Helvetica

We watched Helvetica tonight and I enjoyed it. I have a thing for typography/fonts but also from a designer-graphic artist-mixed media artist, I could appreciate it too. And even though I am a designer and have a thing for typography I didn't even realize how often Helvetica is used. I actually don't use it all that often. I didn't even have it as a font on my computer until 2 years ago when a client had it is in his logo and I was designing letterhead/business card to match so downloaded it. Probably very sad that I haven't used it. Probably will now though. :)



I really liked this guy - Michael wasn't as amused by him as I was though.

And then I also liked this guy too...

What Would You Do?

I watched Oprah one day last week where she featured Primetime's What Would You Do? series with John Quinones. They set up actors to perform scenarios and see how people reacted to them. Such as they had teenagers in a park - one girl being picked on by a bunch of girls. And then they saw what people did. Men didn't respond and women did. Women would just start out trying to talk to the bully girls and then started acting like the teenagers. Calling the teenagers losers with the attitude of teenager.

Of course all the scenarios bothered me but there were a few that brought tears to my eyes as it just hurt to see others being treated so poorly and no one doing anything. One of the scenarios reminded me of a situation I encountered a month or two after 9/11.

One situation that brought tears was an African American couple arguing in a park - they were the actors. And many men that came up to them said take this out of the park. They didn't say this isn't right -- how the man was talking to the woman and how he was grabbing her. But said take it out of the park. And they would say things like..."these people" shouldn't be using the park like this. But they didn't really help the woman of the couple. It was amazing to me because the things the man was saying to the woman of couple were very offensive. He was grabbing her by the arm swinging him back to her saying don't walk away from me and he even slapped at her bottom a few times. And yet no one was stopping. But one woman finally stopped and wouldn't leave. She didn't have a cell phone and kept asking passersby for a cell phone to call 911 but wouldn't leave the woman alone. The actors did this for 5 hours before a woman that stopped. It makes me sick to think that so many people passed them by and didn't help her. When Primetime's John Quinones interviewed people after the men said they thought it would just escalate it and they might get hurt. That thought just boggles my mind. Then go to the nearest phone and call 911 - stop someone and say call 911 and then go over to the couple so you can get involved now to stop what was happening to her. Benjamin Franklin said, "He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither." To me no man is free if they can really stand by and watch something like that.

The woman of actors/couple said after doing that for 5 hours having that kind of offensive language and behavior used on her - although she was an actor - it did affect her. She was feeling defeated and then finally that woman stopped and she said she felt like finally someone saw me. When she was asked why she stopped she said how could I not stop.

Then the other scenario that really got to me was a woman with a headcovering came into a bakery and the guy behind the counter was an actor and the woman in the headcovering was also. She said she had a question about the apple pastry and the guy behind the counter started saying he didn't serve her kind that she wasn't an American she was a terrorist. He said extremely offensive anti-Muslim and anti-Arab slurs. And most people just literally looked the other way by turning their faces to not look at her. Some even stepped in front of her to order. There was one man that thanked/commended the guy behind the counter and agreed she was a terrorist and not an American. She said I was born and raised here. That didn't matter to him. She asked people in line to buy her an apple pastry and they wouldn't. There were a few people that stopped and stuck up for her. One man had a son in Iraq and said that this woman shouldn't be treated that way. He said that he stopped in the bakery every time he passed by it and now he wouldn't again. Then there were two young women that really got angry and one said she wanted to see the manager right away that if anyone needed to leave was the guy behind the counter. That it wasn't right to treat anyone the way he was and so on - she was great!

It made me remember I was coming out of a grocery store maybe a month or just bit longer after 9/11 and there was a woman with a little kid and holding a couple sacks on the way her car a little ways in front of me. She was wearing a headcovering and also a long dress. She was basically covered - except for her face. And a man and what I assumed was his son went up to her and spit on her and knocked her groceries from her hands. They were telling her to go back home that she wasn't wanted here in the USA anymore. I ran over to her asked her if she was okay. I helped pick up her groceries. She had tears streaming down face. And the man told me I shouldn't be helping a terrorist. I was like she isn't a terrorist...and went on to say that she looked like a mom shopping for groceries to go home and make dinner just like I was and he probably was too. He just rolled his eyes at me. He told all of "them" are terrorist and he walked away. I helped her get to her car and asked if she wanted me to call 911. She said no. I felt so sorry for her. She thanked me several times. I told her that they should be apologizing and although it wasn't the same I was apologized for their behavior. She said that it was not necessary that it has been happening quite a bit -- but she can't hide out in her house for the rest of her life. I told her I hoped she wouldn't because not everyone was as ignorant as those two men. She said I proved that to her.

"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." From the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out. (one version of the famous words by Martin Niemöller)

I will not be a bystander and I will not remain silent.


