at some point magazine editors have decided that fug is the new cover look

seriously, we all know that keira knightley is a pretty girl. maybe she's waaaay too thin but she's got a great face (and i've heard she's spectacular in 'atonement'- pause for a moment to think of james mcavoy...mmmmmm....ok, done). why would they put her in something like this for the cover of a magazine? why would they make a 22 year old look way older and washed out? why would they make her sooooo fug? that outfit makes me want to stick sharp things in my eyes so that i never have to see anything like that again. ever ever again.

now this is keira as she should be... pretty, fresh-faced, looking young, nice outfit. this should be a cover!!

but then there's this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wtf is going on here, people? she looks 40! and not a good, young 40- and old and haggard 40. the make-up is WRONG. outfit- WRONG. what's with the arm glove things? and the suspenders? is that so that we can see that she actually has no breasts at all? cus that's what i see!! who the hell approved this cover? where are her PR people? why would she let them do this to her?!?!?!?

she's not the only one. don't hate me, but i LOOOOOVE gwyneth paltrow. from 'sliding doors' to 'shakespeare in love' to 'proof'. i just can't get enough (we'll forgive her for 'bounce' for now). she has fallen victim to this fug is the new cover as well. she's soooo beautiful (she's the new grace kelly- and how fab is chris martin? i don't care if you don't like coldplay- his oxfam, make trade fair, charity work makes him a superstar in my book- plus he did that HILARIOUS guest spot on 'extras'). so what the hell happened on this cover?!?!

seriously, she looks like a man. and not an attractive one. why is she feeding a rat? why are her eyebrows so fing dark? why are her lips invisible? why does she look miserable? what the hell is going on? she's been in the industry long enough to know how to do damage control. where are her PR people? is she just trying to be so cutting-edge that it makes her that much cooler, but she's failed miserably? ugh, someone help.

see, this is my gwyneth...

look how beautiful she is. esp with her amazingly stunning mother blythe danner. this is my girl. beautiful, feminine. grace kelly. see how she has lips? see how her eyebrows match her face? see how she looks like a woman?

please help explain this new phenom. of the cover fug. it's driving me mental!!!

think your marriage has problems?

this story comes to us from the associated press (via msn)...

i'm just going to quote here because i don't know what to say other than, 'damn that's f-ed up'.

Twins separated at birth meet, get married

LONDON - Twins who were separated at birth got married without realizing they were brother and sister, a lawmaker said, urging more information be provided on birth certificates for adopted children.
A court annulled the British couple's union after they discovered their true relationship, Lord David Alton said.
"Everyone has a right to knowledge about their lineage, genealogy and identity. And if they don't, then it will lead to cases of incest," Alton said during a telephone interview Friday.
Alton first revealed details of the unusual case last month during a five-hour debate about a bill that would change regulations about human embryology.
"I was recently involved in a conversation with a High Court judge who was telling me of a case he had dealt with," Alton said according to a transcript of the Dec. 10 debate. "It involved the normal birth of twins who were separated at birth and adopted by separate parents.
"They were never told that they were twins," Alton said. "They met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."
Alton gave no additional details and would not reveal the name of the judge who told him about the case.

how sad must those two people be (and i mean in a mourning kind of way)? they think they've found their soul mates...and in a way they have. they must feel so much guilt about the incest, and yet be so conflicted about how they feel about each other.
do you think they'll ever be able to be close as brother and sister, or will they always look at each other and think about how they slept together? damn, that's f-ed up.

Why is everyone hanging at this guy's house? No, really. Somebody tell me!

remember when that crazy shit happened last year sometime when lilo (or lindsay trainwreck- whatevs) was hanging at bryan adam's place and she cliamed to have just gotten out of the shower and for some inexplicable reason was still wet and carrying a tea cup and dropped it and hurt herself? no? well, it happened people, and it was so fing nuts that nobody could believe it.

a) what the hell is with the, 'i had to get stitches because i broke a teacup' excuse? makes no sense.

b) why not dry off? why was this info divulged? were her hands wet and that's why she dropped the teacup? again, NO SENSE.

c) what the bloody hell is lilo (an f-ed up but a-list hot little starlet) doing hanging with bryan adams? yes, that bryan adams. 'summer of '69' bryan adams.

now this?!?!?!?!?!

(courtesy of swimatyourownrisk.com)

Amy Wino spent the past week at Bryan Adams’s villa in Mustique to freshen’ up for the new year. Apparently Amy says daily scuba diving trips with the Adams, and a gaggle of wild reef sharks at feeding time, have helped her kick her addictions. Yeah, Right.

who is bryan adams now that everyone's over there? what is the deal, people? somebody fill me in!!!

plus, doesn't crackhouse kind of look like she's about to die? not in a jokey way, but really.

Arrrgghhh, Scotland, why do you do it to me?

here's the headline...

The break-up of the union now appears inevitable

With nationalism on the rise in every corner, 2008 will see the UK stretched to breaking point. Yet still Westminster is oblivious.

here's the link...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2238275,00.html

this article discusses essentially what we've discussed before. scotland's going to pull out (thereby dissolving the united kingdom), now there are rumblings from wales and (as always) more of a kerfuffle in N Ireland.

here's what i really want to talk about though-- england, scotland, wales, and northern ireland are all a part of the EU (because they are all a part GB, and GB is an EU member nation). if any of them pulls out of the union that makes them great britain it will all dissolve and there will be no more GB. england alone is not an EU member nation. neither is scotland, etc...

so, if it all falls apart do they all get grandfathered right back in? do they all have to re-apply for member status (which takes YEARS)? does that mean that people who know hold UK passports and are members of the EU will no longer be members of the EU? how do they let people decide where they want to hold their citizenship (say you were born in england, lived there until you were 20 and then moved to scotland to work. you've lived there for 20 years, your kids were born there, but you still consider yourself english- do you get to pick to be english? and then are your kids english by default? or do they get to pick when they come of age? do you get to pick at all or do you just become a citizen of whatever country you happen to live in (no matter how long you've lived there or where you were born)?).

this is so infinitely complicated i just can't even stand it!! there's no precedent for anything like this in the EU. i haven't read the entire EU Constitution so i don't even know if they've made a provision for something like this happening.

why is scotland really trying to make life so much harder on me? i've always wanted to live in the UK. i've always wanted EU member status. i'm married to a scottish national. i wanted (note past tense) to raise my kids in scotland, but not if it means they won't be EU members. it's the best club in the world to be a member of, and damn it my kids will be members!! i understand why they want to break away, i understand why they want and what they want, but is there not some way that they can amend treaties, etc and take more control over their own country without actually completely breaking away?

why are they going this to me?!?!?! (not to mention to the people of N Ireland, if they have to re-apply for EU member status they will NEVER get it. they're not economically viable enough. neither is wales). way to fuck it up for everyone, scotland. think of all the other subjugated lands that are your comrades before you run straight to dissolution!!!

they can take away my EU member status, but they can never take away my FREEDOMMM!!

