It’s another Friday under lockdown but there are still lots of positive experiences to fill your day…Staying at Home. The California Scrub Jays in my backyard bring lots of joy to me.  For you bird lovin’ or perhaps… bird obsessed Tomatoes like me, “Saw A Bird” might be right up your alley.  Our very own film & fashion historian, Kimberly Truhler, will be holding her annual event “Fashion in Film” …virtually.  Check out “Last-Minute Michelangelo.” LA’s Central Library has you covered with “Library at Home.” And of course, now’s a great time to clean out your clothes closets to “Clean Out for Social Good.” Hope today finds all you lovely Tomatoes healthy!

Tuesdays I Saw A Bird

Tomatoes, if you love birds and love viewing them from your window or backyard, you can share your observations with “I Saw a Bird: Audubon’s Spring Migration Show” streaming to you weekly via Zoom or Facebook Live .  From the exciting to the basic ALL sightings are welcome for sharing to lift your spirits and those you connect with online.    You don’t have to be an expert birder or have seen the migration of an unusual bird either Tomatoes.  And a cool bird might have caught your eye on a show in a TV Binge. Again, anyone sharing a sighting of any bird no matter from where is welcome. A new experience might be fun to explore now. At 4pm PST or 7pm EST you can join Audubon’s Social Media Producer Christine Lin and Chief Network Officer David Ringer for a migration chat with other bird lovers if you register.

This week’s podcast guest is Ted DesMaisions, creator of “Playful Mindfulness.” He teaches this class through Stanford’s continuing education classes, and he has authored a book of the same name. He merges meditation with the art of improvisation to help us live a more thoughtful and rewarding life. Listen in as Kim Selby, our SF Editor chats with Ted and plays an improv game that gets them chuckling, something we all need in today’s world. Listen in now.

April 15.  Fashion in Film TCMFF Special Home Edition

Kimberly Truhler, founder of GlamAmor and film fashion historian invites you to her webinar “Fashion in Film,” a virtual version of her annual event in LA.  Tomatoes might not be able to attend in person, but you can still enjoy beautiful stills from the movies and images from fashion accompanied by a conversation about film history, costume and fashion designers, and backstories of the stars.

And it will only cost you 5 bucks, Tomatoes to register and attend via Zoom. Which will also feature 11 films. Wow! 5 from the TCM festival’s on-air programming, and 6 more from festivals past.  Costume Design is integral to plot lines and character development and leading ladies of the eras were close with their costume designers, so the presentation will give you insights into the leading ladies lives and the evolution of their fashion style. What a refreshing break from the news. Might I recommend a cocktail to go along with the presentation, Tomatoes?

Last-Minute Michelangelo

In the last few hours before the Getty Center shut down, they quickly shot a series of short, hurried, spontaneous videos of their exhibition “Michelangelo: Mind of the Master” to share and chronicle this moment in history, Tomatoes. 

And give people from their home a time to reflect.  Curator Julian Brooks leads you through the exhibition and offers insights about some of his favorite drawings.  The exhibition explores the full range of his work as a painter, sculptor, and architect through more than 24 of his extraordinary drawings, including designs for celebrated projects and sketches enable us to witness Michelangelo at work, and to experience firsthand his boundless creativity and his pioneering representation of the human form.

The Library at Home

Our libraries might be closed to the public, but as I said, Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Central Public Library has you covered and is freakin’ awesome to boot. It’s a fantastic resource on so many levels during this crisis with reading books, online classes, family & kid’s activities, and streaming services. All you need is just your library card, Tomatoes. 

With more time on our hands, you can take advantage of the Los Angeles Central Public Library online which has great tools to utilize at home. LAPL has free online learning courses that run the gamut.  Once I cross off everything on my “To Do” list that I’ve been avoiding for eons, I’ve been thinking it might be the perfect time to learn something new. or increase my health awareness. You can “Read It First: Home Addition.” The kiddoes might enjoy “Safe at Home Storytime.”  You can explore a world of music. The list of marvelous opportunities the LA Public Library has to offer is endless.  It’s a really good time to explore the library online and if you can’t find something or got a question just have an online chat with a librarian. They couldn’t make it easier or cheaper, Tomatoes. 

thredUP

Again, I’ve cleaned out my closet and my clothes in great condition that are good enough to give to a friend will be going to thredUP.  There are many surprising reasons I’ve used this company the last couple years. But right now, they have launched “Clean Up for Social Good” and I’m even more motivated Tomatoes. 

Every donation kit you send in thredUP will make a $15 contribution to “Feeding America”. The video explains it all and how super-duper easy thredUp always makes it to donate and/or shop.  And right now, for thredUP is the world’s largest fashion resale marketplace and I have adored the items I have purchased there, their extremely reasonable cost and I’ve enjoyed the extra bit of money I’ve earned with many of the clothes I’ve donated. I’ve always loved what thredUp does because I love Cleaning Out and Shopping Used for Social Good. Did you Gals know that single shirt takes 700 gallons of water to produce and 26 billion…26 billion pounds of clothing go into landfills worldwide. It is no wonder that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world behind oil, Tomatoes.  I am working really hard to change my buying patterns to make REAL Fashion Statement by choosing to buy “Used”.  So, I highly recommend checking out “thredUP” and Cleaning Out today.