Brown, beware

I made a shocking and horrendous discovery recently, namely that when The Sumptuous City (my beautiful baby) is read using Internet Explorer, she has a terrible brownish floral pattern as background which is not only against my better judgement but just plain wrong.

So if you want to enjoy The City in all her sumptuous glory as I and possibly even god intended, go Firefox 'cause once you go fuschia you never go back!

Merry Mayhem

Now that the holidays are less than a month away, I'm starting to fill up with holiday cheer. Trust me, they couldn't come at a better time. Besides decadent decorations, priceless presents and tasty treats, there's something else I always think of when I hear that magical word: Christmas. When I grew up I watched a lot of old meaning 1940s and 1950s movies due to my grandparents who'd like to reminisce the good old days and who were convinced that Bogart was the last great actor until Bruce Willis came along but that's another story.

Especially during the holidays we watched all the classics that held the top spot on BBC, so now that this joyous season is again upon us, I can't help but delve into some of my all time favorites starting with the brilliant Arsenic and Old Lace.

This 1944 black and white screwball comedy is simply too good to be true. It stars one of my personal favorites, The ultimate yet slightly neurotic gentleman, Cary Grant who once again gives us a stellar performance (for some odd reason, the man is at his best in black and white). He plays Mortimer Brewster, a man who has just got married and decides to pay his elderly aunts a visit in order to break the news. Here he finds out that their notion of charity isn't the "let's help the sucker out" kind but more of the "let's help the sucker out of his misery" variety. In the end, things start to get very twisted indeed.

Based on a play by Joseph Kesselring, Frank Capra created an intelligent, macabre and funny little package wrapped with a stylish bow. Something we'd all like to find under our Christmas tree.

Tainted love

As you might have noticed by the illustration in my previous post, I've recently rediscovered the delightful works of Anne Taintor. She uses beautiful vintage advertisements ranging from the 1930s to the 1950s and combines them with to the point, often sarcastic but mostly accurate statements which describe women' state of mind during that glossy, repressed yet glorious age in a fun and flamboyant contemporary kinda way.


Once again, none of the products are available in Belgium. Damn! And her official site doesn't deliver over seas, making them yet again something for me to covet.


But on a lighter note, my Kimmidoll issues have been solved, hurray! One issue down, 88 or so to go.

learning not to hope but cope

I feel like a complete idiot, gushing the way I did in my last post 'cause I'm still waiting for an answer. Apparently he used the term tomorrow quite loosely implying sometime in the hopefully near future. I've already mailed him for a friendly update but nothing, nada, bupkus. Damn me for getting my hopes up! I should know better.

I did however have another interview this week for a job I didn't want but could probably do in order to occupy my time until something else eventually turns up that motivates me enough to get out of bed in the morning, preferably with a smile. In a nutshell, it didn't go well. It started with utter embarrassment and ended with me slamming the door shut. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me. I applied for a receptionists position with Stad Antwerpen but apparently even though I have not one but two university degrees I'm not qualified enough, oh well. Fuckers! And I say that in the nicest possible way.

I've basically been doing a lot of wallowing and waiting this past week while feeling blissfully serene thanks to my anti-anxiety meds. Sometimes even too serene that I have to occasionally remind myself that I'm still alive although barely kicking.

I was supposed to have another interview today but it was postponed to Monday so I've got something to look forward to, relatively speaking anyway. This time it's with a production company, as in movies. Who knows maybe my luck's about to change. It has to someday, right?

Gifts: the key to job satisfaction

Heavily sedated I went to another job interview today in the swanky design center called De Winkelhaak. The job ad said (and I'm translating literally) administrative centipede for theater agency Goedenavond, so I thought what the hell. At least this one's in Antwerp and culture is involved, finally.

When I got there I was pleasantly surprised not only by the employer, job description but also by the fact that I got presents, a DVD and two audio books to be precise. The interview went pretty well and I think this job might even be fun. I'll give you a clue, show business is involved... I'll know more details tomorrow.

