Valentine’s Dinner

So for Valentine’s Day this year I decided to forgo the fancy restaurant and cook my lady a fancy meal at Chez Brian 353.

I asked around for some good meal tips and my lovely mother suggested Lamb. I had never even tasted lamb but it sounded classy and more likely to impress than chicken pot pie.

While at a church meeting on Thursday a member told me that he is a retired chef, so i picked his brain on the best way to cook up some lamb and what sides would go best with it. I took his advice and my mom’s, did a little homework and was ready to jump on it.

Well Saturday I rolled down to the grocery store, picked up the food and ingredients and got ready to do the dang thang.

On the Valentine’s Day Menu that evening was:

Appetizer:

Ham and Cheese Puffs

Main Course

• French Seasoned, oven-roasted rack of Lamb
• Red Roasted potatoes
• steamed green beans, broccoli and califlower blend veggies
• Parisian bread with the seasoned olive oil dip
• Shiraz-Merlot wine

Desert

• Fresh baked Red Velvet cupcakes
• Chardonnay

A fine meal cooked with love so you know it tasted like the bomb diggity.

We dined to a soundtrack of her favorite songs and took the party to the home theater to watch her favorite movie.

That’s how you do Valentines Day,

Smith Out.

summer ready

Mothers Day

Me Ma

Today is Mother’s Day and it feels sort of odd because I haven’t seen my mom in a few months and I didn’t have the chinks to fly back to MI for the weekend.

I talked to her early this morning and it was good to hear her voice and catch up with her. She told me what she wanted for a gift: a photo I’d taken of her and my aunt Lynn at my graduation in 2005.

That day, I was snapping some shots randomly of her, my aunt and my cousins during their trip there after I caught up with them after the ceremony. They were getting ready for the nice snapshot and someone said something funny that just got them going.

I got a shot of them in the throes of a good laugh and it’s such a fitting photo of the two. Despite the ups and downs they were always there for each other and they knew how to crack each other up.

Not too long after my graduation my aunt passed unexpectedly. And that picture took on a whole other significance to my mom. So I today I looked for it so I could send it to my cousin so she can blow it up and have it printed and framed for my mom.

I found it

Mom and Lynn crackin up December 05

along with some other photos from those days before she was gone.

Fav photo from Central Park

I was uploading last night and realized I missed my favorite photo from my adventures in the park.

I love this shot.

Saturday in the Park

Suddenly, the temperature rose and summer came to the city…in April.

I decided to rise with it. I took to the streets on Saturday and explored the park with a friend from work. I’ve been all over the Northwest part of Central Park. My church is on Central Park West (CPW as they call it) and 108th and after service I cross into the park and climb the Great Hill and walk around a little.

During the winter it was tranquil somewhat slumbering. Gangly tree branches lining the trails, brave runners enduring the windchill in pursuit of fitness. But in the spring it transforms and is alive with people and activity. And by activity I don’t mean bar-b-ques and frisbee. New Yorkers do everything, from tightrope walking, to bocce ball to swordfighting, to things I’d can’t even name.

Central Park is not a park. It’s a universe.

The Joy of GChat

It’s kinda like teleporting…

I'm in yo house

There’s Something about Slusho…

Slusho makes special guest appearance on Fringe

Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Slusho investigate on set of Fringe

Joshua Jackson and John Noble share moment over Slusho

Cast of Fringe Join Slusho for a tour of Harlem on Fringe

…That makes the Fringe/Cloverfield fanboys go wild

So why not fan the fever.

51

Last year My aunt Cheryl turned the big 5-0. I don’t think she even believed it. She pointed out to me once that our birthdays were both on the 29th of our months and my mom and her son’s birthdays were on the 18th of their months. I pointed out that we are 25 years apart so our milestones will fall in the same years. I turned 25 last year and she hit 50. I celebrated like there was no tomorrow for my b-day and I wanted to show the same love for Cheryl on hers. We threw her a surprise party at the clubhouse of my apartment complex. And though there were moments where it seemed like there weren’t going to be enough people or that the jig was gonna be up, the day arrived and she was completely surprised.

