Happy 2/2/22 – Gong Hei Fat Choy!

Greetings & welcome to the annual TOP TEN LIST of 2021 (+ 2020? who knows, fuzzy boundaries) – here, a handful of enriching experiences to delight the mind & nourish the soul.

I offer this list of opportunities as a way to connect you to a few of my faves (so many! but a select few here) high-quality local-&-largely-female-owned resources to enjoy & share with friends & family and hopefully spark some good dialogue. In our home, we observe many rituals – one is honoring the outgoing/incoming Chinese New Year. Tidying our spaces, stating intentions, making plans with friends & family, focusing fresh eyes forward towards positive change. Also, reflecting on the past year, (oh, what a year) despite & in response to hardships, culling resources that felt most memorable. What it’s always about: COMMUNITY

EAT: Wahpepah’s Kitchen – Artfully prepared & always delectable Indigenous cuisine, authentic traditional decor, & Native music enhance the overall experience by tapping all of the senses. (Fruitvale Bart)

Nido’s Backyard + Juanita & Maude – I’ve posted both before, but extra props to them for creating such extraordinary outdoor eating experiences & service, both places are a total dining pleasure!    

Flora & Ferment – lovely local ciderhouse on lower Solano – super cozy, airy plants, & kombucha on tap!

Rocky Island Oyster Co – Craneway newcomer, wknd hangout slurping oysters, crudo, chowda & beers – sunset vistas that simply cannot be beat..

Speaking of the Craneway, last time I was there we saw Bjork in concert. (Yeah, trippy!) I read an interesting quote by her recently that I thought was hopeful & worth repeating: [in response to a question about closing the digital and human divide] Bjork: “Maybe the strongest impact it had on me was to see the reaction of all governments combined — how quickly we can change stuff, and maybe hope that they will use that wisdom we have for the environment. That’s maybe where my head is at. Both me and Greta Thunberg have a manifesto {as expressed in her “Cornucopia” show}. Since humankind can react so strongly when the pandemic comes, we should react in the same way in the emergency that is the climate change and environment.”

READ:  So! Many! Books! Here are just a few… Deep Hanging Out: Wanderings and Wonderment in Native California  – a meditation on his immersion into the local Indigenous community these past 50 years, by ever-brilliant always thoughtful Malcolm Margolin – one of Berkeley’s all-time finest treasures with a truly poetic heart.  

Cloud Cuckoo Atlas by Anthony Doerr – Don’t let this tome’s heft deter you – well worth the effort, a beautifully intermingled tales of woe & redemption, as found by always betting on the long game. 

Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit – an ever-fascinating series of essays, drawn along the common thread of Orwell’s life experiences through the lens of roses as muse & metaphor, generously dotted with moments of sheer genius.

The Shimmering Is All There Is by Heather Catto Kohout (edited by Matt’s childhood friend Martin Kohout) elucidates the many-faceted topics that truly mattered to her, fiercely intelligent writing, deeply felt & laced w humor. Overriding it all, her steady voice of kindness & compassion.

Migrations – first-time author Charlotte McConaughy’s soulful narrative enviro-novel grabs you at Go and never lets go. Just try to put it back down. Nope.    

ART: DeYoung Museum – Jules Tavernier and the Alem Pomo exhibition, documentary film and stunning display of Pomo Basketry & Regalia, from this Nation’s territory along the southeastern islands of Clear Lake, CA. Tavernier’s 1878 painting is a rare cultural encounter depicting a traditional Roundhouse – itself a giant basket in the ground – replete with Native dancing, as told from the Indigenous perspective.  

Vitra Design Museum, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany – Here We Are! Women in Design 1900-Today WATCH ONLINE HERE – an exhibition of work/working conditions of women designers from Early Modernism to the Present in four chronological parts (Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Patricia Urquiola..)

FREQUENT: Umami Interiors – local gem carrying both old & new, beautifully & cleverly curated. Truly stellar service!

Paraiso Plants – a great selection of lush & lovely – a mini-vacation unto itself – this Shangri-La of plant shops 

FOLLOW: MissTANGQ – multi-media artist/educator/community activist/dancer/performance generator /creator; BRILLIANT forecasts & readings (I Ching, Bazi) – deeply insightful missive on the new Year of the Water Tiger a pure offering of enlightened thought including answering what it means to be masculine. 

@CoyoteThunder – Obi Kaufmann, observant, highly skilled & spiritually attuned enviro-mapmaker & author/illustrator of The California Field Atlas (The State of Water; & the Forests of CA)

@_shuvam_photography_ converting the bug/insect-fearing masses via his awe-inspiring skill with his subjects’ beauty. WATCH if you want to learn to appreciate & love bugs/insects.