"Be Quiet, Audio Science, Mommy's on the phone!"

this may or may not make me a freak, but i've been thinking about what i am going to name my kids since i was about 14. i've always wanted to name them something unusual, without going overboard. gavs and i have decided that in a ideal world we would have three kids, two girls and a boy. we aren't totally agreed yet but i think that it's going to go like this (keep in mind that they'll be raised in scotland)-- girl 1) nola mary (and we're going to hyphenate our names- for the sake of blogging i'll leave that off, but for those of you who know us you know it'll be d...-f....)

girl 2) suki laire d-f boy 1) dantes robin andrew d-f (and yes, that dantes as in edmond dantes of count of monte cristo fame). now, gavin doesn't like the name Laire nor does he like Dantes. Suki has GOT to have a middle name with ls in it though (maybe lola, lolita, ladli, something like that) and i'm stuck on dantes so i think he's just going to have to deal. suki is an off spelling of a belle & sebastain song, 'sukie in the graveyard', dantes we all know, nola we all know, and the others are mostly homages to family (mary is my deceased mother's name, robin is my brother, and andrew is my brother's name and my father's middle name). Laire is just a scottish name that starts with L that i kind of like, so it's subject to change.

anyhoo, all of the thinking about baby names (and a nice chat with meeg) got me to thinking of all the crazy, wacky names that celebs name their kids.

i'm going to give you a little taste of what the up and coming generation has to deal with...

we'll start with shannyn sossamon who named her child Audio Science. i think she did it just because she's crazy.

jason lee named his child Pilot Inspektor, but that's because he's a scientologist and therefore doubly crazy.

ahhh, the classics (and excusables)-- moon unit and dweezil zappa. their dad was frank. he was allowed to be as wacky as he wanted. i LOVE the name dweezil (oh, wait. is that just because he's sexy?)

you can always count on Bob Geldof for a good crazy name like Peaches or the ultimate in crazy (and yet somehow i absolutely adore it) Fifi Trixibelle. bob is another one of those guys who's just off it so i guess he's excused (he played Pink in the movie, after all...does it get more trippy than that?).

penn jillette, on the other hand, is talentless and not cool and so had no excuse for naming his child Moxie Crimefighter. except that's kind of cool, too.

on the other side of the spectrum of celeb baby names that people make fun of are names like Apple and Moses Martin (and even Peaches Geldof). they're english, people! they've been naming their kids after fruit for ages-- just let it go!! as for Moses, who knew that Gwyn was part Jewish? not me, but apparently she is and she was paying homage to that part of her heritage, so i say go for it!

i think Jamie Oliver and his daughter Poppy Honey are just downright adorable. i love that name. couldn't be cuter (neither could he- i don't even mind the weird lispy thing!).

i also think that Romeo and Brooklyn Beckham are cute names (i especially love Brooklyn). Cruz, well- meh.

i think the lesson here people is that you never know if you're suddenly going to become famous for that novel you've always wanted to write (ahem), or for doing something totally obscure and random- so watch what you name your kids! it's a fine line between audio science and poppy honey. one's adorable. one will be beaten with sticks on the playground. you guess which is which.

kind of hiliarious bill gates spoofing himself (plus loads of celebs, hillary, barack, and al)

ok, this is just kind of hilarious. who knew bill gates had a sense of humor? and i love that all these people were willing to go in on it and make fun of him, too. you go, jay-z (and bono, and matthew, and george, and hillary, etc, etc.)!

ok this is one of the reasons i like her so much...

I'm going to give it to Obama, the man can give a speech. He seems totally accessible. I'd go have a beer with him, sure. I'd probably go have a beer with W, too, though so that's not saying much (hell, he would be a laugh a minute that W- and he wouldn't even know why you were laughing. Can you see him laughing along anyway, pretending to get why you're cracking up?). Forget the others, as far as I'm concerned it's Barack and Hillary. One or the other. They're both smart, well-educated, and I pretty much stand behind their platforms (give or take a few issues- but isn't that always the way?). But here's the thing...Barack is a baby. He doesn't know the system (you can say that we need fresh blood all you want, that's bullshit. If you don't know how to play the game the other boys are going to walk all over you). Hillary knows what's up. She's been in the White House. No, she wasn't the Pres, but Bill was and you KNOW that she was in on so much of what went on, not to mention the fact that if she were elected he would be there to help. God, if only I could vote for Bill again.
The problem with Hillary is that she isn't the orator her husband is. He's got any and every room in the palm of his hand. You know that he's smarter than you are, but he makes you feel like he's just an average guy. Hillary too often seems kind of stand-offish. She's smart and can speak, but you don't want to hang with her (which I DO NOT think should be one of the criteria that we use to decide who we're going to vote for). But here she is...unscripted, not being coached, just sitting at a coffee shop answering some questions. And this is the person that I want to see lead the country. Smart, capable, well-spoken, real, human.

god, i'm so depressed today.

i couldn't have said it better myself.

what the hell kind of glass is this?

i bought these glasses (cup glasses- not glasses for your eyes) when i lived in france in 2000. i asked a friend to bring them back for me. somehow only 2 of them made them back and i JUST got them a few days ago. one broke today and i'm gutted. i need help because i'd do a search and buy new ones, but i can't figure out what to call them. i know it's frosted glass, but what is it? marbled? i dunno... here's a pic, see if you can tell me what you think you would call this. i would love love love to buy some more, but can't until i know what they are!!

this last one is brown, but i had them in different colors. you'll notice the base color has a slight tint and then the spotty bits are darker. i had red and green and blue...

also, in the pic there's iced coffee in the glass so that might make it look a little weirder, but you can totally see what it looks like.

