Musical Chairs is a collection of weekly playlists created by selected artists, DJs, and musicians for LITTLE MAGAZINE. For guest DJ inquires, please send M.LittleMagazine@gmail.com a description of yourself, including a bio and musical tastes.
Films are stories in moving pictures, and the following by Egyptian-born director and photographer, Hassan Said, are beautiful accounts of his story and artistry.
Will Remain Dear to Me by Hassan Said
Using dramatic characters and powerful images to explore the psychological impact of heartwarming and shocking events, Said’s works journey through stories of self-awareness and cruel realities.
Yesterday by Hassan Said
Alexandrie Encore et Toujours by Hassan Said
Said moved to New York at the age of 15 where two years later he studied Communication and Media Arts at Dutchess Community College. To him, films are about “glimpses of a person’s life, a situation, or experience; that’s what makes films more powerful than having a beginning, middle, and an end.”
In 2005, Said relocated to San Francisco to pursue studies in filmmaking and directing at the Academy of Art University. He has worked in a variety of roles in the industry, most notably for Focus Features on the 2009 Oscar award-winning film Milk. He also recently completed an experimental short film, Infamy, which is a surreal experience focusing on the chaotic events of September 11th as seen from his first-hand account. The abstract film is an official selection at the 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
His latest short drama MUTE, chronicles the story of a father who comes home one night to finds his autistic daughter physically abused. The film ended up winning the award of merit for short film and direction at the Accolade film awards. The film also won the German Independence Award for best foreign language short film at the prestigious Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany.
Said currently lives in San Francisco, producing and directing creative projects.
Once, upon a first-time visit, a newer Muse was hit with a nasty dizzy spell while trying to absorb the bustling maze that is the Boss’s office. I remember when I walked in for the first time, I felt a sudden urge to add additional “Os” to the word “room” — the common four-letter word was unfit to describe the most beautiful chaos I’ve ever seen.
Constructing part of the madness are thousands papers swirled into piles like napkins at a wedding buffet table. The piles themselves are also swirled, not just on the Boss’s desk but around the floor as well, creating a field of landmines waiting to gash one’s ankle with paper cuts if not properly maneuvered. The piles are sturdy enough in their disguise of potentially being blown over by the slightest disruption in the air — I used to think the ticking of the clock’s second hand could create enough wind to blow the piles all over the roo(ooooooo)m, but those paper towers are more secure than they appear.
The papers themselves vary from brown, crumpled, and overused to white, flat-ironed, and pristine — but all have been written upon at one time or another. Never failing to impress was the Boss’s ability to find the one piece of paper she needed at any given time. On the rare occasion she couldn’t, Flo could easily navigate that paper sea with candid authority.
The only part of the Business without computer access is the Boss’s office. As far as I know, she’s never needed, wanted, or shown any interest in computers. She’s a “pen and paper” type, possibly one of the first. Her pens are scattered throughout the room almost as frequently as the paper swirls — on the floor, tucked in books, lying on the shelves, next to Fanny and Taffy’s cat food dish; one time, I found a pen in the mini fridge where she keeps her Dr. Pepper and Yoo-hoo.
The Boss is rarely at the beautiful wooden desk that sits along the wall of French windows, and when I walked in that day, she was on the floor next to the fridge, surrounded by a few of the smaller paper stacks. On the wall above her was a framed picture of Liza Minnelli with the lyrics of the “The Singer” right below. The Boss always enjoyed Liza, often hosting little sing-alongs in the office, but at that particular moment, she was far from one of her Minnelli moods. She looked up at me, pushed her glasses back up onto her nose, and sighed, “We’re going to have a company meeting.”
I glanced up at Flo, who nodded and waved her hand with a “what are we going to do with her” swish. The Boss’s phone — which is in the shape of a hamburger and sits on a small plate on her desk — rang softly. Nodding and shaking her head at the same time, Flo went over to the phone, but I could hear every cell of the Boss’s body scream “take a message.” As usual, Flo could hear it even clearer than I. “We all need to meet in the Storm room in about an hour,” the Boss told me, “so could you let Poetry and Tangible know?”
