The Migrant Bookclub

Joan Didion's packing list

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

To Pack and Wear:

2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
bag with: shampoo, toothbrush and paste, Basis soap, razor, deodorant, aspirin, prescriptions, Tampax, face cream, powder, baby oil

To Carry:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key

This is a list which was taped inside my closet door in Hollywood during those years when I was reporting more or less steadily. The list enabled me to pack, without thinking, for any piece I was likely to do. Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume: in a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the culture. Notice the mohair throw for trunk-line flights (i.e. no blankets) and for the motel room in which the air conditioning could not be turned off. Notice the bourbon for the same motel room. Notice the typewriter for the airport, coming home: the idea was to turn in the Hertz car, check in, find an empty bench, and start typing the day’s notes.

—Joan Didion, The White Album

Also, in case you are wondering, here's an interesting discussion of why women readers seem to care:

Didion’s genius is that she understands what it is to be a girl on the cusp of womanhood, in that fragile, fleeting, emotional time that she explored in a way no one else ever has. Didion is, depending on the reader’s point of view, either an extraordinarily introspective or an extraordinarily narcissistic writer. As such, she is very much like her readers themselves.

If you are interested in sharing a photograph of an author whose style you admire and don't mind telling us why, get in touch, OK!

Source: image | text

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Dirty love letters by famous authors

2012-02-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

On this Valentine's Day I am just as excited about pink and hearts as I am on most Tuesdays around this time of the day. Honestly, I am more interested in trying to figure out whether I'd get hungry before the work day is over if I eat my lunch around like... NOW.

BUT.

I just came across this marvelous collection of dirty love letters written by famous authors and thought... what the hell... If people need the reminder of Valentine's Day to start talking dirty, then... the pink glitter may well be worth it.

"I will cover you with love when next I see you, with caresses, with ecstasy. I want to gorge yu [sic] with all the joys of the flesh, so that you faint and die. I want you to be amazed by me, and to confess to yourself that you had never even dreamed of such transports… When you are old, I want you to recall those few hours, I want your dry bones to quiver with joy when you think of them.”

Gustave Flaubert to Louise Colet, 1846

Have a sweet and sexy week, y'all!

Source: image | text

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Literary style: James Ellroy

2012-02-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

Ben of Dead End Follies liked Zadie Smith in her beautiful red dress as much as I did. "I believe that somebody's soul drips out when they have too much of it," he said. "Goes in their style, in their actions, in their clothing. If first impressions are ever so important, it's because you can tell a lot from them." Who would disagree?!

He then shared this badass photograph of James Ellroy with me. Isn't it perfection? The double-breasted pin-stripe suit, the white shirt and silk tie are clear references to classic American mobster dresscode and are, in my mind, pure sartorial fuckery. It is Ellroy, afterall, who says the following about himself:

I am a master of fiction. I am also the greatest crime novelist who ever lived. I am to the crime novel in specific what Tolstoy is to the Russian novel and what Beethoven is to music.

This photo exchange made me wish that perhaps you'd want to join our conversation, too! Post a comment or send me an email and tell me which literary figure's style you admire the most. If you have a favorite photograph, send that on as well. If not, I promise to do some research for you! I promise to post all contributions and I am already thinking about several more photographs that I have collected over the years and have offered what I think is an intimate glimpse in the inner lives of my favorite writers.

Maybe we can make this into a regular feature here on The Migrant Bookclub?

Source: image | text

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In reader heaven thanks to Melville House

2012-02-07T21:49:00.000-06:00

Kyle is not proud of this picture and I am not proud of my hair-styling abilities but I can't help but share what is quite possibly one of the best pieces of mail I've ever received. These four books just came in yesterday: reviewer copies, courtesy of my favorite publisher, Melville House.

The titles are:

From Newbury with Love
Letters of Friendship Across the Iron Curtain
by Anna Horsbrugh-Porter and Marina Aidova

First Love
by Ivan Turgenev

Faithful Ruslan
The Story of a Guard Dog
by Georgi Vladimov

The Case of the General's Thumb
by Andrey Kurkov

I am beyond excited not only because of these particular titles but also because I seem to have discovered a publisher who seems to be interested in publishing the type of books I am interested in reading: lesser known classics, literary translations, unusual works of non-fiction; all presented beautifully in book-covers that could easily double as art!