HELP ME! I NEED THESE GLASSES! THE CONSUMER IN ME IS HAVING A MELTDOWN!

to tat or not to tat aka is a fleur de lis a fleur de lis, even if it doesn't really look like one?

we all know that i am the original holder of the nola tat. got it in 2000 waaaaaay before it was popular. i have recently decided though that when i move to scotland in the spring of 09 that i would like to get a fleur de lis as well. i don't want just any ol' fleur de lis though. i want one that's super special and unique (and that's going to hurt like hell). so, i found this one that looks very little like a fleur de lis, but it obviously is one. i'd like you all to tell me what you think. should i get it (not in this color, but the same design) or should i go for a more traditional one?

please, comment comment comment! i really am asking for opinions here!!!

and just for you curious kids out there here's the original... (and those are my fingers above and below the tat, thank you!)

and here's a pic of meeg getting his fleur de lis just so that all of you who haven't seen it can (and cus i know we're all aching to see him without a shirt on...)

anecdote that is NOT for the faint of heart- i'm talking to you men here...graphic women's stuff coming...

ok, so i've never been one to be spot on (no pun intended) when it comes to my, erm, cycle. i'm usually a little late. always have been. whatevs. i used to write it down (cus that's the smart thing to do). for the last 6 months or so i haven't been though. so, today i'm just chillin' and i feel, well, blood (ladies know what i'm talking about- you can feel it start). i'm thinking to myself, 'my last one was maybe two weeks ago, this is waaaaay early'. i go check and lo and behold, a good amount. so, i start to panic. i call my dad (who is an MD and i can talk to him about these things), and he says, 'go get a pregnancy test, but don't worry. it's probably just hormonal spotting, blah, blah'.

here's where the funny part of the story comes in. i rush to cvs (sans bra) and call my husband who is at work. he seems confident that it was longer than two weeks ago and that at most i am a few days early. i am not so sure. yes, it's bizarre that he would remember these things better than i.

so, i'm in cvs and i think, 'if my last period was longer ago and i'm just early then i need tampons. if it wasn't...well, i need a pregnancy test like my dad said'. so, i grab both and go up to the counter. i'm a little panicked so i also ask for a pack of cigarettes. i look up at the 60+ year old man ringing me up and say, "i know this has to be one of the weirdest combinations of purchases ever. please don't judge me. i AM married, you know"

a) why did i have to justify buying a pregnancy test by saying i was married?

b) why did i feel so guilty buying cigarettes and a pregnancy test? (ok, i know the answer to that)

c) the guy gave me the weirdest look that pretty much said, "say whatever you like, babe. judgment has already been cast- you harlot!!"

i still don't know what's up- i just got back and have to wait to be able to take the test but i'm sure (touch wood) that i'll be ok. just thought that some of you would find it amusing that i'm asking cvs cashiers not to judge my am i/am i not/i am stressed and therefore going to damage a potential child for life purchases.

meeg thought it was funny, anyway.

friday's brush with fame.

so, i was sitting at work minding my own business (not reading craigslist) today (oh, i guess that was yesterday now), and these two guys walk in to get something notarized. i noticed right away that they were a) super cute and b) and blinged as i have ever seen anyone. seriously, i've never actually seen one of those 3 inch solid diamond watches- but now i have! it was actually kind of hot in an, i could sell that and buy a house, sort of way.


those of you who know me know that i'm a goofy-ass to begin with, and that i'm usually really good with new people. i have no issues goofing with people i don't know or being silly, playing around and making jokes, whatever. new people don't scare me and i'm good at providing that little bit of entertainment (thank you all those years at coffee shops!!). so, we're signing papers and what-not and i'm joking around with them the whole time. we're all laughing and they were super cool. i also noted that they had just shelled out 6 figures for a new car (not like that made me like them more, but still noteworthy).


after talking to them for a while and finishing up their paperwork they tell me that they are rappers. they're with power and money (the label that, if i'm not mistaken, is new orleans/atlanta and has something to do with cash money records, too). so they go and get me a cd and one of them signs it for me. they're called the Magnolia Boyz.


it was all cool. the really cool one (tigity) asked for my number (and i mentioned gavin- who listens to rap, so he wasn't hitting on me or anything). he said that when they were playing shows and what-not that he would call and get us on the lists. i don't know if he lost that number 20 seconds after i gave it to him or what but it was nice of him to offer (it was also nice of him to give me the cd and sign it).


they asked if i had a break coming up and i said that i could just put up the 'gone to the bathroom' sign and go take a break if i wanted. so, we all went out and hung out by tigity's new car while they were waiting for one of their friends to show. again, they were funny and nice and all about joking around and just generally being cool. i'm not big on their brand of rap, but i have to recommend them just based on the fact that they were cool as hell, y'all!! here's the pic tigity let me snap of him (way to always carry a camera, nicole!!).

cool, no?

my two fave things. craigslist and gang bangs.

as some of you may know i do fuck all at work most of the time. i'm a notary/lawyer/whatever. when i don't have a client/customer in the office there's just nothing for me to do. so, i have to be creative. i sit online a lot. i talk to meeg and dave on gmail (and some others- occasionally i participate in some good gBanter), i read (if there's a book that interests me at the moment), i bebo, facebook, myspace. In short, i do everything and anything that will pass the time. for some reason lately i have taken to reading the 'casual encounters' section on craigslist. i think that this is because my friend stephanie is obsessed with 'missed connections' and i think that she's convinced that someone, somewhere, someday will see her in a cafe and pine for the woman he didn't have the nerve to talk to (and then he'll post it on craigslist, of course-"you, woman in white strappy shirt and flowing skirt. beautiful, long blonde hair. you ordered an iced latte. me, short brown hair in the green sweater. i had a caramel cappuccino. you smiled at me and we shared an unspoken yet intense moment. could it be possible that you're the one? i hate it that i was too nervous to talk to you then. is there anyway that the fates will be kind and bring you back to me? please write soon.).
anyway, 'casual encounters' is ccccrazy. of course, there are just the (sort of) normal people who post because they just want to have sex with someone and they don't feel like trolling the bars. there are also tons of scam ads (woman seeking men- and then you open it and there's a website you have to join). but then there are ads that are just so kinked out that they even make MY jaw drop (which is pretty hard to do).
Like this one that i found (oh yeah, there were pics too. yummy).

I am looking for some guys for gang bang right away. bi guys welcome also. email pics or stats .

ok, everyone has their things, and i am ALL for it. i say that anything consenting adults do is fantastic. whatevs. live and be happy.

but i still love it and think it's awesome and funny that there are people out there posting because they really need a gang bang right away! not just i need sex now, but i need sex with lots of people ASAP.

who would have ever thought that the words 'gang bang' would end up appearing in one of my posts multiple times? (don't you dare answer that!!!)

breaking news...lenny kravitz is boring as hell

so, gavin sees a lot of celebs as he works at whole foods (and where else is a good celeb going to shop in new orleans- certainly not the one in metairie- pffftt). he told me just the other day that lenny kravitz came in the store with an entourage of skinny ass chicks (i've met him before and can attest to the fact that he goes nowhere without these, erm, lovely ladies), and (naturally) his PA. his pa went up to gavin and asked where the water was. gavin started to say that the cooler with the single bottles of water were... and then lenny pipped up with, 'no, man. i only drink room temperature water.' so, gavin showed him where that was.

in all fairness i like my water room temp, too and if i could have an entourage of skinny chicks and a PA i'd be all over it, but really! do they have to go to whole foods with you? the water ailse is a WHOLE aisle. now all of these people are too lazy/dumb to just read the big signs over the aisles? what's going on lenny. ohhhhhh, he was probably high. that makes it ok then.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year's everyone! I hope you're all eating your cabbage and black eyed peas. I was going to do a post about weird New Year's traditions, but I found that most of them involve eating with family, blowing things up (usually fireworks), and dropping big balls (wow, that sounds bad). So, instead of an informative post about people in remote parts of asia who must eat rice balls and fish on new year's day, or the fact that it's not actually new year's day in china, i'm just going to say... happy new year, everyone!!

