San Francisco has its own flock of wild parrots that have lived taken roost in the city for quite a few years. A new documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is now out in theaters, and takes a close look at these tropical birds that somehow ended up making the hills of the city their home. I’ve often seen and heard the flock flying overhead, squawking mercilessly. When you first discover that they are indeed parrots, it certainly piques your interest. Wild parrots? In San Francisco??? Each parrot has a name and is studied by a remarkable fellow, Mark Bittner, who is featured in the documentary.

Some of my favorite artists are represented by this gallery. Namely Dave McKean, Kent Williams, and Jon J Muth. Well worth your time to check out.

no matter which way you go
no matter which way you stay
you’re out of my mind
out of my mind.
i was walking with a ghost
and i said please, please don’t insist.
i was walking with a ghost
and i said please, please don’t insist.

Above is a sample of Mozart’s first composition. Now, it’s written that Mozart first began composing at the age of three. (!!!) I’m not sure if the above is really an example of this, but it is well documented that Mozart was already able to play the piano incredibly well by the age of 5.

Everyday now, you hear about school closures on the news. If an entire school is not to be shut down, often classes are cut. And the first classes to be cut are those that involve music and art. It’s shameful that arts and culture are considered so utterly disposable in this society. So when you discover that someone out there who has the means, is willing to donate substantial sums to the arts and give students scholarships, you stop for a moment and breathe deeply. Thank god not everyone in this country is willing to trash such fundamentals of education. Even if the focus of Nahum Guzik’s philanthropy is on students in a different country, it gives me hope that people will read his story and be inspired to work to a similar cause here, where it is desperately needed.

My parents’ specialty foods business, Haig’s Delicacies, will be featured on Bay Area Backroads in a segment that highlights the unique shops on Clement Street in San Francisco. The segment airs on Friday, Feb. 18th at 10PM, and Sunday, Feb. 20th at 7PM, on channel 4, KRON.

Haig’s Delicacies has been in San Francisco for almost 50 years and specializes in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, European, Indonesian, and Indian foods. For those of you in the Bay Area, please check out the program if you have a chance!

I just recieved word today that Elegy was accepted into the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan! Woohoo! I may just need to extend my vacation to attend…

An Armenian girlfriend of mine, Sona, is taking Turkish language lessons in college. Like me, she was born here and her family is from Istanbul. There are two teachers that she is studying with, both Turks. One with whom she gets along with smashingly — and the other seems to not like her too much. Sona is rather fiery in personality, and isn’t afraid to bring up those issues that are often smoldering under the skin when it comes to Turkish/Armenian relations.

This past week when the not-so-likable teacher was in for the day, another student asked what the Turkish word for Christian was. Sona chimed in immediately, exclaiming, “Giavour!” Giavour in Turkish means infidel, or unbeliever, and has a particularly negative and degenerate tone. Christian minorities in Turkey, (Armenians, Greeks, etc.) are often placed in this category, and labeled as such. For Sona to bring up this issue so boldly, and in a class full of students generally ignorant of the history of the region, caught the teacher off-guard. She harrumphed and paused and blurted out, “Well……actually…….the correct term is…. Hristian.” However, Sona had succeeded in unveiling the blemished face of religious differences within the Turkish region.

Well, guess who’s the featured graduate on the website at Expression College for Digital Arts…

I have a strange fascination with Paul Williams. But it’s time-specific Paul Williams. It must be the Paul Williams from the ’70s, when his straw-blond hair was shoulder length, his face round and pudgy, his wire-rim glasses finishing the frame, along with the outrageous shirt lapels.

I first was exposed to this wee man on the Muppet Show in my youth, and was instantly horrified and fascinated with the way he looked. He would play piano and sing songs, but it was wholly his appearance that would captivate me. He was absolutely frightening, and yet, I couldn’t look away. I still don’t understand why he has this effect on me. It’s kind of like slowing down to stare at a terrible car crash when you’re on the freeway. You know it’s horrific and terrifying, but you’re still drawn in by what you find perverse and disturbing.

Well SF IndieFest is right around the corner. So glad Elegy can be a part of it! The SF Bay Guardian says it’s the best showing to date. Elegy will be a part of Munch on This, a short animation program which will be screening three times in three separate locations. Check here for details!