Papillon (1973)

Based on the novel by Henri "Papillon" Charrière - a petty thief wrongly imprisoned for murder at a French penitentiary on Devil's Island, makes numerous attempts to escape. If you know the story, you know he makes it out, but how Papillon deals with prison life mentally, as well as his relations with fellow inmates, makes it that much more intriguing to watch. I also loved the attention to detail - specifically close-ups on bugs & animals - clever cinematography that kept it fresh and didn't make you think "Uhh I am watching a 2 & 1/2 hour prison/escape flick." Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen both were fantastic, Hoffman's character adding comic relief tastefully, with Steve McQueen showing everyone what a man he is too. If this is not your genre, watch it at least for the drop-dead gorgeousness of McQueen and that famous cliff-jumping scene.

QUICHE

A recent re-reading of Jeff Smith's 'Bone' had me obsessing over quiche this past week; a wonderful, succulent, amazing vegetable quiche I decided I had to get for breakfast on Friday at a bakery (I forget its name), which then kick-started my mom's quest to master quiches! More on quiche soon, perhaps, if I could stop myself from devouring it all in one go. Mmmm...

all things go

1. "Sure, if you re-paint it it'll last longer, but then it lacks a certain charm."
2. Work injuries. No big deal, but I somehow have one on my face too.
3. Thrifted belts snagged for $0.75, $3.75, $0.75.
4. I've always been obsessed with giant leaves and my sister always finds the best ones!
5. Started collecting the stickers off of fruit again, but years past have yielded better designs.

Life always shifts dramatically after mundane spells which makes is so worth living! Blissful obliviousness to sports madness (first with basketball and now with 'football'), voice-chatting with friend studying abroad in asia, postcards, thrift-shopping with mom, hanging out with boyfriend's family & then some, quilting, reading & then not biking nor swimming (both ending soon), flaking on hangouts but making up for and following through afterward, hiking, and finding inspiration in anything and everything makes for a glorious introduction to summer.

the mess is in your mind

I'm not ashamed that my bedroom is messy since it is also my 'studio' (when it's not a sweltering 90+ degrees - the perks of inhabiting the attic). And of course I know exactly where everything is... I got a stack of postcards at the Norton Simon & mailed some buds earlier this week. Feeling accomplished, but there's still so much to do!

sorry maxie

I was trying to recreate the 'Fat Tire Dog' look that I found on Google Images.

This one. Getting the big box next time!

uh oh

everybody's fucked!

lunch at blossom

My sister and I had lunch downtown at Blossom, a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant with two different seating areas (cafe style and family restaurant style), great music, and great service. The pho was delicious, as were the spring rolls. Now that I know there's a decent pho place by school I'm all set for next year's pho cravings. Awesome!

summer blonde - adrian tomine

I had only read Shortcomings before Summer Blonde, and though I've always been fond of Adrian Tomine's illustrations, I don't call myself a big fan of his storytelling, unless angsty, verbose, self-reflective bordering-on-the-mundane conflict is what I'm in the mood for. But maybe I judged too soon. Summer Blonde's strength is that it's a collection of four stories and we get a better glimpse of Tomine's world and what stories he wants to tell. I had a problem with the pacing in all but one of the stories; I would say the pacing and his writing are Tomine's greatest weaknesses. He shows a remarkable empathy for his characters, however - if you were to meet Tomine for the first time he'd probably figure you out in a heartbeat, though he would probably also embellish you with extra emotional baggage/issues as well. Back to his characters, though they're usually fleshed out they also lack a certain wholeness, which could be due to the issues said characters might be facing... as you encounter them you realize you're only peeking into a small part of their lives and their outcome is ambiguous. An entertaining read, read it for the art if not for a strong dose of Adrian Tomine-y goodness...

friends with guitars

I was blown away watching Joe and Allen play an alternating set in Irvine last week. Talent overload, plus funny/cute to boot. In the middle of the set a group of furries appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to dance to their songs, and one of them even tipped them a $20. Strange awesome times.

fun things

1. Summer-y/sunset-colored fingernails. Easiest way to ooze girly in my opinion. Fun, too.
2. Metal sharpie, what the ...! It's like when I was younger how I thought cheap plastic lighters were awesome until I was introduced to Zippo lighters. Damn.
3. Tabasco chocolate, nuff said.

Man Bites Dog (1992)

A brilliant documentary-style satire in which a film crew follows a charismatic, knowledgeable, well-liked and sophisticated man who also happens to be a vicious serial killer. The ultra-violence of the film protagonist's/antagonist's murders forces the viewer to wonder 'Why am I still watching this?' and true to cinema verité, makes apparent that the film crew members are conflicted with the need to intervene in the crimes or to keep rolling to preserve the reality of the situation. The film is a commentary on the media's effect on violence in society - how people cannot resist the initial horror of a tragedy or gruesome death, but when they feel they should look away, it is far too late.