Attention KBOO Members - Exercise your privilege and vote in the Board elections!

Some of you who know me may or may not know about the circumstances around my recent lay off from KBOO Community Radio. I've decided there's no reason to hash any of it out here (it's being well-hashed elsewhere and who knows, it may be fodder for a satirical short film someday). I'm still a proud member and active volunteer at the station.

And since I no longer work at KBOO, I can feel free to say how I feel about some of the folks who are currently running for KBOO's Board of Directors. If you are not a member of KBOO Community Radio then join now and support grassroots, locally crafted, non-commercial media. If you are, then you've probably received your official 2009 KBOO Voters' Guide and Ballot in the mail. Don't forget send in your completed ballot or deliver it to the KBOO Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, September 26, by 2pm. The Annual Meeting takes place at Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St.

Hell yeah!
The reason I'm endorsing the following folks is because I think they are all excellent people whose unique and thoughtful perspectives will help propel KBOO forward during a time of needed change, revolution and evolution. I'm also pleased to note that each of the candidates I'm endorsing are women of color. Where else in Portland you gonna get that kind of slate?

Keller Henry - I've worked some with Keller and can attest to the fact that she is a hard-worker, bright and energetic. Though she's only been with KBOO a short time, she's shown incredible commitment and enthusiasm. Her experience as an activist and perspective as a queer Haitian-American would be a valuable asset to KBOO and the Board.

Nia Lewis - I've worked with Nia a bunch and she kicks ass! She has been serving on the board over the past year in one of the appointed positions and has proven her worth as a committed and savvy board member. As a young African American woman she brings a much-needed perspective as KBOO continues to grow inclusive of diverse voices.

Paul Small - Paula is extremely savvy and exceptionally committed. In her short time at KBOO she's already taken on the role of Board Treasurer (she was appointed to the board at the last meeting after serving on the Finance Committee over the past few months). With her experience in accounting and non-profits, her enthusiasm and grounding energy she will continue to be a strong addition to the board.

Mimi Villarqui - Mimi is a talented and enthusiastic KBOO volunteer who's been doing KBOO events and serving on the Development Committee over the past year. Her interest in marketing/outreach combined with her commitment to community radio make her a huge asset to the KBOO board.

Please, no!
I implore you to please NOT vote for the following candidates:

Scott Forrester and Michael Papadopoulos - They are in the process of suing KBOO. More of that story here.

Now you've got my $.02. Go forth and vote!

Summer vacation is almost over

Didn't realize I was taking a summer vacation from the blog! As the summer winds down I'm back. I've been busy, busy, busy, with lots of exciting, crazy antics, which I'll probably write about later when things are a bit more settled. Because I'm been so INSANE (just know, the last three weeks, and the last few days in particular, have been one of the biggest roller coaster rides I've experienced), and because my poor hubster is so darn sensitive to the heat, we decided to go to the air-conditioned movie theater last night. A welcome and excellent distraction!

There were a few good options at the Lloyd Center theatre (the one outside the mall on Multnomah) - Funny People, (500) Days of Summer, Julie & Julia. We chose Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci. The (based on true) story follows a nearly-30 young woman named Julie who dreams to be a writer, but depressingly plugs away at government desk job. Her husband encourages her to start a cooking blog. She decides that her blog/life project will be to cook every single recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in exactly 365 days. Parallel to Julie's story is Julia Child's story - how she began seriously cooking in her 40s while living in Paris, studying at the Cordon Bleu and her deeply romantic and loving relationship with her husband Paul. To top it all off it was written and directed by queen of the chick flick Nora Ephron of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle fame. Sounds like too-perfect a package, right?

Loved it! OK, I admit, it's exactly what I wanted and needed for a distraction - a sappy, sweet love story. But it was even better than I expected from a formulaic Hollywood "chick flick."

First of all, Meryl Streep is frakkin' brilliant. She is such an amazing actress! She always manages to create fresh, complex, engaging characters, unlike so many other iconic (particularly male) actors of her caliber and age, who seem to fall into trite characterizations of themselves. (Think DeNiro, Pacino.) Streep's Julia Child is hilarious, loving, lovable, tragic, flamboyant and charming. Stanley Tucci makes a perfect Paul to Streep's Julia and their chemistry is heart-warming and wonderful to watch. Jane Lynch has a fun appearance as Julia's equally tall and charming sister.

In the other story line, Amy Adams does a very nice job as the sweet, quirky blogger. Her journey through Julia's cookbook is somewhat predictable, but well-played and satisfying. Eric Messina brings a nice grounding to their story line as husband Eric.

Another interesting aspect to the film is the political and social backdrop of the time periods of the two stories. Julia and Paul's story takes place amidst the scary McCarthy years, with Paul himself getting investigated for his communist ties. Julie and Eric live in Queens, Julie working at the Lower Manhattan Development Project post-9/11 answering calls about claims for survivors of folks who perished.

All in all, I enjoyed the film. It made me yearn for (and almost feel sick over) the gorgeous, rich French dishes. And it's always lovely and rare to see a good movie with strong, interesting, complex women characters, made by a strong female director.