2007 Brain Dump- Post One

2007.

Books (not in order)-

Underworld, Don DeLillo-

Fantastic, complex, appealed to my contemporary nerdy lit side. However, still on my re-read list because it was a rushed college read (she assigned 200 pages a night, there's no way I got everything out of it). It's a fresh take on a very tired subject- critique of the 21st century. I generally am turned off by straight forward 'anti capitalist conspiracy theory' books (because that's been said and done for years). This reads more like a quilt of history and the present. Good stuff.

White Noise, Don DeLillo-

Underworld inspired me to read this one, which is his more famous novel. Enjoyable, but a more simplified and straightforward approach to the same messages in Underworld. If you have the time, read Underworld instead.

Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart

Hilarious and grotesque. In more ways than one. Fat man protagonist, oil companies, everything American from an outside perspective.

Naked, David Sedaris

More of the same stuff, but I loved it. If you're between books always pick up David Sedaris, because it never fails you.

After Dark, Haruki Murakami

This is a Murakami snack book. Delightful if you enjoy his style, but not a good book to start with if you've never read anything else by him.

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami

Dreamlike, magical, scary, all things Murakami. Lose your head in this, it's fantastic. Maybe not a good starter book though if you've never read any.

Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko

This was a class read as well, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Pretty dark, but beautiful style. 21st Century American Indian protagonist, but a little more magic than a straight forward 'tragic struggle in America' novel. Quick read as well :)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer

Beautiful. I avoided this one for quite a while because I had never been able to get past the third chapter in Everything Is Illuminated (goal for 2008). Also because of the blurb on the back cover which claims it a novel about a young boy whose father died in 9/11. The topic made me cringe, I hate sappy novels about recent tragedies. Oh my goodness I was so wrong. This novel is beautiful, straight up the best one I read this year. I cried so many damn times and the novel isn't sappy at all, it's just beautiful. Jonathan Safran Foer is a wonderful writer, I have to give Everything Is Is Illuminated another shot. Very funny at points too, you have to read this.

The Waves, Virginia Woolf

Ahh, it'd been a while since I've tackled her. To the Lighthouse was one of the reasons I chose to be an English major in the first place. It's just so easy to get lost in the swirl of her text, also it never fails to pull you somewhere dark. The Waves was a perfect way to get back into it, and as always it's dark. This was of course a class read, which was good, I think that she's best read in groups because there are always approaches and subtleties that I miss on first read. If anyone wants to read another of hers with me in 2008, I'd love to pair up and talk about it. Damn I'm going to need a 'book club' and then I'll really be a fucking middle-aged yuppie :)

You Shall Know Our Velocity!, Dave Eggers

Everyone I've talked to about this one said "not his best," and immediately started praising Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Well, I'm about 2/3 through that one, and while enjoyable I think I liked this one better. Two male protagonists, slacker assholes traveling the world trying to give away money. I don't know why this appealed to me so much, but I think I identified with the idea of trying to be a world saver but not really knowing how to approach that without looking like a condescending asshole. Also a great glimpse of the world through 'uneducated' American eyes.

Well, there were more, many class reads, but there were the ones that stuck in my mind.

A tribute to the books I started in 2007 and put down at some point (generally after 2-3 chapters).

Invitation to a Beheading, Nabokov
Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, Lydia Millet
Master and Margarita, Bulgakov
Gulag, Anne Applebaum
Love in the Time of Cholera, Marquez

Maybe in 2008.

MUSIC (my top artists that I got into in 07)

Friend Opportunity, Deerhoof
Spazzy, catchy, conducive to head bobbing... perfect Meghann music.

This was the year of Sufjan Stevens for me. I saw him at the Paramount in February and it was absolutely magical. I love everything and I do not get sick of it.

I also finally got into Neko Case and she became a shower song standard almost immediately.

Along with everyone else in the known universe, I also really got into Beirut because it's exciting and there are a lot of instruments.

St. Vincent, lovely voice, can't wait for more.


MOVIES

I really loved Paprika (thanks Beth and Matt!). I also watched the series Samurai Champloo, which I want to rewatch marathon style soon. It made me cry, it was my first anime series. I guess this makes me a real geek now (because I wasn't already before...). I also really really loved The Darjeeling Limited because it is colorful and emotional and hilarious. Good stuff.

More later, time to clean and write thank you notes :)

BLARG

I am sick.

