tumbly.

Progress: 3 down, 37 to go (list) Which: The Great Gatsby, F....

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:28:00 -0800

Progress: 3 down, 37 to go (list)

Which: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nick Carraway is the first unreliable narrator that I can remember recognizing. Even before the eye-roller that is, “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”

What made laugh this time around is… there’s really no one to root for (my chief complaint about and non-starter with Wuthering Heights [ugh]). They’re all careless and mostly unsympathetic, although Gatsby feels more hapless than malignant in his calculating.

But still there is the language. It is so concise even when it feels rambly, it’s worth putting up with Daisy’s stupidity.

I’m super-curious to see what Luhrman’s going to do with it; it can’t possibly be worse than the 1974 version, right? Don’t get me wrong: Redford in suits? Sure. But that movie is no good.

I love that my camera lets me shoot in ridiculous low-light like...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:20:00 -0800

I love that my camera lets me shoot in ridiculous low-light like this. (:

(1/2)

Men who explain things

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:59:43 -0800

Men who explain things:

kurafire:

Classic article by Rebecca Solnit on the societal construct when men explain things to women. Worth a re-read if you’ve read it before; a must-read if you haven’t.

Most women fight wars on two fronts, one for whatever the putative topic is and one simply for the right to speak, to have ideas, to be acknowledged to be in possession of facts and truths, to have value, to be a human being. Things have certainly gotten better, but this war won’t end in my lifetime. I’m still fighting it, for myself certainly, but also for all those younger women who have something to say, in the hope that they will get to say it.

"The switch flips. My sadness turns a corner and runs smack into self-reliance. No matter the mental..."

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:05:00 -0800

“The switch flips. My sadness turns a corner and runs smack into self-reliance. No matter the mental obstacles, an athlete is still in control of her body, and that has to be enough.”

- “London Calling — Disappointment breeds new energy”, Kathryn Bertine (via @keavy)

This.

Drive (2011) In what universe was I not going to like this...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:51:24 -0800

Drive (2011)

In what universe was I not going to like this movie? Bad-ass cars driven hard? Check. Bad-ass cars driven hard on the streets of Los Angeles? Check. A cast that pretty much kills it? Check. And hot pink Mistral not meant ironically? Please.

There is only one Ridley Scott, but! Refn does really well here and even though the movie’s a little too… self-aware a few times, it doesn’t suffer much for it. The thousand-yard stares and the enigmatic non-smiles and the long silences. Just because you can see how it works doesn’t mean it doesn’t.

Can we talk about how watchable the opening and title sequences are? And how the car chases aren’t the sum total of the movie’s action? Or heart?

I dig it.

Progress: 2 down, 38 to go (list) Which: Wonderstruck, Brian...

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:28:00 -0800

Progress: 2 down, 38 to go (list)

Which: Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick

When I first flipped through Wonderstruck at the store, the combination of text and full-bleed drawings almost had me plunked down in the aisle to read. Somehow I did the grown-up thing, bought it, and brought it home.

Wonderstruck’s a great lesson in pacing: even when you spot the next reveal, Selznick’s in no hurry to get you there, but he never drags his feet. It’s a hefty book at 600+ pages, but somehow it reads fast without rushing you along.

"…action scenes are often like sex scenes — they are just hanging there, an exclamation point on the..."

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:48:00 -0800

“…action scenes are often like sex scenes — they are just hanging there, an exclamation point on the end of a sentence that we’ve already read.”

- Maggie Stiefvater writing five things about the book The Lock Artist.

On-set photos by Gary Oldman from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:26:03 -0800

Cumberbatch (by Gary Oldman)

You're never alone with a Strand (GO)

On-set photos by Gary Oldman from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Fantastic.

“Settle Down” - Kimbra. This.

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:35:35 -0800

“Settle Down” - Kimbra.

This.

This week on Instagram: blue/yellow. untitled by popesaintvictor...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:28:00 -0800

untitled by popesaintvictor (instagram)

"Surf SF" by doublecap (instagram)

untitled by robertjosiah (instagram)

This week on Instagram: blue/yellow.

untitled by popesaintvictor / “Surf SF” by doublecap / untitled by robertjosiah

Progress: 1 down, 39 to go (list) Which: How I Killed Pluto and...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:11:54 -0800

Progress: 1 down, 39 to go (list)

Which: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Mike Brown

Well, I finished it this year, so…

You should read this book. Whether you think SPACE IS RAD (hi) or you have only a passing interest: you should read this book. Brown, I think because he’s not just a hardcore astronomer but also a teacher, tells a great story and in 257 pages is never dry about it. A feat, if you ask me (I’m pretending you asked).

The final count for books read in 2011: 24 of 40. Fewer than 2010 by 5! Tsk. I will try again for...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:05:40 -0800

The final count for books read in 2011: 24 of 40. Fewer than 2010 by 5! Tsk.

I will try again for 2012 (3rd time lucky, right?) without choosing books ahead of time; my hope is to not end up with a months-long lull again. In 2010, the second half of the year saw very little reading and 2011 had almost a full quarter of …nothing.

My books-to-read shelf is, no surprise, still jam-packed. Perhaps this year I’ll make a significant dent in it! Whether I’ll stop buying new books before the ones I have are read is the real que—hahah, no of course I won’t.

Okay, here goes!

“That Man” - Caro Emerald Toe-tapping. Bright. Fun....

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:51:25 -0800

“That Man” - Caro Emerald

Toe-tapping. Bright. Fun. Love it. (Bonus! Saul Bass-y video!)

This week on Instagram: in the trees. Childhood tree fort, now...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:56:00 -0800

This week on Instagram: in the trees.

Childhood tree fort, now overgrown. by kevinruss / Gate by doublecap / new trail across from the Ogden estate! by maxogden

FOX gets points for the Christmas-light time-out indicators...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:09:49 -0800

FOX gets points for the Christmas-light time-out indicators today. (:

Progress: 22 down, 18 to go (list) 21. A History of the World in...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:20:12 -0800

Progress: 22 down, 18 to go (list)

21. A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage
Another survey class-like book. Lots of good and interesting stories, but after Salt (Kurlansky), I expected similar enthusiasm and never really found it. Still: it’s a fast read and I may be the last one on the planet, but now I know cola (kola) was/is an actual ingredient!

22. Lost in a Good Book, Jasper Fforde
Oh, Thursday: you will get into trouble, won’t you. I think what I like about Fforde so far is that he doesn’t provide (or indeed ever promise) tidy endings. That bothered me a tiny bit with Lost in a Good Book at first, but after a few days of thinking about it, it makes total sense—not least because now I’m on the hook to read the rest of the Thursday series. (:

Damn right, it’s better than yours by Erik Marinovich Love...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:04:21 -0800

Damn right, it’s better than yours by Erik Marinovich

Love it.

This morning on Instagram: the VW Bus, orange. Level-ish, by...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:03:17 -0800

This morning on Instagram: the VW Bus, orange.

Level-ish, by cbowns; Tiny little VW bus & his Vespa friend, by jayzombie.

The Highlands I am an unapologetic sucker for well-done...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:12:56 -0800

The Highlands

I am an unapologetic sucker for well-done hand-drawn signage. Look at that “g”! And the ampersand, are you kidding me? Wonderful.

So, how long until Michael Shannon signs on for a Chet Baker...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:48:37 -0800

So, how long until Michael Shannon signs on for a Chet Baker biopic? Right?