100th post!

We are stepping over a threshold here together--this blog's 100th post and second birthday! On this occasion, I want to thank all my lovely readers out there who have so diligently followed me, even through periods of extreme lack of diligence. It has been a pleasure to type at you for the past two years.

Watching the numbers tick up toward the third digit this past week, I have been contemplating exactly how I want to spend this momentous post; it occurred to me that the life I've led since I began this blog has been the manifestation of a fantasy for me, and I want to compile here a list of things I have learned/discovered from it, and things that have surprised me since I became a student.

12. Paper disposables cost a lot of money and disappear WAY too fast in a house full of college students. I don't buy any paper products in New York (except t.p. which we get for free at school anyway--I'm not about to go that far!)--I've switched to rags from paper towels, and hankies for tissues. I never really used paper eating stuff anyway.

11. You should never, ever assume the people you live with have learned the same things about cleaning that you did. For example, that you are not to touch the spice bottles when your hands are covered in raw fish juice, that in order for dishes to be cleaned, they must be washed WITH soap, that normal people use towels when they get out of the shower, etc. (You'd think people would at least get the soap thing!)

10. The romance of working on your conference paper all night at the end of the semester when the library is open 24/7 is not worth moving out of your dorm and flying home to California on on 1/2 hour of sleep (but is worth the the walk home to your dorm at 5:20 am with your finished paper in your hand and the sun coming up).

9. Like-minded souls really do exist, no matter how much your adolescence wanted to convince you otherwise.

8. Your body doesn't like all the goop you put on it every day. Before I moved out here, I used at least eighteen products on myself daily. I use six now, and my skin and hair have never been healthier. (My six are Dr. Bronner's Magic soap for hands, hair, body, and face, a homemade vinegar rinse instead of conditioner, toothpaste, non-antiperspirant deodorant, one lotion for face and body, and sometimes a little mascara.)

7. Sometimes, there are just people in your life with whom you don't want to remain in contact. Good friends are worth the extra effort of long distance.

6. Staying in is usually more fun and less expensive than going out; that being said, a change of scenery is welcome and sometimes necessary when you've been in your own home-bubble too long.

5. Public transportation, no matter how inefficient, annoying, and troublesome it is, is SO much better than no public transportation, especially for those of us who choose not to learn to drive.

4. Nearly anything can be cleaned with baking soda, vinegar, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, hot water, lemon juice, or a combination thereof. Anything. Clothes, shoes, hair, body, house, dishes--Anything.

3. The most important elements in changing or even revolutionizing an artistic culture are craftsmanship and discontent. Nothing changes if no one gets angry. And do we all want to go on in an art world ruled by egotistical, postmodernly ironic, multi-millionaires Jeff Koons and Damien Hirsch? Do three basketballs floating in an aquarium belong in the SFMOMA? I didn't think so. That being said, although there is hope in discontent, there is hope in beauty, too, and that, really, should come first and foremost.

2. That really, I am a West-Coaster at heart. I miss the Pacific, and when I have served my obligatory term as an artistic soul in New York, I will be packing my bags right back up and moving back Home, where there are redwoods and sea otters.

1. That everything works out in the end. If you know it as hard as you can know something, you work toward an end, and leave yourself open to creative opportunities, everything turns out the way it should. Not necessarily the way you thought, but certainly the way it should. But the only way this works is through exploring--if you are not constantly, diligently searching, brainstorming, and trying on new hats, sometimes you don't end up find the thing that needs you in order to work out the way it's supposed to.

Well, my beloved family, friends, and even my anonymous (and beloved) followers, I hope that you've discovered as many things in these past two years as I have--and I wish you many more years of precisely that. My love to all tonight and all nights.

time for a remodel

I realized recently that it's coming on two years now that I've bee keeping this blog (rather un-diligently, I'm afraid), and since I'm not entirely the same person that I was two years ago, neither should my greatest connection with the world-at-large. So, welcome to "vivre sans bruit", a name which I may change in the next few weeks but, nonetheless, pleases me now. Same URL, brand new story. Spring cleaning all around.

