my excitement for this cannot be contained

my day with Gido- documented

I went to a private party in Richard Macdonald’s art gallery last night. His sculpture garden was made complete with an open gin bar, chicken liver mousse & baked risotto appetizers, and live cirque du soleil performances.

My mind was not only boggled by the incredible talent of the performers, but how their actions were so perfectly depicted in a bronze sculpture. He makes metal move, and it’s beautiful. The world is filled with such talented people, I don’t think I will ever stop being amazed.

Yesterday, I was the happiest that I’ve been in a long time. I got to utilize the most creative parts of me & while simultaneously unveiling a legacy.

I spent the day in Laguna Beach with my 87 year-old grandfather, Gido. He’s a creative genius, really. He still goes to photography classes every week and is constantly learning and experimenting with art. Pictures of flowers, mostly. He gets so excited, thrilled really, when he sees something beautiful.

(one of his creations- he really is incredible)

I decided to make a mini-documentary of him on one of his photo adventures. It’s always exciting for me to tell someone’s story through film. That would be why it’s my major. But with him, there was an added dimension of excitement. Because I was following an older version of myself. My fingers were tingling.

He sees the world in a way I would never understand except that it reflects my own. That is the best part about being with him. It’s getting to see where parts of me came from. Parts of me I wasn’t sure anyone else could share.

In the car he just started talking. He talked about happy things. About his first Kodak camera and how he would sit at the window in his parents room and take pictures of the people that walked by. There was one pretty girl with long hair that would come by a lot. He liked to wait for her especially. He talked about sad things, too. The day he held his dads hand as he died. I was thankful he was so open with me. So vulnerable. I watched my grandfather cry.

He talked about how most people his age, in his community, are just waiting to die. He thinks it’s sad, so instead, he said he’s waiting to live. And by learning every day and being creative, he discovers everyday, a gift.

I couldn’t believe I was capturing these pieces of wisdom straight from his lips. What could be more valuable than recording the wisdom of a nearly 90 year old man? I will treasure what I recorded yesterday forever.

Once at the beach, we walked through some of the shops. A lot of people knew him. The lady at the flower stand said he came once a week and was sometimes sore from dancing the night before. He still goes dancing every Friday night. What a charmer.

We must have looked like quite the pair, grandfather and granddaughter both with cameras in hand. A lot of people smiled at me that day. I couldn’t possibly tell him how much I loved him. But I think he knew. He kept saying he talked too much though. I just kept saying how happy I was. He just said I was easy to please.

We had lunch overlooking the coast at Las Brisas. He tried sushi for the first time. He asked to hear about some of my creative ideas- I told him about this restaurant I want to open one day open. He thought it was really neat. Probably because every day he wakes up with the same kinds of ideas. 

We made it to the sand and he sat on a bench. He told me about when he was little, he used to go to the movie theater. And afterwards, he said he felt like he was in a movie of his own. He thought maybe there were hidden cameras documenting his life, so he would go out of his way to explain what he was doing, out loud, just in case. I can just see little boy Gido talking to himself while cleaning his room, imagining he was in a movie.

I’m glad I could make that dream come true 80 years later though, where for one day, a camera really was following him.

here I come

nothing I love more than changing the zip code on my laptop weather forecast

#californiabound

the universality of mothers- as the caretakers, the protesters, the number one fans

I love moms. I love my mom. I want to be a mom.

“She was still hugging the cat. ‘Poor slob,’ she said, tickling his head, ‘poor slob without a name. It’s a little inconvenient, his not having a name. But I haven’t any right to give him one: he’ll have to wait until he belongs to somebody. We just sort of took up by the river one day, we don’t belong to each other: he’s an independent, and so am I. I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found the place where me and things belong together. I’m not quite sure where that is just yet. But I know what it’s like.’ She smiled, and let the cat drop to the floor. ‘It’s like Tiffany’s,’ she said.”

Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

(Source: dyingofcute)

1 year ago. today
and I walked through that airport like I had a badge pinned on me
one that informed everyone else to congratulate me
to be happy for me
because I was so happy
and I’m happy I was happy
it was good for me then