It's Finally Time For the Kurt-Meister

So my typically regular post is coming a day late this week mainly for one reason--I got into Dallas last night at about midnight from an exhausting, wonderful, and at times TOO informational trip to New York for collegiate reasons. Suffice it to say that I was exhausted before, during, and now after said trip. Alas, I trudge on with what I know is vital information to you all! (I love sweet sarcasm late at night when no one has the energy for real jokes)

I plowed through another book last week, one that had been on my list for a very long time. I finally read Cat's Cradle from cover to cover and, upon my first Vonnegut experience, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cat's Cradle was my literary pick of the week last week as an extension of my anticipation to finally read such a classic. Cat's Cradle is Vonnegut's satirical take on the current state of man in all of his blunders, the "powers that be" in all parts of the world, and the religious world at large.
In the first pages of the book, Vonnegut comes clean with his famous disclaimer stating that if the reader does not believe that a religion can be founded on a basis of lies, this book is not for them.
With one of the most eccentric minds in literature, Vonnegut details the quest of a young writer trying to compile information to write a novel titled The End of the World.
A Cornell graduate, the narrator goes to great lengths to interview relatives and colleagues of the late Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the creator of the infamous atom bomb.
The story gathers momentum as Vonnegut takes readers to the tropical land of San Lorenzo Island as the young writer continues his trek to finish his story.
My thought process went something like this with every passing chapter (chapters occur at every 1/3 of a page)--"How much imagination can one satirical writer fit into a story?"
Cat's Cradle isn't fantasy or science fiction, though it hoards all the imagination of a three year old pretending to be Superman.
And thus, Cat's Cradle grabbed me from the start with its quick pace and surprising outcome. It doesn't hurt that Kurt Vonnegut is one of the most interesting black humorists of all time.

Need I say more?


While I was in New York City specifically, I made sure to take notes on the street fashion every second I was outside. I must say, New Yorkers certainly have their trademarks down to a system with lots of darker tones, tailored overcoats, and lots and lots of boots.
However, I'll leave you tonight with some pictures I stole from a blog I follow StyleSightings. Though the theme is circular sunglasses, I think the majority of the pieces featured in the post are characteristic of New York street fashion.




Good night!

Jazzy Cloggin'

I hope my droning lack of energy doesn't make itself too apparent in this post-prom mash up of literature and fashion. That's probably my fault for staying up until 3 after the dance last night..

ANYWAY
My favorite day of the now distant week was Thursday. I had the monumental treat of having little homework, and a great book waiting to be finished. Though maybe a bit overdue, I spent my entire Thursday night finishing the iconic novel The Great Gatsby.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was a legendary 20th century writer, born in Minnesota 1896. Fitzgerald attended Princeton University in 1913 and soon acquainted himself with the fast-paced, luxurious living of the "Jazz Age". The 1920's have earned this oftentimes infamous nickname as writers in the Lost Generation recalled the ridiculous lifestyle of upscale New Yorkers, wealthy pageant girls, and the birth of jazz music.
The Great Gatsby, above all, serves up a heaping pile of the 1920's complete with lavish house parties (courtesy of Jay Gatsby), self absorbed ingenues (i.e. Daisy Buchanan), and that-douche-bag-rich-guy-that-makes-an-appearance-in-every-story (Tom Buchanan).

The Great Gatsby is narrated by the most famous third party observer in literature, Nick Carraway. The story recounts the life and demise of one wealthy businessman, Jay Gatsby. Nick Carraway moves to Long Island, New York in hopes of becoming a successful bondsman. He moves into the up and coming neighborhood of West Egg on the island and is noticeably startled when he encounters the gargantuan mansion next door. The wealthiest man in West Egg lives a few feet from Nick, and is the host of countless parties every weekend. Gatsby doesn't usually invite people to his home for parties, they just arrive. The neighborhood of West Egg is divided by water from the corresponding East Egg. Nick introduces the character Daisy Buchanan as his cousin, living in East Egg with her wealthy husband Tom. Through the folds of the story, the reader finds that Gatsby and Daisy were once romantically involved and Gatsby has only grown rich in hopes of wooing Daisy back to him.

The plight of Mr. Gatsby rings with all the bells of the haughty 1920's. A war hero, Gatsby returns to America to find his previous girlfriend, Daisy, has married a wealthy businessman. Because money was of unimaginable importance, Gatsby believes the only was to gain Daisy's love once again is to gain the riches that she so admires.

The Great Gatsby was revolutionary for its time, exposing the superficial nature of too many people in the Jazz Age. It has transcended generations and maintained relevance for even the most ignorant of superficiality. A true classic, F. Scott Fitzgerald moves mountains with this poignant tale.


And now, boys and girls, I move on to the crucial and hard-hitting subject matter. Although I could blog about stimulus packages, gay rights, or even that war going on in the Middle East, I recognize the need to document one of the really important issues in the world today--THE COLOSSAL COMEBACK OF CLOGS!

I kid you not, it has been documented in the past two or three issues of Vogue--clogs are making a huge comeback in 2010! At first I had no idea how to feel about this rebirth, we make fun of the 70's for a reason right?
But, alas, the experts in fashion have tailored a way to make clogs modern and sophisticated, rather than tacky and loud when you walk.

Michael Kors was among the first to come out with a large selection of clogs in his new collection.


In an assortment of colors, Michael Kors offers you these adorable clogs.

