C. Leigh Purtill's Blog, page 19
June 17, 2009
Things I Miss About NYC
1. The subway system
2. The little Korean markets on every corner of every street of every borough
3. Coffee in "Greek" paper cups
4. People on the streets 24/7
5. The NYPL
6. Seeing the Statue of Liberty from the F train from Manhattan to Brooklyn
7. Walking up Fifth Avenue from the Empire State Building to Central Park
8. Columbus Circle before it was developed
9. So many dance studios! Classes all the time!
10. Fresh bread from the bakery in my Italian neighborhood in Williamsburg
2. The little Korean markets on every corner of every street of every borough
3. Coffee in "Greek" paper cups
4. People on the streets 24/7
5. The NYPL
6. Seeing the Statue of Liberty from the F train from Manhattan to Brooklyn
7. Walking up Fifth Avenue from the Empire State Building to Central Park
8. Columbus Circle before it was developed
9. So many dance studios! Classes all the time!
10. Fresh bread from the bakery in my Italian neighborhood in Williamsburg
June 15, 2009
Celebrity Sighting AND High Culture!
Yes, I DID use this title before (see also Mindy Kaling at LACMA). This time, HH and I were attending the thee-ah-tah in Downey: a performance of "42nd Street" by the Downey Civic Light Opera.The show, btw, was a blast! LOTS of great numbers and you know I love seeing dancers work. Put 'em all to work - give 'em all jobs - dancing everywhere all the time! Love it.
Okay, so who was in the audience but opera singer Richard Fredericks? You may not know him unless you follow opera, but he did gu
June 12, 2009
Random Thoughts on a Friday
Just one...I'm not a basketball fan but when the Lakers are in the playoffs (or whatever they're called in the NBA) the whole city succumbs to b-ball fever so I admit I've watched the last few minutes of the games between LA and the Orlando Magic this week.
And honestly, those are the best minutes of the game!
So I was talking to HH and we realized that this year, both teams in the final games have a Disney theme park in their home cities (LA has Disneyland and Orlando has Disney World) AND the ga
June 9, 2009
How did that resolve work for ya?
At the beginning of the year, back when we all had optimism we could make resolutions and stick to them THIS TIME! I made what I thought were relatively easy-to-accomplish ones. Six months into 2009, how did I do?
1. I resolve to shake out the laundry before putting it in the dryer.
UPDATE: Nope. I still never do this. Must be a genetic anomaly.
2. I resolve to have one less cup of coffee in the morning - and one more in the late afternoon.
UPDATE: Nope. I think I actually added a cup to the morn
1. I resolve to shake out the laundry before putting it in the dryer.
UPDATE: Nope. I still never do this. Must be a genetic anomaly.
2. I resolve to have one less cup of coffee in the morning - and one more in the late afternoon.
UPDATE: Nope. I think I actually added a cup to the morn
June 5, 2009
Random Thoughts on a Friday
4 Tips to Git 'Er Done
You have the great idea. You even have an outline. Now it's time to crack the whip and get it finished. Here are a few things I do. Maybe they'll help you.
1. Set a daily word count - and stick to it. Mine is 2K, 5 days a week. When I really want to kick butt, I'll up it to 2500/day. Don't finish until you've hit that mark but conversely...
2. End in the middle of a scene. Whenever possible, stop before you've exhausted yourself and if you can manage it, stop before y
You have the great idea. You even have an outline. Now it's time to crack the whip and get it finished. Here are a few things I do. Maybe they'll help you.
1. Set a daily word count - and stick to it. Mine is 2K, 5 days a week. When I really want to kick butt, I'll up it to 2500/day. Don't finish until you've hit that mark but conversely...
2. End in the middle of a scene. Whenever possible, stop before you've exhausted yourself and if you can manage it, stop before y
June 3, 2009
Only in LA
You're driving north on Fairfax. You pass Third Street. You glance over at the Farmer's Market, now celebrating its 75th year in business. Behind it is The Grove, the hip outdoor shopping mall with lots of upscale stylish stores like Abercrombie and Nordstrom's and Crate & Barrel.
You see several groups of people on the sidewalk between The Grove and CBS on Beverly Boulevard. Each group is dressed identically, in garishly-colored t-shirts with funny slogans, family names or simply photos of D
You see several groups of people on the sidewalk between The Grove and CBS on Beverly Boulevard. Each group is dressed identically, in garishly-colored t-shirts with funny slogans, family names or simply photos of D
June 1, 2009
Can you stand the gore?
Not me, not usually with Clive Barker, but this time I managed to make it through the entire movie peeking through my fingers only occasionally. The story is great, though, based as it was on one of Barker's shorts from Books of Blood. Story is about a photogrpaher who follows a serial killer who is killing people on empty subway trains in a city very much like NYC but obviously not, since they filmed in a much cheaper locale.And if it seems like movies based on shorts are often more successfu
May 29, 2009
Random Thoughts on a Friday
Utter Randomness
1. Jeff Garlin is my latest celeb sighting. At the Farmer's Market on 3rd & Fairfax, we saw him coming out of the market with an ice cream cone, looking very svelte, I must say. We are big fans of his from Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (he played Larry's manager) plus he's been in lots of movies and other TV shows, usually as comic relief. Very funny actor.
2. Two movies I thought I'd love were Ghost Town and Walk the Line. The first starred the inimitable Ricky Gervais
1. Jeff Garlin is my latest celeb sighting. At the Farmer's Market on 3rd & Fairfax, we saw him coming out of the market with an ice cream cone, looking very svelte, I must say. We are big fans of his from Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (he played Larry's manager) plus he's been in lots of movies and other TV shows, usually as comic relief. Very funny actor.
2. Two movies I thought I'd love were Ghost Town and Walk the Line. The first starred the inimitable Ricky Gervais
May 26, 2009
B-day
Today is my birthday. I won't say how many I've had, though if you know me, you certainly have a good idea. I'll say I've had enough to know what it takes to have a happy birthday.
Here are my 4 things that make a great birthday:
1. Good friends - a dinner with a spouse/significant other is great but a party with friends is even better. I was lucky enough to have a big bunch of mine available this year and it turned into an awesome time!
2. Do Nothing Time - anywhere from a few minutes to a few h
Here are my 4 things that make a great birthday:
1. Good friends - a dinner with a spouse/significant other is great but a party with friends is even better. I was lucky enough to have a big bunch of mine available this year and it turned into an awesome time!
2. Do Nothing Time - anywhere from a few minutes to a few h
May 22, 2009
Random Thoughts on a Friday
4 Things I'm Ashamed To Admit I'm Afraid of
1. Yoga - I've never taken a yoga class in my life. Never done a Downward Facing Dog, never carried a rolled-up mat in a special backpack, never chanted in another language. I know lots of dancers take yoga and love it; they claim it helps their technique and stamina and flexibility and that's awesome but I'm so afraid of walking into a class and not knowing what to do. I would totally embarrass myself, I'm sure, which is why I've never gone. You ca
1. Yoga - I've never taken a yoga class in my life. Never done a Downward Facing Dog, never carried a rolled-up mat in a special backpack, never chanted in another language. I know lots of dancers take yoga and love it; they claim it helps their technique and stamina and flexibility and that's awesome but I'm so afraid of walking into a class and not knowing what to do. I would totally embarrass myself, I'm sure, which is why I've never gone. You ca