I picked up From Newbury with Love first and I am already in reader heaven. Will keep you posted.

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Missed Connections

2012-02-06T11:51:00.001-06:00

Missed Connections, the book is based on Missed Connections, the blog. Which, in turn, is based on people's desire for connection and tenderness and the odd ways these two manifest themselves.

Sophie Blackall reads Missed Connections websites and illustrates the poetic, random, bizarre and romantic notes that people put out into the world with the hope that somehow, against all odds, their message will be discovered.

Her work is beautiful. Quiet and sweet.

Be extra nice to people today. You know Mondays can be tough.

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Wislawa Szymborska: I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems

2012-02-02T14:05:00.000-06:00

Wisława Szymborska, 1996 Poetry Nobel prizewinner, died today. She was 88.

Possibilities

I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
I prefer to leave early.
I prefer talking to doctors about something else.
I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I prefer, where love's concerned, nonspecific anniversaries
that can be celebrated every day.
I prefer moralists
who promise me nothing.
I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind.
I prefer the earth in civvies.
I prefer conquered to conquering countries.
I prefer having some reservations.
I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order.
I prefer Grimms' fairy tales to the newspapers' front pages.
I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves.
I prefer dogs with uncropped tails.
I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark.
I prefer desk drawers.
I prefer many things that I haven't mentioned here
to many things I've also left unsaid.
I prefer zeroes on the loose
to those lined up behind a cipher.
I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars.
I prefer to knock on wood.
I prefer not to ask how much longer and when.
I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility
that existence has its own reason for being.

By Wislawa Szymborska
From "Nothing Twice", 1997
Translated by S. Baranczak & C. Cavanagh

Source: image | text

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Woodpeckers don't get headaches

2012-01-30T11:37:00.000-06:00

I came across the funniest article on how woodpeckers avoid brain injuries. Apparently, woodpeckers don't get headaches for two main reasons: No 1: their brains are cushioned in a spongy matter that absorbs the shockwaves they endure. No 2: they approach wooden surfaces under a very particular angle that seems to be the best possible angle for pecking wood. Unfortunately, the article does not detail which angle that would be.

I thought this was a great piece of wisdom to share on a Monday morning. To do your best work, create a soft, cushy environment, invest a little bit in figuring out the most direct way to accomplish the task at hand and peck away.

I then discovered that Woodpeckers Don't Get Headaches is also a critically acclaimed 1975 film by uber-cool Soviet director Director Dinara Asanova and proceeded to spend several hours scouring the interwebs for whatever little tidbit I could find about it.

So there went *MY* morning.

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Zadie Smith and her beautiful red dress

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

"I find it impossible to experience either pride or shame over accidents of genetics in which I had no active part. I’m not necessarily proud to be female. I am not even proud to be human— I only love to be so."

Zadie Smith

I love this beautiful red dress that Zadie Smith wore to the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award ceremony. I love that she paired it with an equally bold piece of jewelry. Her brooch is exquisite and even thought I think the dress would have looked even more stunning on its own, I like to imagine that Smith dressed that night the way little girls do: by taking a long look at her closet and piling on ALL her favorite stuff.

Zadie! You are fabulous in this dress!
Zadie: I only love to be so.

Do you, book fiends, care much about the way your favorite authors dress? I confess that I have probably passed on many good books because of an unfortunate author photo.

Photo credit: David Shankbone

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Happy Birthday, Virginia Woolf!

2012-01-25T09:40:00.000-06:00

My girl Virginia turns 130 years old today. I love her dearly.

If you are wondering who makes these beautiful shirts, Jason Diamond (he is the original discoverer of the photo, not me) says "I’m pretty sure they were made by a band called Princeton. They put out an EP all about Bloomsbury a few years back."

I want one. Help me find it!

Also, check out The Virginia Woolf Blog and Blogging Woolf and prepare to have your mind blown. These two blogs are beyond.

