Stuart Hawkins

This is a photographer I like. Do you?

Little Miss Sunshine

I haven't laughed out loud in a theater this much in a long time.

Conundrum

To help myself celebrate my graduation from the MLIS program, I bought myself four books from the NYRB press, which reissues out-of-print, slightly obscure classics. One of them was Conundrum by Jan Morris. Ostensibly, this book is an account of the author's experience being a transsexual, but it's actually an autobiography of someone who happened to be a transsexual. I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. Morris doesn't cater to the curiousity of the readership and try to explain herself as a transsexual archetype for all transsexuals. Instead, she emphasizes that transsexuality was one (albeit very important) part of a full life. In this way the narrative is an unspoken reprimand to a culture fixated on sexuality out of all other context.

What I found most interesting about the book was Morris' cultural perspective as she shifted from "male" to female (which she did at the age of 47--see the link under the title of the entry for more biographical details). The book was written in 1972, and so carries opinions related to the gender politics of the times, but I think that some of them are still applicable today. I really enjoyed reading about how Morris' ideas of her gender and sexuality were affected by the cultural expectations of a woman. She writes: "The more I was treated as a woman, the more woman I became. I adapted willy-nilly. If I was assumed to be incomptetent at reversing cars, or opening bottles, oddly incompetent I found myself becoming... Men treated me more and more as a junior...and so, addressed every day of my life as an inferior, involuntarily, month by month I accepted the condition. ...It is hard for me now to remember what everyday life was like as a man." But while acknowledging this cultural effect, she also states that she cannot say what it feels like to be a woman after being a man, since "I never thought myself to be truly a man, and do not know how a man feels. ...there are aspects of being a woman that I shall never experience...[and furthermore] nobody really knows how anybody else feels--you may think you are feeling as a woman, or as a man, but you may simply be feeling as yourself."

Overall, Conundrum provided insightful perspectives on the gray areas of gender and sexuality and their place in culture and I would recommend it for anyone interested in these things.

some wendell berry goodness

"The hill is like an old woman, all her human obligations met, who sits at work day after day, in a kind of rapt leisure, at an intricate embroidery. She has time for all things. Because she does not expect ever to be finished, she is endlessly patient with details. She perfects flower and leaf, feather and song, adorning the briefest life in great beauty as though it were meant to last forever."
-from A Native Hill

two children books just to-night

The illustrations are amazing. The story is interesting; I mean, I guess if I were a kid it would be. But not to me, of course. If I were younger than I'd say it's an enjoyable story of a philanthropic, quixotic little girl named Capable and how she saves her town from the nasty old Gappers, who feast upon harmless goats. I read two others stories by George Saunders tonight. Well, one was a story called 'Bohemians' - about getting to know one's neighbors, and the other was a three page piece entitled 'Manifesto: A Press Release from PRKA', which is great and you ought to fucking read it, you kid. Saunders is good, and, if I remember correctly, Tessa will agree.

Yes, he wrote it.
But I don't know if you could, I mean should, I mean could.

the boy who fell from the sky

i finished this today. like i said before, i've been reading a lot of memoirs recently. i got this one out from the library on the recommendation of nick hornsby via the believer. i guess to sum it up in a sentence it's about a writer, david dornstein, who dies in a airplane explosion (the lockerbie bombing of 1988 to be exact) before he ever writes anything significant, and his younger brother, ken, who tries to piece his brother's life back together through an investigation of sorts and in the process of that, loses and then gains back his own life (yikes! sorry for the run-on sentence, it was a difficult book summerize in one sentence!). it was rather depressing, but i appreciated how unsetimental and well-written it was. it certainly painted a very unglamerous of picture of the life of artists. both david and ken were tortured by long unproductive stretches, dysfunctional relationships, and bouts of serious depression. but there are some rays of hope throughout, even if there is not a fully satisfying conclusion to david's story (but how could there be?). very good and a unique perspective on the whole sibling dying at a tragically young age memoir (i've read a few of these, not intentionally).

aka Sexing the Mommy.

When they say 'pitch-black comedy', they really mean pitch-black. Almost so dark is the comedy that I couldn't even see it, maybe my eyes needed to adjust to the idea of maternal incest, I don't know. This poster is ridiculous too. The movie is nothing like what you'd think having seen this poster. And the way it was shot was so different than any of David O. Russell's other movies. Although it wasn't shot bad; actually it had more style than his others. Mostly handheld shots. I'm not saying 'don't see this movie' because I'm not that kind of guy. But if I were a prescriptive kind of guy I'd say 'Don't See This Movie.' But it's just not me.

started reading another one of these books...

how bout it..?

so, what did everyone think of 'munich'?

A confession

One of the biggest factors governing my decision to read a book is the author's picture. This, before the description or the reviews, is the first thing I look at. Although, I probably won't even look at the picture if the design of the book does not catch my eye. So I guess that's first, but it doesn't hold as much weight as the picture. If the picture strikes me as ok, and what is 'ok' is another post - because I need some time - then I read the reviews and the names of the reviewers. If I know anything about one of the reviewers then that's another plus. Then I glance over the description, being careful to not take it in just in case I do want to read the book. The last thing I look at before I decide to read the book is the opening paragraph.

To recap
Some conditionals:
If the author's dog is in the picture then I will most likely not read the book.
If the author's chin is resting on his or her hand I will most likely not read the book.

Unless:
The design is incredible.
The opening paragraph moves me.
One of the reviewers I have read (Michael Chabon does a lot of them) or respect (The New Yorker, yeah I know).
(Occasionally) The book just feels good. Middlesex is a good example. I loved the design of the front, the font, the cigarette smoke (eventhough it had nothing to do with the book), etc. But the smoothness of that cover was amazing. I loved to rub my hand over it.

But please don't be so serious. Please don't spin around in your chair and face the camera as if you didn't know you had a photo shoot and he snuck up on you. But you aren't even surprised are you? No, you're an author. You're in black and white and turtle necked and goateed. It's funny, I'm thinking of this picture of Jeffrey Eugenides but I loved both of his novels. The reason: good design, good opening paragraph. And let's face it, having that gold pulitzer prize on the front doesn't hurt.

An exception with no reason:

this film wasn't made very well, but the content was inspiring for someone interested in photography (me!) i think william eggleston's work is incredible. it is so simple but startling. and guess what? he's another southerner. i don't know what it is with me and southern artists. i have never really intentionally sought out artists/musicians/filmakers from the south, but they turn out to be the ones whose work i connect the most.

somewhat interesting sidenote: sophia coppola said that his work influenced her film adaptation of the virgin suicides.

Achewood by Chris Onstad

Do any of you read Achewood? It is a webcomic by a man in California about some cats and robots and an otter and sometimes a drunk squirrel.

Anyway, the characterization is amazing. The characters even have blogs. It's probably the most consistently hilarious thing that I've read, and I highly recommend it.

middlesex-jefferey eugenides

i enjoyed this book, although it rarely felt anything like the virgin suicides, eugenides first novel, which sucked me in immediately. this one took a little longer for me to get into, and rarely did i feel the urgency to read it every spare moment i had. but it was very very good-the story spans three generations of a greek family who imigrates to america. it's about sex and gender and family. the main character, cal, is one of the most unique narrative voices i have ever read.

coolest.

looks like none of us watch, read, or listen to anything anymore. awesome.