2023 DC Environmental Film Festival

Image found here

Each year I see a couple of films through the DC Environmental Film Festival. Two years ago I watched LOTS of movies because they offered so many virtual screenings due to COVID-19. This year they only hand a handful of virtual screenings, and I wasn't interested in some of them to begin with, so I only watched a few in total. But the couple I saw were really good!

Eating Our Way to Extinction

We've all seen documentaries about how raising animals for food is killing our planet. But this one, narrated by Kate Winslet, was the most effective yet. The film looks at all kinds of husbandry: cows, chickens, even salmon. This film focuses less on how eating meat effects your health, but it does make some impactful highlights, like interviewing Tony Robbins about his mercury poisoning or showing the pus that is in a lot of beef (ew). I already don't eat pork and beef, but I was ready to go full-on vegan after watching this film (I even added a bunch of vegan cookbooks to my Goodreads list). Very well done film, and yet another one that shows how our industrial greed supersedes our own suicide in destroying Mother Earth.

The Issue with Tissue - a boreal love story

This was another film that made me want to take personal action. The documentary is about how major toilet paper brands, such as Charmin, use the trees of boreal forests to make their products, decimating the forests in much of Canada. Most of the people featured in the film are members of different Native American tribes throughout the country, and they talk about how gratitude for the earth is important in their culture, the opposite of the Judean-Christian/Western ethic. They also go more broadly than just this specific destruction of the forests: they extrapolate all the way to colonization, and how Westerners have not only hurt the earth but the native peoples as well, taking children from the families and trying to eradicate the Native cultures, which has lasted hundreds of years. It was sad to see how those Native societies have been impacted so terribly, along with the wildlife, too (especially caribou). I am definitely going to look into recycled toiled paper brands, like Seventh Generation. I don't want to literally flush those beautiful forests down the drain!

Path of the Panther

I saw this screening in person at the National Geographic in downtown DC (after enjoying a Shamrock shake from McDonald's, another annual March treat along with this film festival). I am one of the (few) people who wants to protect nature just for nature's sake, not because of what nature provides to humans. This is especially true of wildlife: the biodiversity of our planet is so amazing, and I hate that we are killing so many different kinds of animals and plants, creatures that cannot do anything about their own demise. So this film is all about protecting the Florida panther, a subset of the panther/cougar/mountain lion that historically roamed all of the Americas. Carlton Ward, Jr., a National Geographic Explorer, is the main "character" of the movie, and the film follows his adventures of setting up camera traps and trying to find these elusive cats. We also hear from other people like a local rancher and a representative from a Native tribe who speak about caring about the wildness that is left of Florida and not wanting to see it all developed, shattering any hope of saving the panther. It was sad to see some parts, like the cats hit by cars or the kittens with a neurological disease that affects their back legs, but it was also very cool to see the awesome photographs and video footage of the panthers and other animals like black bears. [SPOILER ALERT] The most moving part of the film was when, after local government officials were shown the documentary, those leaders were inspired to protect areas of land where the panther is known to be, or "wildlife corridors," and passed legislation on it. I was crying in the audience, both for the joy of that win for nature, but also for knowing that this is just a drop in the bucket of the annihilation of our planet that we continue, and will continue, to take part in. 

Since this was an in-person screening, I got to hear from the photographer, the writer and director Eric Bendick, and a few others, and they discussed the process of making this film and the movie's impact (as well as answered questions from the audience). I always enjoy that part of in-person screenings, although I know several people scoot out after the movie. I cannot recommend this film enough. You can watch the film online on the Path of the Panther website, as well as sign a petition, make a donation, and take other actions to protect the Florida panther. I signed it and told all my friends and family to watch the film ASAP, and you should, too!

If you missed the festival this year, you can catch some of their "encore" screenings in a few weeks! So it's not too late!

Supporting the Theater this March

This month I saw three different plays in Washington, DC! I have always been a big fan of the theater, and that love of the arts has grown even more since the pandemic, since we weren't able to see shows for so long!

Here's what I saw:

Image found here

Gloria: A Life at Theater J

I really only knew that Gloria Steinem played a major role in the feminist movement in the 1960's and 1970's. So I was very excited to see this show all about her life! I enjoyed how the play took you through her whole life's story, and I learned a lot. I had no idea that she had basically lived in abject poverty with her mother after her parents divorced; the two of them lived in a house with no heat, and Gloria had to take care of her mother, since it sounds like her mom had several mental health issues. I also learned that the Constitution of the United States is based off of that of the Iroquois Nation: our states were like their tribes, and representatives from those smaller groups would make decisions for the larger population. That was brought up in the show because, supposedly, when a few Iroquois representatives went to Philadelphia to help with the creation of our Constitution, they asked where the women were, since only men were at the meeting; in their culture, men and women are equal, and they don't even use different pronouns to differentiate between the sexes. Facts I never knew! The play of course focused on Gloria, but it also pulled in other feminists of the time, such as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, and Wilma Mankiller. It was empowering to learn about all these women who helped fight for women's rights so I can lead the independent life I have now, although it's quite disappointing how our society is moving backward on that front (donate to Planned Parenthood!). I thought Susan Lynskey as Gloria did an amazing job and really embodied the character. I highly recommend this play. There are just a few more days to catch it, so get your tickets now!

The Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, just a few of the fairy tale characters in this show! Image found here.

Into the Woods at the Kennedy Center

I was able to get discounted tickets for this show, so I sort of bought these on a whim. I didn't know much about the story; I think I saw the movie years ago, but all I could remember is that it's a mix of fairy tales put together. I thought the cast of this show did a great job; I especially liked Katy Geraghty, the pudgy, sassy Little Red Riding Hood, because she could emote so well! I also appreciated the creativity the show, like the puppeteering of the cow and the big shoes representing the giant's wife; so clever! I will admit that I was really tired that night, so after the first act, I went online to read what happened in the second act so I could decide whether to stay the whole time. Essentially the first act has a happy ending for all the characters, and then the second act is the not-so-happy side of fairy tales. The first act could truly be it's own story, like with the Nutcracker ballet: you can leave after the first act and feel satisfied with a full-circle story. But I stayed for the second act, which of course was darker. A lot of the music is actually the same in both acts, but the notes are different to give a spookier vibe in the second one. I'm not the biggest fan of musicals (except for Disney), but I still liked this show.

Here's a video of Katy singing:

Image found here

Beauty & The Beast at the Synetic Theater

This is one of my favorite fairy tales of all time, mainly because the female protagonist actually gets to know the man she falls in love with (instead of just seeing Prince Charming once and falling head over heels). I saw a play of this famous story at the Warner Theatre in 2015 (read that blog post here), which had all the songs from the Disney movie (the original cartoon, I mean. Sure, I saw the Emma Watson live-action movie (I wrote a blog about that, too), but nothing compares to the good-ol' 90's version). Anyway, since I love this story, I was excited to see that Synetic was doing this show. I was able to get $20 tickets (winning!), and since I was already in Crystal City for the Junior League's Tossed & Found trunk show that day, it was super-easy to go right to the theater afterward.

My favorite part about Synetic's plays is that they are so creative! As you can see from the photo and video above, in this show they use lots of silhouettes throughout the entire play, showing the castle in the distance, or showing how the prince turned into the beast (and vice versa), and more. There were also two large ramps on stage that were moved around and used in multiple ways: as chairs, as hiding places, as spots for parkour moves. That was neat! I also liked how two of the actors were under the table during Belle and the Beast's dining scene, and as the Beast would bang on the table, the actors under the table would move up and down to enhance the movement of the table, jostling it to the point that Belle storms off. It's just fun to see what people's imaginations can create!

And Synetic is known for its silent shows, so the movement of the actors is so important. The dancing was wonderful (Irina Kavsadze as Belle is a beautiful dancer), and the fight scene at the end was very well choreographed (Irina Tsikurishvili is the playhouse's choreographer). And while most of the characters are silent, Rachael Small as the witch was the narrator, and she was so good! She was kind of creepy but in a graceful way, playing the scorned lover of the prince (although it was really the prince's dad who banished the witch, not him, but anyway...). Even though we all know how the story goes, having the narrator pop up throughout the show almost like a fairy or nymph kept all the parts of the story cohesive. I really enjoyed watching this show (90 mins, no intermission). You can still get tickets for a few more showings!

I can't wait to see what next month brings!

Recipe: Red Velvet Hugs Blossom Cookies

I signed up for the Crazy for Crust e-newsletter ages ago. I usually just store the emails in a folder, thinking I'll look back at them (I never do). But when I saw this featured recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. It sounded so easy, and who doesn't like red velvet?

Ingredients

• 1 15-16 ounce box Red Velvet Cake Mix any brand
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted or softened
• About 30 Hershey’s Kisses unwrapped (I used vanilla frosting Hershey's kisses)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats and set aside.
2. Mix together cake mix, eggs, and butter using a hand mixer or stir it by hand. The dough will be thick.
3. Scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls onto your cookie sheets. Chill for at least 30 minutes. If you bake them right away they’ll spread just a bit too much.
4. Bake about 8-10 minutes until tops just start to crack. Err on the side of underdone! Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss onto the top of each cookie. Let cool completely. 
5. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

The batter was enough for 24 cookies. I did chill the dough for just over 30 minutes, and I baked them for only 8. But even then, it seemed like the dough had spread too thinly, and that the top had baked just a little too much for the Hershey's kiss to sink into the dough easily (it seemed like the kiss was almost just sitting on top). And while the cookies seemed too baked on top, the inside was still gooey, so a bit undercooked (although soft, which I like). Since the cookies needed to be hot in order for the kisses to fit in, the heat started to melt the chocolate, so the kisses did not keep their shape (especially when I was putting them away for storage). AND the red color of the cake WILL dye your mouth red, as if you had eaten a cherry candy or something like that. 

