Shepard Fairey in Asbury Park

I hadn't been down the shore since an Interpol concert last summer, and somehow I missed the press about muralist Shepard Fairey's new music-themed installation in Asbury Park.  Found these (and a photo shoot of Ice-T's wife Coco in a turquoise bikini & white high-heeled pumps riding a beach bike), along with roller derby girls, great Cuban grilled octopus and flowered beach fauna this past Saturday.  The murals (not Coco or the flowers) already look wonderfully weathered -- like Asbury itself.

Only a 45 minute drive when the traffic cooperates.  I'm just sad we had to leave before the roller derby.

Staging is about telling a story ...

I have a theory about staging a home.  It's not about making the house look "lived in" with less clutter, it's about telling a story. A story well told evokes a response from a reader in subtle and symbolic ways, a staged home can do the same for a buyer.
Almost every house is going to suggest its story to you if you're paying attention. My favorite homes to sell are often the ones where the story is almost hidden, where I have to do a bit of detective work to find it. Unearthing, and then fine tuning the narrative, is always half the fun.
My new listing at 95 Hazelwood has a story to tell. Half is real and half imagined, and started with some old water skiing trophies I found in the basement.  It evolved as I got to better know the people who had made the house a home over the years. It comes on the market Weds, April 25th with an open house this Sunday, April 29th from 2-4pm at 95 Hazelwood Road in Bloomfield.  I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

9 Days and counting ...

The Montclair Film Festival is now only nine days away, and it is going to be amazing.  As I volunteered to help with niche marketing, I’ve gotten to know more about the films and events taking place May 1 - 6.  I have some favorites that might slip by you in the 50+ films on the schedule.  They are:

The Atomic States of America -- I didn’t realize over 50% of our energy comes from nuclear in NJ, did you?  This urgent & probing documentary looks at Indian Point and other reactors. Directors Don Argott & Sheena M. Joyce plan to be present.

Unraveled -- Wall Street crook Marc Dreier looks back on his crimes while under house arrest. In person: Director Marc Simon.

We’re Not Broke -- but don’t tell that to us in Essex County, right?  Perhaps not.

Citizens rise up to hold corporations accountable for not paying taxes. In person: Directors Victoria Bruce & Karin Hayes.

Trishna -- a modern day Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Freida Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire") plays an Indian beauty transported from a village to the mega-city of Mumbai.

Michael Moore -- in conversation with Thom Powers. The Oscar-winning director discusses film, politics and his experiences running the Traverse City Film Festival at the Montclair Art Museum.  This event is close to selling out.

Lemon -- Have you ever stayed up to watch Def Jam Poetry? Three-time felon & one-time Tony winner, Lemon Andersen stages a one-man show. In person: Director Beth Levison.

Last Call at the Oasis -- From the producers of "Food, Inc" comes a powerful film about the world's water crisis.  Water is a closed system.  We do not have enough of it.

Kumaré -- Posing as a guru, the filmmaker raises probing and hilarious questions about faith and identity, virtual and otherwise, complete with a fictional web site. In person: Director Vikram Gandhi (aka Kumaré).  This film is close to selling out.

Tickets are available through the festival web site.

So, if you’ve always wanted to go to Sundance but couldn't spare the time, or missed out on the recent Tribeca Film Festival because it was just too crazy to get in and out of NYC, the festival has come to you.  I’m really happy for Montclair!

Quick work ... so very few calories burned ...

Well, I can't say I burned too many calories finding the cleanse I'm going to try next week -- unless, yes, I think my wrists are a little thinner this morning, and there's definitely more muscle tone in my typing fingers ...
Having never done this cleanse business before, I decided to go light and just try a one day encounter for my first go.  And while d-Fit Studio in Montclair is offering some very nice cleanse options -- at 3 days and over $240, I figured I'd get my lips wet first with Love Spring from Organic Avenue.  So -- April 26th (after a night hearing Squeeze and the English Beat in Red Hook) -- all manner of little bottles are going to be showing up at the Sotheby's Realty office and then from what I've heard, I just have to get sipping.  Wish me luck!  I'll let you know how it went.
Here's the "menu" from their web site.  Sounds very green!

