What I’m Reading Right Now…The Fashion Girls
BB’a Pick:
“Diane Arbus: A Biography“ by Patricia Bosworth
Arbus is my all time favorite photographer. After seeing the film “Fur” with Nicole Kidman playing the infamous Arbus, I had to know more about her. Her life is interesting and the tone she set for her subject matters in the 60’s was risqué and beyond unique. She turned from doing fashion photography to finally tapping into her personal creativeness by doing personal portraits of subjects living in unusual lifestyles. What I love so much about her is that she brought to light the beauty of indivisuals living at the edge of society –- transexuals, homosexuals showing affection in public, strippers getting ready for work, or an abnormally tall man with his average size family. One of the best gifts I ever received was Arbus’ beautiful and interesting table top book, “Revelations.”
Heather’s Pick:
“ The Commoner” by John Burnham Schwartz.
This is a beautifully written story about a young woman who marries into the Royal Family in post-WWII Japan.
“Schwartz has written about Japan before — in the novel “Bicycle Days,” based on a summer he spent there as a young man in the mid-1980s — and he has established himself as a master of mood in more recent fiction, particularly his novel “Reservation Road,” a tale of death and loss that, like “The Commoner,” is infused with a terrible sadness. ” — Lesley Downer, The New York Times
The Fashion Girls Want to Hear From You!
You can contact The Fashion Girls, BB and Heather, at thefashiongirls@intraffik.com with your questions that they’ll personally take some time to answer each month, your fashion dilemmas, or just to share your new style and beauty discoveries!
You can also follow The Fashion Girls on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fashiongirls513!
WHY I DON’T WRITE BOOK REVIEWS…
Living in a city where everyone likes to discuss and share everything they encounter, I now and then get sucked into conversations about what I’m reading or not reading for that matter. They can range from enjoyable intelligent discussions to some near fanatical pitches that make me wonder if this person is receiving a commission for each copy of the book that is sold. The worst is when you get cornered by a literary vigilante who proceeds to pompously (or pretentiously, take your pick) probably verbatim recite his or her college paper on why the novel being discussed is or is not a prime example of Deconstructionism or any other movement (postmodern or otherwise), leading you to believe they may only be talking to hear the sound of their own voice – thank goodness for drink refreshing, an acceptable escape.
Anyhow, I’ve been asked a few times why book reviews are not included on TRAffIK. Let me explain.
In my lifetime, I’ve read many books. I learned to read at a very early age and would make my parents buy me a new book every time we went anywhere that might sell them. If there weren’t books available, I was content with a magazine. I would spend hours at libraries and bookstores, and those are still some of my favorite places. Just like with music, I never really wanted the popular reads. I would always go for authors and books I’d never heard of. It might be safe to say that by the time I was 16 or 17, I had probably read more books than most people will probably read in a lifetime (the majority of the company I keep is not included in the phrase “most people,” as I am surrounded by a myriad of literary enthusiasts.)
I started off with a strong interest in crime novels and anything located in the mystery section, yet later developed a much more defined interest in historical non-fiction, autobiographies, and biographies. This is a preference that remains to this day. I have a natural inclination and desire to learn about how things work, the origins of certain movements, and the paths that led people to become who they are.
This isn’t to say I didn’t go through the whole Fear St., Sweet Valley High, Babysitter’s Club, and V.C. Andrews middle school phase as well and of course my peers at times influenced my reads as I vividly recall how we all took turns reading the James Patterson (in particular “Along Came a Spider”) and Stephen King novels, as well as the Agatha Christie Poirot and Ms. Marple series’ in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Perhaps I read too many of these books early on, leading me to not touch much of those genres now that I’m in my 20’s.
I’m not very vocal about my reads, unless they are something written by a peer or a friend and I’m trying to spread the word. I’ve also never been a good candidate for a book club. I like the idea of a book club, just like I like the idea of Super Bowl Parties. I’m a social person and I like the social aspect of such activities. (more…)
WHEN GERMS LEAD TO CHEMISTRY…
You never know what you’re going to catch on TV on a Saturday morning at 4:45 a.m. Sometimes, luck and insomnia are on your side (especially if you slept most of the previous day away while fighting a sore throat and fever) and you happen to catch a 15 minute Talk Back produced educational segment on Germs sandwiched in between an episode of “The Office” (the original British version) and “The Mighty Boosh.”
Now mind you, this wasn’t your typical 20/20 or Dateline type of expose. No, it was a “quick, don’t let them know what hit them” interactive (“write this down”) episode in the series “Look Around You” spoofing those “made for schools educational science videos” that were forced upon us in elementary school (even then they were outdated).
In reality this write-up should be dedicated to the brilliance of Peter Serafinowicz, creator of these spoofs. However, instead all of those petri dishes brought back memories of my high school Chemistry class, so that shall be the focus of this column entry.
Before getting to the Chemistry, let me tell you what I learned:
-Germs originated in Germany and then spread elsewhere (Not to be confused with The Germs who “originated” in Los Angeles and then spread “elsewhere” )
- If someone consumes a few drops of liquid sewage and coughs in your direction it may take as little as 3 hours for your temperature to go from 98.4 degrees to 107.2 degrees. (I had a fever. Does hot chocolate from the McCafe count as liquid sewage? Because that’s all I felt like consuming.)
