag queens, Robin Williams, small towns, strawberries, Chris Penn at his Chris Penniest, RuPaul. In 1995, a movie starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo as drag queens seemed revolutionary and odd, but in a great way. I will watch this movie anytime it's on and laugh as much as I did the first time. Swayze and Snipes play Vida and Noxxema, two queens on their way to a national drag competition in Los Angeles. They take Leguizamo's Chi-Chi, a less experienced queen, under their wings. On the drive to L.A., they come up with the four rules to becoming a drag queen, look flawless even with the top down, and change the lives of an entire town. There are some wonderful moments and also some problematic things (particularly the racist language toward Chi-Chi and the gay man savior plot line), but all in all, it's a fun movie. Blink and you'll miss Lady Bunny. 
2. Waitress (2007) I saw the musical version of this charming movie back in May and have been thinking about the movie ever since. If you haven't seen Adrienne Shelly's quirky comedy, stop what you're doing right now and watch it. Shelly was an indie movie staple in the late 90s and early 2000s; Waitress was her final film (she was murdered during the film's production) and she wrote the script while pregnant with her daughter, Sophie. The film centers on Jenna, a small town waitress and baker with a terrible husband, who finds out she's pregnant. She spends much of the movie making up pies and writing letters to her unborn baby. She's less than thrilled about becoming a mom. Even if you've never had a baby or a bad husband, there's something so relatable about Jenna and her situation. Shelly plays Dawn, another waitress, who almost steals the movie from Keri Russell (post-Felicity). Andy Griffith plays Old Joe and Nathan Fillion is Jenna's doctor. 
3. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) Diane Lane stars as Frances Mayes in the movie adaptation of Mayes' memoir. After a horrible divorce, Frances goes to Italy at the encouragement of her best friend (the wonderful Sandra Oh) and ends up buying a villa in Tuscany. You know, as one does. She sets about renovating the villa with the help of a rag tag group of Polish workers, learns about olives from her neighbor, helps two star-crossed lovers find happiness, buys a white dress, and creates a family for herself in Tuscany. One of my favorite characters is Katherine, an aging actress who evokes the elegance and beauty of 1960s Italian cinema and inspires Frances to live her life. I'm not usually a fan of the whole "woman makes over her life in another country" genre (I'm looking at you Eat, Pray, Love), but I can't help loving this movie.
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004) The first of the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy movies, Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite zombie comedies. It has the creepiness and gore of a traditional zombie movie, paired with the humor of every British comedy I love. This is the movie that gave the world Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a lovable loser, who has to save his sort of ex-girlfriend, his mum, and his friends when a zombie plague hits London. One of my favorite parts of the movie is the fight sequence set to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now." It's genius. The whole Cornetto Trilogy is worth watching over and over, but Shaun of the Dead will always be my favorite. 
5. GLOW (2017) Season two of the Netflix series just dropped this week, so I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I loved the first season and the documentary about the actual Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling show. It's funny, empowering, and has just enough nostalgia. Come for Alison Brie, stay for Marc Maron. My plan is to binge watch season two this week. The neon is calling.
6. Thor: Ragnorak (2017) I'm a big Thor fan. The Thor movies are my favorite standalone Marvel Universe movies. The first movie of the three is the best one, even if Natalie Portman is the worst. Dark World isn't as terrible as everyone makes it out to be; the Viking funeral is one of the most beautiful scenes and scores in all of the Marvel movies combined. Anyway, Thor: Ragnorak is like living in a 1980s arcade game; it's bright and loud and super fun. The movie was directed by Taika Waititi, the genius behind What They Do in the Shadows. In addition to Thor and Loki, we get a Valkyrie, a bizarre Jeff Goldblum, and the return of the Hulk. Oh, and Hela arrives and destroys everything, as she does. This movie is a set up for Avengers: Infinity War, but what movie in the MCU isn't these days?
7. Queer Eye (2017) If you didn't watch the original Bravo show back in the day, get yourself over to Netflix and watch the new series (seasons one and two are available now). The premise is the same: five gay men spend a week helping a nominated man (in all but one case) turn his life around. This includes a makeover, life coaching, and home renovation. I liked the original show, but love the reboot. There's an emotional element to the new series that didn't exist as strongly in the first series. This show is doing more to help combat toxic masculinity than I ever imagine it could do. The men the Fab Five help show emotions and open up in a way that's powerful and uplifting. There are moments that are stressful, like in season one when the group is pulled over and it doesn't seemed planned and moments that are hilarious (basically anything involving Jonathan). It's a power show on many levels; one of my favorite episodes focuses on a transgender male, who underwent top surgery six weeks before the Fab Five appear. It's an unexpected episode on many levels. Make sure you have Kleenex handy when you watch the show. 
8. Best Worst Movie (2009) Summer is the time to watch a documentary, right? Best Worst Movie is a documentary about the making of the cult movie Troll 2. Troll 2, like most cult movies, is terrible. The plot centers around a family who moves to the country and becomes the target of vegetarian goblins who want to turn them into plants so the goblins can eat them. I saw Troll 2 when I was 11 or 12 and thought it was hilarious, but terrible. The documentary is directed by Michael Stephenson, who starred in the movie as Joshua, the youngest son and hero of the movie. Despite its cult following, Stephenson was embarrassed by the movie, but came to love it after discovering the rabid fan following the movie has. You don't have to watch Troll 2 in order to watch Best Worst Movie, but I would highly recommend watching them together.
9. Brooklyn (2015) I'm going to admit that I have not read the book this movie is based on, although I do own it. It's currently sitting in one of my stacks of books to read around my apartment. I love the fashion of this movie (it's set in the 1950s) and it's beautifully filmed. Eillis comes to America from Ireland to work in a department store and find a new life. She meets a young man and falls in love. Brooklyn is comfort and love and possibility.
10. Girls Trip (2017) I love this movie so much. I missed it in the theatre when it originally came out, and regret that immensely. It's hilarious and raunchy and fabulous. It's everything wonderful and painful about female friendship. And it takes place in New Orleans! Tiffany Haddish is life in this movie; I don't know how they made it through filming some of her scenes without laughing the whole time. Four college friends reunite during Essence Festival under the guise of a girls trip. Of course, they're all going through things in life and need one another to make it through. Queen Latifah, Jada Pickett-Smith, and Regina Hall round out the group and they are amazing. If you want to laugh out loud a lot, this is the movie for you.

