I want to lick this chandelier it's so yum-my

More photos from the Governor's meeting room in the State Capitol.

(Obviously not a chandelier...but an interesting carving on a couch)

State Capitol Photos 2.0

When I posted a few photos of the newly restored State Capitol, Keri liked them and asked to see more. In response I've put a few of my favorites in this post...and I'm also uploading them to my Flickr album.

Ramblings from the Route | Super Tuesday Hangover

This morning I drove to southern Utah for a work conference. Yesterday I needed to pick up a company motor pool car for the occasion and this allowed me to indulge in at least a one-way public transportation commute to work in the morning (an adventure I've lately shied away from in our barrage of winter storms). During my bus-train-bus commute I could think of little but Super Tuesday. After clearing my schedule Tuesday night so that I was free to enjoy six solid hours of PBS News Hour coverage of results, predictions, and pollsters, my brain was sloshy and swimming Wednesday morning. I'm positively giddy to once again be enveloped in the chaos of an election cycle. Giddy.

I do not profess to be a political blogger and I have no desire to be, but I am a political person who blogs...so for what it's worth this post will be a true "rambling from the route" - an unedited stream of probably-partisan thoughts and uncensored sweeping generalizations. You've been warned. Welcome to my brain. Keep your hands and arms inside the cart.

Cheating on Hillary? I don't at all regret my vote for Barack. I have to say however that when I saw Hillary speak from her Manhattan headquarters Tuesday night I honestly felt like I had cheated on her and then run into her at a friend's party and was trying not to make eye contact because regardless of my love affair with Obama I still really care for her because she is the safe comfortable one I've been with for years and even long after the relationship is ended you know the number is still in my phone but Barack is the butterflies and the romance and the exhilarating sense of stepping to the edge of the light and after a deep breath...making that first step into the darkness because you know, you can just feel it, you'll find your way.

One more reason to respect Obama. Bill and Chelsea Clinton came to Utah, but no Hillary. Obama came to Utah last summer and Michelle was just here on Monday. For the campaign to put that commitment into a horribly red state the day before the nation's largest presidential primary (the largest ever, not just since the last presidential race), shows such respect to the people of the state. In other words, we weren't simply written off as a one-dimensional block of Republicans. Boise, Idaho had an Obama rally of 14,000 people, the largest rally in the history of the state. Idaho, folks, Idaho. Colorado also went to Obama, after a rally of 9,000 greeted his visit to Denver. His sweep of red Rocky Mountain states shows his appeal to independents, moderates, liberals, youth, et.al. It's incredible. He raised $32 million dollars in January alone. Staggering. The newest move by the campaign is to highlight the number of individual donors, rather than the number of dollars, and the goal is 500,000 donors by 04 March. Stay tuned.

Girls rule. The majority of the Democratic electorate is now female. Suffragettes, we outnumber men in the decision of who to elect as our party's candidate for president. We've come a long way from picket signs and protest lines. Hillary's campaign is undeniably a contributing factor. I love her for that.

Fear versus Love. Listen to the Republican debates and speeches and you can hear the fear in their voices. I'm not talking about fear like, "Uh oh, the Democratic party will take the White House..." (which we will), but fear as a state of being, a way of life. They hate and they fear and they pigeon hole people into categories that are more easy to deal with than dynamic, complex human beings (re: Immigration. Gay rights. Terrorism.). It must be exhausting to live in such a space of fear all the time. The Democrats, on the other hand, speak from a place of love. (Any Ruiz fans in the audience? This dichotomy should sound familiar...). Democrats are FOR something, not simply AGAINST everything. They come from a place of hope and have the luxury of being positive because they are fighting for something. The Democratic candidates are not in a heated ideological fight with each other. Even the most respected pundits recognize that the policy differences are microscopic. This is one of the major reasons why the race is so tight...we're tickled pink, most of us, with either choice. We're just happy the Bush/Cheney regime is finally coming to an end. It's all up hill from here.