The reason I make a huge deal about this is that I was positive I would hate most designers' takes on the "modern clog". I find myself strangely provoked by these cute little shoes, though! And to justify my interest, I will share a picture of a mildly famous celebrity--Alexa Chung--sporting clogs!


In conclusion, we shouldn't knock anything til we see thorough documentation (by way of Vogue) and usually they know what they're talking about!

Well I guess I'll wrap this up and return to my hazy, exhausted Sunday. Someday I will get sleep

Don't forget to comment and tell me what you are currently reading or what you would recommend!

Hot Off the Silk-Screener

Good evening and happy Sunday! Over the week, when I wasn't at my wit's end with service hours, endless amounts of school work, and preparing for an academic meet, I stumbled across an interesting website for the independent designer Out of Print.

The designers at Out of Print do more than put iconic television characters on thin t-shirts (Inspector Gadget, anyone?). These designers, instead, display iconic book covers that have been out of print for years. With new selections often adding to the mix, Out of Print has recovered famous book covers that haven't been seen since the book's first distribution.


An even more compelling aspect of Out of Print is their noble mission. One might ask, "Hey, why would anyone make such a big deal about literature mixing with fashion?". Much like the popular footwear company, Tom's, Out of Print is on a mission to bring something back to children who are less fortunate. With the money that the designers make from these shirts, they go out and buy vast amounts of books to ship to Africa for underprivileged children. Their mission is one of preserving education and the value of learning. I encourage all to browse the website and pick out a shirt displaying a memorable read of yours.


Next, I would like to highlight one every one's absolute favorite poets, Maya Angelou. Angelou is a loved American poet and author because of her heartfelt story and history. An active member of the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950's, Angelou was very passionate about Civil Rights. Her highly venerated biographical fiction classic, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, details Angelou's role in the struggle for equality back when the world was still ruled by white supremacy.


Of course, most people know Angelou as the extremely popular poet that she is. Angelou has countless collections of poems, and essays attributed to her. Most English nerds have gotten to a point where they will basically read anything Angelou publishes, be it passionate poems like "Phenomenal Woman" or, hell, I would read her commentary on a table tennis match. Her voice has inspired millions, and continues to bring out the poet in all of us.


So with that, I will leave you with one of my favorite poems

My Guilt
By Maya Angelou

My guilt is "slavery's chains," too long
the clang of iron falls down the years.
This brother's sold, this sister's gone,
is bitter wax, lining my ears.
My guilt made music with the tears.


My crime is "heroes, dead and gone,"
dead Vesey, Turner, Gabriel,
dead Malcolm, Marcus, Martin King.
They fought too hard, they loved too well.
My crime is I'm alive to tell.


My sin is "hanging from a tree,"
I do not scream, it makes me proud.
I take to dying like a man.
I do it to impress the crowd.
My sin lies in not screaming loud.

Jak & Jil & Precious

Sitting in White Rock Coffee while the sun goes down on a perfectly serene Sunday, I am reminded of a movie I watched earlier this weekend that was anything but serene.
While a piping hot White Rocker might be easy to digest, the major motion picture Precious was one hard film to stomach.

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, this film details the suffering and eventual retribution of a sixteen-year-old, illiterate, and overweight high school girl looking for self worth. A modern day echo of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Push is a hard-hitting piece of literature.


Before I heard of plans for a movie, I read this very graphic and revealing novel. Sapphire uses a dialect similar to that of Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God. As Precious is illiterate at the onset of the story, she spells her words phonetically and pens sentences without considering grammar. This stylistic approach makes the subject matter more realistic to the reader, putting the blatant neglect of a child's education in the forefront. As Precious progresses through secondary schooling, her reading and writing scores sky rocket and there is a notable difference in the language used. Precious lives with her obese, invalid mother who lives off of welfare checks. Precious is pregnant with her second child as a result of childhood abuse from her father, who proceeded to leave the family with the news of his daughter's pregnancy. Sapphire uses a literary style known as stream of consciousness. With this style, the author illustrates the main character's every thought in the order they occur. This framing of the story along with the novel's dialect make the first twenty pages difficult to follow. As with the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, readers adjust to the dedicated author's mission to make Precious' experience as tangible as possible. I recommend this novel to people who haven't already seen the movie, and even to people that have. The film makers that worked on Precious obviously did a fantastic job as it was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture.



Being the extreme party-goer and socialite that I am, I also dedicated parts of this weekend to exploring various fashion blogs. I was on a search for a new homepage and was led to the popular fashion blog Jak and Jil. I read a story in March's Vogue about ten new fashion blogs that made an impression on the Powers That Be in Vogue. Jak and Jil as well as Style Sightings are layouts of stylish candids that are taken on location--lately in Paris. Jak and Jil is updated constantly, usually drawing from the model-esque beauties roaming the streets of Paris.



For all those interested, check out this fabulous blog at http://jakandjil.com/blog/


At the bottom of the Jak and Jil web page, there is a list of other equally interesting fashion blogs such as Style Sightings. Style Sightings uses a similar technique with street style candids. The photos are organized into categories with themes such as "Furry Friends" or "Denim Days"



The URL again is, http://www.stylesightings.com/


To close, I'd like to open up a new addition to my blog called What've You Read Lately? I love hearing about the literary choices of my peers, so let me know what you're currently reading or what you've already read and really enjoyed. Good night and Happy Easter (if you're into that kind of thing).