there was a great askme post recently asking people to share the simple pleasures in life. i'd post the link but i'm getting jrun errors right now...but people could share those sorts of things. just reading that thread made me feel better.
you may want to get in on the supposed fad hit book of the season, jonathan strange and mr. norrell. the economist likened it to a pseudo historical mystery with whimsy and mentioned harry potter and i think the da vinci code. neither of which i like much, but i am a little intrigued by this book. the economist also said in its review that the first half (um, 400 pages) is quite engaging but if you don't finish the second half it won't make much difference ("don't worry--most people won't finish it either").
donald barthelme's short stories are great, and remind me of richard brautigan.
gina berriault's short story collection women in their beds is beautifully written and very wistful in tone.
aimee bender's girl in the flammable skirt is good as is an invisible sign of my own. you think it's going to be light fare, but it's deceptively simple and easy to read.
i second the recommendation for craig thompson. goodbye, chunky rice was great too. flight volume one, a compendium of younger comics artists' work, is also a great introduction to comics as meaningful narrative art. and of course there's scott mccloud's understanding comics if you just want a taste of where the culture's coming from in terms of approach and attitude...i know many who disagree with some of mccloud's statements but who also concede it's a well thought out defense and explanation of comics as literary and artistic form of expression.
there's a fairly new translation of anna karenina.
byatt's possession. julian barnes' flaubert's parrot or love, etc.the three martini playdate is a light, humorous read.
and there's always flannery o'connor and carson mccullers, god bless 'em.
life of pi. laura kipnis' against love: a polemic, for sheer provocation. oh, that reminds me, judith thurman's bio on colette was fun and there's also that memoirs of catherine m book that was supposed to make a splash a couple years back but sort of didn't.
john berger, both fiction and nonfiction. the recent edna st. vincent millay biography... maybe robert lowell's letters.
and anthony bourdain's kitchen confidential is great fun to read.
what mwhybark said. even if it wasn't intended to be memorializing in the first place, this is kind of socially gross.
today has been a depressing one so far.
i'm super short and capris have been a godsend for me in the summer. you don't want to wear shoes that require socks anymore once it gets warm, but if you like delicate sandals (like i do) it's tough to wear long pants all the time with your summer shoes. it just looks funny; the pants engulf the shoes all the way around and just. ick. capris are nice because it seems like a given around here that informal shorts are taboo for adults (in pittsburgh especially, people smirk at others wearing jean shorts. i'm not sure when this became such a transgression...), but long pants with summer cropped everything else isn't much fun all the time.
granted, it's just everyday informal clothes for me and those i see around me. but yay, capris. or clamdiggers rather. :)
the city of lost children, the apartment, wet hot american summer, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, shrek 2 was surprisingly cute/clever at times and surprised me with its inclusion of jennifer saunders, john cleese, tom waits, and the buzzcocks in the form of a cover song, strangers on a train, punch-drunk love, the tao of steve, camp, network, best in show, heavy, the shop around the corner, brotherhood of the wolf, harold and maude, cold comfort farm, trees lounge, better off dead, unforgiven (eastwood's), high noon, rashoman (the kurosawa one, not the weird american one), the ice storm, 24 hour party people, the last time i committed suicide, all the real girls, anything by hal hartley (trust, surviving desire, the unbelievable truth, henry fool, simple men, amateur), stiff upper lips, boondock saints, miyazaki's stuff, stealing beauty, chris nolan's stuff besides memento if you've seen that one (following, insomnia), road to perdition, igby goes down, slacker (not slackers) or anything else by richard linklater (maybe see before sunrise to celebrate despite the fact they're making/made a sequel which is just so wrong; watch it and you'll know why), bad bad movies like manos: the hands of fate, the blob, tarantula, them, barbarella, flash gordan etc, the sting, dangerous liasions, fellini satyricon...
i also recommend, if you can find it, the shortlived series fishing with john (as in john lurie). it's where john invites various musicians/artists/etc to go fishing with him, and it is surreal and hilarious. the jim jarmusch one, which includes jarmusch getting bored and just deciding to shoot bullets at the water in hopes of "catching" something, and the one with tom waits throwing up on the boat and later putting a red snapper in his pants for no good reason are recommended.