I hope that 2008 brings you all health, happiness, love, prosperity, and a democrat in the White House (don't even ask me which one, that's a kettle of fish we just ain't opening right now).

love to you all.

oh yeah, and if everyone could please try to be a little more 'green' in 2008 we (me and al) would really appreciate it. go out and shop for those solar panels, people!!!

much love,

nic

Vocab lesson!!!

i've decided that we all need to learn some new words (or reacquaint ourselves with some fab ones that we don't use as much as we should). so, i've picked 26 words (hmmm, where did i get that number? that reminds me of the time when allyson and i were watching ms america and they kept talking about the 51 contestants. we kept looking at each other saying, "when did they add another state? how the hell did we miss this? what is going on here?". then we figured out that number 51 was ms washington dc. duh).
we are going to have a new word for each letter! everyone ready to learn?

1. abecedarian (noun) 1. a beginner in any field of learning. 2. a person who is learning the letters of the alphabet.

2. bathos (noun) 1. in speech or writing, a ludicrous descent from the sublime to the commonplace; an anticlimax. 2. sentimentality, mawkishness. *related word- bathetic- adj

3. chrestomathy (noun- plural chrestomathies) a collection of choice literary passages, especially to help in learning a language.

4. dipsomania (noun) an uncontrollable craving for alcoholic drink. (you know who you are!!)

5. existentialism (noun- ok we all know this one, but i love it too much) a philosophical theory emphasizing that a person is responsible for his own actions and free to choose he development and destiny.

6. frisson (noun) 1. an emotional thrill. 2. a shudder of emotion.

7. gloaming (noun- again, we know this one, but i love it and we don't use it enough) the evening twilight; dusk.

8. houri (noun) 1. a beautiful and voluptuous woman. 2. a beautiful virgin provided in paradise for each faithful Muslim.

9. inamorata (noun) a lover; a sweetheart

10. jeremiad (noun) 1. a prolonged mournful complaint about one's troubles. 2. a lamentation.

11. kismet (noun- we know this one, too) fate; destiny.

12. lucubration (noun) 1. laborious work, especially late at night. 2. a literary work, especially one of pedantic or elaborate character.

13. metier (noun- we know, we know) 1. a person's trade, profession, or field of work. 2. a specialty, a forte.

14. nugatory (adj) 1. trifling, worthless; futile. 2. inoperative, ineffective, not valid.

15. orison (noun) a prayer.

16. paronomasia (noun) 1. word play; punning. 2. a pun

17. quidnunc (noun) 1. a busybody. 2. a gossip.

18. repine (verb) 1. be discontented. 2. fret.

19. sciolist (noun) a superficial pretender to knowledge.

20. tarantism (noun) a mania characterized by an irresistible urge to dance, popularly and incorrectly supposed to result from the bite of a tarantula.

21. uxorious (adj) 1. foolishly fond of one's wife. 2. of an action, showing such fondness.

22. voluptuary (noun) a person whose life is devoted to indulgence in luxury and sensual pleasure, a sybarite.

23. wunderkind (noun) 1. a child prodigy. 2. a person who achieves great success, especially in business, while relatively young.

24. Xanthippe (noun) a shrew, especially a shrewish wife; a scold.

25. yclept (adj) called (by the name of)

26. zeitgeist (noun) the trend of thought and feeling in a period of time.

to continue our norwegian theme...

i would like to talk about the author Knut Hamsun and at the same time pose a philosophical question that has moral implications (thank you, issac).

Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author. A nobel prize winner for literature, at that. He was also a Nazi.

about his work- it is said by some that his first novel, Hunger, presaged the writings of Kafka with its internal monologue and bizarre logic.

his most common theme is that of the wanderer (who is often the narrator in his novels), a man who shows up and insinuates himself into the life of small rural communities. this theme shows itself in at least four of his novels.

He was a naturalist, and often wrote huge passages about the wonders of nature and the beauty of the Norwegian woodlands. for this he is associated with the spiritual movement pantheism. He saw mankind and nature united in a strong, sometimes mystical bond.

He won the nobel prize in 1920.

POLITICS- for this i am going to quote straight from another source as it's just to much to paraphrase and i can't even bring myself to write about these horrible things--

Hamsun was a prominent advocate of Germany and German culture, as well as a rhetorical opponent of British imperialism and the Soviet Union, and he supported Germany both during First and the Second World War. Following a meeting with Joseph Goebbels in 1943, he sent Goebbels his Nobel Prize medal as a gift.
While in his 80s, and largely deaf, Hamsun met with Adlof Hitler.

this is my own now-- as the story goes, after Hitler's meeting with Hamsun, Hitler was so disgusted by how despicable Hamsun was that he told his assistant that he never again wanted to meet the man, and that he was the most horrible person he had ever met in his life. that's saying a lot coming from fing Hitler!

Hamsun wrote Nazi propaganda and after Hilter's death called him, "a warrior for mankind".

Here's my philosophical question: Hamsun is unarguably one of the greatest writers of all time. His works are genius and his portrayal of the human condition is astounding. Should we ignore the fact that he was such a horrid person and take his art at face value, respecting it as we would had he been a great man, or should we boycott him? should we refuse to read the works of a man that was obviously such a horrible human being?

in short- can you separate the art from the artist?

jan saudek

i would like to draw everyone's attention to a not so new photographer who i am infatuated with. i've loved this guy's work for about a decade. even his prints run into the 100s of dollars, but he is bloody fantastic!! here's an example of his work (one of my faves). google him and check it out.

ohhh the recipe cards...how i love them (still)

i'm not going to take credit for any of this. meeg was the one who found them about 5 years ago and when i saw them i laughed so hard i woke him up (this was when we were living together and i think he was napping or something). i'm going to post my faves and this woman's hilarious commentary that goes with them. seriously, she's a genius!!

Chicken Liver Bake: enjoy it with the ashes of a loved one.
Or maybe what's left of the chickens are in that urn. Maybe the chickens were your loved ones.
But chickens never love back enough. And that's why you have to KILL them. And eat their livers ritualistically. And then they're a part of you forever. Forever.