She leaned back and, without looking up from her papers, grabbed a Yoo-hoo out of the fridge and tossed it to me. Flo was still on the burger when I stumbled out of the office as if I had just done five shots of tequila on an empty stomach. Clearly something was going on, and I couldn’t quite decide if I wanted to know what it was — I needed some chit-chat time with Flo. Her mouth could always be trusted to say what shouldn’t be said, and I absolutely loved her the way you can love a rude waitress who gives you extra fries.
Musical Chairs is a collection of weekly playlists created by selected artists, DJs, and musicians for LITTLE MAGAZINE. For guest DJ inquires, please send M.LittleMagazine@gmail.com a description of yourself, including a bio and musical tastes.
Food encompasses one of life’s most sacred rituals. What we eat, the quality of our food, and the care in its preparation determines our energy levels, our health; our livelihoods. I’m very fortunate to have several foodies in my life, and the following recipes by Sophie Sapp make delicious, healthy everyday meals that work wonderfully as Thanksgiving side dishes as well.
Butternut Squash Double-Header by Sophie Sapp
Two autumnal recipes to warm you up, spare your wallet, and impress your dinner guests. Neither of these recipes require precise timing or quantities, so trust your tastebuds and don’t worry if you don’t follow the directions exactly.
Serves 2-3, twice!
Optionally vegan.
Recipe 1: Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This is a remarkably easy and quick autumn recipe; the spices really complement the sweetness of the squash. It also happens to be richly satisfying, healthy and inexpensive to make! The only equipment you’ll need is a blender.
-1 large butternut squash, peeled,* seeded, and cut into approx. ¾ inch cubes
*Be very careful peeling and cutting the squash, it is very hard and it is easy for the knife to slip! I use a large sharp knife for this: cut the squash in half the short way, and set the flat ends on the cutting board. Remove the peel in long strips from top to bottom all around the squash, and then in smaller pieces on the rounded parts.
~4 c broth (veg or chicken, homemade or from a box)
~3 T olive oil
-1 T curry powder, plus a little more to taste
-1 t cumin, ground
-½ to 1 t salt, to taste
-½ t black pepper, or more to taste
-1 t medium hot ground chili, I like chili de arbol or cayenne
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and spices until well coated.
Spread the squash on a cookie sheet, as close to one layer as you can get it.
Put the sheet on the middle rack in the oven, and cook until the squash is very tender, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to move the cubes around a little. When is it done? Probably in about 45 minutes to an hour. Press a piece with that wooden spoon, it’s done if it squashes easily! Or just use my preferred method, and taste a piece, being careful not to burn your tongue (as I always do).
Divide the cooked squash into two equal parts, and put half aside (you’ll use this for the second recipe, below — be patient!).
You will probably have to do the puréeing in two batches, unless you are using an immersion blender. So put half the squash into the blender, and add about half of the broth. Purée until very smooth. If the purée is very thick, add some water and blend some more. Taste it and see if you like the texture. If it is still too thick, just add some more liquid.
Return the purée to a medium/large heavy pot, and repeat the same process with the other half. Return it to the pot and stir until the soup is well-mixed. It is not too late to add a little more liquid if it still seems too thick (I like it quite thick, so a spoon almost stands in the bowl!). Adjust spices and salt to your taste, heat and serve!
This soup is wonderful with a variety of toppings. Try crème fraîche, toasted pepitas, crumbled bacon, scallions, grated cotija cheese, chopped chives, or sage! Serve with some good toasted crusty bread.
Any extra freezes very well for later.
Recipe 2: Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash with Greens and Beans
This meal is a great way to transition last night’s leftover squash into a whole new dish; the combination of beans, greens and squash is healthy, hearty and colorful on the plate.