Emails from the President. I get probably three emails a day on behalf of each campaign (Barack and Hillary, in case there's any possible confusion at this point)...as can anyone who visits their campaign websites. I find it absolutely fascinating to watch how they say things, the words they choose at which moment, the tone they choose to address certain issues, the rhetorical strategy is many times more important than the message of the email itself. As I sorted through a swarm of emails in and around and on Super Tuesday, I thought, why can't they continue this when they're in the White House? I'm not naive enough to assume Barack is wandering around with his blackberry shooting off messages to his billion-person distribution list. I understand that they have staffers and writers and message crafters that handle this stuff...but how awesome would it be to visit the White House website, voluntarily sign up for email alerts, and get a message every so often from your President. I giggle every time my alert pops up with "New email from Brad Pitt" re: The One campaign. It's also invigorating to see "Barack Obama" in the "From" column of your gmail. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, right? I want a president who shoots us a YouTube video every so often, like Michelle did Monday afternoon. I miss John Edwards. He would totally email us. Kucinich, who I also really miss, would stop by your place for coffee talk. Point is...keep up the communication!

Compassion. I watched every. single. candidate speech on Tuesday night. They were scattered about the country at their different campaign headquarters and each spoke at different times as the night rolled on. Only Barack and Hillary, ONLY Barack and Hillary, made mention of the tornado survivors and victims in the southern state, saying they were in their thoughts and prayers. Think about it.

Yes, we can. In Atkins, Arkansas the tornado destroyed more than just polling stations, obviously, but before people put their homes back together, before the storm had even stopped raging, they assembled a makeshift Red Cross shelter, moved the ballot machines in, and people went right on voting. Don't tell me that we don't care. Don't tell me that we no longer have it in us to be engaged. The historical origins of Super Tuesday (commonly believed to be the 1988 election) come directly from states fighting for influence, wanting to have a voice in the nominating process, competing for the right to vote early. We do care. The poetry of nights like Super Tuesday remind us that we are actually all in this together. You may drive from your front door to Starbucks to work to Starbucks to your front door...but we are citizens at heart. I honestly believe that.

P.S. News broke today that Mitt dropped out because he "didn’t want to do anything that would hurt the party or hurt the nation..." Though I will certainly miss the opportunity to double the size of Guantanamo...god speed and good bye!

Republicans fall in line...

...Democrats fall in love.

It was a very difficult decision for me. I went in to the polling station 90% certain of who I was voting for. Then I saw the other name on the ballot and I struggled anew with my decision. My mind ran through the litany of reasons for and against each candidate and even after I had checked the box I still stood there, staring at it, just to make sure. I'm not naive enough to assume that my little ballot will impact Utah's stagnant electorate, because it won't, but I'm fully aware that I'm contributing to the popular vote and furthermore...readers of this blog know how hot I get for civic duty.

We've been fed the lines that if you want information: Hillary. If you want inspiration: Barack. Experience: Hillary. Hope and Change: Barack. The second Hillary began her campaign for the New York Senate I knew she was on a fast track to the White House. Historically the NY Senate has fed politicos to D.C. and her ambition is out of this world...connect the dots. Love her or hate her, you cannot argue the fact that Hillary is brilliant and her knowledge of policy is encyclopedic. I really, really like Hillary. I think she's a strong, opinionated woman who gets the Bitch moniker from The Establishment because goddess forbid women should ever run this popsicle stand and do a better job. It's tale as old as time. As a woman - a strong, opinionated woman at that - I'll admit that gender played a role in my early support of Hillary and I wanted to see one of my own, as it were, succeed. It's obviously not the only reason I supported her, but the mind-blowing possibility of a female president is a clarion call to me.