1. choose one from hal hartley's ouevre; i can't pick just one. any will do. i saw trust first, by accident, and as i learned more about hartley afterward i realized i HAD to see the others. surviving desire is maybe my favorite...or simple men...aaah, i can't choose. it's a type of realism that is so mundane yet also quirky somehow, and very austere yet emotionally layered. and hartley's dialogues kill me.
2. léon: the professional. who can resist those two? that's what i thought. :)
3. i was dazed after seeing clint eastwood's unforgiven, but hell, i could say the same for gene wilder in willy wonka or the cinematography in before sunrise...choosing movies is like plucking eyes out. ahem.
i'm going to be leaving pittsburgh shortly, as i graduated (undergrad) last weekend and don't have plans to stay...and you know, i'm going to miss pittsburgh and its -ese. primanti (primaaaaanny) brothers sandwiches n' beer, o fries o' grease, gum bands, needs warshed, polish food, anymore, jimmies...it's going to be sad when i'm no longer surrounded by this lowkey charm. alas. here's to you, pittsburgh.
there was a great askme post recently asking people to share the simple pleasures in life. i'd post the link but i'm getting jrun errors right now...but people could share those sorts of things. just reading that thread made me feel better.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Curious George: post-election soundtrack."
le tigre, team dresch, sleater-kinney, heavens to betsey, bikini kill...
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Something for the girlzone in these troubled times, and maybe for the guys. NSFW."
i love that they included some guys emphasizing hairy asses. ha. (and randomly, male happy trails=hotthotthott) yes, thanks. the vapors indeed.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Good Books!"
and if you like oe you may like tanizaki, mishima, akutagawa, kawabata, and/or ishiguro. i realize i'm being simplistic with the categorization. :b
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
you may want to get in on the supposed fad hit book of the season, jonathan strange and mr. norrell. the economist likened it to a pseudo historical mystery with whimsy and mentioned harry potter and i think the da vinci code. neither of which i like much, but i am a little intrigued by this book. the economist also said in its review that the first half (um, 400 pages) is quite engaging but if you don't finish the second half it won't make much difference ("don't worry--most people won't finish it either"). donald barthelme's short stories are great, and remind me of richard brautigan. gina berriault's short story collection women in their beds is beautifully written and very wistful in tone. aimee bender's girl in the flammable skirt is good as is an invisible sign of my own. you think it's going to be light fare, but it's deceptively simple and easy to read. i second the recommendation for craig thompson. goodbye, chunky rice was great too. flight volume one, a compendium of younger comics artists' work, is also a great introduction to comics as meaningful narrative art. and of course there's scott mccloud's understanding comics if you just want a taste of where the culture's coming from in terms of approach and attitude...i know many who disagree with some of mccloud's statements but who also concede it's a well thought out defense and explanation of comics as literary and artistic form of expression. there's a fairly new translation of anna karenina. byatt's possession. julian barnes' flaubert's parrot or love, etc. the three martini playdate is a light, humorous read. and there's always flannery o'connor and carson mccullers, god bless 'em. life of pi. laura kipnis' against love: a polemic, for sheer provocation. oh, that reminds me, judith thurman's bio on colette was fun and there's also that memoirs of catherine m book that was supposed to make a splash a couple years back but sort of didn't. john berger, both fiction and nonfiction. the recent edna st. vincent millay biography... maybe robert lowell's letters. and anthony bourdain's kitchen confidential is great fun to read.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Jacques Derrida, RIP"
what mwhybark said. even if it wasn't intended to be memorializing in the first place, this is kind of socially gross. today has been a depressing one so far.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Curious George: fashion"
i'm super short and capris have been a godsend for me in the summer. you don't want to wear shoes that require socks anymore once it gets warm, but if you like delicate sandals (like i do) it's tough to wear long pants all the time with your summer shoes. it just looks funny; the pants engulf the shoes all the way around and just. ick. capris are nice because it seems like a given around here that informal shorts are taboo for adults (in pittsburgh especially, people smirk at others wearing jean shorts. i'm not sure when this became such a transgression...), but long pants with summer cropped everything else isn't much fun all the time. granted, it's just everyday informal clothes for me and those i see around me. but yay, capris. or clamdiggers rather. :)
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"
hi.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Real life people with rude names."