Dumplings

Last night's cocktail party was an amazing success. I had cleaned and cooked all day which was actually quite satisfying after everything worked out, and oddly enough, everyone who came seemed to bring vodka. Thus, I woke up this morning feeling a bit of a mess. Pretty martini glasses are scattered around my place, resting on window sills and the countertops... I can't even pick them up because the sight makes me feel queezy. Steve and I were discussing ordering delivery of some sort of breakfast because the thought of leaving the house was too daunting. Until it hit me, the perfect remedy. Dumplings. I've been craving dumplings off and on for about a month now, and was hoping to get my fix after my art show. The closest I got was 'dumpling' soup, so the craving went unfulfilled. My craving for dumplings this morning overpowered my fear of venturing outside, so we pulled ourselves together and hauled our butts down to the ID.

Dumplings are the perfect food. Salty, doughy, and generally at Dim Sum kind of surprising (I'm always a little bit in the dark as to what I'm actually getting inside each glowing dough ball). Dumplings are universally delicious as well, though perfected through the art of dim sum where they become the center of the meal, not as previously noted, an addition to a soup. One of my favorite dinners that my mom used to make was dumpling soup, which was essentially chicken stock, veggies and giant pillows of dumplings floating on top. Another great food memory was thanksgiving morning last year, Steve's mom served us some super delicate dumplings that had the soup INSIDE. Basically, if allowed I would probably eat variations of dumplings every day.

It's no eastern washington sunset, but it certaintly made me stop what I was doing and simply sit in the window sill and watch. My camera does it little justice, the orange was really brilliant. This would be my favorite place about my new home. Next favorite would be my crayon colored yellow, blue and green walls.

I'll even admit I love the cranes... though I rather fear what will replace them...

Love, Life, and Christmas

Hello good people!

After two years of being completely devoid of thoughts, meg's thoughts have returned. I'm inspired by Maddie and Reagan/Chris and find this a fairly successful way of keeping up with the lives of my friends (as if I didn't spend enough time stalking them on facebook of course).

This month has been insane. I've been swamped with learning the grants process at UW, putting together my very first art show, and of course doing everything within my power to enjoy the holiday spirit.

As always I picked out a tree that is too large for my living space... but that's the way I work. It looks so lovely and I get such a sense of pure joy every time I plug in the lights. The same goes for each present I wrap, each stupid snowflake cutout I put on my walls. Yesterday I watched 'The Snowman' on youtube (you know, the horribly depressing animation with sad piano song with the kid and snowman flying over the world??). I am currently listening to Jose Feliciano's 'Feliz Navidad,' Steve is dancing at me from the kitchen, my cat is sleeping under the tree (her new favorite place of course). Overall, I feel so incredibly satisfied.

I do struggle with this whole holiday situation. There are many things that cause me a bit of moral unease about Christmas. I'm not terribly religious (and by that I mean that I don't subscribe to a particular organized religion), but I believe in sharing good fortune, forgiveness and I tend to harbor a generally karmic sense of consequence. I do think that this holiday provides a reminder for such things, but Christmas in particular puts me in an odd place. I do not feel that I'm celebrating the traditional beliefs, so I don't really fit there. I hate being subjected to popular Christmas marketing strategies. I do truly enjoy buying gifts for strangers from the trees with tags on them, and like many, increase my level of giving to the community on a whole. I wish it didn't take shiny lights, music and songs including sleigh bells to elicit this sort of caring. I encounter many who find my love of this holiday sickening and find Christmas as a whole alienating and wasteful. I can't say that on the whole I blame them.

Steve has done a pretty good job of helping me find my balance (something I naturally lack, I'm finding more and more each day). I can't fight my nostalgic love of Christmas, but I can do more to cut my wastes (such as not purchasing those super ridiculous snowman potholders at Crate & Barrel), and I can focus on what this holiday really signifies for me which is giving to family, friends and community. I know, I'm super sappy right now, but I don't think I've ever tried to articulate why I am so insane about this holiday and I think it's fairly important to have reasons for the things we do.

Alright, enough seriousness. I'm considering making cookies for my neighbors as an excuse to get to know them. Does anyone know their neighbors anymore? We've pretty much made up everything we know about our next door neighbor whose front door is directly across from ours. We kind of failed at meeting some neighbors the other night. They parked in our parking spot and left us a note with their phone number. Some jerk parked in their spot and didn't leave a note. They joked "well, we figured it was a way to finally meet our neighbors!" they were a nice young couple that moved in last June and we discussed in the elevator how bizarre our lack of community is here at the Melrose. However, where we failed was inviting them for a drink or even finding out what apartment they live in. I don't even remember their names. This was the perfect opportunity and we, like shy and unassertive Seattle-ites generally do, passed it up for fear of seeming too forward. So, I guess a new goal for myself is to at least attempt to get to know the people who I share a living space with.

Alright, back to Christmas cards and chasing my cat.

Peace.

meg