Then I started to pay more attention to Barack. I always liked him. I always liked his message of hope and change. I like that he was able to galvanize the youth vote. In so far as revolutionary candidates go...we have the glorious choice of a woman or an African American...so all in all a fantastic time to be a Democrat and an American. I follow with intense interest all the intricate political debates about strategic voting; once such argument being that McCain will likely receive the Republican nomination and with his appeal to independent voters you need Barack to pull those folks to his side whereas Hillary will polarize the country, invigorate the Right, and not be able to sweep independents away from McCain. There are many other strategic concerns, but that is one of the strongest arguments for Barack.

Then there are the endorsements. If I had a nickel for every endorsement email I've received in the past three weeks...! I don't make my decisions based solely on endorsements, but I do pay attention. I started to feel it about a week ago, a surge of energy behind Barack. It can only compare to the moment when a protest rally surges forward and it started to creep up and eventually wash over me. Again, readers of this blog know how that sensation of democracy-in-action rocks my world. That sensation isn't exclusive to marches and picket lines...it is the same undercurrent that informs my community organizing, my obsession with negotiation, dialogue, civil disobedience, non-violent protest, democratic debate...

Then I saw this video and I knew the cliche is true: Republicans fall in line. Democrats fall in love. I cast my vote for Barack not because I'm a wistful hippie who longs for better days when America was home to citizens and not consumers (even though, wait a minute, that is also true). Rather, I cast my vote for Barack because I honestly believe that he can do it. Si se puede...let's rock this vote!

First Friday Films | Take Six

First Friday Films Take Six
Series, mini-series, seasons, trilogies, ensembles, and my longed-for epic! Finally!


Elvis: The Mini-series
I've been eyeing this film in Redbox for a while, but never quite get around to renting it. Being that Jonathan Rhys Myers is in it (head over heels in love) and I was not immediately persuaded tells you how little I care about Elvis Presley. I should have known, however, that Jonathan's Midas touch could make a film about paint drying worthy of an Oscar (or Emmy, in this case). He was completely transformed and it was honestly incredible how perfectly he nailed the mannerisms, the accent (from his native Irish to American English to Southern drawl...), the dancing. Oh my my, the dancing. I have to say I felt a bit like a 50s school girl watching him and felt a bit more sympathetic to the Elvis fanatics.

This was my first exposure to Elivs's life story and I'm glad I watched it. It was interesting and totally news to me. In a Google photo search for pics of Jonathan (always a pleasurable experience) I came across an Entertainment Weekly review that absolutely hated the film because it "brought nothing new to the table." Well, for someone who doesn't live and breathe Elvis trivia, I found plenty to like. And Elvis aside, let's be honest, I'm glad I watched four hours of Jonathan twitching both his hips and beautifully full lips...

Blade I...and Blade II...and Blade Trinity
Welcome to the world of vampire cult films and B-rate SciFi. Wowzah. I've always been curious about this series and remember it coming out at roughly the same time as The Matrix films. I was far far too busy obsessing about The Matrix to bother with vampires. Having watched all three Blade films within a week's time I can't help but think that the Blade people share my obsession with The Matrix. There were very similar gravity-defying martial arts sequences, long black trench coats, and heros with little to no dialogue...and yet in my world Neo remains much cooler than Blade.

Blade I is totally messed up. Blade II is better than the first. Blade Trinity seems to be the only one of the three intended for megaplex popularity and felt too glitzy to hold the original grit of a cult classic. Looking back on the three in total, even though I had a hard time watching Blade I and thought it was totally disgusting (minus yummy Stephen Dorff, because I'm still not over the "Cryin" music video), in terms of vampire B-films, it was much better than Blade Trinity.

Harry Potter series-to-date
Before you pass horrified judgment, keep in mind that without television or commercial radio it's not difficult to believe that I've ignored the entirety of the Harry Potter craze. I wasn't as oblivious to Harry Potter as I was to High School Musical (which is to say I'd at least heard of Harry Potter), but I'd still never read a single book or seen so much as a preview for the movies until a couple weeks ago. With my new found crush on jailbait Zac Efron, my 35-year old Daniel-Radcliffe-Obsessed friend found her perfect opening to continue my pop culture crash course. We watched the films back-to-back and I caught up on the series in three days. I'll probably read the books eventually, but the movies suffice for now.

