June 2009
59 posts
James Baldwin on Michael Jackson
from “Here Be Dragons” (1985)
The Michael Jackson cacophony is fascinating in that it is not about Jackson at all. I hope he has the good sense to know it and the good fortune to snatch his life out of the jaws of a carnivorous success. He will not swiftly be forgiven for having turned so many tables, for he damn sure grabbed the brass ring, and the man who broke the bank at Monte...
“White people still ask me why Mookie threw the can through the window. Twenty...”
– Spike Lee
‘Do The Right Thing’ still asks burning questions - washingtonpost.com
Scattershot, Desperate, and Sleazy | n+1 →
beatifully written reflection on online dating, sent to me courtesy of marciaann
Every Love | Gagan Gill
When it arrives on your doorstep, the first thing every love asks is: can you jump from the window for me? Can you stab your heart for me? Every love asks this: can you fly with me, with only the stumps of your arms? When love arrives on your doorstep, it will not leave soon. It has to go to some mountain or valley. To an ocean or river. It comes to your house out of the blue, and wants to know...
He Will Be A Leader of Men
Yesterday, whilst perusing some jewelry at a boutique, a little boy walked by and did a full-on total ass grab on me — we’re talking BOTH hands, one per each cheek. I turned around and if he weren’t around his family, I woulda dropped his little Charlie behind right there. However, he gave me the cheekiest smile and in spite of myself, I had to respect little dude’s...
a lover's spat (& reconciliation) to the tune of...
me: oh, you're just going to give me the silent treatment now?
....he's out of my life.
he's out of my liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife
...i'm gonna make a change. gonna make a difference, gonna make it riiiiight
Haji: youll never make me stay
Haji: just take your weight offa me
me: but i got nowhere to go! that's why i want you to know!
Haji: ive been here before
so wont you just let me be
me: i can't help it, if i wanted to.
Haji: just beat it
me: i can't help but see you, running often through my mind
and [name protected] is NOT my lover
he's just a boy
Haji: your butt is mine
gonna tell you right
me: ooooo!
don't stop till you get enough
[this convo went on for about 30 more minutes. but i'll spare you all that]
Long Live the King
Mike was one of those people — of whom we will experience but a handful in our lifetimes — that took root in us and become something bigger than what he was. To refer to these people as mere celebrities or an artists is to speak below them. We can’t imagine men like Michael would ever deign to die. As if such an act were beneath them. As if they could have avoided it. And maybe...
Where do I go from here?
So, due to an unexpected turn of events, I’ve been left with a rather delicious quandary: where to spend my 2 weeks of paid time off? Here are the choices:
Thailand
Laos
Burma
Malaysia
Indonesia
I could easily fit two countries in, so long as they are in proximity to each other (ie Thailand + Laos). C’mon, scheme with me!
Iron and Wine | Love and Some Verses
an oldie...
got dreams, got rings, got books, got shoes. every...
New [travel] Tumblr! *air-air-air-aiiiiirhorn* →
You might ask why I don’t just consolidate my travels into this tumblr. Whelp, because I was always the little girl who didn’t want her carrots to touch her peas, or potatoes, or steak sauce, or broccoli.
That’s why.
overheard: a conversation abt love & vietnamese...
The Madam from Guam: People think that they can come here, get what they want. It's bullshit -- it's temporary.
The Chubby Expat Man: Life is temporary.
the hazards of being a yellow girl w/o sunscreen
Surveying my body after a weekend trip to the beach, these are some crayon colors that come to mind (each of which could accurately describe the coloring on some part of my body):
cream in my coffee
peanut butter surprise
salmon belly
sand dune
caramel candy
nude nougat
indian summer
spilled milk
The truth about writers - Los Angeles Times →
unicornology:
tarts:
And yet, we writers tell our friends and children, there is nothing more sacrosanct, more vital to our intellectual and emotional well-being, than writing time. But we writers have a secret. We don’t spend much time writing.
More:
To allow our loved ones to know that we are working when we are supposed to be engaged in the responsibilities of ordinary life would mark...
“The best night’s sleep comes after a day of focused effort. And the best day’s...”
– unknown (via secondsminuteshours)
“The bombing of Khomeini’s tomb is bad. They will blame it on the...”
– Dispatch From Tehran’s Streets, Anonymous
Watchtylercoates:
perpetua:
Christopher Weingarten speaks about the internet and the death of music criticism at the 140 Characters conference.
“It’s not the music that’s the best, it’s the music that the most people can stand.”
Watch this video.
You can't separate peace from freedom because no...
Malcolm X | Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
the perfect kind of date
Paul: I've never had champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast plenty of times, but never before-before.
Holly: I've got a wonderful idea! We'll spend the whole day doing things we've never done before. We'll take turns, first something you've never done before, and then me.
Disney Pixar Short Animation: Partly Cloudy →
Perfect for a Monday.
an exercise in belief
write 6 things you believe in, truly.
I believe in self-respect, the kind Joan Didion wrote about.
I believe in clean lines and look-at-me shoes.
I believe in the healing properties of salt water.
I believe in courtesy: in offering seats, opening doors, and over-tipping your servers.
I believe in soft thighs and sharp tongues.
I believe in the magic of fathers.
Etta James | Seven Day Fool
flicks from the past week:
a sampling of shots. full sets can be found on flickr
i found the god in myself. and i loved her/i loved...
Ntozake Shange
“My admittedly strange opinion is that we need to try harder with print. We can’t...”
– Dave Eggers (via buyhercandy) (via unicornology)
Here’s hoping…
The Girls of Summer - Surveying the Season’s... →
The Joy of Less →
“If you’re the kind of person who prefers freedom to security, who feels more comfortable in a small room than a large one and who finds that happiness comes from matching your wants to your needs, then running to stand still isn’t where your joy lies.”
Elbow | Weather to Fly
We have the driver and...
Law & Order: "the secret vice of power-women." →
A Week in the Life of the Ethnically Indeterminate...
unicornology:
semisetadrift:
Monday Sitting in MacDonalds on 103rd & 3rd I notice a couple staring at me and hear them say Indian. They walk towards me. The woman has white skin, blond hair, blue eyes. The man has ebony skin, black hair, brown eyes. Excuse me, says the woman, we were wondering where you were from. Yeah, says the man because you look like our people. I look at the...