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Sanity is a cozy lie

2012-01-25T01:00:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite photographs of Susan Sontag. She is wearing a bear suit. I am posting because it makes me smile. I love smart, serious people who don't take themselves too seriously.

I am finishing up Eugene Onegin and getting ready to read either The Migrant Bookclub December 2011-January 2012 title How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht or You Must Go and Win by Alina Simone who wrote that hilarious essay about the pan-Slavic hatred of ice that we all loved so much. I want to be reading them all at once but I am so not good at that.

Have you read either of these books? Which one should I start with? What are you reading and/or looking forward to reading?

Photo via: Mach 20

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Pushkin doll

2012-01-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

This little Pushkin doll is one of Kyle's Christmas presents.

I found the figurine on Etsy. Its creator is Debbie Ritter of Uneek Doll Designs who is a genius, in my mind. She is like a 3-D cartoon artists who manages to capture the souls and personalities of famous artists, authors and historical figures with just a few strokes of a brush.

I keep going back to her shop just to see what new personalities she has added to her expanding collection. I think that these are perfect gift ideas for book-lovers! I personally have my eye on miniature Dorothy Parker. Isn't her hat just fabulous?

Which one is your favorite?

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Ralph Fiennes on Pushkin and literary film adaptations

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

Tonight I am kicking off my year of Eastern European Classics with Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, which I've read many MANY times and love, oh god, love so much!

I remembered that Ralph Fiennes made Onegin a few years ago and while I was trying to figure out whether the movie was available online, I came across this strange site and a long essay by Fiennes on his self-professed admiration for Russian literature in general and Pushkin in particular.

The essay is a wonderful reminiscence on Fiennes's literary journey, on his actual travels through Russia in preparation for his film and, more broadly, a reflection on literary adaptations:

As we head toward the frozen river, I am turning over in my mind the vast discrepancy between the immediate sensations of being here, absorbing Sasha's commentary, and the tortuous process of making a film. We are walking toward the windmill, and I ask Sasha if it has any connection with thewater mill at the site of the duel in "Onegin." He's not sure, but I ask him to describe the duel, the ritual--the events as Pushkin describes them. He punches a finger into the frozen snow at our feet. "Here is Onegin, here is Lensky, the barrier is here--about ten paces. They walk toward each other. Onegin fires first."

"Doesn't Lensky fire first?" I ask.
"No, no, Onegin," Sasha replies.
"Are you sure?" I say.
"Yes, yes, Onegin shoots first and kills him."

To my embarrassment, I see that I have been so preoccupied with the script that I have forgotten what changes we have made in key areas of the story. This moment is the beginning of an unwinding distrust within me about the way literature is adapted into film. Even with the best of intentions, this appropriation is often a distortion or a mutation for the sake of audience satisfaction and accessibility. Martha and I have tried to remain faithful to Pushkin's poem, but we have also been told that a contemporary audience may not sympathize with Onegin, or may not understand why Tatyana would write him a passionate love letter on the basis of one meeting: how are we to make these things credible?

In our script, Onegin arrives late for the duel, as he does in the poem, but he makes a substantial attempt at reconciliation, which Lensky refuses. Lensky then fires first and wounds Onegin,whereupon Onegin returns fire, but with a look of deep reluctance on his face. My conversation with Sasha at Mikhailovskoye spurs me to reexamine this scene, and, on reflection, our script seems a betrayal of the original. In the poem, Onegin is more glib, as if any show of remorse were a sign of weakness:

Malevolently now,
similar to hereditary foes,
as in a frightful, enigmatic dream,
they for each other, in the stillness,
prepare destruction coolly.

Onegin's "look of deep reluctance" in our screenplay now seems sentimental; the poem's portrayal of this confrontation is far more disturbing and realistic. Only when one man lies dead should the barbarity of the duel sink in--not before.

Full text and photo credit: HERE.

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History of unsmiling

2012-01-19T21:13:00.001-06:00

There’s a popular Russian saying, “Laughter without a reason is a sign of folly”. If you ask a Russian man why he is so gloomy, he’d answer with a likewise gloomy question, “What’s to be happy about?”