These are the saddest diet beverages ever.
The one on the right is skim milk and orange pulp. The one on the left is made with water, sherry extract, and two beef bouillon cubes.
No, really.
Well, there's also celery in it. Oh, and SELF-LOATHING.

I have no idea what "shashlik" is. All I know about this dish is that it's meat. And that the meat's, uh... caucasian.

My guess is they tried being consistent with the plural at first, and then decided that SNACKS ON STICKS sounded too disturbing. Like Apocalypse Now food or something.
This is frozen coffee, people. Yeah, it almost sounds kind of good, until you freeze a whole bunch and take them out and look at them and hit a few of them together and hear them go thunk thunk, and say, "oh fuck this shit," and drop the whole tray on the floor in disgust.

ok, you'll just have to read the rest of them for yourself. they are all just too funny. here's the link... enjoy!!! http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

shocker!!! brangelina shop for kids in nola!!!

ok, so we all know that the world's most famous for being overrated couple in the world are sometimes inhabitants of our fab-fab city. we also know that i love brad for his 'make it right' program and for all of the work he's doing in the city and for all of the positive attention he's bringing our way. what i hate is that angelina is doing NOTHING. she doesn't appear with him when he does press stuff about new orleans, she's never seen tooling around the 9th ward with him, NADA. what she does do is go out to bars (shall i mention where she can be found? i think i shall-- she loves the circle bar the most apparently) and she eats. a lot. they love to go to angeli in the quarter (they have money, you'd think that they would be able to afford better food. i guess it's a good, kid-friendly place though. anyway, it's not surprising that they blow a lot of cash when they're here. they shop a lot (don't they always).

also, they are here right now. brad's doing his 'make it right' thing and they have told everyone that they are spending the christmas and new year holidays at their home in nola. they have been seen around, so this ain't no lie. best of all, they were seen just a few days ago at a place that is very familiar to me (and should be to meeg as well given that we lived just down the street). here are some shots of the famous duo shopping at the kid's store Pippen Lane (it's right there by that CC's near where we used to live, it's in that same little shopping center thingy). it's super, super expensive (not like they care), but i've shopped there for friends who've just had babies or for baby birthdays. their stuff is fab, and if i had their money (and an ass-load of kids) i'd be all about that place.

enjoy your new toys, shiloh!!

ps- doesn't she look totally bedraggled? she needs to head across the street to belladonna for some serious spa therapy!! he doesn't look that bad, though.

ok, well this is just funny (and kind of gross)

A Catholic priest in Colorado went jogging one morning before sunrise – naked. The priest said that he didn’t think anyone would be around so early in the morning, and that he sweats profusely if he wears clothes while running because he’s heavyset, according to police reports. The priest was placed on administrative leave.

um, is it just me or isn't sweating part of the point? maybe if he broke a good sweat he wouldn't be so "heavyset".

hmmm....

Crackhouse

ok, i know that we are plagued these days with celeb queens (and i don't mean the drag kind) going ape and acting like total fools (hello, britbrit!!!), but there is one that i think takes the cake (or snorts it, most likely), and that's amy winehouse. now, when i first heard her i thought, "awesome. i like her songs(ish), she has a great voice, she doesn't conform to that pop-tarty look, and she seems kind of cool". but what the fuck is she getting into now?

first this insane-o marriage to a man whose main goal in life is to be just like pete docherty (we won't go into how much i love 'the libertines' or how hot i actually think our little petey is because, let's face it, he's a junkie mess).

so, back to amy. her husband is now in jail because of some weird-ass plot he and some friends cooked up to fix some sort of trial (i really don't know what happened here, but bribing witnesses never turns out well, unless it actually turns out well, and this is not one of those times). since her husband, blake, has been in jail amy has been a mess. she's lost weight (is that possible?!!), she's been seen wandering the streets of london in her underwear (which usually i wouldn't mind but she looks like death), she has been photographed with coke in her nose (literally), and she is just generally falling to bits.

her talent is now moot. she is now famous for being a trainwreck and it's such a shame.

latest breaking news about Crackhouse-- she's going to end up in jail in Norway for some drug offence!!! wtf!! can someone tell me why this woman who has a great voice and who could have a great career can't get her shit together? i mean, look at her!! someone save her, quickly! she looks like she's about to die!!!

i think my soul might need saving...

but i'm not sure which direction to go in. there are so many faiths, so many off-shoots of so many faiths, so many crazy people...what is a girl to do? how about we do a little investigating and decide what path i'll take, shall we?

HINDUISM- ok, so first of all hinduism isn't actually one religion. it's more like a catch-all phrase for a bunch of different yet similar faiths that began in ancient India. there are dozens upon dozens of deities in the hindu pantheon, the most important being Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer), and Shiva (the destroyer). the destroyer isn't actually a bad thing though. life without shiva would be impossible, as the hindus believe that life is cyclical. there can be no rebirth without destruction.

some of the most important beliefs in hinduism are 1) the belief in karma. hindus essentially believe that what goes around comes around. if you are bad, you will be punished either in this life or the next. 2) hindus believe in reincarnation. after we die, the atman (the immortal soul) is born into a new life, and so on and so on. this endless cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. what you're reincarnated into is determined by your karma (so be good, people. buying me presents will get you far). the ultimate goal in hinduism is freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth (moksha). there is no real vision of heaven in hinduism. the idea is there but there's no real description of the experience. i guess we can assume it's supposed to be a good one.

BUDDHISM- buddism and hinduism are not all that dissimilar. in fact Sidhartha, the Buddha himself, was raised as a Hindu. both religions believe in reincarnation and karma. one of the key differences between the two religions is that there are no gods in buddhism. buddha himself was not a god (he was more like a prophet). anyone who meditates to the point of enlightenment can become a buddha as well. there are good rules in buddhism (as in all good organized religions), like the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path. these are basically instructions on how to lead a good life and how to reach the level of enlightenment.
the key in buddhism is meditation, meditation on emptiness (sunyata). it is the key buddhist concept that teaches that life and the universe is impermanent and illusory. as in hunduism, the ultimate purpose of all of this is to escape samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth). when one does they are liberated to nirvana- where they will be free from longing or attachment. reaching nirvana is very difficult and you'll go through ages upon ages of reincarnation until your karma is such that you deserve to be at this highest of high levels.

