Ack, I’ve fallen off the blog wagon pretty hard.

Our first year in Central New York came and went. The winter nearly killed me but had it’s fun moments. The sound that snow makes when you walk on it made me laugh through the 6 months of gray skies. Also, driving 10 mph while swerving is more fun than it sounds.

But summer is here and we made the drastic decision to spend it in Florida, close to family.

Driving down from NY we made a stop in Virginia and had weird Mexican food. On our next stop we went to Savannah, an uber romantic city. And while I left trails of sweat throughout the city, I’d go back in a heartbeat. Amazing fresh squeezed lemonade, gorgeous squares and southern homes, delicious food and independent stores. Plus the random fireworks and the amazing parks! (Forsyth Park is pictured above)

My script is about half way written and I have a month and a half to finish it. Currently I reside in Florida and will through most of the summer. In a bland apartment with white walls and spotty carpet I’m bulldozing through doubts and questions and getting shit done. It feels awesome.

I think I love summer more than any season. I’m truly a Florida girl at heart and just knowing the beach is a short drive away calms my nerves almost immediately. Not to mention that in a couple of days I will be seeing one of my best and favorite friends for the first time in two years. And only two weeks later will be surrounded by my family AND M’s family grilling by the pool and swimming in the beach.

Back to the script, to the outline, to the continuous search for good writing music.

I’m midway through the final season of The Wire, and if you have talked to me in the past couple months you’re most likely annoyed with hearing about it. But, it’s worth repeating that it is one of the best television shows I have ever watched. I think for me, it comes down to realism. Not the realism where I feel like I’m there in the moment, but the realism that comes when creative people get together and create a fictional version of something they truly know. Something they’ve researched heavily, have experienced first hand, have immersed themselves in. When I read interviews with David Simon or watch the behind the scenes on the DVDs I quickly realize that the writers and creators of The Wire take their jobs extremely seriously. The time and thought and careful execution that infiltrates my TV screen as I watch is transparently apparent. I’m not going to say much as not to ruin anything, but after finishing the fourth season, realizing I’m one season away from the end, I had a true bout of depression.

Enough. Watch it. I can’t wait to start it all over again.

SXSW is only a couple weeks away and this year I’m attending as Press! I will be covering the film section of the fest for Slant Magazine and will be spending most of my time drinking beer and watching movies at The Drafthouse. Austin, as always, brings me overwhelming joy. Plus there won’t be three feet of snow everywhere, all the time.

I leave you with this great and creepy Liars music video:

It’s been too long and lots of life has happened.

Some things of note:

- It’s snowing (see above picture) and I’m still at that “wow, this is kind of pretty” phase. This phase will not last much longer and I will probably have buy one of these Himalayan Crystal lamps soon.

- Some awesome people I know, and many I don’t, created the site Love Harder to raise money for multiple myeloma research. Please check it out and learn about these awesome people and the amazing things they are doing.

- I LOVE Twitter even just for the fact that as I read it this week I can pretend I’m at Sundance. This year the festival has done something AWESOME by making a handful of Sundance2010 films available for rent through Youtube for this week only! I highly, highly recommend Children of Invention because I’ve seen it and it is a beautiful film. They all look pretty great though: Youtube Sundance.

- I’ve made some good progress with my script and should probably get back to writing it now.

- This month marked five years spent with the love of my life and I’m kind of in shock. How did I get this lucky?

- Oh, and I got a grant from the city’s art department which is amazing and makes me extra happy to be here.

More to come, I’m gonna get better at all of this, I think.

After 8 years of no TV we got ourselves a 40-incher. It’s high-tech and beautiful. And although I had to be explained that you don’t magically get channels but have to pay for things - we are using it, and bought it, for the purpose of watching MOVIES! (and playing Beatles Rock Band hopefully in the near future, shhh.)

And that is exactly what I have been doing. Finally that Netflix Queue is moving and my brain is being stimulated and inspired by wonderful pieces of Cinema as well as bad, funny and low budget no-names. I’m doing what I’ve been wanting to do for awhile because I have time, space and a big screen. It feels really good.

I’d like to keep a running toll of movies I’m watching so I don’t forget. So let’s start now:

Baghead: Wanted to see it for awhile - it’s hilarious, and a bit scary. Overall an amazing low-budget indie horror

Pan’s Labyrinth: First thing I watched after bringing home the new tv. One of my all-time favorites. Haunting, beautiful, amazing.

Role Models: Uplifting comedy after getting into a car accident. Totally worked at lifting my spirits. I heart David Wain.

Encounters at the End of the World: Werner Herzog is a champion storyteller and he captures the essence of Antarctica’s society. A penguin marches off to it’s death.

Rudo Y Cursi: Totally fun and who can resist Diego Luna AND Gael Garcia Bernal playing brothers?

Sleep Dealer: Incredible Mexican Sci-Fi. Had the pleasure of meeting Alex Rivera at NYFF and he was a total sweet heart. Low-budget Sci Fi’s are rarely believable and this totally works.

Lars and the Real Girl: Third watch, still love it. Ryan Gosling is killer and the story is so simple but so effective. Very inspirational as I write a script.

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell: One of the best documentaries I’ve seen in awhile. Arthur’s haunting and absolutely beautiful music alongside a sad and sweet story of his too-short life. Beautiful images paired with incredible music. Watched it twice in one week.

Glue: Alexis Dos Santos is a dude I met in Berlin. At an interviewed when asked how he spent his time at the Talent Campus (a workshop I was attending) years before, he responded: I was drunk most of the time. His movie has the same adolescent rock star attitude he has. It’s collage-y, fast, about a boy coming of age, exploring friendship and sexuality and rock and roll. Interesting - dying to see his follow-up Unmade Beds.