Films 1 and 2 were cutesy and trite and set up the story well enough, but weren't terribly compelling. As the story progresses you can see J.K. Rowling progressing as a writer and constructing better stories...which in turn makes for better movies. By the time film 3 hits it's like out of nowhere. It's difficult to consider films 1 and 2 as even being part of the same series. For one, Daniel Radcliffe begins his journey to hotness with flying colors by film 3 and I feel like less of a pedaphile. Also, films 3 through 5 aren't afraid to be dark. It's like films 1 and 2 were apologetic for being about underage wizards and then they get over it and own their dark creepiness. I mean, it's no Blade-trilogy-darkness, but they do get better and better. I *loved* film 5 and I'm actually looking forward to seeing the last few in the theatre. I'm also looking forward to seeing how they make an increasingly strapping Daniel Radcliffe look an innocent 16. And no, the photo has nothing to do with Harry Potter. Daniel in Equus. You're welcome.

Friends, season 10
Yup. Just finished it. Nope. Not kidding. I stopped watching television before the series finished and so I never knew how it ended until a few weeks ago. Do Rachel and Joey really hook up? What about the veritable institution that is Ross and Rachel? Monica and Chandler are trying to get pregnant, what ever happened there? Phoebe can't marry David, Mike is so much better for her. Such burning questions left unanswered...for years and years!

I was a huge Friends fan and watched faithfully every week. It's a formulaic sitcom but they nailed it for what it was. The characters were perfect in and of themselves and the groove with everyone combined was seamless. Over the past few years I watched seasons 6 through 9 on DVD but life happens and I never got around to season 10 until right now. Gotta be honest, cried a bit at the finale. She got off the plane! Yay!

I'm Not There
Wow. So I can't imagine the research Todd Haynes had to drown himself in to pull this off. What an innovative way to tell the life story of a total enigma: seven different life stages, seven different personalities, seven different actors. Heath Ledger (more on him later) knocked it out of the park, of course, as "The Restless Lover" Dylan. Cate Blanchett. OMG. I realize that at least one a month I freak out about her in this blog, but seriously, she's so perfect I can barely stand it. Everything she does is beyond top notch. She sets her own bar and that bar is vastly beyond anything even the best movies can attempt. If she's in a movie for ten minutes, it's her movie. Unbelievable. She was "The Innovator" Dylan who plugged in at Newport and spiraled into drugs and depression. Christian Bale. He was "The Prophet" Dylan in his early folk days and also "The Spiritualist" Dylan in his late '70s come-to-Jesus phase. And might I add, if there were ever a rival to Cate for my ultimate devotion, it may just be Christian Bale. He played two different Dylans and, of course, in true method acting Bale form, he transformed into two completely different people.

Lars and the Real Girl
I've gushed about Cate and Christian...but I cannot in the slightest ignore the tour de force that is Ryan Gosling. I have friends who aren't exactly rabid about indy film and who don't feel an absolutely overwhelming need to own every. single. Ryan Gosling film and watch each of them 107 times...and they came away from this movie in a quiet state of reverent awe. Behold, the power of Ryan Gosling.

From the super indy United States of Leland to the gritty Half Nelson to the glossy Hollywood Fracture...he can do no wrong and there is no one in young Hollywood who could pull off a love story with a blow-up sex doll. No one. I wager that even lame twelve-year old boys who might wander into this movie expecting a raunchy laugh would leave with the same reverent awe as my friends did. He is so absolutely perfect and he carries the entire film (even next to Emily Mortimer, who I love!), making it sweet and sad and beyond sincere. It's magic.

The Laramie Project
What a gem. This is one of those impulse library rentals that interested me on title alone and proved to be a diamond in the rough. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The Tectonic Theater Project (based on NYC) traveled to Laramie, Wyoming not long after Matthew Shepard was murdered. They interviewed hundreds of people and recorded/transcribed each of the interviews. They gave the town a chance to talk privately and openly about the incident that shook them to their core and brought them into a harsh national spotlight. The theatre company took these interviews to the stage in New York and Moises Kaufman made a documentary-style film version in 2002 (opening night Sundance selection).