ZOROASTRIANISM- (this one's for you, meeg) according to zoroastrianism one cannot convert in, you must be born into the faith. it was founded about 3,500 years ago and it's one of the earliest monotheistic religions. it shares ideas with Judaism and directly influenced Christianity and Islam. zoroastrians believe that there is only on god (Ahura Mazda), who created the world and is entirely good. They believe that the duty of man is to align himself with Ahura Mazda through "good thoughts, good words, and good deeds". There is a devil figure as well (Angra Mainyu), who is the source of evil (including death). They also believe that the spirit of evil contaminates dead bodies, making them so impure that they can contaminate the ground. so, they dispose of bodies in the most interesting way possible. it is common to hire corpse bearers to take bodies to a "pillar of silence" where they are exposed to the sun and scavenger birds. they also believe that Ahura Mazda's infinite mercy will eventually allow everything and everybody to be perfected- emptying hell and providing the happiest of happy endings for everyone.

SHINTOISM- it's the traditional religion of japan (and i think it's kind of the coolest). it's so ancient that nobody can say when it was founded or who it was that founded it. rituals vary between families and locations but their basic goal is the same- to strengthen the relationship between people and kami (kind of like gods, but more like spirits). kami can be anything from forces of nature, to deceased loved ones, to mount fuji. getting in touch with kami requires personal and group purification and elaborate rituals.

in the shinto faith humans are born pure and good, but our souls can become 'dirty' as we age (either by bad deeds or just bad luck). all impurity is seen as the work of evil spirits, which are banished with rituals.

shinto has no absolute moral laws, no leaders to obey, and no rules against adhering to other religions (many people who practice shinto also consider themselves buddhists). shinto doesn't really have much to say on the afterlife. death consists of a 'dark land' or a 'high plain of heaven', but it really doesn't go into much more detail than that.

SCIENTOLOGY- now it's time for fun!! it's totally unclear how many people are scientologists. the actual church claims it's in the millions but independent researchers have found far fewer than that. it was founded in 1954 by crazy-ass L Ron Hubbard. they believe that every person has an undying, unchanging soul called a thetan. for most of us, that soul is locked in an uncontrollable cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. the only way to alter this is to become enlightened (which means realizing that you are an undying soul and understanding the fundamental truth of the universe). problem is, everyone's truth is different, so you have to follow your own truth. you must rid your body of dangerous chemicals (even if you have postpartum depression) and rid yourself of all of the traumas of your past (both past life trauma and childhood trauma). to do this you go through counseling (that is scientology-specific, and for which you must pay. in fact, the higher you go in terms of your teachings, the more you have to pay). what makes scientology even weirder is that because your truth (and your universe) is unique to you, so is your afterlife. if you reach the highest level (an operating thetan) you can pick what your afterlife is going to be like (they can even opt to be reborn as tom cruise).

ISLAM- according to the Qur'an, there is only one God who is worshiped by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Muslims believe that God keeps sending prophets to try to set us straight, but that we keep messing it up. only followers of the last and greatest prophet, Muhammad, no what's really up. to be a really good muslim you need to live in submission to the will of god. to do that you must follow the 5 pillars of islam- 1) believing that there is only one god and that muhammad is his prophet 2) praying 5 times a day 3) taking care of the poor and the needy 4) fasting during the month of Ramadan and 5) making a pilgrimage to mecca.
for most mulims heaven doesn't come until the final day of judgement BUT there are shortcuts. you can bypass the waiting by becoming a religious martyr and there are some who believe that people who die by fire, drowning, or some other gruesome means can head straight into the arms of the virgins as well.

YORUBA- yorubans were brought from africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. they were victims of the slave trade and were forced to meld into the melting pot. in the process they created small but prominent religions in the americas, like santeria and voodoo. the pure yoruban religion believes that there is one supreme god (olorun) who rules over a pantheon of smaller, lesser gods. worshipers might follow a particular deity or seek help from any of them if need be (i think of them sort of like the catholic saints). fortune-telling is very big in yoruban religion and most practitioners believe that fortunes can be told and even changed. they believe that people can be reborn if they still have unfinished business or lessons to learn on earth.

SIKHISM- founded in india in 1499 by the founder Guru Nanak. he set out to change the oppressive caste system by declaring that all people should be treated as god's children regardless if class or sex. he emphasized the importance of an individualized relationship with god, banning religious icons, pilgrimages, fasts, and everything else that feels like superstition (including intitiation rites). if you want to be a sikh, you just start being one. it's that easy. they focus their spiritual energy on prayer and honest living. they believe that this builds good karma for the next life and that they will eventually leave a mortal existence for an eternity of oneness with god. the one symbolic thing that is most associated with sikism is that males wear turbans to cover their hair, which they never ever cut. it is seem as a symbol of god's gifts to man and leaving it uncut symbolizes gratitude for those gifts.

i think that that's about it for now. i'm going to write a post later about Christianity and Judaism (as i think that those two are big enough subjects for their very own posts).

hope you've enjoyed our little lesson.

Scotland leaving Great Britain (and possibly the EU)?!?

As many of you probably don't know the Scottish Nationalist Party now has a majority in the Scottish Gov't. One of their biggest platforms is a call for Scottish independence. In the short term this might seem like a good idea. Scotland does have the North Sea Oil, after all. Problem is, that's only going to last for about another 10 years. Where does Scotland get their money after that? And if they pull out of GB does that mean they lose EU member status as well (which would be tragic and detrimental to their economy).
I know that Scotland has wanted to be free of the English yoke since Edward I, but come on! I feel like they're only going to hurt themselves here.
Check out part of the SNP's manifesto and tell me what you think about them pulling out of GB.

I agree with a lot of what it says (like pulling out of Iraq), but doesn't some of it sound a little ambitious (cus yeah, they'll be like Norway in no time!)

passionate about independence and equality for our nation.
The 300-year old Union is no longer fit for purpose. It was never designed for the 21st century world. It is well past its sell by date and is holding Scotland back.
The SNP believe Scotland and England should be equal nations – friends and partners - both free to make our own choices.
Scotland can be more successful. Looking around at home and at our near neighbours abroad, more and more Scots believe this too. Independence is the natural state for nations like our own.
Success for Scotland
Scotland has the people, the talent and potential to become one of the big success stories of the 21st century. We can match the success of independent Norway – according to the UN the best place in the world to live. We can do as well as independent Ireland, now the fourth most prosperous nation on the planet.
With independence Scotland will be free to flourish and grow. We can give our nation a competitive edge.
Peace and Prosperity
Together we can build a more prosperous nation, a Scotland that is a force for good, a voice for peace in our world.
Free to bring Scottish troops home from Iraq.
Free to remove nuclear weapons from Scotland’s shores.
Free to invest our oil wealth in a fund for future generations.
Peace and prosperity - equality and opportunity.
These are some of the best reasons for independence and why the SNP trust the people of Scotland to decide on independence in a referendum.

i forgot to mention...

for all of you who celebrate christmas (or xmas) i wanted to say that i hope that you have a wonderful day!! i hope you get everything you want. oh yeah, and if you need my address to send me my gifts, just let me know. hehe. question is... am i joking about that one? i'll let you be the judge!!

i'm so hungry i could die

so i was reading this article about foods that people will die to get their hands on (literally). surprisingly, many of them look nasty (almost as nasty as nato looks, but that's a post for later).
here are a few that i thought were, um, intriguiging.

