Blues Aesthetic

Lightnin' Hopkins

Reverend Gary Davis

Furry Lewis

Robert Johnson

Muddy Waters

Blind Willie Mctell

BEAR MEAT

I imagine few of the people who have seen "Into The Wild" realize that this quote is from a collection of short stories by Primo Levi called "A Tranquil Star". One short story in particular: Bear Meat.

I've been wanting a tattoo for years now and those two words have been on my mind a lot. Bear meat. It might seem ironic for someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a vegetarian (well, pescatarian, but let's not get into semantics) to get these words emblazoned across her skin. However, I don't abstain from eating meat because I think it's unnatural (on the contrary) but because commercial farming is cruel and that cruelty - to me, what I believe in and how I try to live my life - is unnatural. Instead "bear meat" is on my mind because it's a story about nature and about man in nature, as a part of nature - not as one who conquers nature.

Levi writes later “That was bear meat. Now, you must believe me, gentlemen, many years have passed, and I regret having eaten so little of it. I think and hope that each of you has gleaned from life what I have—a certain measure of ease, respect, love, and success. Well, I’ll tell you the truth, none of these things, not even remotely, has the taste of bear meat: the taste of being strong and free, which means free to make mistakes; the taste of feeling young in the mountains, of being your own master, which means master of the world."

Words worth considering.

once upon a time, you dressed so fine

Bob Dylan isn't only a music legend, he's a style icon. He's my style icon. The pants, the boots, the blazer, the wayfarers...But more importatly - the attitude.

I can only hope for a glimmer of truth to Vonnegut's "You are who you prentend to be" because it's that "sprezzatura", that confident nonchalance and style I try to emulate when I walk out the door.

And who wouldn't want to be that?

later in life lift

I was thinking today, per usual, about what I want to do post graduation when I remembered an article I had read this past weekend on becoming a professional creative perfumer which, of course, warranted a google search. My musings brought me to GIP, a school en France that teaches it's students all there is to this olfactory career.

And I figure, I like smelling things and I like to think that I smell things exceptionally well, so why not put that into the bin of Prospective Career Plans.

Which would place it along side my latest PCP: folkologist. I don't know if this is necessarily the proper terminology but I do know that I happen to love folk music and have begun to build quite the folk library. Additionally, I love to read and I could just as easily read folklore as I could anything else on my bookshelf. So again, why not?

After I pondered these two viable options, I thought very seriously about applying for an internship at Paper Magazine. I rather love clothes, music, movies, New York City but I don't think I have what it takes to shove my head up my ass and still enjoy the view. I guess it would be presumptuous to assume everyone at Paper Magazine loves tooting their own horn but I'd also say it's probably a pretty safe bet.

At the same time, I might be willing to learn. I mean, who doesn't want to think they're awesome and wear fabulous clothes, visit fabulous places, eat fabulous food and drink fabulous champagne? They certainly look like they're enjoying it.

hopping into puddles

Halló!

The last few months I've been listening predominantly to music by artists who aren't active, current or even alive but I love Sigur Ros more than anything. They're music is so... triumphant and emotive, though Gobbledigook is certainly there most jovial and frivilous song to date.

On another note, Jónsi is looking especially fey in this video which is all the more reason to invest in a feather head piece. Little Doe makes some exceptional ones:

I could try my hand at making my own since I have my own personal and renewable supply of peacock feathers but lord knows I dont really have the patience for arts and craft.