-½ roasted butternut squash from Recipe 1
-½ lb dried beans, cooked to your taste and mostly drained of their cooking liquid*
*Something rich, creamy and dense is best, such as pintos, yellow eyes, or a firm soup bean like vallartas (I always use Rancho Gordo’s heirloom beans, cooked in the Rancho Gordo manner, of course: www.ranchogordo.com).
-1 bunch cooking greens (I prefer Tuscan kale or chard), cleaned, ribs removed, and the leaves sliced into thin ribbons.**
**Stack the leaves flat, start at one end and roll into a cigar shape, cut once the long way and then, still holding the roll in place, cut across the short way into thin ribbons; this is called a chiffonade. If you are using chard, also cut the stems into small pieces crossways, and add these to the pan a few minutes before you add the leaves.
-2-4 cloves garlic, sliced
-1 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped
~2 T olive oil
-½ t cumin, ground
-splash of vinegar (I like to use apple cider vinegar)
-salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the garlic, onion, and cumin and sauté, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to soften.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the greens and a big pinch of salt.
Stir until the greens are lightly coated with oil. Add a splash of vinegar and stir some more.
When the greens begin to shrink and wilt (about 3-5 minutes), add the cooked squash and beans.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated and well-mixed. Taste to ensure that the greens are tender. If not, cook a little longer. Add the pepper, plus a little more vinegar and salt if you like.
Serve alone or over rice. Or try it with another grain; I like it with something chewy like farro or wheat berries. Keeps very well for tomorrow’s lunch!
Today would have been Isabella Blow’s fifty-first birthday. The fashion icon and former magazine editor made famous by her habit of wearing intensely robust hats, and known for discovering Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan, and models Sophie Dahl and Stella Tennant, is this week’s modus operandi. The following personify her brilliance and eccentric spirit amongst some of her most memorable quotes.
“When I die…McQueen says he wants my head, because he wants to wake up one morning and see my lips move, saying: ‘Where are my clothes?'”
“Fashion is a vampiric thing. It’s the hoover on your brain. That’s why I wear the hats, to keep everyone away from me. They say, ‘Oh, can I kiss you?’, I say, ‘No, thank you very much. That’s why I’ve worn the hat. Goodbye.’ I don’t want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love.”
“A cheaper and less painful form of plastic surgery.” – explaining her love of hats.
“It’s not a mad hatter’s tea party. It’s meant to be a sensual, erotic display. You’re there to get a new husband, a new boyfriend, a new girlfriend, whatever. And you can get it. The hat is a means to an end, a marriage contract. It’s everything. It’s a sensual thing – the idea of catching somebody like a spider in a web. It’s the old fashioned cock-and-hen story, the mating dance. Men love hats. They love it because it’s something they have to take off in order to **** you. Anyone can wear a hat.”
“I wear them pretty well every day (hats), but to make myself look better. If I’m already looking ill, I just wear a pair of sunglasses.”
Two biographies on Blow are to be published in 2010. Blow by Blow: The Story of Isabella Blow, is co-written by Detmar Blow, Isabella’s husband of 18 years, and fashion writer, Plum Sykes’ brother, Tom Sykes, who met Isabella at 20 when Plum was her assistant at Vogue. The other is written by Lauren Goldstein Crowe, author of The Towering World of Jimmy Choo, and former Portfolio.com fashion blogger.
Today’s MUSICAL CHAIR is BrandAn, who describes his playlist as follows:
This list comes from those long Fridays at work that you think are going to kill you. You get home, not sure if you’re going be able to make it out, but you feel like staying home will start the weekend off on the wrong foot. So in order to get the mojo running and put you in the mood, you’ve got to have some great music to get you thinking about an outfit as you shower, put your face on, and pick out your shoes, right?!?! This mix does it for me and I hope it does it for you too!!!
THEME: The friday evening time-to-get-ready-for-the-night mix.
PURPOSE: A getcha going kinda playlist to counteract the effects of a never-ending day of work.