It's part-time which is great as well seeing as I'd have time to embark on my own little project entitled Rebecca Benoot something or other but I'll keep you posted. For now these are just wild ideas floating around underneath all that red hair.

I just hope this is it, there's only so much rejection a girl can take.

Zombies are our friends

Yesterday my beloved was ordered to buy a movie he had never heard of and all because I told him it was a fifties zombie spoof he was gonna love. Being the great boyfriend that he is, he obeyed and we watched it last night. The movie I'm talking about is the enchantingly quirky Fido.

Fido went straight to dvd in Belgium and although it received a top spot at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, this Canadian treasure was only released in 6 theaters over the entire USA, hence it's shocking anonymity.

The movie takes place in a quiet suburban 1950s town after the fated zombie wars. Thanks to a company called Zomcon (check out their great website and especially read the kids letters!), zombie are no longer a threat but low maintenance domestic help. Fido eventually turns out to be more than just help in the Robinson household as he and little Timmy Robinson embark on an endearing friendship with a few bloody glitches along the way.

What I personally loved about the movie besides the classic setting and gorgeous dresses (I'm a girl, I can't help it) is that it literally blew new life into the exhausted zombie genre by taking it back it's glory days (1950s) and yet giving it a twist by combining it not only with a lot of comedy but graceful elegance as well. This original clash between bright and cheerful Americana vs. death, gore and destruction was also mixed with loads of 1950s pop cultures references making it a delight to watch. In the end Fido is a social satire about family values, homeland security, illegal immigration and zombies, who just happen to bring out the humanity in all of us.

The classic technicolor 1950s "boy and his dog movie" for the next generation.

Let the soul searching commence

As some of you may know I've been having stomach troubles for about a week now and it turns out the dürüm wasn't to blame, although it couldn't have helped. The entrance of my stomach is apparently infected causing not only my stomach but also my oesophagus to contract. It's not only painful and nauseating but also makes me feel like I'm going to choke as my oesophagus is also influencing my windpipe. Needless to say lots of fun to go around.
If that wasn't bad enough I've also started getting panic attacks for no good reason besides constantly thinking I'm gonna choke. Well, there probably is a reason but I'm so happy in the wonderful world of denial that it's not getting through to me, thank god. But seeing as my mind can't get me to listen, my body is giving it it's best shot. These so called "issues" are apparently at the root of my recurring gastro-enteritis problems which are a bitch and that's putting it nicely.
And that is why dear friends I've been quiet of late, nausea and sheer panic have gotten a hold on me.

Angry Little Girls

I'm sure everyone has those guilty pleasures they like to indulge in when they are feeling blue, frustrated or just plain bored. For most woman those guilty pleasures are either edible or the kind you put on your feet. Mine (actually just one of them) came to me on a cold night via the computer screen. A while back I literally stumbled on Lela Lee's wonderfully poignant creation named Angry Little Girls. Her cartoons are very vibrant (the book versions at least which I highly recommend), incredibly funny and oh so true. In a nutshell, it's a bittersweet dash of reality for those who were planning to spend eternity in denial.

Parties "R" US

The performance was two days ago and everything basically went according to plan, go figure. The turnout wasn't that big but I did have a lot of fun and it opened the door to some future prospects which I'm mildly, to say the least, excited about.
Yesterday was my dear friend Katrien's birthday and as usual I couldn't help myself and made her a birthday cake. I hope it was yummy... (hint, hint) and that she had a great time.
Today, another birthday party but this time there won't be any cake, only sushi. Talk about festive! Normally I'd be able to fake a little more enthusiasm (although not much, long story) but I've been nauseous since yesterday morning due to my very first and needless to say last nocturnal dürüm encounter.
Note to self: never eat anything out of tinfoil.

Lights, camera, action, oh my

It's finally here, the opening night of And Then We Changed The Screenplay. I have to say I'm very excited and also a tad nervous. I'm hoping there won't be any technical problems but knowing our director, there will be. That's all that can basically go wrong, that and missing my queue which I hope won't happen. I'll have to focus on the dialogue, my character which changes with each version of the dialogue and my accents, oh my. It'll all probably be fine, we're simulating a rehearsal and no rehearsal is ever full proof so we've got an excuse.

