This must be the place

So many references and circular double loops going on in the less-than-two-minute trailer for Paolo Sorrentino's film 'This Must Be the Place': music by David Byrne and Will 'Bonnie "Prince" Billy' Oldham, Nazis, Frances McDormand, and oh so many nods to the 80s. The most jarring of all has Sean Penn decked out as a more melancholy (is that possible?) Robert Smith.

Seems that, so far, it has only been released in Europe and might just now be slowly making its way to the US. Has anyone seen it?

Born with a weak heart, guess I must be having fun...

Curation

What is Curation? from Percolate on Vimeo.

Intellectual hunger and creative restlessness... could anything be more wonderful than that? Curating curiosity to get from here to there.

Hitchcock & happiness

Here's to clear horizons, things that are creative, and nothing to worry about on your plate... have a happy weekend!

That Girl

Just in time to wrap up Women's History Month, Joanna Goddard has posted some doozie examples of advertisements from not so long ago over on her superblog. As much as I love the graphics of the Volkswagon campaign, the text is just so 'Gah... lady drivers! Amiright, fellas!?'. Pretty amazing how quickly times can change... or not.

Fascinating, but...
Why don't we end this annual endeavor on a slightly more inspiring note. Just take a minute to take a look at all of the stories of ground-breaking, history-making American women documented on the PBS-initiated series Makers.

'I never knew what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman that I wanted to be... and I became that woman.'
- Diane Von Furstenberg

'I kind of consider it part of the job... doing a little bit of groundbreaking.'
- Miranda July

Do what you love, and do it often.

If you know where I found this inspiring manifesto (I think that it might be from one of the many online print shops that I often puruse), feel free to remind me!

Spring green

A recent trip to Boston's Haymarket (and a steal of a deal on a pillow sized bag of baby spinach) got me thinking outside the basil box when it comes to pesto. I love any greens once they have been thoroughly blended with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan! Arugula, parsley, or some combination of all of the above, will be just as delicious.
The measurements below are just a jumping-off point... keep adjusting to taste as it blends and you really can't go wrong!*

2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3-5 cloves of garlic, toasted with the skin on and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

If you're serving this on pasta right away, boil your noodles and add about a 1/4 cup of pasta water to thin and smooth out the pesto.

Combine the spinach, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add the salt, pepper, and parmesan and pulse.

*I double this recipe, but never end up using the whole batch right away. I like to freeze about half of it in small portions for later.

Beginnings

Artist and graphic novelist, Marjane Satrapi speaks about her beginnings and the need to create in a short but sweet film by Chiara (daughter of the fabulous Francesco) Clemente.

'Everybody has something to say, of course. But the art is not about having something to say, the art is about how you say this thing.'

Beginnings: Marjane Satrapi on Nowness.com.

See more of Chiara Clemente's lovely Beginnings series on the Sundance Channel.