escaping - things at my home weren't going so well this week (translation: i got kicked out) so my friend (who also needed to get out of town) & i put $15 of gas in her little grey/gray truck & went to our friends house (mikki) in the middle of nowhere (also known as antelope valley, near palmdale & lancaster, & for those not familar at all with california geography this is where i was. the photo above was actually taken in the hills behind her house. it was really wonderful to have no responsibility, no phone service, no plans & no pressure from other people. it was a much needed break from modern civilization.
having a job - i hate working but a job equals money & i really need money so i really needed a job. i went back to the only really job i've ever held which is a receptionist at a hair salon. i worked there on (when i'm at home) & off (when i'm at college) from october 2005. even though i hate it sometimes, i love my co-workers & they love me so it's nice to be back.
seemingly random interactions- i've had at least four very odd meetings with people; some nostalgic, some ironic, some fated, some just really, really weird. one meeting was realizing that a long time customer from my work is actually gary bryan from krth (an oldies radio station that i was weaned on).
goat cheese - i've been addicted since my friend introduced me to it a few months ago. can anyone suggest some good brands/good types to try?
feeling optimistic about the current political situation- i fear that i may be bit of a perpetual pessimist especially about politics. i am pretty happy with both the democratic & republican nominee. i'm really excited about the prospect that obama could become president. i really feel that he might be able to create positive changes in our country. & while i'm a bit wary of mccain sometimes ("the issue of economics is something that I've really never understood as well as I should." the economist) i feel like he is well-intentioned, refreshingly honest & real. i feel like the 2 presidential candidates are really genuine (unlike hilary, who, i felt, was a well-oiled, well-groomed machine with 1 goal [becoming president] in mind & would do anything to get that goal). anyway, i feel like i'll be happy with whoever eventually gets elected. (i just hope those words don't come back to bite me in the ass.)
i really love the cover of the new raconteurs album, consolers of the lonely. it's really beautiful & full of minute details. it reminds me of jim james' scene from i'm not there (the bob dylan biopic), which i think is the best scene from the whole movie.
i saw a raconteurs concert not that long ago in san francisco & it really exceeded my expectations. i knew it was going to be really good but i didn't expect to leave the concert feeling so horny. watching jack white play guitar & sing is like an aphrodisiac for me. he's so virile, sweaty & wholly concentrated on the music. the more i think about it virile is the perfect word for jack white. according to merriam-webster the definition of virile is "1:having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male; specifically : capable of functioning as a male in copulation 2: energetic, vigorous 3: a: characteristic of or associated with men : masculine b: having traditionally masculine traits especially to a marked degree 4: masterful, forceful."
speaking of good concerts i also jim james about...four, maybe five years ago? (on a sidenote: woah! time really does fly by.) he was opening for bright eyes' kings of folk tour (not sure if that was the actual name but that's what conor kept calling it). i'd never heard of jim james or my morning jacket so when he played i was totally blown away. in my jens lekman post i mention that i've only heard one other voice that had that tangible quality to it & jim james is that other voice.
purchased at wasteland in san francisco, ca. the shoe is made by trotters. i believe the width of the shoe is a bit smaller than my normal size so they are a tiny bit snug but still comfortable. but i broke my toe about two, maybe three weeks ago & since then i haven't been able to wear these guys because they put too much pressure on my broken toe. i hope it heals soon so i can start wearing these shoes again because they are really comfy &, in my opinion, cute.
john heartfield was a pioneer of photomontages. the images he created are laden with symbolism & political messages, especially anti-hitler, anti-nazi messages. i love how he used his art to try to raise awareness, he made his art stand for something. "if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything." unlike the majority of the german population, heartfield did not fall for hitler. instead he stood & stood strong against the wave of fascism that swept the country. even if you stripped the political messages from heartfield's the images are still compelling & revolutionary works of art.at least in my mind "niemals weider (never more/never again)" will forever be synonymous with discharge's album never again. now i understand why they chose his image for their album cover.
having fun- yesterday i was with friends from the moment i woke up from the moment i went to bed & it was pretty great. so i have a good excuse as to why i'm a day late on my tilt.
swimming - does this need an explanation? it's great to be able to escape from the heat & cannonball jump into a nice cool pool.
seeing my lover- yesterday was the first time i've seen my boyfriend in almost a month. it feels so good to squeeze him & kiss him & gaze upon his beautiful face...
playing with my dogs- me, my poochies, water & a kiddie pool. we got wild. i'll elaborate more on that later...
sorry this was a short one but i want to spend more time with my man than with my computer.
lisa black could quite possibly be the antithesis of walter potter. all of potter's animals seemed to have been treated with tenderness & given anthropomorphic qualities. like potter, black's animals have been stripped of their natural qualities yet instead of being given human qualities black's have been stripped of their animal qualities. black's animals appear to be impersonal specimens, steampunk machines &/or foreboding images of a future race of animals. both potter & black's works are equally unsettling yet for completely opposite reasons & are beautiful for completely opposite reasons.
one of the founding fathers of english taxidermy, walter potter uses his taxidermy skills in a wholly whimsical & slightly disturbing manner. each tableau looks like a a macabre scene from a child's storybook. his attention to detail is simply amazing. i wonder what type of man spends his free time gently crafting carcases into a anthropomorphic fairytale? i would love to sit down for a cup of tea with him. another thing that impressed me was the fact that he never killed an animal with the sole intent of using it for his taxidermy.
the perfect t-shirt is usually owned by someone else first. possibly a boyfriend's or father's. maybe a mother, best friend or sibling. perhaps someone that you don't even know. but it has memories, it's seen good times & bad. it's on the verge of ripping but it wears it's scars like a happy grin. it is the perfect shirt.
(photos by me)
escaping - things at my home weren't going so well this week (translation: i got kicked out) so my friend (who also needed to get out of town) & i put $15 of gas in her little grey/gray truck & went to our friends house (mikki) in the middle of nowhere (also known as antelope valley, near palmdale & lancaster, & for those not familar at all with california geography this is where i was. the photo above was actually taken in the hills behind her house. it was really wonderful to have no responsibility, no phone service, no plans & no pressure from other people. it was a much needed break from modern civilization.