The poster with the unsmiling woman above suggests that the open-minded {emancipated, progressive, permissive} woman will be the one to build socialism.

Read more about the famous Russian unwillingness to smile HERE.

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Book recommendations by Emma Forrest

2012-01-13T12:22:00.000-06:00

I worked on a couple of posts this week but I wasn't able to complete my research/prep to finish them. So, instead, I would like to share a couple of book recommendations.

photo credit: The Awl

A little while ago I read Emma Forrest's beautiful memoir of depression and therapy. In an equally spectacular review of the book, Maud Newton wrote:

Forrest's new memoir, Your Voice in My Head, which traces the long history of her depression and evokes her struggles to stay sane without Dr. R, is so intense and compelling, so dark, hilarious and wistful, and so likely to be picked up, highlighted and worried over by every neurotic I know, I almost feel sorry for New York City's mental health practitioners, who probably should have had some sort of advance warning that it's coming.

I full-heartedly agree.

I think the reason why that book spoke to me so deeply was that Forrest was dealing with all this really mucky stuff in the States, away from her very loving and supportive family in the UK. It's not that she didn't have anyone here, it's just that the ones that could truly help her were so far. Not only was she unable to call on them and ask for help. She felt that because of the distance she had to pretend everything was ok. After all, why worry her family... This, I think, is a very common immigrant experience... even if it is not always as heart-wrenching as the events described by Forrest.

I was so smitten with Forrest that I ended sending her a desperate note telling her that long after having read her book, I was still under it's spell and asking if she could recommend any book titles PLEASE. She was sweet enough to write back.

She said that she loved Perfect Lives by Polly Samson and was rereading The Accidental and The First Person by Ali Smith "a lot".

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In the Land of Blood and Honey

2012-01-09T23:25:00.001-06:00

The most recent issue of Marie Claire has an excellent interview with Angelina Jolie about her new movie In the Land of Blood and Honey. The film is set in early 1990s Bosnia and tells the story of a young Boshniak woman and her former boyfriend, Bosnian Serb soldier. The film employs a largely local cast and many of the women in the film were actual victims of the conflict.

If you are curious, you can listen to this brief interview with Jolie on NPR or take a look at this piece at the Telegraph for an overview of the movie's reception in Bosnia. But, for now, I wanted to share with you this one little bit that made me want to see this film even more:

Jolie shot the film in the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language (it is subtitled in English), and encouraged her cast members to speak up if there were story points or dialogue they took issue with. They embraced the opportunity. Early in the film, before the war, Ajla (the main character, ed.) tosses a breezy "I love you!" over her shoulder to her sister as she heads out for a date. Jolie sensed Marjanovic was holding back a little. "She told me, 'I get that saying I love you to the sister is something in America, where you say I love you [so easily] and hug when you order a pizza. We don't really do that.'"

Photo via USAToday.

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Books as decor

2012-01-05T12:18:00.000-06:00

I never know what to say to people who share New York Times articles. Errr. D'uh. It's the New York Times. I read it. Everybody does. But, of course, every once in a while I am grateful because the amount of good stuff there is really overwhelming and it's easy to miss obvious treasures.

That's why I wanted to point you in the direction of Jason Diamond's piece on books as store decor at The Paris Review (on the off chance that you haven't seen it already):

But this impulse to collect these books is slightly more complicated: it isn’t just about posturing but about a certain longing. The rustic, the outdated, the handcrafted and antiquated—these things seem ubiquitous. Cucumbers pickled in mason jars line the shelves at Whole Foods, men are buying bespoke suits styled after bygone eras, and hip kids are throwing Depression-era hobo-themed weddings. We’re a generation enthralled by authenticity and craftsmanship.Walter Benjamin wrote that in an era when everything was reproduced, nothing had the aura of originality. Now, most men’s clothing is made en masse—and we find ourselves missing the hand stitched. Likewise, many of our libraries consist only of e-books—and our old paperbacks seem to posses a one-of-a kind personality.

