I *Heart* Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron always know just the thing to say.

- On parenthood: “[A successful parent is one] who raises a child who grows up and is able to pay for his or her own psychoanalysis.”

- On the sexes: "Men dominate the conversation in Washington and therefore, as far as I am concerned, the conversations are far less interesting than those in New York."

- On life lessons: "My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have the potential to be comic stories the next."

The writer behind When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle who passed away just about a year ago, lives on in Norwalk. The play she wrote alongside sister, Delia Ephron, is called Love, Loss and What I Wore and it's coming to the Carriage House Arts Center. Enjoy wine, cheese and a top notch play. You can see it next weekend, and that's it! There will be shows only from July 26 to the 28th. What's really cool is you can get in FOR FREE with the donation of a women's business suit as it's supporting Dress for Success. No suit to donate? Still a very handbook happy $20.

"We're Not Very Good People"

So said Craig Wilder, Professor of History and Head, MIT History section.  By the end of the documentary, "The Central Park Five," I believed him.

The movie profiles the attack on the Central Park Jogger in 1989 and the countless tragedies that came out of it. Trisha Meili was victimized and beaten beyond recognition. Five teens were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to between five and fifteen years. The real perpetrator, Matias Reyes, continued to wreak havoc until he confessed to the crime in 2002. After years of wasting their young lives behind bars, the Central Park Five were finally released.

The crime was a brutal one, but there was no blood evidence.  There was no forensic evidence.  There was little evidence at all, but each conviction hinged on the video taped confessions of the alleged perpetrators. It's incredible to imagine how these young men could have implicated themselves so thoroughly and how a few minutes in front of a video camera could have destroyed their young lives, but that's exactly what happened.  The film gives some sense of the exhaustion, deception and false promises that could have resulted in the manufacture of their false confessions. Still, the viewer is still left wondering how in the world that could have happened?  How could so many smart people have been so wrong?

It's a movie that helps you learn the story that the media never really tells: what does it mean to have been wrongfully convicted?  How does it happen?  Where did we fail?  It's common to hear stories about people released from prison after years of incarceration for crimes they didn't commit, but it's so rare that you get the opportunity to hear how we got there and what happened next.  This movie takes the time to tell that important story  It's not pretty.  It's a story of human frailty, fear, race and politics, and it's a vital one we all should hear.

I hope we're good people, but this movie is an eye opener that highlights how we fall far short of the ideal.  There's no hope of our getting better without learning from mistakes like this one.

Limbo

You know, I never wanted this blog to be about me, but the world is just a little too much with me right now.  It's not a bad place to be, it's just an in between sort of place.  I'm in a summertime limbo.  We've bought a new house...or almost bought a new house since closing is the end of July, and I'm still wrapping my head around it.

If it all goes according to plan, we'll be in North Stamford by season's end. So what does that mean? 

On the plus side it means:
- A bigger house for my growing boy to roll around in.
- A place for my parents to stay that doesn't cost a fortune (at last!).
- A walk of about 5 minutes to get to some of the prettiest parts of our fair city: the Bartlett Arboretum and Stamford Nature Center beyond.
- A wall of windows, which I've always wanted.
- An investment in my family's future.

On the minus side it means:
- A bigger, scarier mortgage.
- A bigger, scarier - but much more beautiful - piece of property to maintain.
- No more walks to Lorca, which I've grown to love.
- No more walks to Mill River, which has grown into a mid-city gem.
- No more walks to the movies or to dinner.

Ok, so we will sip, stroll, watch and eat again, but I don't want us to forget the lovely things we're leaving behind. 

In the short term, it means boxes and boxes.  I'm dreaming of boxes.  We haven't gotten our place on the market yet, and there are obscene numbers of boxes still to come.  I've been dreaming of future boxes stacking up over my head and up several stories of walls of windows.  Moving is awful, and I'm a little nervous about leaving a place that's totally imperfect, but that I've grown to adore.  We're not going far, but I'll still miss what's been close.

Art Attack

There is so much cool artiness in Stamford right now, it makes me feel like throwing a pot. First of all, sculptures have sprouted all over town from the Art in Public Places exhibit. The theme this year is abstractions, and they're all over the block - literally and figuratively. Which ones do you like?

I'm kind of digging David Boyajian's work.  It looks like stills of dancers pivoting on point.  The multi-colored Carole Eisner is too much for me to swallow, but the monochromatic ones put all the color in the movement, which is much lovelier.  David Hostetler is a bit to stark for me.  Kevin Robb's work seems to be just about to topple over, which gives you just a little refreshing breathlessness. Boaz Vaadia's sculptures seem to be made out of million year old mineral deposits, stalagmiting up the sidewalk as if we've been welcoming Jerry Springer since the dawn of time.

