I hate to admit that American Idol inspired this post, but it's true. I watched the first few minutes of yesterday's episode with my idol fiend mama, and they were playing this piano version of "Where Is My Mind" by The Pixies to a rags-to-riches (and what, I supposed, aimed at being a sweetly nostalgic) montage of Carrie Underwood's career since her lowly days on the farm.
Now, why this song was considered the best soundtrack, no clue.
But it's absolutely beautiful and haunting, and I found a couple other great covers during my search, also included.
a. I just finished reading The Great Gatsby last night.
b. It is far too late for me to still be up reading blogs, but here I am.
c. I was literally just getting ready to close up the 'ole macbook when whaBAM, I came across the coolest art that I've found in a while.
"Chapter four of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby reads like a VIP guest list of the Jazz Age. Taking inspiration from those pages, this poster is comprised of the business cards and personal stationery of the movers and shakers that attended Gatsby's parties in the summer of 1922."
And sure enough, pp. 61-63
"From East Egg, then, came the Chester Beckers and the Leeches, and a man named Bunsen, whom I knew at Yale, and Doctor Webster Civet, who was drowned last summer up in Maine...From West Egg came the Poles and the Mulreadys and Cecil Roebuck and Cecil Schoen and Gulick the state senator and Newton Orchid, who controlled Films Par Excellence...Benny McClenahan always arrived with four girls...I have forgotten their names...and their last names were either the melodious names of flowers and months or the sterner ones of the great American capitalists whose cousins, if pressed, they would confess themselves to be...
...In addition to all these I can remember that Faustina O'Brien came there at least once and the Baedecker girls and young Brewer who had his nose shot off in the war."
Oh, and I mustn't forget the lovely Miss Golf Pro Herself...
I WANT.
[Btw, the title quote is Patrick Bateman on business cards in case you were stumped.]
"You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken."
I very much liked this outfit.
Going for pizza at Pino's with Alex tonight.
Today we decided that we want to have a dog some day and name him/her Pilot, like Mr. Rochester's dog in Jane Eyre.
Title: "Fallen is Thy Throne"
A poem by Sir Thomas Moore
This song is beautiful; I'm catching a slight Mumford vibe.
The cinematography is pretty stunning too. I love that the two of them have an intent conversation by looking directly at the camera, making us, the audience, their middle man.
Designer Kristen Gosselin (based right here in Rockford!) uses quirky and ethereal odds and ends to create truly unique jewelry: vintage dominoes, typewriter keys, skeleton keys, pocket watches without innards, and Clue game pieces from the early 90s.
It just so happened that she was working a tent at an art fair right outside the restaurant I work at, and when she came in to buy a key lime bar, I couldn't help exclaiming over the peacock necklace she was wearing. "Thanks! It's a domino," she replied casually. "I made it myself. You want to buy it?"
[I love when the shopping comes to me.]
So naturally I went out to look at the rest of her wares during my break and came across all sorts of wonderful, dreamy treasures, the best of which are pictured below.
Kristen (the sweetheart) even hand-delivered this Ferris wheel vintage domino necklace to my work today after making it special for me. Now that is what I call service!
Alex posted this new M&S song on my Facebook last week, and since then I've listened to it, but I hadn't really listened to it...if you know what I mean.
The lyrics are sincere and spiritual. I need to be asking God of the same things more often I think.
[I'm emotional tonight.]
Excellent news though; my sister Erika and brother in law Philip are in town for a few days, and we're going to New Glarus, WI tomorrow to go to the brewery! They also get to see the show on Sunday night along with my other sister Alyssa, all of my extended family, and a couple friends from work.
Life is so good, and I'm so blessed.
"You were cold as the blood through your bones
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Well I was lost
And now I sleep
Sleep the hours and that I don't weep
When all I knew was steeped in blackened holes
I was lost
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve and hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve and hands to learn
So I was still
I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
You know your desires and mine
Wrap my flesh in ivory and in twine
For I must be well
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
So keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Well keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn."
After much perseverance, I have finally finished reading Dostoevsky's The Double and am now very excited to move on to Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I understand that I may be jumping on the bandwagon a tad late, but no matter! I'll very happily move from one psycho thriller to the next.
Here are some promo photos from W Magazine for David Fincher's American film version (Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander). Kinda racey...
Can't wait to start my new read and certainly can't wait to see it on screen. Expected theatrical release December 21, 2011.