- I could easily get sick by kissing a dog or a tramp or by using a friend’s recorder (It’s safe to say I didn’t get sick by doing any of these).
Now on to the Chemistry…
When we last left off with this particular Chemistry class it had gotten me into trouble with an ex-boyfriend. Science and I have never really gotten along. I appreciate it and actually know some scientists (yes, even of the rocket variety), chemists, and NASA engineers, but the scientific route has never been for me. Really, it’s all my fault. Science has repeatedly unsuccessfully tried to sweep me off my feet. I’ll blame it on timing as every time it’s tried to woo me, I’ve usually been in a relationship with History or English. (more…)
An Open Letter to No One in Particular…
by Jonathan Slowik
April 10, 2008. It’s been 612 days since I last sat on this beach at night. I wrote a letter that night too, but to a different recipient. Much has transpired in the meantime—not all of it entirely surprising, but I certainly didn’t think that at this point in my life, I would still be trekking to the beach at night, alone.
The Ferris wheel has undergone a makeover since that spring night. Instead of flashing your garden variety carnival lights, it now screams a long, intricate, and positively psychedelic light show from the pier. Amusing, I have to admit. But I’ve always preferred the view to the north—brake lights snaking along the PCH, stretching to the twinkling lights of Malibu, where the Santa Monica Mountains meet a confused sky.
The Los Angeles stratosphere can never really decide what color it wants to be at night, but usually ends up settling on some shade of barely visible pink. In Santa Monica, where Ocean Avenue resorts meet the black nothingness of the Pacific, all bets are off. Pink, black, gray—it’s all of these things and none of them. With diminished competition from sodium vapor lamps, dozens of stars meekly peer from behind the fabric, unsure if they’re invited.
The beach, at night, always seems like a good place to get some questions answered. I think the solitude, the calming, rhythmic crashing of the waves, and the crisp ocean air facilitate the kind of free associations we don’t normally make. Sounds like just the elixir for a night like this, since our minds don’t seem to wander as much as they used to.
Tonight’s ocean, however, is not fielding questions. Rather than that rhythmic crashing I so often find, the scene I encounter is decidedly unfriendly—a constant barrage of waves crest far from the shore and then spit foam for as long as the rising sand will allow. Bathed in moonlight, the menacing water is quite haunting, like something from a spooky scene in a children’s movie. I begin to wonder if a younger me would be frightened or delighted, and realize I’m making some free associations after all.
After a time, an oldish man approaches and stands facing the water, gazing longingly at the waves. It appears to be a good time to call it a night. He seems like he has some questions for the ocean, and perhaps he will find it more receptive than me. I’m content to trudge back across the cold sand, blanket in hand, no conclusions made—except that, improbably, it’s a beautiful night, and we should do this again sometime.
photo originally published here
A Note from Siria, Welcome to a New Year…
Many of you may see this as belated, but I personally feel that well wishes for the new year can be communicated throughout the whole month of January (I feel quite the opposite however, when it comes to Christmas lights remaining present past the first or second week of a new year). I actually have a tradition of sending out Happy New Year’s cards as opposed to Holiday cards to those I don’t get to see on a regular basis and they rarely go out before the second week of January.
With that said, “Happy New Year, the game done changed!”
That was a statement that stuck with me ever since I coverd the Feel Mode 2 DVD release last summer.
A lot has changed, this is true. However, in the end it doesn’t necessarily mean the rules have completely changed.
As I have listened to some of my friends and colleagues sharing their goals for the new year, I hope that in this next year follow-through will be more constant (including with myself). I don’t generally make New Year’s resolutions, but if I did they would primarily include making more time to spend with friends and loved ones as those who know me personally know I get pulled in various directions constantly and making time is usually my hardest challenge. (more…)
SIRIA’S FAVORITE TRAffIK POSTS OF 2009…
The following were some of my favorite posts (in reality all of our contributors pieces are my favorites) from some of the regular contributors on this site in the past year, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
(Not in any particular order, click on links to read the full column entry)
Contributor: Amanda Jones
Column: Young and Reckless: Stories From a Girl With No Hesitation, As Eyes See It: Tales From the City, Make a List Baby!
“Buy the Ticket, Take The Ride”
Hunter was what I refer to as the last of the great dinosaurs that roamed the earth. Beautiful and frightening. A ferocious beast, in the best way possible. He lived a life that couldn’t be replicated if you tried. That’s a good thing, could you imagine the United States chock full of little HS Thompson’s? It would be mayhem and chaos in the streets. I might enjoy it myself but I think the average everyday citizen would be a little frightened, locked tight behind their blockaded front doors.
So much of what is currently going on in the world mystifies me, we live in a nation of post 9/11 fear . It’s just the way it is, as times and politics change. Unless you choose to say, “Fuck the rules, fuck the status quo – I’ll make my own rules ” and Mr Thompson did indeed do that.
(more…)