1) Iwatake- when one happens to be exploring the artic (like you do) sometimes food becomes a little scarce. in order to survive some explorers have been known to scrape papery-crisp lichen off rocks and boil it into edible food. one explorer even said that if she took the leather from her shoe and boiled it it would taste better than this crap. this is where the interesting part comes in...
turns out that this very same food (if it can be called that) is a delecacy in japan (hot damn, the japanese know how to make some nasty crap-- see comment about nato). the best part is how they obtain it... for this i am going to quote directly from the article-

"iwatake (iwa meaning rock, and take meaning mushroom) is so highly sought-after that harvesters are willing to rappel down cliff faces for the precious growths. (It takes about a century for the lichen to get to a worthwhile size.) Needless to say, this is specialty work. As if the rappelling isn’t tricky enough, iwatake is best harvested in wet weather, because the moisture reduces the chance that the lichen will crumble as it’s pried off with a sharp knife. In its preferred preparation, the black and slimy raw material is transformed into a delicate tempura. And while iwatake in any form doesn’t taste like much, it’s esteemed for its associations with longevity. As for the harvesters? Their longevity’s more questionable. “Never give lodging to an iwatake hunter,” goes an old Japanese adage, “for he doesn’t always survive to pay rent.”"

scaling a wet mountain for litchen to eat? mmm, i think i've found my calling!!!

2) Bird's Nest Soup
this one is so crazy i'm going to quote again as i can't even bring myself to paraphrase this kind of insanity...

"Cantilevered high off cave walls and cliffs along the seas of Southeast Asia are the nests of the white-nest swiftlet—a bird that’s managed to turn an embarrassing drool problem into a useful D.I.Y. project. The nests, sturdy constructions no bigger than the palm of your hand, are made from the birds’ spit. Yup, these swiftlets have specialized saliva glands powerful enough to turn their tongues into avian glue guns.You’d think being stuck in caves high above the ground, and the fact that they’re birds’ nests, would protect them against humans—but no. Ever since sailors first brought the nests home for the Chinese emperor and his family in the first century CE, bird’s nest soup has been a favorite among the country’s elite. Never mind that it’s virtually tasteless; the dish is revered for health reasons. Of course, acquiring the main ingredient is less healthy. Nest harvesters must stand on rickety bamboo scaffolding hundreds of feet off the ground in pitch darkness. They must also endure unbelievable heat and humidity as they try to avoid all the insects, birds, and bats that live in the caves. In addition, the extraordinary value of the nests means the zones are patrolled by machine-gun toting guards. Harvesting rights are multiyear, multimillion-dollar deals arranged with national governments, and poaching is ruthlessly prohibited. Unarmed fishermen have been shot dead after accidentally beaching in swiftlet territory, and local tour group operators pay exorbitant fees to avoid rifle-assisted leaks springing in their kayaks. It all underscores the fact that being a nest harvester is less of a career choice and more of a life sentence—especially considering that the skill is almost exclusively passed on from father to son."

so, next time you're craving some food and you think to yourself, "yeah, but that thai place is like 30 minutes away!" just think of these guys and it won't seem like such a big deal to go get your desired dish!

fuck off, kid. santa hates you

just a little entertaining piece of news i found.
if i were those kids i would cry. a lot.

Bad week for: Santa Claus, after the Canadian post office revealed that one of the 11,000 volunteers who respond to letters addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole had written obscene replies to at least 10 children. “We firmly believe there is just one rogue elf out there,” said a spokeswoman.

Make It Right

i know, i know. if i have to see or hear or read one more thing about angelina jolie and brad pitt i'm going to vomit. this is something totally different though. i now love him. he has founded a project here in new orleans called, 'make it right'. they are building eco-friendly affordable housing in the 9th ward. he is donating his own time and money and encouraging his famous friends to do the same.

Please check out the site, see if you'd like to give or donate time. they even have merchandise you can buy and the proceeds go to building those houses. have you been wondering why he's always wearing those hats lately? it's because they are 'make it right' hats. you can buy them from the site.

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/index.php?isDirect=true

the site has info on the architects that they are getting to design the buildings, what they're doing to prevent flood damage in the future, and much more.

i'm still sick of angelina, but now i'm in love with brad.

louisiana rebuilds

i just thought that i would post this link to this site called new orleans rebuilds.
it's the most amazing site ever.

it covers everything from fema issues to recovery assistance to charitable orgs. really, it has everything you can think of that pertains to recovery in new orleans.
scope it out, have a wander. there's so much good suff on it, it's amazing!!!

www.louisianarebuilds.info

more dirty coast

dirty coast super cool nola clothes!! check out the gift cards!

god i love the uscis...

so so so
gavin and i had our big stressful usics interview yesterday. i had predicted that it was going to be a giant mess. i read horror stories about it online and was about to pull my hair out. i made all of my poor friends write letters attesting to the fact that they knew we were a real couple. i was told to do all of these things by the crazy people online. here's a recounting of how the interview really went.

we went in with our photo album and all of our assembled papers (i was worried because we don't have joint bank accounts, he doesn't drive so he's not on my car insurace, neither of us have life insurance, etc). we walked into the room and a stern looking man warned us not to put anything on his desk (like that had even crossed my mind!). he made us put up our right hands and swaer to tell the truth, blah, blah. he then went over all of the standard questions with gavin (have you ever been arrested, do you plan on engaging in any terrorist activity while you're here (cus, you know, who says yes to that one?!?), etc. then he asked gavin about his employment (at which time my nervous husband pretty much blanked on what he does. it was super cute). he then asked how we met, asked for our wedding pictures, and then asked what stuff we had in common. he asked about joint bank accounts, and we said "none". he asked about life insurance, we didn't have any. he then said, "what do you have?" we gave him our joint health insuance, my spousal benefits for his whole foods stuff and our lease and letter from our landlord that stated that he knew we lived together (as he lives right next door). the only sticking point was that i was missing part of my 2006 irs crap. he gave me a letter and an address to mail it to and said that as soon as i got that and sent it that he would approve us. i ordered a copy of it from them last night (should be here in 10-14 days).

so, after all of that studying (he had to learn my bra size and we quizzed each other on the colors of our toothbruses) none of it mattered.

i think that my fave part of the whole interview was when he asked how we met. we both sat there in silence not knowing who he was talking to. finally i piped up with, "are you asking him or me?" and the uscis guy said, "i don't care". i just kind of laughed and told the tale.