DIRECTIONS: Put volume@max, press play, and start gettin’ ready!
Musical Chairs is a collection of weekly playlists created by selected artists, DJs, and musicians for LITTLE MAGAZINE. For guest DJ inquires, please send M.LittleMagazine@gmail.com a description of yourself, including a bio and musical tastes.
Sumbody, based out of Sebastopol, CA,is one of my favorite spas and manufacturers of eco-friendly beauty products. Founder and CEO, Deborah Burnes, started the company in 2001 in response to the need for natural and ethically made skin care products.
Burnes recently wrote, Look Great, Live Green, a highly informative and tremendously helpful book and resource for anyone trying to live a greener lifestyle. It includes a comprehensive guide on product labeling, natural skin care alternatives, and at home beauty recipes.
The following are just a few of my Sumbody faves, which also make really fantastic gifts:
Sumbody’s Study Aromatherapy Kit contains four mini-Zappers in: Distraction, Fatigue, Anxiety, and Stress. These aromatherapy oil blends are absolutely incredible in terms of “zapping” what they’re named after. Instructions say to apply on temples, neck, and chest, and I find swiping them on the ears and wrists to be highly effective as well. Anxiety (motherwort, chamomile, lavender extracts) and Distraction (sage, rosemary, peppermint extracts) are particularly beneficial to me on an almost daily basis. The full size Zappers are $14.95 and are available in many other helpful formulas.
My entire well being feels…well, well in its being whenever I use Sumbody’s Zen Natural Soap. The citrus and eucalyptus blend of essential oils creates a very clean, peaceful, and uplifting experience while green tea and wakame seaweed reduce the signs of aging.
Sumbody’s Milky Rich Bonbons are formulated with sea salt, cocoa butter, and goats milk, which keep skin exfoliated, glowing, and moisturized during the cold, wintry months. Delicately scented with vanilla and citrus essential oils, each bonbon lasts for 2-3 uses, and is the ideal stocking stuffer. Also available in a variety of scents.
Slipping one of Sumbody’s Mustard Dextox Bath Fizzers into the tub is one of the greatest ways to fight off the winter blues and/or an illness as mustard warms and relaxes, detoxifies, and stimulates circulation. All you need is a good book and a couple hours.
SUMBODY EVENTS & PROMOTIONS
BUY 2 SCRUBS GET 1 FREE
Use online code: scrub
For online customers, simply type in the code after your last name when placing your order to redeem the special. For example: Smith – scrub
*Free scrub will be a random pick from assorted scents
CA BOOK SIGNINGS OFLook Great, Live Green
12 Nov 2009 (7pm) Barnes & Noble Jack London Square
98 Broadway, Oakland CA 94607
20 Nov 2009 (7pm) Copperfield’s Books
138 N Main St # 1, Sebastopol CA 95472
04 Dec 2009 (7pm) Sumbody Napa
3800 Bel Aire Plz Napa, CA 94558
10 Dec 2009 (7pm) Sumbody Alameda
1350 Park St Alameda, CA 94501
11 Dec 2009 (7pm) Sumbody Sebastopol
118 N Main St Sebastopol, CA 95472
Today’s MUSICAL CHAIR is NY/Philly based wardrobe stylist, music aficionado, and blogger, Peter B. His playlist themed, “all things german”, includes a selection of punk, free jazz, ambient, and industrial songs from the 60s and 70s.
Musical Chairs is a collection of weekly playlists created by selected artists, DJs, and musicians for LITTLE MAGAZINE. For guest DJ inquires, please send M.LittleMagazine@gmail.com a description of yourself, including a bio and musical tastes.
This week’s modus operandi is Gala, Salavador Dali’s beloved wife, muse, and agent. Gala’s beauty, a derivative of her genius and strength, is forever immortalized in Dali’s work, in which he demonstratively worships her. The following are extraordinary Gala-esque items that will woo and amuse you.
LITTLE MAGAZINE 
