I like how ‘ground’ is slanted there at the bottom.

I realise I still get really excited when I see the word ‘writer’.

(Make your own here.)

Technically, I think this post should be in our Portable Reader’s Guide, but I have no um, feeling for it anymore. It has dieded, methinks.

Frank and April Wheeler

TOTAL EXCITEMENT. Despite Titanic, I think seeing these two together again in Revolutionary Road will be extraordinary.

If anybody wants to borrow the book by Richard Yates, let me know. Ideally, you should read it while watching Mad Men episodes back to back.

slate (!) is partnering with nyu’s creative writing program (!) for a writers on writing video series. yay.

first up is the dude who wrote my favourite book so far this year:

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz

See interview here.

I’m currently reading William Boyd’s Any Human Heart, which I bought on a whim a couple of months ago … I’m feeling much better about my terrible reading habits since I read this (thanks Yasmine). Yes, it is truly distressing how bad we so-called Readers are. The author brings up the topic of re-reading:

The only hope is rereading. “A good reader,” said Nabokov, “a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader.” The only hope is continuous repetition. How else, after all, can anyone see the form? And if you can’t see a work’s form, then it isn’t really reading at all. But who, therefore, has the time to really read?

Which just kills me. I truly am just a story person I think. The only books I think of reading again (right now) are the really sad love ones (The Confessions of Max Tivoli, The Time Traveler’s Wife), the really exciting adventure ones I loved in my youth (Around the World in 80 Days) or um, fashion-related chick lit. Cough.

As much as I loved Mrs Dalloway you could not pay me to start that book over again. I think if I’ve ever finished a book whose language was all awesome and complicated, it was always an accident, or it was one of those rare language+plot combos.

Also, I keep trying to figure out my “secret to reading”, i.e. what makes me stick with a book, and I can’t. Sometimes I feel like I get into it more when my antisocial hormones abound. But not really - the ipod is always better for that. Then I think, oh, I read better when I hate work and I want to “escape” … though this past few weeks (months) have proved that wrong.

I really don’t know. I kill myself trying to figure out the formula to things. When really … there is no point.

Domo!

Domo!

Yeah, I’m getting excited about Japan. How can I not, when I get emails from hostel ppl calling me “June san”. It’s too cute. TOO GODDAMN CUTE.

Shorts Group

How white are you?

Honestly, though, I’m not as white as I thought I was. I’m not into organic food. Or yoga. Hey, I didn’t even get a liberal arts education! (Although all signs point to the fact that I probably should’ve …)

I think, Yasmine, you can easily hit an A1 on this test

Speaking of Yasmine … she has created the best effing blog post in the history of the universe over at her blog. It - is - awesome. Yes, I remember them playing Great DJ on my birthday. And I didn’t even know that The Wombats had a music video for that song! Awesome awesome awesome …

You are, of course, very right about the fact that I don’t really care about anything else but VMPRWKND (see how fangirl-y I can get).

Preparing for Japan now mainly consists of figuring out ways in which I can prevent myself from starving or being forced to walk everywhere because I can’t afford the train ticket.

Speaking of which …

The Tokyo rail map is FUCKING INTENSE:

Tokyo Train Map

Nak mati kan. (click on pic for bigger, scarier version)

I have a lot of faith in myself after successfully not getting lost on the LA and SF public transportation routes though so … I SHALL OVERCOME.

Yes I’m spending too much money to go to Tokyo to see these boys, yes I’ll be deliriously happy (if not completely unconscious from all the anticipation) when they finally go out on stage and start the three drum beats that kick off Mansard Roof , yes I will also piss my pants when Coldplay go into Strawberry Swing (and Yellow and Trouble and In My Place) and I will definitely pengsan if I see one of the VW boys in the Coldplay crowd or something and I will also go absolutely fucking nuts when MGMT play Time To Pretend and Kids and Future Refflections BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT

maybe this is a function of growing old-er but I am also so fucking worried about all this money that I’m spending, which is so weird because I went to Bangkok rock fest two years ago with like peanuts, seriously, but I didn’t give two shits.

I hate money. Well, the not having it. And the not being able to keep it for very long.

But I do love me some hedonistic dancing.

Most important of all … I LOVE GETTING ON A PLANE.

pic from here

You may have heard me mention Fleet Foxes quite a bit … I saw their album at HMV the other day and got so excited, but I didn’t get it, because I have most of the songs on my ipod anyway, but honestly, if I should give anyone my money, it would be Robin Pecknold. So I shall buy it tomorrow.

Anyway, a rare visit to Stereogum led me to the music video for the gorgeous song White Winter Hymnal.

Yes, that song does make me think of mushrooms and rivers and nature in general … and wooohooo for sugar standing in for snow.

Live From Abbey Road is the kind of show I probably should have paid more attention to but the whole feel of it is too depressing for me. That said, this is beautiful:

(fast forward to the song, which is abt a minute in)

If this version makes you weep too, you can download the audio capture I made of it here.

If you need some surefire-spirit-raising music, I’ve also helpfully got something for you here.

For fear of getting dumped into prison, I shall just hint at what it is: new work from biggest band in the world who doesn’t need my money (or yours either) and who made a surprisingly … textured album.

Oh shoot, I said album. (four stars, no less!)

Really, Chris Martin doesn’t need anybody’s money. He really wants all of us to steal his album and send the money we would have spent on it to Africa.

I’m pretty sure about that.

I refused to watch the match because I’m a wimp and I knew Mr Pants-Terselit was going to keep butting until he got what he wanted.

And he did.

C’est triste.

he looks so cool. (no matter what i’ve said of him in the past)

also, what a great concept in general. this is how you sell a magazine.

Christoph Niemann blogged over at NYT about how his sons are obsessed about the New York subway. Cute!

A chaperone on one of Arthur’s school trips told me something he overheard when all the kids were neatly lined up in rows of two. The girl holding Arthur’s hand asked him, “Have you heard of Peter Pan?” “No,” he replied, “have you heard of Metro North?”

NYMag calls this the blog of the saddest family in the world … cos Christoph just moved to Berlin! I wouldn’t have wanted to see the disintegration of his kids when he first told them about that …