I really loved the piece partly because it reminded me of our upstairs neighbor from when we were kids in Bulgaria. Comrade Tsenkov used his connections to purchase a humongous bookshelf for his living room. The bookshelf hadn't been exactly to his liking mostly because it was too big for his otherwise miniature apartment but given how difficult it was to get your hands on good furniture in the 80s, he decided to go for it. Thing was, though, Comrade Tsenkov wasn't much of a reader so when the bookshelf finally arrived, he went directly to a bookstore and bought out the entire inventory. To fill up his shelves.

P.S. The picture above is of shoppers in a Bulgarian grocery store during the massive food shortage of 1991. Posting to point out that Comrade Tsenkov's choice to purchase the ill-suited bookshelf was not entirely crazy. When you had so little to choose from, you got what you could. Photo c/o Lost Bulgaria.

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Things to read if you can't figure out what the hell is going on in Russia

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you are like me and are trying to figure out what the hell is going on in Russia right now, here are a couple of links from around the web that might make things a bit clearer:

The Fall 2011 issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the disintegration of the USSR and is wonderful. In the opening letter from the editors, Ted Genoways and Dimiter Kenarov aptly remark that if there is a mood that hangs over all the essays in this issue, it's the specter of [that] disenchantment. Order the whole issue or read excerpts online for fantastically atmospheric essays by Dimiter Kenarov, Maria Vassileva, Nadia Shira Cohen, Jason Motlagh and excellent, just superb photography. The photograph below is Maisie Crow's. This little dude is playing with an old Soviet era gas-mask.

I have also been enchanted by Katharine Holt's blog. Katharine is currently living in Russia and doing dissertation research in Russian literature. She started posting in order to be able to share things she considers delightfully absurd or in some broad sense hip but, as you can imagine, her travelogue has partially morphed into a visual diary of political unrest. I love the immediacy of her updates! Her dispatches are a terrific companion to whatever other more straight-forward reporting you happen to be reading.

Katharine is the sister of author Elliott Holt who, in a recent Twitter exchange, told me that half of her just-finished novel is set in Moscow. As you can see, we've got ourselves a Holt Family fan-girl and she is keeping her fingers crossed.

Last but not least, just this past December David Greene, NPR's Moscow correspondent rode the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok and posted stories about the people he met and the Russia he saw on this VERY long trip. Greene is funny and really charming. You can read the complete series HERE.

Hope this helps.

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Virginia Woolf's New Year's resolutions

2012-01-03T09:22:00.000-06:00

Virginia Woolf's New Year's resolutions, January 2, 1931 via Lauren Elkin:

Here are my resolutions for the next 3 months; the next lap of the year.
To have none. Not to be tied.
To be free & kindly with myself, not goading it to parties: to sit rather privately reading in the studio.
To make a good job of The Waves.
To stop irritation by the assurance that nothing is worth irritation [referring to Nelly].
Sometimes to read, sometimes not to read.
To go out yes—but stay at home in spite of being asked.
As for clothes, to buy good ones.

In 2012, I am making these mine.

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Bookclub Update

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

November came and went and I never got around to reading Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, The Migrant Bookclub's October & November pick. Did you? I got 50 pages into it and really, really enjoyed it but got distracted and started reading other stuff which turned out to be too good to put down*.

Tonight my sister is coming to visit and I get a little break from work, so in addition to a whole lot of cocktails and parties, we also plan a whole lot of quiet time at home: fuzzy socks, and good food, and hot chocolate and, yes, BOOKS.

In addition to Netherland, I will be tackling The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides and figuring out how to kick off my year of Eastern European classics. It's going to be a good time, y'all!

Do you guys have any time to read during the holidays? What's on your list?

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*Read Mark Behr's The smell of apples. It will break your heart and you will mourn it forever.

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William Faulkner's Mint Julep Recipe

2011-12-19T09:39:00.000-06:00

Kyle and I spent an amazing weekend in Oxford, Mississippi. I will be posting more photos from our trip but because we've officially entered major party season madness, I wanted to share this immediately.

