muerto de risa

Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady (Day)

I just finished reading the fabulous biography, With Billie, by Julia Blackburn.  I highly recommend this book not only to fans of Billie Holiday but also to anyone interested in the history of jazz, African Americans, drugs, and/or women.  Using interviews and other data collected by Linda Kuehl (who had planned to write a book about Billie in the 70s but committed suicide before she completed it) Blackburn provides a fascinating collection of firsthand accounts of Billie and her relationships (included are interviews with family friends, musicians, music lovers, boyfriends, lawyers, DEA employees, etc.), interspersed with chapters providing short histories of related topics such as lynching, Harlem, alcohol and narcotics.  I really enjoyed "hearing" all the different voices and am glad that Blackburn included conflicting stories.  While reading them I became fascinated with the idea of memory and perception and how this could lead to such different versions of the same events.  Really intriguing!  Also, I came to a new understanding of how Billie was discriminated against because she was black, a woman, a drug user, and a singer of one of the most controversial (but also beautiful) songs of her time (Strange Fruit).  It made me wish I had the chance to meet Lady Day in person and to give her a big hug.

intimate friends

I recently finished reading Portrait of a Marriage a autobiography/biography by Vita Sackville-West and her son Harold Nicholson.  The focus of the book, as the title indicates, is the marriage of Vita and Harold Nicholson.  They were married in 1913 and had a very unconventional marriage for that time (and for now too) as they both had affairs with members of the same sex (Vita had affairs with men and women) but somewhow managed to make their relationship work and they seemed happier than many other more traditional married couples.

Nigel describes his parents take on marriage in the following manner:

Marriage, they thought...was "unnatural."  Marriage was only tolerable for people of strong character and independent minds if it were regarded as a lifetime association between intimate friends.  It was a bod that should last only as long as both wanted it it.  (Both, for this reason, were stongly in favor of easier divorce.)  But as a happy marriage is "the greates of human benefits," husband and wife must strive hard for its success.

Interesting, no?  Of course, even with their progressive views on sexuality, they were still living within a heterosexual framework.  I wonder what they would say about marriage if they were alive today. 

This book was definitely an interesting read, but Nigel chose to wait until the very end to share that his parents were racist and antisemitic.  It seems odd that people who were so open-minded about sexuality could be close-minded about people of other ethnicities, races, and religion.  In the end, I thought of them as people willing to only accept their own differences from "mainstream" society but not others.

I do, however, agree that a strong friendship is one of the most important aspects of a healthy relationship.  And in honor of that here is a little photo of my intimate friend and I in Barcelona during our honeymoon.

magic pencils and rag dolls

i had a fun art viewing day today but i really wish there was better advertising of cultural events in quito.  the way i find out about most "happenings" is that i see a poster that mentions the event and the name of the building it will be in, but no address.  then i either call an ecuadorian friend or google until i find an address.  then i look it up on a map.  and then i go. 

sometimes a poster for one event leads to me finding another event.  this is how i found about an exhibit of British childrens' books illustrators called, "the magic pencil."  the exhibit featured some wonderful illustrators such as quentin blake, lauren child and sara fanelli (see right).  i was disappointed because the work wasn't original (i think they were high quality color copies or laser prints), but it was still cool because the exhibit included drafts with notes and stuff written by the illustrators, and i always love to get a sense of an artist's process.  by the end of the exhibit i was pretty inspired and looking forward to buying a book or two to bring home.  but, like many evens in ecuador, they weren't selling anything!  not even the magic pencil book that accompanies the exhibit.  jordan and i have noted many occasions when a museum or other organization neglected the opportunity to raise money by selling souveniers.  with all those children and their parents admiring the books in the exhibit i can't imagine they wouldn't want to buy a book afterwards.

after the exhibit i walked down to the museo del banco central to see their modern art exhibit which i was too tired to see after walking through the other section during my last visit.  i enjoyed the art more than i thought i would (i heard it wasn't a great collection).  my favorite pieces were those by oswaldo viteri, the most famous living ecuadorian artist.  the pieces in this collection were some of his assemblages from the 1970's incorporating traditional ecuadorian rag dolls.   

