Sightlines

Oh, what fab cinematography!

Saturday, June 21, 2008. When I was in college I wanted to be Sven Nyquist, Igmar Bergman's cinematographer. I was in awe of his skill at bringing to the screen all that stark existential angst, all those deep theological questions, all that longing and despair...

I just watched "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly," and now I want to be Jsnusz Kaminski, the cinematographer. 

I didn't recognize his name, but Wikipedia clued me in to the fact that he won two academy awards in the 90's--one for "Schindler's List" the other for "Saving Private Ryan." 

Not only is the cinematography fabulous, the story is absolutely riveting. The fact that it's true makes it all the more compelling. If you haven't already seen it, I hope you catch it soon. Cheers. 

Multiple Learning Curves

Hello. Ranked by degree of steepness, finding my way around Portland is the least steep. The next curve ramps up a bit: finding my way around on my new Mac Pro. And what will no doubt be the sharpest angle skyward will be Final Cut Pro--the video editing software from Apple. 

It took close to eight hours to install Final Cut--all eight disks of it. Next Wednesday evening I start a multi-week class on "Digital Editing" at the NW Film Center. I sure hope they don't expect us to be fluent with FCP...

With the Mac Pro, the learning has been accelerated with the help of Apple's OneToOne program. For $99 one gets a weekly 50-minute, 1:1 tutorial with an Apple trainer ( I think they are officially called "Creatives.").  The weekly sessions go a year. Is that great or what?! 

I've had two sessions thus far, and, among other things,  have figured out the set up for Apple mail, and--this is really cool--how to drag a photo from iPhoto into an email. 

Getting around Portland: Love the Max, hate the one-way streets. No doubt I'll get used to them, but the other day I got caught in a Bermuda Triangle of one-ways as I tried to bee-line it from the AAA office to Burnside St. 

Running is a both a challenge and a delight. On the plus side: lots to see, and nearby is the Lincoln High School track. Running's a great way to explore.  Plus, I can run to 24 Fitness, the club/gym I joined (reasonable price, easy access) in about 10 minutes.

On the downside, it's dang hilly! Especially up near Washington Park. With the running, and walking much more than I did in Seattle, seems like my legs are always tired. But hey, I'm not complaining. Cheers.

A Walker in the City

Thursday, June 12, 2008. I only remember the title: "A Walker in the City," by Alfred Kazin; nothing about its contents. I bought it in 1970, just for the title, when I was briefly living in Toronto. Don't even remember whether I finished it. Lately, I've been a walker--and a runner--in this city. Each walk or run takes me to a new place.

Monday, it was downtown to the library to get a card--my first official piece of my new identity. It's a lovely old building, and such a contrast to Rem Koolhaas's Seattle library. Both are great. I confess I didn't explore all of the library here, but did find a room that's sort of a mini-version of the great reading room at the New York Public Library. Libraries are such inviting, comfortable places.

In the next block was the "Urban Meadow." Hundreds of pots of flowers and grasses filled Pioneer Square. And in the background, a Nordstrom and a Starbucks. A nice contrast.

That evening, the magnetism of Papa Haydn's, (Dessert Destination of the Western World!), pulled us out of the apartment and down 23rd. Judging by the waiting line, the force field is pretty darn strong. Papa's is just eight blocks away, so it will take many walks/runs to counter the effects of brownies the size of  Kansas. Cheers. 

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Monday, June 9, 2008. Yes indeed, yesterday was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I was reminded again of my favorite quote--the one listed on this blog: "There was so much to see in the world that I felt one couldn't afford to be slack about it."

So I followed Paul Scott's advice and walked up the steep slope to Washington Park and on the Rose Garden. Not surprisingly, I had lots of company. Of course I had my camera--as did just about everyone else.

Then I found a path up the Japanese Garden. Lizzie and I wound our way up to main entrance and discovered they don't allow dogs into the Garden itself. Not surprised. Nonetheless, it's a lovely path through woods up to the entrance.

On the way back it occurred to me that I have not seen many Asians in Portland, compared to Seattle. There were some East Indians at the Rose Garden, but as I get around town, I'm struck by how "white" it is. And young. Seems like 20 and 30-year olds are the predominant age group.

Anyway, it was a lovely day, and I'll send some of the flower pictures on Daily Sightings soon. Cheers.

 

Delights and Challenges

Thursday, June 5, 2008. Having been here in Portland almost two weeks, I figured it was time for a couple of lists: "Delights" and "Challenges."

First the delights:

1. The views from our apartment. On a clear day (we've had one, maybe two!) we've seen Mt Hood, Adams and St. Helens. Maybe Rainier, but it was hard to be sure.
2. Downtown Portland. Pretty, accessible, many trees, available parking. Even better, I can walk there.
3. Walking to Powell's Books. It's about nine blocks.
4. Washington Park (Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and more). Yesterday my son and I walked up to the Rose Garden and the Holocaust Memorial
5. The staff at the Apple Store in Pioneer Place. As we migrate to Apples we've had nothing but helpful, excellent service.

And the challenges:

1. The kitchen is way small, especially compared to our "old" one.
2. Ditto for my office. I miss my old one, but at least all the hardware--the two monitors, printer and scanner are all set up and arrayed on one surface.
3. Waiting for the elevator. I'm trying to re-frame it from "waiting" to an opportunity to breathe... Mixed results at best...
4. Changing email, phone numbers, addresses for EVERYTHING. Today for example, I discovered I need to reprint my business cards. And for several days I had to write down our new home number because I couldn't remember it.
5. Having LOTS of stuff. (Or maybe we just have too much stuff...?) We have two storage lockers here in the apartment building and two more at Public Storage. I see yet another yard sale in the future.