We visited Rowan Oak: the estate where William Faulkner lived from 1930 until his death in 1962. This is what we found in one of the display cases, tucked in a corner.

Faulkner's Mint Julep Recipe:

whiskey + 1 tsp sugar + ice + mint.

served in a metal cup.

Now you know.

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Herbert's Hippopotamus

2011-12-13T22:19:00.000-06:00

Speaking of literary gift ideas, how about these adorably stylish hippo bookends?! I love them! The website also has rhinos, lions, sheep, bulls, and dinosaurs. If you don't like them, you must not have a heart.

Did you know that Herbert Marcuse used to collect hippos? His office and home were filled with hippo figurines. If you don't believe me, watch the 1996 documentary Herbert's Hippopotamus for evidence and a very good portrait of a brilliant thinker.

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For more literary gift ideas, check out my previous post on Literary Totes.

Literary totes

2011-12-12T23:29:00.000-06:00

I got it in my head last week that I needed a new tote bag: plain canvas, long handles, quiet but interesting design. I love this kind of bag for so many reasons. They are low key, multi-functional, eco-friendly, basic but so SO satisfying. They are practically the bag version of toast.

I took my quest to Twitter where it got picked up by Lauren Cerand (if you are a writer, you seriously WANT her to be your publicist) and, naturally, took a life of its own. After a brief exchange with Lauren, I was able to find a whole lot of bags that not only satisfied my requirements but seemed to tell a story that went beyond the canvas. You can imagine my total surprise when a couple of days later I saw the following piece in The New York Times:

A Message on Every Arm
Tote Bags Replace Purses as Status Symbols
by Miranda Purves

Seemingly democratic and certainly affordable (if not free), the tote might be the ideal carryall for these post-luxury recessionary times. The tote’s status is stealth. It telegraphs not money but access, ethics, culture — encapsulating the idea psychologist Daniel Gilbert popularized that happiness grows more through experiences than purchases.

Dude. TOTE-ALLY.

So, I thought, well... this is a sign. I *must* share at least some of the fabulous totes that I found!

This one is from Melville House and was recommended to me by Miss Bennett. It says "I would prefer not to" and has the publishing house logo on the bag. I love that it's literary + snarky! One of my favorite combos. $1 2.

This next one is a bit obvious. It's the current Paris Review tote (they get a new design each year). It gets mentioned in the NY Times piece and is one of my favorites but I do not love the size of the bag so I don't think I will actually be getting it. It's too big. I had to share it because I just watched Errol Morris's documentary Tabloid and the bag makes me think of it. Those of you who already saw the film should let me know if you got my little joke here. Plus, d'uh, I love The Paris Review. $20.

The last one that I am going to recommend is of interest to me for nostalgic reasons. It's the classic Penguin tote and I love it because it reminds me of high school in the early 1990s: learning English by reading classics, looking up words I didn't know and translating (poorly) in Bulgarian. For some reason, the only editions that were available in Bulgaria were Penguin's and every time I see those ugly-ass covers, my heart just skips a beat. They were such a big part of my grand escape! I love them. $19.95

One of my favorite discoveries was that Zazzle has a pretty extensive Authors selection. They have totes that feature writer portraits and come in a variety of sizes. Check out Anton Chekhov, Virgina Woolf and our boy Franz! I don't think I will ever run out of birthday gift ideas ever again.

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All this research got me really excited about the concept of literary tourism. And that's perfect since this weekend Kyle and I are taking a trip to Oxford, Mississippi, courtesy of our sweet friends Kelly and Michael. We are planning on visiting Rowan Oak and spending some time at Square Books where, guess what, I can stock up on reading and get myself a TOTE!

If you have other recommendations, please share!

Holidays on Ice

2011-12-09T11:39:00.001-06:00

If you work in PR, Christmas is a busy time of the year. It's practically a month of peppermint and tinsel, regardless the specific industry you are in: cars, fashion, or (in my case) education... it's all the same. It's all bells and grown-ups sitting in Santa's lap, Christmas trees and food drives. I was really worried about this particular aspect of my job when I started because I find it all pretty tacky.