The film version is by far the largest ensemble cast I've ever seen...and I like ensemble movies and make a point to seek them out. The special features highlight the fact that no one was paid to make this film, the actors donated their time because they wanted to be part of this incredible work. I had forgotten how powerful that moment in our history was. I was a senior in high school when it happened and I can remember where I was when I first heard the story. I had also forgotten that Russell Henderson (one of the two boys who tortured, beat, and killed Matthew) was LDS. Lovely. And people ask my why, as a Mormon, I volunteer with Equality Utah and fight for gay rights. My work may or may not move our society forward, but perhaps I can at least balance out the impact of assholes like Russell. This coming fall marks the 10th anniversary of Matthew's death and the fight for a fair America is far from won.

There Will Be Blood
Dude. If you've seen this movie, you know the feeling in the moment when it ends abruptly, the screen goes black, and you sit slack jawed and sucker punched, "Dude..." Incredible. Why can't all movies be this stellar? This movie deserves every. single. ounce. of praise it's receiving. Daniel Day-Lewis is mind blowing. I heard him interviewed on NPR and he told the story of how he created his character Daniel Plainview. I praised Christian Bale's mastery of the method, but I think Daniel Day-Lewis may be the ultimate master of our time. He went into character three months prior to filming and lived every breath as Plainview. He would work for hours each day, speaking into a tape recorder, trying different voices, inflections, tempos for his voice and every so often the tape was shipped off to Paul Thomas Anderson (Punch Drunk Love, Magnolia, Cigarettes and Coffee) for feedback. The first fifteen minutes of the movie have no dialogue whatsoever. The moment Daniel Plainview speaks, you are completely transfixed. It's a singularly distinctive voice.

Daniel Day Lewis has been mind blowing for quite some time, so let's not forget to talk about Paul Dano. Dude. He's toe to toe with Daniel Day-Lewis and he more than holds his own. His two exorcism scenes are still haunting me, no pun intended. Amazing. And the score?! Ohhhh the score. There are no words, you just have to hear it.

Cloverfield
J.J. Abrams fans? Anyone? The Lost pilots? MI:III? Hand-held cameras running through the streets of New York for two hours? Anyone? I bloody loved this movie. Let me clarify that statement by saying that the script is average, the acting is 50/50 good and poor, the plot is trite...but none of that matters. The film making is so innovative and fresh and interesting that I gladly laid aside the fact that the narrative was sort of lame.

You're dropped into the middle of a story with no explanation and you either pick up the narrative and the characters or you don't. You're led through the entire movie by a handheld camera of a party-goer who is filming goodbye footage for a friend who's moving over seas and it never once lets up and gives you a moment's rest with a still cam. Not once. Brilliant. There's nothing like that outside art house theatres and I think it's awesome that this movie has such a wide release. NPR hated it and the reviewer pulled some ridiculously lame "burning buildings and New York being terrorized...too soon" crap.

I have a handful of dorky film maker friends who prattle on and on about the creature creation and forms and models and the tradition of monster movies with respect to the sanitized American approach and the true-to-form Japanese style and on and on and while I don't necessary follow their conversation with any personal investment, when I see King Kong and then I see Cloverfield, I completely understand the difference...and long live the Japanese monster movie, might I add.

Brokeback Mountain
I was as shocked as everyone to learn that Heath Ledger died. He was my age and it's so difficult to deal with the death of young people, let alone young people who are so talented and had so much of the world in front of them. There's never been a Heath Ledger movie I didn't enjoy, but last night I watched my favorite. You can't help but think of Michelle and Matilda Rose. It's so sad. He was such a gentle, beautiful person. Daniel Day-Lewis, speaking of, is quoted as saying that Heath inspired him to keep acting. Wow.