I admit this frequently, I know, but I am a VERY BAD BLOG MOMMY. I can complain till the cows come home about how much I hate it when bloggers post infrequently, but let's face it, I am the worst of the bunch. But, I'm hoping that maybe a little change of scenery will fix that.

This next month is going to be a very busy, very fruitful one for me, and I will do my very best to keep this blog updated, even through the chaos. This weekend is the Sarah Lawrence Poetry Festival, and before I leave for California in May, there will be research projects finished, new ones begun, concerts and readings attended, birthdays celebrated, and spring to enjoy. But I've made a pact with myself to carry my camera around with me more frequently so that when the inspiration to blog strikes, I will be armed and ready with new, lovely photographs.

For now, I want only to direct my readers to some new links in my blogs list--I have been more than fortunate this year to become close with a community of creative people here in Bronxville and Brooklyn who share with me a very unique set of aesthetic tastes, living styles, and artistic ambitions, and, those that I could, I have added to my links. This spring has been a time of great creative growth and a flourishing of community projects that I have been so thrilled to be a part of, and which help me gain hope and faith once again in my generation's ability to rethink art as we have known it for the last fifty years. I will be sure to make announcements as each of these are finished. Unfortunately, I have decided to disable my poetry blog for now due to complications in formatting my pieces in an HTML context, but I am exploring new options on this front and hope to get it figured out for good over the summer.

So, here's to spring cleaning, and to new beginnings.

Love to all,
Jules

I know that I am, indeed, awful at this whole diligence thing. I must make this resolution right now: Once a week, at least, I promise to post here, even if it's just a few words. I feel I am becoming careless.

This morning , I awoke to this splendor:




Unfortunately, the lovely snow affected a late opening on campus this morning, which means that my new philosophy class was cancelled; while this class already met once on Tuesday, today was the second portion about which I am rather curious--the class is an integrated Chinese philosophy/movement class, and we have yet to meet for the movement aspect.

As the daylight grows longer and longer each week, I find myself once again in a terrible poetry slump. It seems that every January it hits me like this--So beautiful, so inspiring, and yet I am without inspiration.

Off to conference now, but more in the next week, I PROMISE!

A Snippet from Keri Smith

Here's a wonderful quote I found on Keri Smith's blog that resonates with me and makes sense in the context of my life. So often I become discouraged when considering post-modern life and society, corporate greed, the bored and boring literature from the last twenty years, and this feeling that I and a few selected peers alone are gifted with a Sight that goes beyond success and convenience. And then Keri Smith posts something like this to cheer me up:

The next real literary “rebels” in this country might well emerge as some weird bunch of anti-rebels, born oglers who dare somehow to back away from ironic watching, who have the childish gall actually to endorse and instantiate single-entendre principles. Who treat of plain old untrendy human troubles and emotions in US life with reverence and conviction. Who eschew self-consciousness and hip fatigue. The anti-rebels would be outdated of course, before they even started. Dead of the page. Too sincere. Clearly repressed. Backward, quaint, naive, anachonistic. Maybe that’ll be the point. Maybe that’s why they’ll be the next real rebels. Real rebels as far as I can see, risk disapproval. The old postmodern insurgents risked the gasp and squeal: shock, disgust, outrage, censorship, accusations, of socialism, anarchism, nihilism. Today’s risks are different. The new rebels might be artists willing to risk the yawn, the rolled eyes, the cool smile, the nudged ribs, the parody of gifted ironists, the “Oh, how banal.”

–David Foster Wallace

Dust

I woke up this morning to the most beautiful, peaceful snowfall I've ever seen.







(P.S. these are the adorable boots M. Benjamin gave me for our anniversary...)
There's something so centering and peace-making about a walk in the snow, as one of my favourite bloggers, Margie Oomen, is perfectly aware. Hopefully all of my readers back home in California will be able to experience this great peace second hand through these photographs...