(image from a triptych I did on censorship)

The Golden Compass

We went to see The Golden Compass when we were in Denver. Michael's Mom was upset with the ending because she wanted to know what happened next. And I told her it she should be happy it ended where it did because the ending to book wasn't as "nice." She then asked me how the book ended and I told her. And she was like, "Oh no." She then agreed it was better where it ended.

I really enjoyed the first books adventure. I liked the gyptians, the people at Jordan, Iorek Byrnison. I wish Pullman would have developed the characters more so that I really cared about them but he made me interested because of the adventure.

So I enjoyed the second book too but on the other hand when I think about some aspects of the story and Will, I just get annoyed with Pullman. Again I don't think he developed the characters enough to make me care about them. And I actually didn't even like Will all that much because of the lack of developement. But the story is what pulled me more through the book - wanting to know what happens in the story....where it goes next. I am not sure I really like how the story turned out either.

Which made me think about His Dark Materials books the other night and wondering what age are they aimed for? Because really I felt the 2nd book was really a lot darker then the first. And now putting it with the first it they are fairly dark books....and I wonder how much could a child even comprehend of what he is saying. Or even enjoy it?

Tomorrow I pick up the 5th of the Outlander series. So at least a new book. Eat, Pray, Love is still out so I am on the waiting list for it.

The Golden Compass

Since I haven't had a book to read for several nights now I have been reading Cosmopolitan. Michael purchased something about 2 months ago and he got 4 subscriptions to magazines for very low price to free. Cosmo was free. I think Food & Wine was like $4 bucks and the most expensive one. So I got Cosmo because it was free. It has been years and years since I picked up a Cosmo. Was it always this bad? I remember reading it in high school and college but just don't remember it being this bad. The gal & guy confessions, the articles (if you can even call them that), the advice - it is all just horrible. I know I shouldn't be shocked it is Cosmo but I really don't remember it being this bad. The confessions I felt had to be written by kids and sent in because do people really do the things they "confess." Thank goodness I received email notification of the next book in His Dark Materials series is on hold and waiting for me. I think we might be picking that up today.

I am so excited for The Golden Compass movie to come out. I really enjoyed the book. Every time we see the trailer for it on tv -- I get so excited! Of course this movie is being protested just like the Harry Movies and other like movies. But I read a pretty good article about the movie. I understand Pullman critizies the Narnia series but I still like the Narnia series and actually thought of asking for that for Christmas as I would like to read those. I read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was a young girl but none of the others. Although I thought we had them. I think my sister got them for a gift. But back on topic I really am excited to see the The Golden Compass.

Elizabethtown

Last night I watched Elizabethtown. I put it on my netflix queue after seeing Orlando Bloom in the 3rd Pirate movie as I just really liked him as eye candy. Well I wouldn't say the movie was great but it did touch me. It had some really beautiful touching moment for me and some really good lines (I will put at the end of the post a few the lines). But then...what really pushed it over the top was the MUSIC! It is a Cameron Crowe movie and his movies usually have good music but this really seemed to even out do Almost Famous (which I have that soundtrack too because I love the music - icon is from it too).

In the movie Kirstin Dunst's character (Claire) has told Orlando Bloom's character (Drew) that he should take a road trip because he said he never done one. She makes him this really cool altered book with maps (including places where he should stop and why), pictures and then mix cds for the whole way to fit with where he is driving. And the music....oh the music...gives me shivers just thinking of it now...as I was just so completely absorbed in it that I know I missed some of the feelings Orlando's character was suppose to be going through as I was going through my own emotions.

I immediately went to amazon.com to see about soundtrack and of course there is the orginal score and then there are 3 more cd's the main soundtrack vol. 1 and plus 2 more. One just for when they (Drew and Claire) were The Brown hotel...that one I would really like to have but it wasn't available on amazon (which btw the hotel looks like an amazing place to stay!). So yesterday Michael had some reward coupons for Best Buy and he was going to look something so he said go see if they have soundtracks for Elizabethtown. They had the main one - vol. 1 and then vol 2. I picked vol. 2. But would like to get the other sometime too.

So I am sure I will be listening to Elizabethtown soundtrack for several days/weeks.

Lines:
Claire: I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to remember.

Claire: Trust me. Everybody is less mysterious than they think they are.

Claire: Most of the sex I've had in my life was not as personal as that kiss.

Claire: Men see things in a box, and women see them in a round room.

Claire: Sadness is easier because its surrender. I say make time to dance alone with one hand waving free.

Hollie: All forward motion counts.

Claire [voice over]: Some music *needs* air. Roll down your window.

Claire: To have never taken a solitary road trip across country? I mean everybody's got to take a road trip, at least once in their lives. Just you and some music