ELBOW & ALBOW

The O'Nan Family Blog

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

We Went Through Hell (Mich.)

Last Thursday afternoon, Alex got hit with the I-gotta-take-a-road-trip-now bug, so by Saturday morning, we were on the road heading north to Michigan. Michael and Mickie came along with us, and we all had great fun. So why Michigan? Well, on January first, our friend Greg moved up there to join a band called Anathallo. They were having a CD release party in Lansing, Michigan, so we decided to go up there, surprise Greg, and see a great show. The show was phenomenal. Two bands - Those Tansatlantics and Page France - opened up for Anathallo. I had never seen Anathallo live before, and I was very happy to be listening to their music. The next day we took the backroads from Lansing to Lake Eerie. It was so wonderful to see the countryside. We even drove through a little town called Hell, Michigan. Here are some pictures from the weekend.
On the way to Lansing...



In Lansing/at the Anathollo show...




Driving through rural Michigan...



At Lake Eerie...

Saturday, February 18, 2006

It snowed today, and it made me want to be back here.











all photos by my my amazingly talented husband Alex (except for the one of himself - I took that one)

Friday, February 17, 2006

Super Foods

About a month ago, my mom sent me this article on super foods. Alex and I are big fans of eating super foods. For one thing, they are proven to aid in disease-fighting and anti-aging. For another thing, they are foods that we generally eat anyway. The superfoods include:
Apples: Alex loves apples. He really likes Galas, Pink Ladies, and Braeburns. But his very favorite apple is the Honey Crisp. This apple has a very short harvest season in the late fall, so you can only get them for about a month or two out of the year.
Pomegranates: I have actuallly never eaten one of these.
Kiwis: Yummmm... One of my favorite fruits to eat in the summer.
Garlic: Almost every meal I cook calls for fresh garlic, so we get plenty of the over 100 nutrients found in a single clove of garlic.
Onions: I often use onions in meals and salads. They are associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, which is in both my and Alex's family medical histories.
Cinnamon: I love cinnamon! My favorite way to eat cinnamon is to sprinkle it onto my coffee filter, add the coffee grounds, and brew. Its a tasty way to spice up your normal cup of joe, and to get in one of your super foods.
Tumeric: I rarely come across a way to incorporate this spice into my diet.
Dark Chocolate: This is a super food that I definitely make sure is a part of my diet! Alex and I allow ourselves to have a small portion of dark chocolate every day. However, make sure that the chocolate is 60% cocoa. Otherwise, its no good as a superfood. In other words, Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses don't count. Alex and I discovered this after we had nearly finished a whole bag.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I consistently cook with olive oil. It is certainly a kitchen staple for us.
Avacadoes: We eat gaucamole at least once a week, thanks to Qdoba.

Let me emphasize that some of these foods are high fat, so be sure that you are not over indulging in dark chocolate or avacadoes. Also, as with any type of diet, be sure that you are off-setting your fat and calorie intake with plenty of good, cardiovascular excercise. I've been taking a 45 minute Pilates class twice a week, and doing 45 minutes on the eliptical machine two to three times a week. Alex has been swimming five to six days out of the week. We can guiltlessly enjoy our tiny morsels of daily dark chocolate when we know we are living relatively healthy lifstyles.

Is anyone else into a certain diet or health plan?

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine's Day to My Little Song Bird

I had the amazingly wonderful opportunity to witness my Boo create some of the most moving music I ever heard. The Ole Miss Concert Singers gave a reunion concert and I honestly heard sounds I've never heard before. I'll post a video clip soon to try and show just a little bit of what I'm talking about.

I love you
- A

Happy Valentine's Day to My Husband




all photos by Michael + Mickie Winters

Thursday, February 09, 2006

No One Likes A Poser


The building to the far left is the new building some Louisvillians are proposing to build downtown. Not the prettiest building I've ever seen.

Andy Warhol


Andy came back to us from 1987, just to paint our picture. He's such a nice and thoughtful guy.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Its the Sojourn Film Festival - Start Makin' Movies


Sojourn's 5th Annual Cultivate Beauty Film Festival is going public this year. It will be April 27th-29th at the Kentucky Theater. At this point, I would like to brag on my amazing husband, and say that he has won an award at the film festival for at least the last two years, so you have some tough competition comin' at ya'! (The picture is of Alex holding his Best Post-Production Award. Its a golden turtle!) Now here are the rules. So get to makin' a movie!

2006 Sojourn Film Festival- GENERAL RULES

1.) Entries must be original, undistributed works produced, written and/or directed by the submitting filmmaker(s). Entries of works submitted previously in the SOJOURN Film Festival are not permitted.

2.) The submitting filmmaker(s) must be directly responsible for the creative control and direction of the project. Collaborative efforts may be recognized and acknowledged, but only the submitting filmmaker(s) will be awarded any applicable prize.

3.) All entries using copyrighted material (sound or picture) must obtain proper clearances and permission to use the material. Documentation showing this clearance and permission must be submitted with the application. Examples of copyrighted material may include: popular music, stock footage and still photographs. It is the Filmmakers responsibility to obtain rights, clearances and permission. The SOJOURN Film Festival assumes no responsibility for violation of copyright law.