I remember the expression on her face when she realized what was going on. She just reared back and let out that “awwwwww”

She was the queen for the day, her family was there, favorite friends, good food, cake and more candy than Halloween. We played a Cheryl Themed Jeopardy game that she got such a kick out of. It gave her a chance to retell stories from when she was coming up and when we were young in that way that only she could.

Me Girl Cheryl on her 50th

This is the day I want to remember when I think about my last year with Cheryl. When she was happy, surrounded by people she loved, crackin us up, havin a ball.

Happy Birthday Cheryl

I miss you.

Back Up Amy Ruth

Chez Brian Crafts world's Greatest dinner

Times are tough, so instead of dropping 7 bucks at Popeye’s I decided to grab a 2 dollar pack of chicken and fry up my own little piece of heaven.

The accomplishment is that, I’ve never fried chicken from scratch before (excluding chicken strips). I took the advice of my cousin Courtney in on cook time and seasoning. I think it came out well.

Thanks Cookie

Why I love Living Here

Because I can come home from work and encounter this:

Cast and Crewing Filming on location for Fringe

Joshua “Pacey” Jackson

Kirk Acevedo in Harlem for Fringe

A Big Network TV show filming on my street corner.

Outside my door, down my block.

Growing up tv shows were made in some faraway land. Even while studyingfilm and TV in college, full on productions were things discussed, things alluded to or seen only in DVD extras footage.  But in this city there is a production happening in every corner at almost any time of day.

I get so excited to see a production and a little sad at the same time. I always feel like I should be on the other side of the crowd control guy. I should be a part of what’s happening. Teaching filmmaking, talking about media is one thing, it’s what I’m doing now. But to actually be making movies, filming, performing it’s in me, begging to get out. Now it seems to be knocking on my doorstep…

As I came down from 125th & St. Nic subway stop I saw the production trucks and orange cones in the street and recalled the email the Community Board  sent out about Fringe shooting on our block. After stopping at CASH (the Non-Profit I work for right across the street from my apt) to upload photos for a slideshow, I went back to my house and grabbed my camera and lenses.

There have been quite a few occasions worthy of recording that I have blown out of sheer laziness or this weird, ‘eh I’ll meet them again attitude’ I’ve developed. (again stemming from this notion I have that I should and will be on the other side of the shoot sooner than later) such as the Spike Lee Do the Right thing Screen a few weeks ago. By chance I was invited and Spike and 3/4 of the cast were there including John Turturro and Rosie Perez, yet I didn’t bring my camera. I didn’t want to be there like a tourist. If that makes sense. But today, I was going to seize the opportunity. The last time I’d seen anything being filmed on our block was that day I was watching a car chase from a 2003 episode of Third Watch and they drove down 123rd and up Morningside. So I went out just to get some shots of the production and lucked out to catch the show’s stars out and about.

I got some paparazzi-style shots of the shoot and towards the end some of the other onlookers said they were able to get some pics with the actors.

I always thought I’d enjoy meeting famous people but it is a weird experience for me. I never quite know what to say beyond, hey, nice to meet you, mind if I take a photo with you?

I feel like I know these people, like I’ve known them for a long time but when you get in their presence, when there is no character, just a person with a familiar face you realize wow, I don’t know you and we have no common ground for discussion. In fact you’re probably busy or on your way to meet someone you actually know. Hmm. I get stumped on what to say next, because I don’t want to do the old cliche ” oh I love your work or I loved you in xyz, I don’t want to be just a fan. So I keep it brief and they are friendly and just like that I’m going back to whereever I came from trying not to linger, like I roll in these circles all the time and it just so happens we ran into each other. All the while thinking the next time I meet a celebrity or actor it’ll be on the associate level instead of the random dude with a camera level.