I'm also very curious to see if people will understand what's exactly going on because sometimes it's not even that clear to us. We'll just have to wing it. I just hope some people show up otherwise it would be really embarrassing. Luckily, I've got my devotees. And I also hope my voice can handle it, a 4 hour rehearsal followed by a 3 hour performance. My guess is that I'll be keeping pretty quiet for the remainder of the weekend.

I want one!

When we were in Paris last week, we were making our way through the toy department of Galleries Lafayette, because I had to pee as usual, and that's when I encountered something very pretty, very cute and very girly: the Kimmidoll.

It's an elegant little wooden Japanese doll inspired by the traditional Kokeshi dolls. They are decorated in vibrant colors, each with their own name, character and message. My personal favorite as you can see here is Seiko, the inspirational and motivational spirit.

I was too preoccupied with my bladder at the time but now I deeply regret not adopting one. I've done my research and they're not available in Belgium. I'm going to London in a few weeks time and I hope to score one there. Otherwise, if someone knows where you can get one, let me know or better still, you're always welcome to donate one.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

It dawned on me that I haven't written anything about books for a while now. The reasons range from preoccupied to lazy but mainly because I've been reading the same book for a shocking three weeks now and still haven't even reached the middle. Don't get me wrong, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a great book but for some reason I'm just never in the mood to read. I'm slipping I know, unemployment is starting to get to me.

Anyway, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is Michael Chabon's magnum opus for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. It's a historical novel about the golden age of comic books being the 1930s and 1940s. It's a captivating and funny tale about two cousins who create the latest craze in comic land namely The Escapist, the anti-fascist superhero. Their fascinating story is inspired by the lives of real comic book creators like Stan Lee, Will Eisner and Jerry Siegel to name a few. Other important historical characters like Salvador Dali and Orson Welles make cameo appearances adding multiple angles to an already vast and colorful landscape.

Chabon's Jewish heritage is also an important issue in the book. He recently wrote the wonderful The Yiddish Policemen's Union about a fictional Jewish settlement in Alaska during the second world war. As Kavalier and Clay roughly takes place during the same period, the issue once again becomes relevant. On multiple occasions Chabon also tries to make us aware of the impact of Jewish artists and writers in American popular culture.

I have to say I'm definitely not a comic buff but I've heard a lot of great things about this novel and after reading The Yiddish Policemen I was utterly in awe of Chabon's talent, originality and wit. Kavalier and Clay isn't only fun and freakishly informative but exudes a certain nostalgia that makes you want to delve into the inner realms of comic history which I'm planning to do and by the rate I'm going now, I'm probably take my damn sweet time doing it.

Due to the success of his novel and Kavalier and Clay's creation The Escapist, Chabon followed it up with an actual comic and vintage inspired series entitled The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist which I'm actually dying to read. Who would have thought? Maybe they'll make a believer out of me yet?

Better late than never

I just wanted to wish you all a happy Halloween. I hope you had a great time full of scary surprises and ghoulish treats. This year my sweetheart was ordered to carve his very first pumpkin and I have to say he did an excellent job!

It's a small world

I have finally returned from a fabulous trip to the wonderful land of Disney. I regret to inform you that I wasn't successful in my quest for Pooh but I am determined to go back and hunt the sucker down. I did however encounter Tiger from afar and almost touched Eyore but alas his break started just before I could get to him. However, my beloved was able to take a picture, with two other women.

I'm also very pleased that I got on not one, not two but three roller coasters in one day. I was nauseous, trembling and cursed more than your average sailor but I did it! Previously my coaster adventures consisted out of one nerve wrecking experience on the Vampyre, an experience that makes me nauseous till this very day.

Needless to say I had a great time in this gorgeous place that surpassed all my expectations, except the Pooh part, and brought back a cute souvenir to cherish until I return.