We all need to take a break from the news and being part of the resistance every now and then. Comfort movies (and shows) will always be there for you. Embrace the comfort movies!

Coming soon to the Island: more from the front line of being a good citizen, I attempt to get back into writing at work, and the old lady concert rules come out in full effect. Summer is the greatest!

Your Resident Single Friend: Are pet registries a thing?

I've been to Target three times in less than 24 hours. I've never spent that much time in a Target in a short time period. Even when I moved into my apartment last year, I only went to Target twice over the course of a week. Is there a limit to the number of times you can go to Target in a 24 hour period before they get suspicious?

What's taken me to Target this weekend? Well, friends, I adopted a cat yesterday. I've been slowly working my way to finding a new pet friend. It's not a small thing, looking for a pet.Visiting the Cat Cafe was a first step, and since my visit I've been checking out area shelters for my new cat. Earlier this week, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria posted the most adorable video on Instagram of four new kittens available for adoption. It's kitten season after all, so the babies are out in full force. I decided to go on Friday after work to see if one of the kittens, a dilute tortoiseshell, was still available. I went with the knowledge that said kitten would probably not be available and that I'd spend time with the other cats.

I was 100% right about the kitten. Three of the four, including the one I was interested in adopting, had been adopted. I made the rounds of the other younger cats, meeting Claire, Mercy, Gloria, Naomi, and Callie. None of them were my cat, but they were all super sweet and adorable. At least two of them were adopted yesterday too. I was making a final walk around when I found him...my cat. A handsome, but shy gentleman, I stepped into the cage and he immediately started purring. He let me pet him, scratch under his chin, and then fell asleep on my hand. I was a goner after that.

Introducing Keely!

 Look at that face! He's so handsome.

I'm not going to pretend I'm not nervous about adopting a new cat. It's a stressful experience on multiple levels for both of us. Keely's been in the shelter a little over a month, so moving from one strange place to another is stressful for the little guy. He's got to figure out his litter box, his food, and where he can nap comfortably. So far, he's figured out his food (ate a full dinner), fun places to laze about on the floor and on the couch, his scratcher, and how to jump on the sink in the bathroom. He's also begged for my dinner and made a face at me when I wouldn't give him Goldfish crackers. It's been a very exciting day.

Me, I forgot three things on my list, lost the cord of cell phone charger, and didn't click the delivery button when I ordered food so I had to leave him for 30 minutes to go pick it up instead. That's how I'm reacting to our new situation; forgetting stuff and losing things. What am I going to do when I leave him for a few hours tomorrow? Or a whole day on Monday?  Are pet registries a thing? I could totally do with a pet registry right now. Being a pet parent is stressful.

Stressful, but worth it. Keely is super affectionate when he wants to be, weaving around my legs, laying on my feet, and rubbing his little face on everything. Currently, he's laying under the window in my bedroom. It seems that he's settling in, little by little.

Thank you to the friendly staff at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria for helping me find Keely. Go visit them if you're looking to adopt a new pet. Enjoy some photos of Keely's first day in his new home. I'm sure he'll be back on the Island soon.

Erin has a vision

One of my favorite quotes from the incredibly quotable film Waiting for Guffman, is when Libby Mae (Parker Posey) explains what Dr. Pearl (Eugene Levy) will come to realize once he starts working with the Corky (Christopher Guest) on the Blaine musical:

"Corky has a vision."

Whenever I get random ideas or schemes, I can't help but think of myself as Corky St. Clair, visionary, creative, and a tad bit delusional. Isn't that the definition of genius or something? I've been doing a lot of creative projects this year, coming back to embroidery, painting, and crafting as a way to relax and try new things. I host a regular Wine & Crafts gathering with friends and I try to spend two nights a week doing something creative (one night on writing projects, one night on some other project). This is how one finds balance...or at least that's what I tell myself.

