On My Bookshelf

This is one of the most bizarre books I've read in a long while. I'm only about a quarter of the way through but the subject matter is so potent. It's non-fiction, true crime, but it reads like literary fiction. The author's voice is barely present. The entire "story" is told by the various voices of friends, socialites, family members, police reports, hospital reports, newspaper articles, and letters. Everyone contradicts each other and the reader is constantly unsure what to believe. The family this book chronicles is... interesting, to say the least. Wealth, empire, high society, all that good stuff, collides to create a fantastical, but disturbing, portrait of insanity. I am very curious to see the film, which stars Julianne Moore. But, I want to wait until I have finished the book, so I have a point of reference from which to draw. Films never seem to capture their literary counterparts as well as they could. In some cases, though, they can often stand on their own, like The Constant Gardner. (For example, the film and novel are complimentary, not shadows of each other). Anyhoo, I highly recommend it. The atmosphere is very "Leave it to Beaver" because it takes place in the fifties and sixties. The writers have researched the family with a fine toothed comb, and provided every tid bit of relevant background information the reader could possibly need. At times it is contradictory, purposely so, just to prove to the reader how fallible "eye witness" accounts can be. These tactics, on their part, are what make this book so effective. So far, the most astoundingly bizarre moment in the text is that a short story, written by a member of the iconic, wealthy family, is included: "Milk". The reader will not know what conclusions to make; but first, he/she will have to scrape his/her jaw off the floor from sheer astonishment. I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't read it so "mum" is the word. Even more is that I didn't expect the writers to include this part of the story. They often share seemingly irrelevant threads into other family member's pasts for, what seems like, random purposes. The reader later realizes the utter importance of every word.

Check it out.

Dean. James Dean.

Feelin' a little retro today.

Anyone out there a James Dean fan?

I absolutely love Rebel Without a Cause. Natalie Wood is also a favourite. If you're into biographies, she (and Marilyn Monroe) make for really fascinating reads. Wood had a particularly interesting career.

Vacation Wish List!

(flickr, Omar Omar)

I am reminded of a love story for some reason. Something about the shade of purple.

(flickr, Josh Sommers)

This angle is spectacular. I feel as if I could walk on this glorious blue sky.

(flickr, Woolfgang Staudt)

This shade of red (terracotta) is astounding. I wish I could touch this soil.

(flickr, by mandj98)

The glow of a sunset is always beautiful.

I want to see the South West. In particular, the desert. New Mexico looks like one of the most colourful places I've ever seen. There is something about the vibrant red and orange of the soil and rock that is beyond captivating. I found this beautiful photograph on flickr by Kevin Dooley. The shadows are incredible. I love the bleak yet breathtaking atmosphere of the clouds. I look forward to experiencing a sight light this in person. I am looking into doing a hiking trek through the Grand Canyon or another national park but the options are limitless.
(flikr, kevindooley)

Blog Francais Numero 1

I've been trying to keep up with my French. I'm afraid that I'll lose it if I don't practice. I've spent over twenty years learning the grammar, literature and history of the language/culture; if I get lazy now, that would mean several years of hard work down the drain. Although, it's kind of like riding a bike. You never really forget it, you just have to refresh your memory. Re-familiarize my mental muscles with a language into which I haven't invested any effort for quite some time. So, that is what I am doing so I started reading this novel a while ago, with my trusty dictionary at my side. It is called Robert des noms propres by Amelie Nothomb. Thankfully, I didn't need it as much as I thought I would. The story is very interesting and, to my knowledge, well written. French writing has a different feel; the sentence structure has a different rhythm. But I sit back and pretend I am in Paris. The plot line and character development is fun. I enjoy reading about their psychological hangups and difficulties. The thematic concept is a little strange but still pleasantly unexpected.

In the spirit of all things French, this is the only of the trilogy I have yet to see. I've already seen White and Red. Red is probably my favourite so far. Though, White is really well done; the cast includes Julie Delpy, one of my favourite actresses.

Okay, so I've got the literature and film covered; time for the music portion of the blog. This is a fun video. I think it's about five years old but this particular recording artist, Alizee, has also released an album in 2004 (or so, give or take a year) called Psychedelices. It's fun pop music but with a really interesting literary twist. The first video is a song called Moi Lolita. Nabokov is one of my favourite writers, and her use of the icon is really appropriate, I think. The airy, cinematic quality of the music video is quite haunting. The second video is a song called Mademoiselle Juliette, of Shakespearean fame. Also, the artistic nature of the video (despite the poppy sound) is intriguing.

I'm Addicted

I was at the gym last week and an episode of Lost was playing on the Space Channel. I have never watched that show once but, for some odd reason, I caught the last 10 or 15 minutes of some random episode. Since then, I've found at least the entire first season on Youtube. I am fascinated by the plot line, character development, and the writing. Every character is allowed the chance to wipe their "life" slate clean simply by landing on this weird Bermuda-triangle-ish Island. Everyone who was cruel or greedy in their "past" life must come to terms with this self-depracating knowledge. There is no television to distract them from their shame, nor is there food. Money is practically obsolete. It doesn't mean anything to them. The concept doesn't have any value on this island. What are they going to do with it? How does it have any value if it can't purchase goods, if it doesn't have a system in which it can participate?
These people are more than "lost". They are broken. Being on this island with one another allows them to dig deep - deeper than I'm sure they want to dig - into their soul and ask themselves how they ended up on a destructive or useless path.

The writing is very well done. Every character has a distinct voice and history. Each one has a hidden yet bold identity. It is up to the viewer to decipher these identities and interpret their lives within a greater social context. I've never come across a television show that didn't use an excessive amount of cliches. Stereotypes are used, but used in unexpected ways.

Join the adventure...

The Parts of Vancouver We Do Not See

Here are some videos I found on Youtube. They are very interesting and insightful windows into a part of Canada we rarely see. As a Canadian, I was shocked to see the 4Real episode featuring this city and the serious affordable housing issues it is facing. I'm a little ashamed to say that MTV, and not the newspapers, was my source of information. Why is this issue not spoken of more often? There are several videos on Youtube featuring one part of Vancouver in particular, where it seems to be the most crippling : Hastings Street.



(Posted by "bipolarex")




(Posted by "celistin")





(Posted by "pumpkinheadbc")

This last one is particularly frustrating. Elections are taking place on both sides of the border, and I think this is an issue to keep in mind when you vote. Vancouver is certainly not the only place experiencing poverty. Both Canada and the US have some serious problems to fix. I am not usually one to talk about politics, because we end up going in circles most of the time and it just feels futile, but I am trying to take an active interest in who I am voting for and the issues that his/her party represents.

I encourage you to do the same.

Tid Bit 3

"Nature-based peoples throughout the world have cultural practices that assist every individual in the village to experience soul encounter. Soul initiation is a developmental milestone that must be passed before one can be said to be fully human, a truly adult member of the culture. A person who does not have a conscious relationship with his or her soul remains forever a child (or what in the West we would call an adolescent)."

-Passage from Bill Plotkin's Soulcraft

Tid Bit 2

They are the last romantics, these candles:
Upside-down hearts of light tipping wax fingers,
And the fingers, taken in by their own haloes,
Grown milky, almost clear, like the bodies of saints.

-Sylvia Plath's "Candles"

Tid Bit 1

"Spirituality is that sphere of experience that lies beyond the commonplace world of our surface lives and that opens our awareness to the ultimate and core realities of existence. There are two realms of spirituality. They are distinct yet complementary. Together they form a whole. Either alone or incomplete."

-Taken from Bill Plotkin's Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche

Savage Grace

I want to see this film.

YouTuber Art