the funniest real name i've ever heard is harry rectanus.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Curious George; What movies should I watch this weekend?"
the city of lost children, the apartment, wet hot american summer, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, shrek 2 was surprisingly cute/clever at times and surprised me with its inclusion of jennifer saunders, john cleese, tom waits, and the buzzcocks in the form of a cover song, strangers on a train, punch-drunk love, the tao of steve, camp, network, best in show, heavy, the shop around the corner, brotherhood of the wolf, harold and maude, cold comfort farm, trees lounge, better off dead, unforgiven (eastwood's), high noon, rashoman (the kurosawa one, not the weird american one), the ice storm, 24 hour party people, the last time i committed suicide, all the real girls, anything by hal hartley (trust, surviving desire, the unbelievable truth, henry fool, simple men, amateur), stiff upper lips, boondock saints, miyazaki's stuff, stealing beauty, chris nolan's stuff besides memento if you've seen that one (following, insomnia), road to perdition, igby goes down, slacker (not slackers) or anything else by richard linklater (maybe see before sunrise to celebrate despite the fact they're making/made a sequel which is just so wrong; watch it and you'll know why), bad bad movies like manos: the hands of fate, the blob, tarantula, them, barbarella, flash gordan etc, the sting, dangerous liasions, fellini satyricon... i also recommend, if you can find it, the shortlived series fishing with john (as in john lurie). it's where john invites various musicians/artists/etc to go fishing with him, and it is surreal and hilarious. the jim jarmusch one, which includes jarmusch getting bored and just deciding to shoot bullets at the water in hopes of "catching" something, and the one with tom waits throwing up on the boat and later putting a red snapper in his pants for no good reason are recommended.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Curious George Goes To The Movies!"
1. choose one from hal hartley's ouevre; i can't pick just one. any will do. i saw trust first, by accident, and as i learned more about hartley afterward i realized i HAD to see the others. surviving desire is maybe my favorite...or simple men...aaah, i can't choose. it's a type of realism that is so mundane yet also quirky somehow, and very austere yet emotionally layered. and hartley's dialogues kill me. 2. léon: the professional. who can resist those two? that's what i thought. :) 3. i was dazed after seeing clint eastwood's unforgiven, but hell, i could say the same for gene wilder in willy wonka or the cinematography in before sunrise...choosing movies is like plucking eyes out. ahem.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "Speaking Pittsburghese."
i'm going to be leaving pittsburgh shortly, as i graduated (undergrad) last weekend and don't have plans to stay...and you know, i'm going to miss pittsburgh and its -ese. primanti (primaaaaanny) brothers sandwiches n' beer, o fries o' grease, gum bands, needs warshed, polish food, anymore, jimmies...it's going to be sad when i'm no longer surrounded by this lowkey charm. alas. here's to you, pittsburgh.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "New Kids Never Grow Old: M.O.N.K.E.Y. Part VI"
reading about bawdy events liberates artful, involving sex.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
so one must extend!
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
yet each artist resists.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
respiration escalates--such powerfully onerous nerves deserve extra elaboration.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
smacking my elbow leaves lesions.
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
drunks revel in nifty kudos!
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
In "M.O.N.K.E.Y. Episode 5: Attack of the Clowns"
so please ease elbows down!
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
never once may elephants name cats "little ants to use rabidly, ever so!"
posted by ifjuly 20 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)