5 minutes in and out and now all i have to do is send in one piece of paper.

woohoo! my husband isn't going to get kicked out of the country. how super cool is that?

morning drink of choice:
coffee

book i'm reading:
the golden compass (yes, AGAIN!)

what i'm dreading:
leaving for work in 10 minutes

it is nice and cool out side so that's something!

happy tuesday everyone!

it's been so long since my last post, i might need a bowl of gumbo to think...

so, winter has finally (sort of) descended upon us here in k-ville. we are now in that in-between stage (that we sometimes remain in all winter). yesterday was sunny and warm, last week it was cold, today is chilly, who knows what tomorrow will bring. i hope that the cold weather keeps up. i love wearing my winter clothes and never get to do it.
so, we're still going through visa madness. gavin and i have our uscis immigration hearing for his greencard in early december. while we're preparing for that, i am preparing to file for my visa to move to the uk. there are tons of forms and paperwork needed. it kills me that i have to go and purchase 5 copies of my birth certificate because the uk wants one, the uscis wants one, they're going to want one at biometrics, i need one to get my passport renewed... it's sheer insanity. we want to go in may or june but i'm not sure if everything will be processed by then. one can but hope that everything moves along speedily.
other than that, not much is going on here in the land of the lost. we are making our way through.
oh, one thing-- next weekend we're going to see an outdoor production of 'waiting for godot in new orleans'. it's set on a rooftop and characters enter on boats. i don't know what beckett would have thought about it but it should be interesting. we're also going to the 'celebration in the oaks' preview party on the 16th. our 1st wedding anniversary is the 18th, and we went to the preview party the night before we got married so we thought we'd keep that tradition alive while we were still in the country to do so. gavin's birthday is the 8th. he has to work that night. i'm not sure what to do about it. (good thing he never reads this). i was thinking about inviting some of his work friends and our other friends round for drinks and what-not, but when? if he works that night and we're going to the play the night after that and then he works sunday morning at 6am when is there time for a get-together? any suggestions? cus it's a mystery to me! (and i am running very very short on time here).
i did get two rejections from agents (i know, only two, i'll end with a million by the end, but each one is hard to take) but i did get in touch with an agent who does international work but lives in new orleans. turns out i took a lit class that her husband taught at tulane. when she first asked me what the book was about she was saying no, that it wasn't really what she takes on, but i somehow managed to convince her to accept a submission!! she wants a 10 page synopsis (which is more than i've ever heard of) and the first 75 pages. i think she might actually give me a fair shot. she asked for me to wait to submit until after thanksgiving, so i have plenty of time to prepare this insanely long synopsis. fingers crossed everyone!! i read up on her and she represents some pretty big clients. i'll keep you posted... as long as i keep getting my steady supply of thinkin' gumbo.
much love,
nic

it's all about me and scarlett

i'm hot even when i'm not....

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

let's see if this works. damn i'm hot!

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

art for art's sake

art for art's sake was tonight. it's the night of the year when all of the shops and galleries and museums open their doors and have free drinks and food and music. you just wander from place to place drinking and looking at art.
all week i was looking forward to it, thinking back on years past (when i always ALWAYS had an exhibit up somewhere). i remembered how much fun it was to sit in the place where my art was on display and see all of my friends. perhaps wandering down the street a bit every so often to see what was going on in other shops. there was always a friend to see, someone to bump into, hugs exchanges. it was my new orleans, all of my people assembled and having fun, loving art and music and life and one another.
this morning i woke up at 5am and began the final edit on my novel. i had my husband (who has his MA in english and scottish lit) go through the entire thing for me. i worked from around 8am to 4:30pm on the first six chapters. i made alterations as per his suggestions and some of my own. i was exhausted. i went to take a brief nap and ended up not waking up until 8:30. by that time art for art's sake is essentially over. i was so upset with myself. i had so badly wanted him to see this world, to experience what i had always loved so much, and i wanted to go back there myself.
and then i realized something that made me even more sad. what i had wanted to show him, the festival that i had wanted to go to was not there. it hasn't been there since october of 2004. i could have taken gavin out tonight but there wouldn't have been a central place for us to hang out. i had no exhibit. there would have been no gathering of the friends, there was no one central location where would all knew that we would meet. perhaps i would have bumped into a few people but that thing that i had for all those years, that night, those experiences, those will never be duplicated again. meeg won't be here to come out with me. kiki won't be able to come. carrie and dave are gone. everyone has scattered to the winds. there is no more twisted, there is no more pervette. those days of having that glorious time surrounded by my adopted new orleans family are gone. that part of the city is dead for me. i can never have it back. i can never show him what that was like. i can never go there again.
and this is one of the many reasons why i'm leaving. the magic is fading, has faded, will fade. the new orleans that i knew is no longer. it tries to hold onto itself- it still holds the festival but it is a ghost of what it was- for me anyway. i keep living here but i live in a world that is gone. i remember the things that were and try to pull them forward into the present by sheer force of will. this i cannot do. new orleans is now katrinaville.
even the things i mentioned in previous entries, like hansen's sno-blitz, they are ghosts. it is still there, and the sno-balls are still amazing. but the little old woman and little old man who always sat in the corner, who always looked on as you ordered from the shop they started in the 30s, they are dead. killed during the storm.
we will rebuild, we will be a whole city again. we will teem with life and music and art and culture, but for all of you who were here before take heed-- this is not the place you remember. it's resembles it so closely that it might fool you for a moment, but look closely and you will see. what you are looking at is not your former home, it is only the beautiful memories and the shattered remnants. and all of nagin's horses and all of blanco's men can't put nola together again.

novel

i finally finished the novel that i've been working on for over three years.
and that's all i have to say about that.

labor day

i'm loving today. i got christinna ricci on bebo and loads of others on myspace. i had the day off work. i went to earthsavers and bought some beautiful things with the giftcard that carrie got me for my birthday. i went to whole foods and got some salad and fruit. i saw suzie and had coffee. i stayed up all night and i finished chapter 7 and started 8. i think i might actually be done in less time than i thought. at this rate it could be as little as a month. i get to spend some time with gavin now and i only have a four day work week (not to mention i get paid this week!!)! i'm drinking sweet leaf mint and honey tea and sitting by my new lovely candle.
things are looking up.
i'm loving today.
stay cool.

not reading just now, writing instead
weather's nice
no storms headed our way
lots of day off left
new message from liam gallagher on bebo
going to watch tv and chill with my gavs.