Summertime

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

A reason to celebrate and another reason not to

Today I found my lost book! Just another up-side to cleaning my room. It’s a good thing I found it so soon because I hate leaving books unfinished, particularly when I’m enjoying them. I always feel guilty if I don’t.

I like my books very very much. I take good care of them– no bent corners, no stains, no ripped pages. I worry excessively when I lend them out, which is probably why I don’t make a habit of letting people borrow things. I guess I’m selfish that way. I just don’t trust other people to take care of my books unless I know they’re as careful and neurotic about their books as I am.

The worst part is when people borrow books and never return them. I hate that. I hate asking for a book back when the person hasn’t gotten to read it yet, but I hate the thought of never getting it back even more. But I’m no saint. I’ve done it a few times. I’ve checked out novels from the shelves of my middle school English classes and forgotten to check them back in. I’ve borrowed books that I ignored for years before actually reading. They’re on my shelf now. I always feel a little guilty knowing they’re not really mine. But I don’t have the chance (or the heart) to return them.

The Diary of a Disappointed Book from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.
Watch this video. It is wonderful.

Print is not dead.

When I am older and have a proper address and steady cashflow, I will subscribe to wonderful, fun magazines like this and read them every morning over coffee. My apartment will be nicely decorated with cozy, affordable wall accents and beautifully full bookshelves. It’ll be grand.

Until then, I just thought this was worth sharing. From what I understand, it’s a stop-motion video to advertise the launch of Anthology Magazine. Pretty cute promotion, huh?

But, I admit, I’m a bit of a thief because I found it all @ The Jealous Curator. Yeah, that’s right. I steal my coolness.

Protest (with) Poetry

Just recently, Chilean art collective Casagrande “bombed” Berlin with 100,000 pieces of poetry.

Organisers say that just as wartime bombings were intended to “break the morale” of the inhabitants of a city, so the poetry bombing “‘builds’ a new city by giving new meaning to events of her tragic past and therefore presenting the city in a whole new original way.”

I adore this. It’s a wonderful sentiment. Plus, Berlin looks absolutely lovely. I want to go so badly.

“I tell you, there is much to tear the heart”