Marquez and a movie I probably should have seen a while ago.

LITERATURE.

I finished The Sun Also Rises while having a mutual read (one of my favorite things to do with good friends) at my friend Alex's parents' place yesterday. Alex noticed I'd finished my book. He was kind enough to leave off his own book, Meher Baba's manifest of doctrine God Speaks, long enough to search his bookshelves. He offered me his copy of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, a brief but completely satisfying novella by Nobel prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold explores the reactions of various denizens of a small town to the news that one of their own was to be killed for his alleged deflowering of a new wife before her marriage and her subsequent abandonment by her husband. The overall style is in keeping with Marquez's background as a journalist. However, instead of beginning with the event itself and ending with the fallout for the family and the community, Marquez begins with the community learning about the intended murder and their general inaction in response.

I want more Marquez. To the library!


FILM.

Finally saw I'm Not There. I was most impressed by Cate Blanchett's portrayal of the young, successful, strung-out sell-out Jude Quinn. It was difficult to recall Quinn was a female actor unless I was looking at her hands -- which, unfortunately, were frequently on screen. Quinn is a perpetual smoker.

I had a little trouble with the storyline featuring Richard Gere as Billy the Kid, mostly because so much of the elements of the storyline seemed intended as symbols and I don't know enough about the life and works of Bob Dylan to read into it as perhaps I'm supposed to.

(Don't) feed the Rahl-nimal.

MUSIC.

For the past week I've been listening to the latest release from Illegal Art's Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis), Feed the Animals, another dance party-worthy album. Thank goodness. I've been inundated by Night Ripper at Greensboro events for the past six months. I'm super relieved to hear something new. My new best workout music, f'sho.

Shake it and jiggle it. Shake it and jiggle it.


LITERATURE.

It's been almost five years since I read Ernest Hemingway, and I've blown through The Sun Also Rises at lightning pace. I dig the simple syntax, the plain language, the booze and the bullfights. The expatriate American is fast becoming my favorite literary archetype (Henry James aside). Unfortunately, the copy I borrowed from the university library has been written over by at least three earlier student readers -- gray pencil girl, fuchsia colored pencil girl, and the probable boy with the black pen -- and they have some comments that are . . . curious. Gray pencil girl seems determined to read the novel as a Biblical allegory. Yikes.


DIET AND EXERCISE.

Thus far a complete disaster. I'm lazy, I've been drinking a hell of a lot and eating way too much Pasta Roni and instant macaroni on a very tight budget. I've started an account at The Daily Plate. Hope it helps.