Miro Tea in Ballard

If you live in Seattle and ever get a hankering for a pot of tea out of your house, come to Miro! Located on N 22nd and Market, it's on the same block as a bunch of other treasures (Gifted, Carta de Oaxaca, Volterra).

My most recent stay was a few days ago. I wanted to get out to write a bit and it was, as usual, cold, misty, and grey out. I contemplated my regular spots before deciding to go for tea instead of coffee. I ordered a giant London Fog (definitely sated my earl grey addiction, and they have caffeine-free products!) and sat for two hours, undisturbed, reading, writing, and just hanging out. I never felt pushed to leave and my only qualm was that everything was kind of overpriced. But what are you gonna do... if I want to complain about overpriced teas, I should probably stay out of hip little shops and stay in my kitchen with my Costco combo packs.

Other perks: they have games, free wireless, gluten-free pastries and crepes, beautiful art, beautiful customers, beautiful baristas (what do you call a tea maker?) and a very wide selection of teas.

Black Swan

Reading some of the review out there, I almost feel like I walked into the wrong movie theater last night. Did I see the same "Black Swan" the people who nominated it for four Golden Globes did?

I've never seen Darren Aronovsky's other apparent masterpieces (Requim for a Dream, The Wrestler) but I've heard equally shining reviews. Sounds like he has found what he likes--the dark, the macabre, the ill--and is now sticking to it.

While I won't speak for his other films, I will say that "Black Swan" is severely overrated. The total lack of a plot (mise-en-abime does not mean that you replace the film's plot with the plot of Swan Lake which is already a goddamned plot of the film) was quite frustrating. All the viewer is left with to look at is Portman's nearly-emaciated body, performing remarkable pirouettes (ballet is hard guys, I took beginning at Whitman a few semesters ago and immediately felt ugly, fat, and clumsy). And at first I thought it was going to be enough. Portman gives a fantastic performance as the timid Nina, raising neither her voice nor her eyes. Despite how annoying the timidity becomes, you have to raise a glass to Portman to embodying the character so fully. But when it comes time for Portman to play the black swan, I'd have to agree with Thomas--she's rather unconvincing.

Some people argue that they had no idea where the film was going, that days later they are still struggling to understand what was real and what wasn't. Wait, really? Because to me "Black Swan" was so predictable that the only reason I stayed to watch it was because it made me so tense and nervous I had to make it to the end for relief. From the start, the "plot" was predetermined (it had to faithfully follow that of Swan Lake, after all), and the overly dramatic controlling psycho mother figure and constant background of feather fluttering and heartbeats was just infantile on the part of the director. If you fall for that, great. You make his heart sing. I don't.

high points: Mila Kunis (except for the silly black wing back tats.. really? Because we were already so confused...), Natalie Portman's performance, Natalie Portman's black swan makeup

Unless you want a night out, I'd recommend to wait until it comes out on instant Netflix. Be sure you are in a somewhat good place when you watch it. Trust me, you really don't want to go down with the swan.

Mailing Address in Paree

Evelina Miropolsky

c/o IES Abroad

77 Rue Daguerre

75014 Paris, France

I will be living in the 15th in a homestay with one of my good friends, Kiley Wolff.

He's Just Not That Into You

I generally stay far, far away from rom coms, especially when there isn't so much rom com in my life at the time (because come on, who wants to be reminded of what they don't have?). For some reason or other, I was drawn to "He's Just Not That Into You" a few nights ago. This 2009 pic was based off of a self-help book (how often does that happen, if ever?) and is brimming with big names: Aniston, Johansson, Cooper, Long (ugh), Affleck, Barrymore (double ugh), Connelly, etc. etc. The idea is that there are all these people out there, milling about, and none of them know how to read one another. Gestures are misunderstood, dates mislabeled, connections missed. And so what, you ask? Well, I'm not really sure. Neither is the film.

First off, there are too many characters. I realize the director was going for a Love Actually vibe (but not as adorably cute), but by casting over a dozen easily recognizable faces as everyday citizens of Baltimore desperate to find love, he completely failed to create the relatable, heart-warming, thought-provoking pic he was going for. Instead, you find yourself wondering why Rachel--I mean Jennifer--is with Ben Affleck and not Ross. It just doesn't work.

Just like a one-night stand, this movie reeks of disposability. You watch it, you chuckle, you moan, you check the time, and honestly--you never think of it again (wait, why am I writing a review?). Maybe a month or two later someone says something that reminds you of it and you kind of re-accept that it happened, and then you move on.

So there you have it. It's a cinematic one-night stand, and it's alright. The ultimate irony is it fails to be what it seeks so desperately: to be relatable and realistic because of a) the casting, b) the nauseating predictability, and c) the fact that none of the nine or so leading characters are black or Latino (oh wait, waiters and construction workers come to mind). "He's Just Not That Into You" could have fared much better as a series of vignettes a la "Paris, Je T'aime" or a twenty-minute episode of a chick show.

All I Know...

...is that you never know.