WATCH: As entertaining as it was, do not for one moment believe SNL Weekend Update’s Peyton Manning as he waxes poetic on Emily In Paris (low energy morally bankrupt broken record of frenemy betrayals, BTW doing Paris no favors..) I instead suggest Aziz Ansari’s compassionate-but-w-teeth take on the state of pandemic world in Netflix’s Nightclub Comedian. Bite-sized & surprisingly sweet.

Beforeigners – slyly hilarious Oslo-based crime drama featuring time travel, immigration, racism, misogyny, & – oh, yes – Jack the Ripper. Perfectly cast, impeccable comic timing, don’t you dare dubb.

Staged – howl out loud funny meta fest w David Tennant & Michael Sheen playing (or are they?) actors cast in a new production on the eve of the pandemic, deciding to forge ahead with rehearsals on Zoom. The mad/faux-dull romp only gets funnier as it rolls along, with a slew of SOLID GOLD cameos.

Pig – Nicholas Cage stars in the role of his lifetime, a perfect marriage of casting / acting / directing / story-telling / cinematography – an odyssey about love & loss, quietude & commitment, friendship & food.

LISTEN:

Raye Zaragoza haunting, fresh, plaintive, beautiful – listen once to Red & it will never leave you.

Montana talent Medicine Bundle by Supaman with I Hope You Know so moving (birdsong!) & One More

SELF CARE: please remember to be gentle w yourself. With others, too, as you can. Times are still tough, so seek out what helps you ~ a couple of the things I’m doing for myself are THIS, THIS & THIS

I am deeply & profoundly grateful for all the friends who have met me where I have needed to travel, with open arms. Sending you all love & hopes for a bright, calm & kind 2022 ~

*Deb

*Caveat emptor may the buyer beware! advance apologies for incompatibility should you choose to accept any/all of the following suggestions.

Wishing you a very happy Chinese New Year ~ Gong Hei Fat Choy!

Here to provide you with new & enriching experiences intended to delight the mind and feed the soul. Each Chinese New Year in our home, we observe certain rituals to honor the outgoing / incoming Year: we tidy the home, state our intentions to see friends & family, focus fresh eyes on positive changes for the New Year (personal, communal, global), and reflect on the past year – despite the many challenges – to cull the resources that felt most memorable.

The nitty gritty, what it’s ALL about, in a word: COMMUNITY

This list isn’t ‘pro-consumer’, rather it’s meant to connect you to wonderful high quality mostly local (often female-run) resources, you may enjoy experiencing and sharing with friends & family.  

Please FEEL FREE to fwd to anyone you think would appreciate it ~
Caveat emptor.

With that said, let’s begin…

EAT: TACOS OSCAR – inexpensive & casual fab w unexpected culinary artistry; now in its post-pop-up outdoor alley spot, cute & cozy w heatlamps. Don’t forget to say hi to Oscar, he’s Mr. friendly!

BLUE WILLOW ever-so-lovely and rare gem of a spot in West Berkeley w Japanese Tea Ceremony demos available by reservation. Sublime.  

ROTHA the best handmade butter croissants west of Paris. Only open Th-Sun til noon (arrive close to opening or risk waiting another 45 minutes, they run out every day.

SOBA ICHI new dinner-only hours for the sole East Bay purveyor of handmade soba noodles. Slurp.

SOUVENIR COFFEE the original location is a fave Elmwood coffee spot, now also on lower Solano (across fr the theater). Lucky us!

ZAYTOON Happy Hour, sit in bartender Melissa’s section for Mazza platter, Halloumi cheese & Harissa Honey wings (or schnitzel) tipple a (Naughty) Second Date or sip a (Nice) fresh squeezed mint lemonade – pure joy.

HUMPHRY SLOCOMBE if not Ici, then HS! Sooo excited to see flavor Secret Breakfast (hint: bourbon & cornflakes) crossing the Bay…

BAR SARDINE no better spot to be! Fri evenings 5:30-9PM.

MAKE / BEST QUICK DISH : HALLOUMI CHEESE – a deliciously chewy squeaky cow+goat+sheep milk cheese made in Cyprus.

Pour large dollop of olive oil into pan on med-high. Cut slabs ¼” – ½” thick x 1” long. Place slabs flat in pan & grill aprox 3 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Sprinkle w fresh lemon juice & oregano, dash of salt to taste. Serve on a platter of greens dressed in oil & vinegar, with a mix of nice plump olives for garnish. DEVOUR. 