My friend Anita was cleaning out her basement last week and unearthed a box of cassette tapes from high school and college.

Many of these gems were created by me; remember that true music love never dies. I'd still include these songs today were I making someone a mix tape. Anita still has a tape deck, so she can listen to these tapes should she be so inclined. Some, however, aren't worth keeping. This lead to a text conversation between us later on in the week about how to recycle or reuse the unwanted tapes and some VHS tapes she wants to get rid of too. We came up with a bunch of ideas including cases, purses, business card holders, collage art using the liner notes, and weaving a purse out the tape ribbon. Then I made this statement:

"I wonder if one could embroider with the tape ribbon." 

Or in Waiting for Guffman speak, Erin has a vision. Yes, I can look up on the Google whether someone else has figured this out already, but where would the fun be in that? Like that time I made a purse out of Legos, the fun in this idea is not only in the final product, but in the process of figuring out whether or not it will work. (You can read about my Lego purse here, here, and here.) Throughout the week I came up with five possible options for using the tape ribbon as embroidery thread:

1. Stitch over the tape with regular embroidery thread, like you might do to add embellishment to regular ribbons.
2. Shred the tape (by half), use the thinner strips as thread. Stitch as normal.
3. Stitch with full tape.
4. Fold and stitch.
5. Twist and stitch. Basically, braid two full size pieces of the ribbon and use regular thread to connect it to fabric and to add additional detail.

Before I get into each technique, here are some other things I discovered:

• Shredding tape ribbon is a pain in the ass. I used an Exacto knife, a pair of embroidery scissors (similar in size to manicure scissors), and a quilting edge and none of them were great. The scissors worked best, which was surprising to me. This step would also prove to be completely unnecessary, but I didn't know that at the time.
• People are fascinated by this idea. Possible reasons for this: people want to be environmentally conscious, nostalgia, they think I'm super cool and creative. 
• Consensus amongst some of my crafty friends is that embroidery probably isn't going to work and I should pick up weaving as a new hobby. Sigh.
• I spent a lot of time thinking about this project during the week. I had sort of a weird week and having this to focus on was helpful.
• I may have figured out the theme of my Badass HERstory project. More on this in a future Island post.

Now to the important question: Did it actually work? YES! A resounding yes! Now, not every technique I thought of worked, but I have figured out how to use tape ribbon for both embroidery stitches and cross stitch.

The two best techniques were options one and three; stitching over the tape and using the full piece of tape as thread. The shredded option proved to be too thin; it easily snapped into smaller pieces when trying to bring the "thread" through the fabric. Option four was unnecessary after option three proved to work beautifully. Option five is fine, but I wouldn't call it my go-to way to accomplish what I want to accomplish.

I started with stitching over the full piece of ribbon with embroidery thread. I like the contrast this creates with the colored thread. Tape ribbon comes in black and brown, so using the thread helps add some pops of color. This technique would be best for creating an object to be displayed, maybe adding it as an edging to a larger piece or as the center piece for a project that will be under glass or not moved very often. The ribbon is delicate and tears easily. Stitches can't be too close to one another, as I experienced, since that shreds the ribbon and leads to tears.

I didn't mark the tape for this option. Were I to do this technique again, I would probably mark it lightly to make the stitches more even and consistent. A straight stitch or a chain stitch are probably the only two stitches I'd try since they don't rely on moving a needle through the same spot on the ribbon. I used tape to secure the edges; this helped a lot.

Using the full proved to be the most effective, and frankly, most satisfying option. I tried to use the shredded ribbon first, but it was too delicate and easily destroyed. I tried on both cross stitch fabric and plain cotton fabric and the result was the same. When I switched to a full piece of ribbon, it worked beautifully on both types of fabric. As you move the needle in and out for each stitch, the ribbon becomes more like thread, getting thinner with each pass. The brown tape, found in the Sony tape I was using, does this faster than the black tape from the Memorex tape Anita was using to braid the tape. She made some rosettes out of the braided tape.

For this technique, I tried a straight stitch and a cross stitch. Both work well with the ribbon. The texture is fun and the "thread" is glittery. This is one of my favorite things I've hand-stitched in forever:

I'm obsessed with this little practice piece. The photo doesn't really do it justice; there's something dreamy about the stitches. I want to make an entire piece in this way, rather than the planned nature of most of my embroidery projects. It's whimsical in all the best ways. I'm pretty sure a back stitch would work as well, but didn't try it yesterday. Next time...

The cross stitch was also a success. This technique creates a cool texture, whether it's one line or stacked lines of stitches. I'm pretty sure this would be a cool lettering technique too.

I could have cross stitched with tape ribbon all night, but I'm an old lady and eventually needed to go to sleep. I decided my collective stitches were like a modern day sampler; maybe one day some random person who inherits my possessions will find this and think to themselves, "So that's what you do with tape ribbon. This lady was a genius!"

Time to figure out what to do for my first full tape ribbon project. Maybe something fun to display in my cube at work. Just remember kids, Erin had a vision and it worked.


Image
Cassettes image by Anita
Other images by me