Floating Leaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
floatingleaf) wrote2012-03-20 11:13 pm
floatingleaf) wrote2012-03-20 11:13 pm
Entry tags:
a perfect lazy day of books and music :)
I took a day off today, since my period hit last night and I woke up feeling extremely weak and sluggish (despite having gone to bed around 10 p.m.). Luckily, it wasn't a big deal; we're still busy at work, but it's not so frantic anymore. And having a lazy morning in bed makes the whole monthly affliction much more tolerable...
The weather is still incredibly summerish - I opened the windows to air out the place a bit, and the breeze felt very warm. It even got a bit stuffy inside in the afternoon. I felt tempted to turn on the AC at one point... but I said to myself: It's MARCH, for God's sake. You don't turn on the AC in March! LOL. I didn't even take the kitchen window fan out of the closet - because, for all I know, it might still get cold again in a few days, and once the fan is put in, I won't be able to close the window. But I feel like I have to keep reminding myself it's March - the outside temperature certainly doesn't confirm it... *headshake*
In other news, I just finished reading one of my latest purchases: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It's an autobiography in the form of a graphic novel. In case you've never heard of Alison Bechdel, she's the author of a popular comic series, Dykes to Watch Out For. I have a few of the latest volumes. I discovered them soon after moving to the US (in 2002), and they were instrumental in helping me deal with the overwhelming feeling of uprooting/isolation I experienced back then. I needed something/someone to connect/identify with in this new country, and the lesbian community seemed to fit the bill.;) Alison's comics provide brilliant, hilarious commentary on the absurdities of life, and her characters are very human - awkward and flawed and totally endearing. She taught me so much about "queer life" in the States - at first I wasn't getting most of her political references, but I'm much better at that now.:) Plus, she has a devastatingly sharp and dry sense of humor - madly giggle-inducing for jaded intellectuals.:D Anyway... there were plenty of autobiographical elements in her fictional comics, but her latest book is an actual autobiography, focused chiefly on her relationship with her father, who died in 1980 (it is unclear to this day whether it was an accident or suicide). And who, as it happens, was also gay (of which she was entirely unaware until right before his death). It's an extremely poignant potrayal of a dysfunctional family - as heartbreaking in its sharp wit and cool detachment as any teary eulogy might be (or perhaps more, through the subtle art of understatement). You'd never think a graphic novel could be this deep. I wholeheartedly recommend it - whether you feel any affinity with "queerness" or not. Btw, "fun home" is family shorthand for funeral home, of which the late Mr.Bechdel was the director. This adds an extra layer of black humor to the tale... Seriously - great stuff.
I have also just discovered that they totally revamped my favorite download website: Soundike.com. At first I freaked out, because I immediately thought that now they're going to start charging as much as Amazon or iTunes - but, lo and behold, they actually lowered the price! It used to be $0.15 per track - now it's $0.10 per track. Seriously... TEN CENTS. Full album for less than a dollar. It actually makes me a bit suspicious. They say they're legal, but how can that be true?... I'm not sure if I should stay away, or instead download as much as possible while this incredible deal lasts (sure it won't be forever). They have a banner up saying "Birthday Party! Only $0.10 per track!" - so perhaps it's an anniversary of the site's launch or something. Anyway... I am currently sampling the medieval/Celtic band Omnia, recommended to me by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
meathiel (btw, the track samples last a full minute now - they used to be 40 seconds). Thanks, Kerstin! It sounds lovely.:)
And now... bedtime.:/
The weather is still incredibly summerish - I opened the windows to air out the place a bit, and the breeze felt very warm. It even got a bit stuffy inside in the afternoon. I felt tempted to turn on the AC at one point... but I said to myself: It's MARCH, for God's sake. You don't turn on the AC in March! LOL. I didn't even take the kitchen window fan out of the closet - because, for all I know, it might still get cold again in a few days, and once the fan is put in, I won't be able to close the window. But I feel like I have to keep reminding myself it's March - the outside temperature certainly doesn't confirm it... *headshake*
In other news, I just finished reading one of my latest purchases: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It's an autobiography in the form of a graphic novel. In case you've never heard of Alison Bechdel, she's the author of a popular comic series, Dykes to Watch Out For. I have a few of the latest volumes. I discovered them soon after moving to the US (in 2002), and they were instrumental in helping me deal with the overwhelming feeling of uprooting/isolation I experienced back then. I needed something/someone to connect/identify with in this new country, and the lesbian community seemed to fit the bill.;) Alison's comics provide brilliant, hilarious commentary on the absurdities of life, and her characters are very human - awkward and flawed and totally endearing. She taught me so much about "queer life" in the States - at first I wasn't getting most of her political references, but I'm much better at that now.:) Plus, she has a devastatingly sharp and dry sense of humor - madly giggle-inducing for jaded intellectuals.:D Anyway... there were plenty of autobiographical elements in her fictional comics, but her latest book is an actual autobiography, focused chiefly on her relationship with her father, who died in 1980 (it is unclear to this day whether it was an accident or suicide). And who, as it happens, was also gay (of which she was entirely unaware until right before his death). It's an extremely poignant potrayal of a dysfunctional family - as heartbreaking in its sharp wit and cool detachment as any teary eulogy might be (or perhaps more, through the subtle art of understatement). You'd never think a graphic novel could be this deep. I wholeheartedly recommend it - whether you feel any affinity with "queerness" or not. Btw, "fun home" is family shorthand for funeral home, of which the late Mr.Bechdel was the director. This adds an extra layer of black humor to the tale... Seriously - great stuff.
I have also just discovered that they totally revamped my favorite download website: Soundike.com. At first I freaked out, because I immediately thought that now they're going to start charging as much as Amazon or iTunes - but, lo and behold, they actually lowered the price! It used to be $0.15 per track - now it's $0.10 per track. Seriously... TEN CENTS. Full album for less than a dollar. It actually makes me a bit suspicious. They say they're legal, but how can that be true?... I'm not sure if I should stay away, or instead download as much as possible while this incredible deal lasts (sure it won't be forever). They have a banner up saying "Birthday Party! Only $0.10 per track!" - so perhaps it's an anniversary of the site's launch or something. Anyway... I am currently sampling the medieval/Celtic band Omnia, recommended to me by
meathiel (btw, the track samples last a full minute now - they used to be 40 seconds). Thanks, Kerstin! It sounds lovely.:) And now... bedtime.:/
no subject
You can try this:
http://download.cnet.com/RarZilla-Free-Unrar/3000-2250_4-10647724.html
no subject
And the music is awesome. Especially the latest album. I think my favorite song is Xtatica...
I should probably also let you know that I am indeed using your "mediaeval" icon as a rec guide, and currently downloading Saltatio Mortis.:) Which is also awesome.
Btw, I just added fifty bucks to my account at the download site - which, at the rate of $0.10 per track, will buy me a WORLD of music. So if you have any other interesting recs for me, please feel free to share...:D
no subject
* Deine Lakaien
* Solar Fake
* Faun
* Abney Park (though they are American)
* Project Pitchfork
* Subway to Sally
;-)
no subject
And I know Faun - thanks to another LJ-friend who is also German.:)
But I don't think I've ever heard of any of the other bands - so the recs are indeed much appreciated...<333