READ: LESS the beginning had me questioning the hype but patience left me in tears by the end.

MISS SUBWAY Sly clever Fox Mulder, er, David Duchovney beguiles us again w this Manhattan/Long Island mythological mashup. Humorous and enchanting.

THE GIFT  deeply thoughtful meditation on the anthropological history and meaning of gift giving cultures. A fascinating read and welcome tonic for hyper-consumer rampant-capitalist society.  

JOIN: do you have lots of clothes you don’t need / don’t wear / don’t want / don’t fit? HELLO STITCH and MARIE KONDO can help! I’m about 22 giant trashbags lighter, plus have 12 newly edited outfits thanks to this dynamic duo. After you finally chuck your old clothes learn to sew/fix/edit your remaining wardrobe on a buffet of awesome machines. Day passes or monthly memberships available.  

FREQUENT: Black Odyssey @ CALSHAKES  not-to-be-missed show if this comes back to town.

SHOH GALLERY beautifully curated art gallery (hiding in plain site on Gilman).

MORNINGTIDE wonderful clean & compact shop bursting w unique and creative gifts.

MOMO’s charming new cut florals, small accessories spot w flair.

WATCH: Along with the well-advertised and excellent Star is Born, The Green Book, Barry Jenkins take on James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk, a couple films that might not have made your radar but should:

GIFT Lewis Hyde’s book inspires a film interpretation by Robin McKenna. A must see. I blogged about it last month HERE  

BOMBSHELL  the Hedy Lamarr story, ‘the world’s most beautiful woman’ turns out to also be a brilliant inventor. Shockingly tragic but a revelation.  

LIYANA a near perfect documentary fairytale as told thru the eyes and imaginations of Swaziland’s orphans.   

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Sensitive, thoughtful, humane, thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly political documentary of the man you thought you knew.    

THE HATE U GIVE in a year of so many strong expressions of black experiences told through films, this one rates.

BLINDSPOTTING beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking, frenetic, hilarious, suspenseful GENIUS.  

SALT, FAT, ACID HEAT and COOKED both truly unique in their approach, as enlightening as they are informative.

THE WORLDS MOST EXTRAORDINATRY HOMES jawdropping designs from around the world (altho you may want to tune out the hosts chatty banter).

LISTEN: Soundtrack of WANDERLUST; Sharon Van Etten’s Omoeba Records: What’s in my bag Youtube: Dave Hartley / Nightlands ; Bill Callahan / Apocalypse; Tindersticks / Tindersticks II; John Fahey Table of the Elements; Micheal Hurley The Unholy Modal Rounders, Jeffrey Fredericks & The Clamtones – Have Moicy!; Catherine Howe / What a Beautiful Place; Damien Jurado Maraqupa; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / Will the Circle Be Unbroken

VISIT (NEAR & FAR): POINT LOBOS  gorgeous seaside trekking along coastal paths just south of Carmel. Purportedly the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

I took a leap of faith on my bday last year and signed up for a standup paddle board/chakra yoga retreat (having never done either) and ended up having the time of my life. It’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go ahead and try, you can do it…

510WATERLINE &  XINALANI remote oceanside resort peeping out of the jungle aprox 10 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, accessible only by boat. Spare and yet luxurious, no room has more than 1 or 2 walls. Walk barefoot all week if you like & truly live in your body, enjoying three healthy totally delicious gourmet meals a day. Lift no finger other than to carry your board, paddle, and sunscreen on your way to the pool or the ocean.

Reciproc​ity welcome​​. Let’s spread some good news, people!

~ wishing you a JOYOUS 2019

(if you’re receiving this but wish not to – just drop me a note to be taken off the list)

You can also find me: debdurant@instagram.com

As 2018 winds down, I’m contemplating changes I made back in January which have had a profound impact on me this year.

First, I began walking the 2.5 mile R/T length of the commercial street in my neighborhood. I walk solo, and keep stops or talking to a minimum. I’ve done this daily since January, and hold this time sacred as my time to just THINK – not about work, chores, To-Do lists, or concerns – just conscious, intentional time for pondering.

I call it BRAINCATION.

Second, I turned off my radio. All day, every day, cold turkey, OFF. No more NPR, no more Terry Gross (sob), no more music. The only thing I allow is Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations, on repeat (the ’55 version with his commentary and humming). A quick calculation reveals I’ve probably listened to it over a thousand times this year. And with good reason: the effect it has on me is like listening to stunningly beautiful math explained; my work is more focused and precise when it’s on. A musical meditation.