4.) It is to the discretion of the Film Festival advisory board as to what films are deemed appropriate, eligible for entry, & shown in the SOJOURN Film Festival. All rules & guidelines are subject to change. Any change(s) made will be posted & made available to film makers at the earliest possible moment.

5.) The theme of the SOJOURN Film Festival is "Cultivate Beauty". We on the Film Festival advisory board recognize & understand that this theme can mean a lot of different things to different people & perceived in many different lights. We encourage creativity, diversity, & visualization of your own interpretation of this theme. However, entries deemed obscene, pornographic or those films containing excessive violent or inappropriate material are not allowed under any circumstance. The enforcement of this rule will be at the discretion of the Film Festival advisory board.

6.) Submission of an entry automatically transfers unlimited exhibition, duplication and distribution rights for the entry to SOJOURN Film Festival. The media and the contents contained on the media becomes the property of SOJOURN Film Festival. Entries will not be used in any way for commercial purposes. The intent is to allow the Festival to use your entry for promotional or educational purposes. By submitting and entry to the SOJOURN Film Festival, each entrant expressly grants permission to use their name, likeness, hometown, etc...

7.) Entries will be returned to entrants only under the following conditions:
a) The entrant has included self-addressed packaging appropriate to entry type.
b) The entrant has included appropriate postage and postal instructions.
c) At least 60 days have elapsed from the end of the festival.

The SOJOURN Film Festival in no way guarantees the return of any entry and no guarantee is therefore expressed.

8.) No entry will be considered unless the entire entry form is completed. If you are entering more than one project, you must submit a separate, completed entry form for each one.


9.) Each entry must be accompanied by the following:
b.) a 25-50 word synopsis of the filmmakers intent & how you believe this film "cultivates beauty"
c.) the filmmakers biography or resume
e.) appropriate clearances or rights
f.) a detailed description of the production method used including a complete list of credits

10.) Entrants shall indemnify, defend and hold the Festival, its agents and its representatives harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses which may be incurred by reason of any breach of these representations, or arising out of any matter contained in the media or otherwise by the Festival's use of the media.

11.) Entries may be disqualified for the following reasons:
a.) inappropriate material
b.) incomplete application materials and documentation
c.) submissions on unacceptable media
d.) entries which are submitted past the deadline of March 27th 2006
e.) entries which have been submitted previously to the SOJOURN Film Festival
f. )if the film festival advisory board and/or the judges feel for any reason (at their discretion) that the film takes away from the overall feel of the film festival & does not "cultivate beauty"

In the case of disqualification, an attempt will be made by the festival staff to contact the entrant. This will allow an opportunity for the disqualification to be remedied.

12.) In case of questions, disputes or misunderstandings the decisions of the Directors of the Festival are final.

13.) Entry is void where prohibited by law. There is NO entry fee for the SOJOURN Film Festival 2006.

Entry formats

Projects submitted to the Panel of Judges are limited to 15 minutes. If your project is longer than this limit, please consider re-editing the program in order to meet the entry requirements. If a submission is longer than the 15 minute limit, only the first 15 minutes (or your own choice of 15 minutes edited down) of the project will be screened. AT THE JUDGES DISCRETION, longer versions of submitted entries may be requested for presentation at the public screenings. Only the versions that meet the festival competition criteria will be judged in the festival competition.

Entries must be submitted on DVD (video mode only). They must conform to the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) specifications. All entries will be presented as two-channel, conventional stereo soundtracks.

DO NOT SEND THE MASTER COPY OF YOU PRODUCTION. DO, HOWEVER, SEND A HIGH QUALITY COPY.

Listen to Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is absolutely amazing! Alex and I went with some friends to see him at the Louisville Free Public Library. What a fascinating show! Andrew uses loop pedals to create a symphony of sounds with his violin, guitar, and glockenspiel. He also whistles with a melodious and rich tone. And his voice! His voice is powerful and emotional, reminds me of Jeff Buckley a bit. I cannot describe how incredible it was to watch this man create his music, part by part. Martin Dosh is touring and playing with Andrew. He adds the drums, keys, other percussion. Quite a cool guy. In short, I was blown away and fascinated, as was our resident music snob, my husband Alex. If any of you ever have a chance to hear Andrew Bird, please go do it. I promise it will be a wonderful musical experience! (And for those of you in Oxford, Mississippi - he's playing there Monday night, February 13.)

Friday, February 03, 2006

Goldsmith Frenchfry: We Rap!


For those of you who do not know my secret talent, its rapping. Yeah, I can lay down some pretty fly rhymes, and I'm even in a rap group - Goldsmith Frenchfry. So far, we have recorded five tracks, all of which have become instant hits among ourselves. This album is all about breakfast 'cause its the most important meal of the day. There are some guys out there that hate breakfast and have initiated a "rap war" with us. Look for that recording to be released soon. But for now, sit back and enjoy the all-time favorite breakfast accompaniment here.

If you only have time to listen to one, check out Punpkin Bread. Its our newest and most innovative. It features our favorite four year old guest rapper, MC Willow, and MC Ricky adds a mind-blowing guitar solo. I, for one, cannot stop listening to Pumpkin Bread.