• Chlorophyll
• Orange Juice
• Green LOVE
• Turmeric Tonic
• Veggie Vibe
• Coconut Water
• Spicy Avocado Soup

The Cleanse, the interior Spring Cleaning

Ok, we had that crazy hot spell when it should have been winter, and we all broke out our summer clothes and took that long hard look in the mirror you tend to take after a winter of comfort food.  Except wait, it was really never winter, so how much comfort food did we really consume?  I have to admit, I was feeling pretty frisky back in early March, not like I was going to have to Atkins-up or something else drastic before summer came.
Oh cruel March!  Because, when the cold air rolled back in again, something in me snapped and it felt as though I really needed to make sure I didn't miss out on winter fat goodness (as Anthony Bourdain might call it).  Somehow, April doesn't find me quite as smug as the thermometer rises.
So what to do?  Oh, we all know what to do, but how to make it a bit more fun this year?  Then I remembered, last spring I saw some gorgeous photos of juices from Organic Avenue, who package up a great cleanse (cleanse is now the code-word for 'drink your diet for a few days and hopefully, flush toxins and fatty bits out of your system') or, at least kick-start your metabolism.  Mine needs a placekicker for the Jets, but never mind.  I digress.
As I can't pick up juices in Manhattan every morning, my late-night friend Google to the rescue, I found what I was looking for much closer to home.

Next:  my report on the search for the perfect cleanse, or how to burn calories figuring out how to burn calories.

Staging to Sell -- Real Homes, Real People

What are the top ten things you need to do when you stage a home?
1. Reduce the eye magnets -- I rarely use the word "declutter" -- I'm going to tell you to limit the eye candy.  Buyers want to see themselves in your home, not your photos, collection of Lladro or your sports memorabilia.

2. Light.  Wash the windows, get rid of the drapes, put away the florescent bulbs.  You want daylight itself, or at least daylight bulbs.

3. Fresh linens are essential.  Put up new towels, change the sheets/make the beds with quilts and coverlets from your prop closet.  Don't have one?  Get one.

4. Flowers and fruit.  A bowl of fresh apples can be as effective as a vase of flowers and they leave a crisp, clean scent. On candles and other home scents:  I try not to use anything too sweet or too spicy.  Lavender is a good fresh aroma.  Fresh air is magic.  If it smells like you're trying to cover up a smell, well, it will smell like you are.  And don't bake cookies or bread.  Not everyone likes the smell of yeast/sugar.

5. Welcome.  Get a new door mat, have throw rugs handy if it rains. A wreath is a nice touch.

6. Art direct the closets and cabinets.  People will look and it will seem like there's more space for storage if the storage isn't crammed full.

7. Speaking of storage, if you need to rent a storage room/compartment, do so.  Don't put a Pod on your driveway.  They're hard for buyers to maneuver around when they're checking out the drive and yard, and they really do look tacky.

8. Landscaping -- trim the grass, plant a few flowers, sweep the drive and edge the sidewalks.

9. Thinking to have luncheon during your realtor open house?  Don't.  I can't tell you how many kitchens I have not been able to really see because the best of welcoming intentions just ends up stuffing your seller's kitchen full of people.

10. Music?  Really?  I don't assume I know what everyone likes to listen to and it isn't like shopping in a fashion boutique, Mozart's Sonata in B Flat doesn't ever make me want to rhapsodize about a home afterwards. I just feel like you're trying to drown out the traffic. Or the neighbors. 

Nuff said.

Time, Planetary and Otherwise

It was hard not to notice the conjunction between the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in the early night sky last month -- Venus was like a beacon, pulling Jupiter along in her wake.  Time was, we all watched the planets and stars for portents and clues, and our clocks celebrated our skyful watch. Happy April 1st. May the stars be kind.