I’ve found that – slowly – over the course of the year, these practices allow me to better connect with my waking body, the day’s weather, the community around me. The increased attentiveness and clarity makes me feel more able to discern when to say yes vs when to say no and which people/events feed and inspire me vs which drain me, also to hear what resonates vs what rings hollow.

The new-found quiet feels like listening to life on a different frequency. When you aren’t distracting yourself with information 24/7 (yes, even very smart, interesting information – (lookin’ at you, T Gross) you’re forced to think about the things you usually allocate to a back burner.  It pushes you down a more direct path through your own STUFF. For me, new cues form a better understanding of what it means to be a working artist in today’s money-centric world. The 24/7 media mantra siren call ‘MORE! FASTER!’ is best; ‘LESS… SLOWER’ is, well, less. And slower. The race to Keep up!, Speed up!, Buy!, Sell!! eventually just dulls the mind & stirs mental fog. For the time being I choose to TUNE IT ALL OUT.

WHEW. Srsly, I feel better already just writing this.

The good news is this new path has led me towards incredible art/artists, all of whom speak a common truth and a unified message:  love for craft, respect for the gift, power in collaboration, importance of community /service.  Here, just a few to share.

MISS TANGQ This mystical & wise multi-media artist, aNiMa collaborator, and writer of spiritual, soulful monthly readings eloquently outlines the importance of Emptiness.

‘Westerners tend to think of emptiness as absence and lack. In the eastern context, emptiness is the essential source of being. In Daoism the metaphor of bowls, baskets and barrels are essential. These objects represent strength on the outside with great receptivity at the core. Emptiness is an openness to life, universal energy and the source’.

Absence as open space becoming a cauldron for creativity = clear mind, clear potential.

RYAN COOGLER Local treasure CFI (the California Film Institute) recently hosted a screening w the Black Panther director who, in the Q&A following the film talked about creativity, collaboration, and timing. He said he was 100% excited/invested in Fruitvale Station (w its comparatively-miniscule budget) and would never have considered doing Black Panther instead – had it been offered him then – despite its astronomical budget. He prioritizes based on what’s most important to him as an artist, and then surrounds himself with friends who bring ‘A game’ to the table (paraphrasing) to help him successfully accomplish the task.

GIFT Director Robin McKenna has created a loving film tribute to gift-based economies via a trilogy of artists working in different locations around the world. Translating inspiration from Lewis Hyde’s profoundly brilliant 1983 book The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Art of Property, a meditation extolling the virtue and value of creativity as gift (vs commodity) in which he explores humanity’s historical & societal relationship to the act of giving and its importance. This book changed my life when I read it a few years back, it in itself is a perfect gift to any artist’s mind.

Listening to them, the common thread running through my own work is revealed: the intent to manifest expressions of LOVE. Celebrations of love for new life, love for oneself / for others, love for merging lives, love for lives no longer with us – this task: putting my full attention on the process of designing and creating precious objects imbued w intention & emotion – it is my great honor, and my life’s work.

 I was both honored and thrilled to be included in the recent Sculptural Objects and Functional Art & Design (SOFA) show in Chicago, IL, in association with the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) group entry submission “100 Moments in Mosaic”. It was a wonderful opportunity to show work in collaboration with 99 other mosaic artists from the organization, showcasing a broad range of skill sets, topics, materials and methods from the collective group.

This was my entry, titled  Andamento / Adamantine

Andamento  Visual flow & direction produced by the placement of rows of tesserae (pieces) within a mosaic.

Adamantine  From the Greek word adamas meaning ‘invincible’, diamond-like (the hardest known mineral), or unbreakable.

Diamond, historically, has been the ceremonial symbol of enduring and eternal love. The use of this beautiful natural resource to celebrate life’s most important connections also carries a sad and tragic irony: diamond mining has also been the cause of much pain and suffering in the world, brought about by greed, avarice and poor environmental stewardship in unfair diamond distribution systems.

Like the merging and diverging tesserae that surround this mosaic diamond, the paths of the many lives touched by diamonds – from the initial South African miner, his community, mine owners, syndicates, cutters & polishers, jewelers, royalty, wealthy socialites, to the average citizen… – are all connected. 

I was especially moved by all the submissions from Puerto Rico’s Atelier Del Mosaico contingency, headed up by studio owner Luis Alberto Rivera, who moved mountains to help each of his studio members finish their mosaics, get them shipped out, and then fly to the show in time, just weeks after braving the devastation of Hurricane Maria. His Herculean show of strength, compassion, creativity, and get-it-done-ness was one of the most inspiring examples of leadership I saw during 2017, setting a beautiful example of how much art can be a healing force during difficult times.