Are these cookies yummy? Yes. But are they a new household favorite? No.

Recipe: Eggnog Pie (No bake!)

I left the lid on to keep it safe, hence the reflective top!

Since today's is Pi Day, I thought I should, well, make a pie! Since I'm on a kick using eggnog (see my blog posts for cookies and bread), I thought I'd continue the theme. I found two recipes that were very similar, one on the Meatloaf and Melodrama blog and the other from Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons blog. For this blog post's purposes, I have listed the first recipe below:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 prepared pie crust
• 1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding mix NOT stovetop!
• 1 ½ cups eggnog one and one half cups
• 2 cups whipped topping, like Cool Whip (thawed) light topping may not set
• dash nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In medium-sized bowl, combine eggnog and pudding mix, and beat with electric mixer until thick
2. Sprinkle in some nutmeg
3. Fold in whipped topping until mixture is fluffy and color is pale yellow
4. Spoon mixture into pie crust, and smooth with spatula until even 
5. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. You can also refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve

Now, I will say that I used alcoholic eggnog for this. That's why I still have some far long after Christmas! This is refrigerated-stable alcoholic eggnog, almost like a Bailey's Irish Cream or similar liqueur. So it wasn't thick like real eggnog would be, but the whipped topping thickened up the mixture.

At work we are having a friendly pie competition, and although I have never made this recipe before, I entered it into the contest. But perhaps that wasn't the best idea, since this pie is VERY strong with the alcohol: a little sliver will do! We'll see if my pie wins the crown!

Gay Men's Chorus of Washington Performs Whitney Houston

Image found here

When I first learned that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) was going to perform a concert in honor of Whitney Houston, I was immediately interested. I love so many of her songs, and since I'll never see perform live (God rest her soul), this may be as close as I'll ever get.

Clearly others were just as interested, because when I arrived at Lincoln Theatre, the line was down the block and around the corner! But we all made it in on time; the show started 10-15 minutes late. I had a seat in the balcony that was all on its own to the side, which was kind of nice! I hadn't been feeling well, so isolating like that (and wearing my mask!) made me feel better about going to the show (I didn't want to miss it!).

The show started with Gabriel Lopez as a soloist singing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." It was... disappointing. I guess I (naively) had thought that the group would sound closer to the original. No man can sing like Whitney! And the whole group sounded kind of flat. And that was the case throughout the show; transforming the songs through a choir set-up made them sound monotone. Perhaps this is because the key or range of the song had to be changed for men's voices? It was just sad how the life and vitality of these songs seemed to be removed from this performance, which I know wasn't the intent of the group at all. 

I also was a little put off by the dance numbers by 17th Street Dance, which is a dance ensemble that is part of GMCW. As a supporter of the arts, I guess I am so used to watching professional artists. It's unfair for me to compare these performers to professionals, since they aren't; they're just doing this for fun. But watching these dancers was like watching kids at a dance recital; they're wearing the costumes and they know the moves, but the timing wasn't on point, and some of the moves weren't done with enthusiasm (more like going through the motions). I understand that they were doing their best, but at times it was hard to watch.

Ryan Smith was the soloist for "How Will I Know," and he had the best voice and showmanship of the day. He was a real performer, both in singing and dancing. I was very impressed! The group also sang "The Greatest Love of All," which I had to learn and perform in middle school, so that brought up some memories! And of course they sang "I Will Always Love You," though I'm not sure why they didn't end the show with that song. I also wonder if they will sing that one during their next show when they honor Dolly Parton, since she wrote it. Two birds, one stone!

During the songs, I enjoyed watching the ASL interpreter. That in and of itself is a performance, too, almost like a dance. And I feel like it can help teach people some phrases in ASL, since songs' choruses naturally repeat themselves. I feel like I could show my boyfriend, "I will always love you," in ASL now! And of course that made me think of "You complete me" from Jerry Maguire (and the sparkly scarves the singers were wearing made me think of Love Actually, when the choir of teachers put on holiday scarves before singing backup to the famous "All I Want for Christmas is You").