i love how he uses color to make it look like there is a spotlight shining on the middle of the work.  there is a chance we will soon visit his studio and meet him.  how cool is that!?!?  i'll be sure to take lots of photos.

a bloody hilarious novel

My friends brought me this collection of two novels by Nancy Mitford on Saturday and I already finished The Pursuit of Love.  I agree with the Amazon reviews of these novels that while not the finest literatures, they are hilarious!!!  Anyone looking for some light and fun reading should check out Nancy Mitford.  Especially anyone interested in the British bourgeosie and all of its ridiculousness should definitely check them out.  It should be noted, that there are a few things that I believe are not actually part of the satire but dated and actually offensive (although I could be wrong).  This book was originally published in 1945 and I find it interesting that one of the main things I found offensive was something that occurs here in Quito today.  Fanny, the narrator of the first novel, is rather dark-skinned and so is her husband, Alfred.  Hence, their children are also dark and they refer to them as being black (in a way they would probably consider sweet and endearing but is actually quite sickening).  Here, in Ecuador if someone is dark-skinned (but not actually of African descent) or looks Asian, they will often be dubbed with the nicknames "Negro" of "Chino."  Jordan says that socially he sometimes feels like we are in the 1950s here, and this is a good example.  I do recommend the book (especially to Liz, if you are reading this).

I am still planning a post on buying "real" art and also an update on my book, which is moving forward rather slowly...

radical simplicity

This weekend we stayed at a beautiful sustainable lodge called El Monte.  It was beautiful, tranquil, and they served delicious vegeterian meals (a rarity in Ecuador).   We stayed in a cabin next to the river and could hear the water as we lay on our beds napping, chatting and reading.

It was the perfect place to start (and finish) Dan Price's Radical Simplicity.  (Jordan wrote a lovely post about Dan that's worth checking out.)  Radical Simplicity is an illustrated journal of sorts about Dan's experiments at achieving an "authentic life" which to him includes living in a small handmade abode in a beautiful natural setting, similar to how humans lived in prior generations.  I love Dan's drawings and his style of combining photos with sketches and handwritten notes on lined paper.  I also like his ideas.  While his current lifestyle is a little extreme for me there were many things he advocates that I feel I can incorporate into my life.  Like living in a smaller house as opposed to a McMansion.  And using reclaimed wood and other supplies whenever possible.  And being critical of how much I consume.  And just being aware when my life gets to complicated and/or stressful and taking active steps to slow it down.      

i like reading

Last night's Tiny Showcase print was this lovely piece by Caroline Hwang:

 

And last night also marks my completion of the fascinating novel, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.  Which seems like it will soon be a movie.  It is the memoir of Frey's time in rehab for his addiction to alcohol and crack.  Yes it is an Oprah book.  Yes it is in many ways a feel good book.  But it is also a very true book written in choppy yet poetic prose that draw you in and hold you tight until you reach the last page.  I look forward to reading Frey's "My Friend Leonard," a novel about his relationship with a good friend he met while in treatment.

being sick sucks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's just a normal day here in Quito.  If I wasn't sick in bed with the flu (ick!),  I'd be at work.  I actually had to back out of participating in a panel on AIDS tomorrow.  I'm bummed I have to miss it as it sounded like a great opporunity to learn more about the situation in Ecuador.  And I feel guilty even thought I know it's not my fault that I'm sick.  I wanted to meet the woman who is running the program (a local human rights expert) and the doctor who is going to take me around when I finally go to Quayaquil on Tuesday.  I guess we can't choose when we get sick.

Look at this beautiful book I found through Jackie:

I've added a number of books to my Amazon wishlist lately.  There are just so many beautiful illustrations out there.  For example, Seonna Hong's new pop-up book looks great:

As does this book on the illustrator, Mary Blair:

I could go on and on, but I'm getting tired so the rest will come later.