Master of What?

At risk of sounding uber shallow, I’m going to boldly admit what you already well know if you’ve spent any time here at Master of What?: I am clearly inspired by pop culture, film, television, books, music, reality TV (ahem, cough… cough),etc. Without intending to do so, many of my latest posts have fallen into this vein, so I’m just gonna go with it already.

With that in mind, I must clue you in on a little goings on here at the casa, that of our first year of a real, live garden in the back yard. Oh, sure, we’ve dabbled with the jalepenos in pots, the herbs from the kitchen window, and the hanging tomato plants that have yielded zero, repeat, ZERO tomatoes. But this is different, and all because of a little film viewing.

Ever watch a film or TV show and end up wanting to live in the actual setting? Work where the characters work? Dress how they dress? Fantasize about using their kitchen to make French pastries and roast chicken and pies? Listen to their fun French music wearing Ralph Lauren and French-inspired stripes while eating safe-for-consumption-gluten-free-croissants? For me, such a wonderland exists in Santa Barbara, California as depicted in It’s Complicated, the 2009 film starring Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinksi, and one Meryl Streep, the talentless old hag–ha! I kid, I kid! I loves me some Meryl, y’all.

(See what I mean about the kitchen?)

The thing with the divine Ms. Meryl is that she can sometimes come across as just a smidge smug to some, like, say, the hubs. But imagine actually being “the Meryl,” the one so many critics and artists have called the greatest actress of all time, and you try to stay humble. Seriously. And while no talent is worthy of godlike stature, no one can deny a God-given talent like hers. I mean, she’s just ridiculous.

(Check out those twinkle lights!)

As for It’s Complicated, well, it’s hysterical, to me at least. I love this film, and it’s one of the very few I can watch over and over and over again, along with You’ve Got Mail and Something’s Gotta Give. They’re not life-changing movies, but I want to go to there, know what I’m sayin’? Where I most want to hang out is in Meryl’s backyard in the film, where there’s just the most gorgeous garden, dripping with veggies. Wearing a sweet little floppy hat, Meryl’s character flits from plant to plant, plucking tomatoes and surveying all her hard work. Oh, and looking effortlessly gorgeous to boot.

(I want that floppy hat.)

Because of our (limited, very limited) past experiences with gardening and my obsession with a film set, the hubs went to work creating the beginnings of our little garden, which will–fingers crossed!–spring forth with kale, corn, peppers, cucumbers… and tomato plants like my inspiration, Meryl. Minus the incubating plant-lettes (That’s how the French would say it, right?) inside, here’s where we are today…