In between some of the songs, a few of the performers would give little speeches, which I really liked. Drew Hastie spoke about his depression when working as an anesthesiologist, and he talked about how this group and community helped him. Thomas Reiker told a funny story about dressing in his father's suit and singing in the snow à la The Bodyguard and his father seeing him; Thomas said his father was surprised when he came out, but he reminded his dad of that day in the snow: how could he not know? And Kevin Thomason reminisced about the time he bought a $20 ticket to see Whitney in concert in Atlanta, and remembered how she walked down the aisle next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He said he's been chasing that feeling ever since; I can understand that!

Here is a video from the local news for a little snippet:

Although the show may not have been everything I expected, I still really enjoyed it! I'll definitely go to some of their other shows in the future!

Recipe: Frosted Eggnog Bread

Picture mine without icing. Image found here.

So with the leftover eggnog I have (read about that in my previous blog post), I tried another baking recipe to use some of it up. This time, I baked a loaf of frosted eggnog bread courtesy of the Inside Bru Crew Life blog. Dessert breads, like banana breads, are very easy to make. You just throw everything together in a bowl, pour the mixture into a loaf pan, and bake it! So I figured I'd try it.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BREAD

·      ½ cup butter, softened

·      ½ cup sugar

·      ½ cup brown sugar

·      1 teaspoon rum extract

·      1 egg

·      2 cups flour

·      1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

·      ½ teaspoon baking soda

·      1 teaspoon salt

·      1 teaspoon nutmeg

·      1 cup eggnog

FOR THE GLAZE

·      1 cup powdered sugar

·      2 Tablespoons eggnog

·      pinch of nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 350°degrees. Spray an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch bread pan with nonstick spray.

2.   Beat the butter and sugars until combined. Add the extract and egg and beat again until creamy.

3.   Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

4.   Slowly add the flour mixture alternately with the eggnog into the butter mixture until everything has been combined.

5.   Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 58-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

6.   Stir together the powdered sugar and remaining eggnog until a thick frosting comes together.

7.   Spread it over the top of the cooled bread. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Let set. Store in a loosely sealed container on the counter.

Since my eggnog already has alcohol in it, I didn't add the rum extract; it would already taste boozy enough! And I tried the bread first without any frosting. I thought that if it tasted good like that, why bother making the glaze? And it was delicious! It wasn't dry, unlike the eggnog cookies I made recently. So if you like icing, go for it, but otherwise, save yourself some time and just make the bread. Delish!

United Ukrainian Ballet: Giselle

Image found here

I decided not to buy a ballet subscription from the Kennedy Center this year, hoping I could get discounted tickets throughout the season. That has not happened, so I haven't been able to see many ballets (I didn't even get to see the Nutcracker at Christmas time!). But my friend was able to get some tickets during a Black Friday sale (I didn't even know the Kennedy Center did that!), so we went to see the United Ukrainian Ballet perform Giselle. 

Cristina Shevchenko (not to be confused with Christine Shevchenko from ABT) played Giselle, and Oleksei Tiutiunnyk played Count Albert. She was beautiful, but Tiutiunnyk's massive curly hair was distracting... Image found here

I think Giselle is a pretty well-known ballet, perhaps just a step below something like Swan Lake. I had certainly heard of it before, but I didn't really know the story (other than assuming the main character is a woman named Giselle). There was a lot of pantomiming that was a bit over-the-top, but I guess it has to be since there's no talking; I was able to figure out that two different men were in love with Giselle, but I wasn't able to figure out that her mother was trying to dissuade Giselle from dancing because her daughter had a weak heart... After the first act, my friend and I looked it up on Wikipedia so we'd know what to expect for the second act (since the Kennedy Center still does not offer paper programs since COVID, we weren't able to read what the show was about; I HATE the digital programs, particularly since I can't take notes to look at later when I'm writing blog posts like this!). I'm glad we looked the synopsis up, since I'm not sure I would have 100% understood what was going on. 

The second act features ghosts of women who were wronged by men. I wouldn't have known they were ghosts with their pretty dresses and graceful movements. That's perhaps one area where modern dance is better than ballet: there's more room for creativity! Although at one point some of them looked like they were floating, which was cool! Giselle's ghost also "magically" disappears into her grave at the end, which was kind of an interesting effect, too. Image found here.

I was excited to see this particular company perform, firstly since I had never seen them before, but mostly because of the conflict happening between Ukraine and Russia for the last year. The company was actually formed after these dancers had fled Ukraine due to the violence. Their choreographer is Alexei Ratmansky, who has worked for the Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballet companies (arguably the best in the world) and ABT in New York (and soon to be with the New York City Ballet), so it is amazing that he is involved with this group. I think the dancers and others in the company are very brave, and it was moving to see the dancers hold up the Ukrainian flag and sing the Ukrainian national anthem at the end of the show. Even people from the audience were singing along!

The show is sold out, but here's a video clip you can watch of the performance:

Now that I know the story of Giselle, I would certainly see it again. It would be fun to compare this particular performance with that of another ballet/dance company.