What to Ponder in Your Wandering Mind

I have read and heard that writers should write about something they know. Well, if you're like me, you know a little about a lot of things. So, I was thinking this morning as I was fixing brunch, how do I know what I like, what am I passionate about and what do I know. I wondered how do I grasp hold of that. I decided that, for me, the things I'm passionate about, are the things that are there in my mind when its on a sort of auto-pilot. What was it? What was I thinking about as I stood there with my hands and pans moving automatically but my brain was wandering through? It was first, movies and second, not surprising,was food.

I am the adult version of a child who grew up in Southern California, 30 minutes (at that time) from Hollywood and Vine, the studios, and all those things that you think of when you think So. Ca. Going to Disneyland was like going to the zoo, readily available and cheap! In 1950s-early 60s you could have a really great time at Disneyland including something to eat, a book of tickets and admission for about $5.00. I know, it sounds amazing and it was.

However,that is not what I want to write about today. I realized as I stood there, that I absolutely loved movies and food, and, I loved food/cooking and most especially movies about food. There are quite a few examples about food movies, most recently "Julie and Julia," then there was "The Big Night" and a real classic is "Babette's Feast." If you haven't seen Babette's Feast, do, rent it, or steal it but watch it because it is perfect and wonderful. We took our daughters to see it in the theater, their first foreign movie with subtitles and then after the movie, dinner. It was great for all of us to experience. It is a classic is the most literal sense of the word.

Also, as I stood there, I was thinking about the movie I watched last night as the New Year crept in. "Gran Torino" and I thought first that it was a wonderfully crafted movie, Clint Eastwood is amazing. His body of work in Hollywood is beyond my ability to express its wonder. But I was also thinking about the other actors who were in the movie with him, young people who were getting the opportunity to not only act in a movie directed by him, but to also work with him as he acted his part. What an amazing time for all of them. I get the sense the Clint (hope he doesn't mind first name basis) is a teacher of his craft and those who are lucky enough to be in the same space as him for a movie walk away with the most incredible experience imaginable. I'm not interested in doing a critique or review of the movie as much as talking about the process.

Movies have become incredibly complex and multi-layered, with almost more post production work than actual live action. One that jumps to my mind is "Avatar". Wow, so many new ground was broken with that. Yeah, it didn't have a great plot, and the script wasn't remarkable, but everything after that was. I did see it in Real 3D and it was amazing. The creativity that flowed through that movie was boundless. I just kept being blown away by what came next. As most of the reviews have said, it doesn't have a lot of plot strength but I don't think that is what most people who saw it were looking for. It was the up close, real encounter with a new world created in the studio and in the computer. Wow, have we come a long way.

I guess this is my new train of thought about my blog. I know that nothing I've talked about here is earth shaking but, I am finding what drives me and what it is that inspires me to write. I hope you will enjoy the journey too. I welcome your feedback, good or bad.

I have plans to share some of my favs about movies and food so you will find some links here pretty soon. Until then, keep watching those movies and cooking and eating. They go together surprisingly well.