Not enough artiness? But wait - there's more!

Join your Stamford neighbors et al for Artwalk on Friday, June 14th from 6-9pm and Saturday, June 15th from 10am-7pm. My fabulous friend, MKS, has a very talented husband showing at the event. Artwalk will feature 95 artists all told, art for sale, galleries a'plenty, all sorts of mediums, refreshments, live music and not a nickel to get in. Should be swell, and you should be there!

Get in Gears

photo from flickr.com, ClickFlashPhotos / Nicki Varkevisser

On May 17th (aka, this Friday) join your fellow commuters in Bike to Work Day. It's exercise, fresh air, saving on gas - what's not to like?!  The Stamford Times points to an increase in bike commuters, saying the 2010 Census has those numbers up 40% across the US and 50% in CT since 2000.

Stamford has a downtown event to celebrate your pedal power too. From 7:30 to 9am, join your neighbors in Veteran's Park at the corner of Atlantic and Main Streets for giveaways and free refreshments (and a few bragging rights).  There are similar events all throughout CT.  See the Bike to Work Day link above for a full listing.

Miller River Park is Blossoming

Big thanks to (nearly birthday girl) TK for her, as always, excellent guest blog post.  She mentioned that Mill River was in bloom, and I was so excited to see today that she's absolutley right.  So without further ado, here goes:

 

photo from waferboard, flickr.com

Spring is in the air and the cherry trees in Mill River Park are starting to bloom. The Park’s grand opening is the first weekend in May, and it’s actually starting to look like a real park.  

On Friday, May 3, Mill River is launching its Spielberg at Sunset outdoor movie series, in partnership with the Avon Theatre. Movies include Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Goonies and more. There will be a DJ starting at 6:30pm, and the movie will begin at sunset. If we could get a food truck or two to show up, that would be ideal. El Charrito? Melt Mobile?

On Saturday, May 4, the Swingset Mamas will be performing at Mill River Playground, there will be zumba and yoga drop-ins in the park, bird walks, a performance of the “Rejuvenary River Circus,” and more.

It looks like the Fun Saturday Mornings performances at the Mill River playground will continue this summer, but the lineup has not been released yet. We saw “Boogie Chillun” at the playground last summer, and we were ready to book them for our next private event.

 

SN again: it sounds fabulous, and we'll be there with bells on ourselves!

It's Spring - Are You a Budding Entrepreneur? Start Budding Right Here!

photo from Jazzyblue TR, flickr.com

Have you heard of InnovationED? What about the Stamford Innovation Center? If you are an entrepreneur, a wannabe entrepreneur or just want to get ahead in business, they may just be your new best friends.

The Stamford Innovation Center is a self described "community of dreamers, thinkers and doers" in our area promoting startups and making professional business ideas into reality. They provide space in the Old Town Hall to help businesses grow and expand.

Another exciting part of the Center is its InnovationEd program, which is more than just a pretty website.  It's also the educational arm of the Center. They are starting brand new classes right now with top notch teachers, and you can take part.  The folks behind InnovationEd are focused on making their classes active, practical and accessible. The first few classes on the agenda are:

- PR Bootcamp (2-5pm) / PR Showdown (7-9pm), Tuesday 4/9
- The Power of Storytelling (1-5pm) / Storytelling Showdown (7-9pm), Tuesday 4/23
- The 3 Stages of Business Development, Wednesday 4/24 (7-9pm)
- Effective E-mail and Newsletter Campaigns, Wednesday 4/24 (7-9pm)
- Ask the Data Scientist, Tuesday 5/7 (7-9pm)

For a complete description and pricing info (which all looked reasonable to me...), visit their Sessions page. Learn more about the instructors here and here.  All classes take place at Old Town Hall, which is located at 175 Atlantic Street.

Also, for a special discount, use the promo code STNOTES on the eventbrite order page.  And if you go, tell me about it!  I'd love to share your experience on the site.

HOLY %^&* Louis CK is Coming to Town!

Wow!  Louis CK will be performing at The Palace Theatre on April 5 at 7:30pm.  Tickets are available at louisck.com.  This is a big name act for our little ol' town.  Apart from his fairly terrible HBO series, Lucky Louie, he is a comedic juggernaut.  

He's performed on Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, you name it.  He shines most brightly on stage and in his newer series,  Louie. He plays the grumpiest version of a divorced father making as many mistakes as a human being can make, and doing it hilariously. It's crude, clever and endlessly creative. It's incredibly watchable, and you could see him live.  Get 'em now before they're gone!!