My job, however, seems to have started rubbing off on me because I have recently started to notice the more and less tangible ways in which I have totally allowed myself to be overtaken by the Christmas spirit.

First, as a joke, the rooster painting in my office got it's own Christmas garland. See above.

Then I started listening to a very SHE & HIM christmas and couldn't stop. {Don't tell Kyle}.

Two days ago I actually BARGAINED with an Etsy seller to create a custom listing for me: those felted acorns had to be mine IN BULK.

Earlier today I caught myself Christmas shopping for people I don't really know. Not for real, you know, but like... if I were to give a present to Kim, the lady that vacuums the HR office across the hall, I would give her a set of China Glaze Crackle nail polish in Black Mesh.

My favorite Christmas activity by far, though, is re-reading David Sedaris's Holidays on Ice:

We were standing near the Lollipop Forest when we realized that Santa is an anagram of Satan... Overhearing the customers we would substitute the Satan for the world Santa.

Cracks me up. Every. Single. Time. Also:

Everyone looks retarded once you set your mind to it.

True.

This weekend, Kyle and I are going shopping for a Christmas tree. It will be out first one since we got married and I am pretty excited about it. I am getting very sentimental with old age.

On finding your calling: in a truck

2011-12-05T20:40:00.001-06:00

Artist Kyle Durrie of Portland was so passionate about letterpress printing that she worked her butt off to raise funds on Kickstarter, bought herself a van that she transformed into a mini-studio on wheels and took for the road.

She's in Memphis this week and earlier today I got to tour her van and watch her teach a workshop at Christian Brothers University. The van and Durrie's work were beautiful.

It was fascinating to listen to Kyle talk about her creative process, the history of her craft and the urge to share it all with anyone who'd listen. On a very personal level, it was very inspiring to meet someone who is willing to accept such a non-traditional lifestyle for her art and it really made me hope that everyone can find a similar calling at least at some point in their life.

If you've already found yours, I'd love to hear what it is.

***

P.S. All pictures by yours truly for CBU.

Girl from the Future

2011-11-30T21:02:00.001-06:00

It's been a week of remembering childhood and I was really wondering how I could bring it all to life somehow. When it occurred to me: ALISA!!!

Alisa: Guest from the Future was every communist kid's favorite show in 1985. It's a Russian TV series about Alisa Seleznyova who travels to the present to find her father's long lost friend. The show is very cute and quirky. The bad characters are grotesque, funny and the good ones are kind, humble and good-natured. It's a show for kids, you know, but the cinematography is very adult. The whole thing is pure Soviet pleasure - the costumes, the soundtrack, the cinematography - aesthetically, I think, it's divine.

The main character Alisa, of course, steals the show. She is sweet, smart, strong, powerful and VERY serious. All boys were in love with her and all girls wanted to be her. She may have been my first feminist role model. I seriously thought I was JUST like her. Although, come to think of it, it probably mostly had to do with the fact that I had {and, how embarrassing, still have} a very similar mushroom-haircut.

I was You Tube-ing earlier tonight when I came across this video of the theme song "Прекрасная далеко" that sent all sorts of chills down my spine.

The lyrics are a bit grown-up and almost morbid... the girl is begging the future "not to be cruel to her" as she sets off on an unknown path that she's called to by a solemn voice she does not recognize. o.0 I sort of remember hearing at some point that the song is actually a traditional folk song but I have not been able to confirm that. So, if you know anything about it, please spill it. I've got to know!

Now, the Internet may faint a little after the announcement I am about to make so please brace yourselves, ok:

I FOUND ALL 5 EPISODES OF ALISA ON YOU TUBE! With English subtitles!!!

For your viewing pleasure, here they are:

Episode 1 (Part 1, 2, 3)

Episode 2 (Part 1, 2, 3)

Episode 3 (Part 1, 2, 3)

Episode 4 (Part 1, 2, 3)

Episode 5 (Part 1, 2, 3)

Wouldn't it be so awesome to host a dinner party, make your guests take their shoes off, serve borscht, pour drinks in mason jars and play this show in the background as a video art installation?

***

P.S. Confession: this post was actually inspired by this interview.