isabelle huppert never lets me down

Five things that will happen to you during a snowpocalypse:

1. You'll get stranded in Connecticut.

2. You'll remember how much you hate shoveling snow. Outside of the threat of gay bullying, it was the thing you liked least about high school.

3. You'll become lousy for baked goods. You'll see that there's an inverse relationship between inches of powder and ability to display will power. You'll dread returning to New York this puffy.

4. You'll fall for Video On Demand. You'll take full advantage of your parents' cable and watch White Material, now showing at the IFC. You'll love Claire Denis' searing, unflinching look at post-colonialism. You've always had a crush on Isabelle Huppert and as the operator of a crumbling coffee plantation, beset with family disloyalty, a corrupt government, and unruly rebel miltias, she brings it. If you had a vote, she'd be your pick for the Oscar.

5. You'll be glad to (finally) return to Williamsburg, only to find yourself in something out of Land of the Lost. More than a day after the snow ended, your street will not be plowed and you'll see an abandoned bus stuck at the intersection of Driggs and N. 7. The look will be post-apocalyptic arctic chic. You get hipster apathy, but with half the guys in the nabe looking like burly woodsmen, you'll wonder why so few of them lack shoveling skills.

something else

I just realized that my last few posts have been totally film-centric. There's more going on in my life, trust me, but things have been so busy that it's been a chore to write. I do want to do a Thanksgiving post, but there's still a lot to digest on that one (surely I could come up with a better way to put that ... buy you know what I mean).

Anyway, winter hit New York this weekend. I awoke to snow on Sunday morning, and even though I was still fighting a head cold (which I am still not rid of), I took a brief walk in my neighborhood. It was another "I Love New York" moment, with everything blanketed in white, snow still falling, smiles galore, etc. And, even though people were out and about, it was markedly calm. The clamor of 2nd avenue felt especially dulled.

I picked up a new pair of gloves, too, given that I have already sacrificed one pair to the subway gods (ugh). I've never understood fingerless gloves. They just seem like a frost bite accelerant. But lately I've seen people wearing fingerless gloves that convert to mittens ... the mitten portion folds over the fingers when you're braving the elements, and then you can fold it back and use your fingertips when grabbing cash, keys, etc. When I was out among the snow flurries, I picked up a pair. I'm totally pro. They eliminate the anxiety of the seasonal fumbling for things ... and allow you to keep your gloves on all the time, making them a tad harder to lose.

So, there you go, a post about something other than film. We can file this one under accessories.