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2017 reading

Posted 14 January 2017 by theorist & filed under Life.

I guess I don’t need my reading list to be public, but I’m fairly convinced no one reads these posts anyway. That said, I’m tired of keeping so many files on my harddrive, so I figured this is a good alternative. I’ll be adding these as I go (unlike last year, when I posted about my reading for the year in August), so I’ll also include short reviews/summaries. I may go back and do the same for some of the books I read last year. Here goes:

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney – I like slim books. This one clocks in at 182 pages. This is McInerney’s first novel, from 1984. It takes place in New York City and features lots of cocaine (as any book set in New York in the 80s should). It is written entirely in the second person and somehow this is not at all annoying to read. The main character (a ‘you’ who is definitely not you) works in The Department of Factual Verification for an unnamed but prestigious magazine. He is a married to a model. He is 24. We learn very quickly that his model wife has left him with a phone call, after which he doesn’t see her again for quite a few months. During the course of the book, his life spirals out of control. He parties more and more, does lots of cocaine, hides the fact that his wife has left him, loses his job… And yet he doesn’t seem like a total asshole. This could be any 24-year-old guy who took a wrong turn. Thing is, it turns out his life isn’t spiralling for the reason the reader is led to believe. I don’t really like authorial tricks like that. Had we known sooner, had McInerney taken the time to create layers within the story early on, it would have made the read meatier. Regardless, it was a quick and worthwhile read.

So on to my next read. I picked up Infinite Jest by Steven Foster Wallace again today after a long hiatus. I’m at page 187.  The book is clearly a work of genius, but it’s just not holding my attention. Even if it wasn’t over a thousand pages (with footnotes), I wouldn’t feel very motivated to finish it. I’m not convinced I haven’t already gotten everything out of it that I can. Even though I’m starting to embrace the idea that time is not linear, I don’t like feeling my time would be better or more enjoyably spent doing something else. I want to do what I want to do because I’m 35 goddammit and I want to make the most of this stupid thing called life. I’ll likely switch to Winter Journal by Paul Auster or M Train by Patti Smith.

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fadetheory

i'm excited to announce that i have a show with mär martinez opening THIS THURSDAY at @parkhaus15. it is called "remembering the words to our song" and includes paintings, video installation, assemblage, a sound work by jonas van den bossche, and a space for an embodied ritual practice that collectively honors our ancestors. it's gonna be beautiful. join us! you can reserve your time slot via @parkhaus15.
chag purim sameach! this batch of hamantaschen was chag purim sameach! this batch of hamantaschen was made with my niece and son last weekend, which @philipkinbar took up to atlanta to millie kinbar who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday. very grateful for these joyous, multi-generational connections.
On the Hebrew calendar, it is the month of Adar, a On the Hebrew calendar, it is the month of Adar, a month dedicated to JOY. While there are loads of tarot spreads for each astrological sign, the phases of the lunar cycle, and around specific cards and themes, I haven't found many spreads that correspond to the Hebrew months. I like to pair introspective work with communal action/activity, and tarot spreads are part of that process for me. So, here's my first tarot spread to meet my own needs... and maybe yours! You can use it for the month of Adar or anytime you want to invite more joy into your life. (Note the formation of the cards is intended to be reminiscent of hamantaschen, a Jewish ritual food for Purim.)

I've also pulled some examples of The Fool, which is the card associated with this month per @devotaj_arts. Consider it a guide in moving towards greater joy: more fun and less worry. The first card (designed by @dustincook_ ) shows a rollerskating babe, which is on point considering how popular rollerskating is right now (and rightly so). The second card (illustrated by @ebcorbindraws) immediately made me think of Purim (celebrated on the 14th of Adar), with its costumes and jovial celebrations. I've also included The Fool from the Smith-Waite Centennial Deck, which shows a person with their head in the clouds and seemingly unaware of the drop just before them. My suggestion? Definitely stop and smell the roses, but maintain just enough awareness to avoid falling off any cliffs. ❤️

Spread by me. Graphic designed by the fabulous @k2rte. 

#tarotspread #tarot #adar #joy #joyful #adarjoy #jewishtarot
all in a day’s work all in a day’s work
untitled 18” cyanotype with gold powder and acry untitled 18” cyanotype with gold powder and acrylic paint. i pulled the fool card yesterday, which represents new beginnings, change, and optimism/excitement. i’m rolling with it.
the portal is open - wishing everyone a happy holi the portal is open - wishing everyone a happy holiday/day off, a day of rest and love and joy
THERE ARE PARTS OF YOURSELF YOU CANNOT SEE. this i THERE ARE PARTS OF YOURSELF YOU CANNOT SEE. this is a message for those struggling with imposter syndrome or those who envision a future self they cannot quite believe. if you tally everything you know about yourself, it may not add up to the person you want to be and it may leave you feeling defeated. but there are things about yourself you do not know or understand, things you cannot see that make who you are and who you want to be possible. and how could there not be? all of the work your ancestors did over centuries has culminated in you. magical, fallible, learning, stumbling, growing, persisting you.
working on a new sculpture made with a single stra working on a new sculpture made with a single strand of wire. shout out to my husband for spotting this huge spool at a local thrift store. (aluminum tab for scale.)
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