I'm off to a conference with my professor and don, but expect a new piece on my poetry blog later on today, if all works out according to plan...

The Trees Speak Riddles

Just wanted to let all my faithful readers (ahem) out there know that I've begun a new blog. Frustration with all of the disgustingly sparkly animated ads on my Livejournal account has persuaded me to post all my poetry on a Blogger site. The site is called "The Trees Speak Riddles" and you can reach it through my profile or by clicking the link. Hope it works out for the better. All my final draughts are posted there, and I hope to keep it fairly reasonably updated. Enjoy!

Serendipity in NYC

Well, I've finally made the long journey home to California to spend Thanksgiving with my family, friends and sweetheart. It was a long flight (after a long, networking journey on public transport in NYC and before a long journey home from the San Francisco airport in my parents' car) but so nice to return to my home and eat a long-awaited soft-boiled egg on buttered toast--a small luxury that gains worth with the inaccessibility of a kitchen to in my residence at school. However, before I record my domestic joys, I'd like to mention a wonderful experience I had the night before I left the city.

Thursday night, I attended a fabulous show in the city, at Webster Hall, on the prompting of my favourite blogger, one Mary Catherine Garrison, with whom the opening act was staying for the time being. I'd heard of the Watson Twins before--although I was admittedly unfamiliar with their music--and I'd certainly known about Joshua Radin, the headliner, for many years, so a few lady friends and myself took the train in for the evening to enjoy the music. Although Dana, India, and Annette were newbies to all of the performers' music--and did not share my underlying hope to meet the blogger I'd been following for nearly a year and a half--they became quick fans of both acts, and I have to admit that the show was, in effect, one of the best I'd been to. The Watson Twins were so much fun, and Mr. Radin turned out to be much more of a charismatic charmer than his introspective, moody whisper-rock suggests. Despite the fantastic time I was having with the music itself, my night was made truly special when one of the Watson Twins girls was kind enough to introduce me to Mary Catherine.

I was so excited with the warm response I received from her--reading her blog for so long, I've always felt she was a kindred spirit of sorts, and I was excited that she was so warm and happy to meet me. She looked adorable--but, then again, I always love her taste in la mode. We traded thoughts on the "blogosphere" and haircuts and parted with a hug. Anyone who reads (and likes) my blog should definitely investigate Little Red Fox. She writes about all things artsy, craftsy, domestic, delicious, and vintage--her life is a beautiful one to feel a part of through her blog. I hope to bump into you again, soon, Mary Catherine!

Well, 'tis time once again to don the apron, as I have radishes to pickle and artichoke-crab dip to bake before my dovely arrives from his long journey South to meet me. I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving feast--to be sure, this Holiday is the only dedicated to eating, of which I approve with all high opinions!

Scanwiches

I have, through the wonderful Gourmet magazine website, discovered a food blog unlike any I have ever seen. Check it out for yourself:

Scanwiches Blog

It's just scans of delicious-looking sandwiches. Bizarre and entrancing. Try clicking on one of the photos in order to make it bigger. So worth it.

Good Morning, Lovely Readers, Whoever You May Be!

Woke up feeling raw-ther optimistic this morning. Got the essential Good Night's Sleep (slept almost ten hours, woot!) and have much much much reading for the weekend--have a formal project proposal due for my Scientific Photography paper due on Thursday--but I've got a fridge brimming with Fage Greek yoghurt and cheap brie and I've been finding new blogs of which I thought I'd give you a quick tour...

wish jar -- the delightful blog of writer and illustrator and guerrilla artist Keri Smith, who is pretty much one of my favourite people in the world. I buy all her books like a mad fiend, and her blog is just as good as they are.

We Love You So -- a Keri Smith recommendation--the blog of Spike Jonze for his production of Where the Wild Things Are. Mainly a collection of the things that inspire him and such. I love the aesthetics of this blog as well.

I'll update with any more that particularly catch my eye, but for now... :) Hope you enjoy as much as I do. It's gotten silly how much I look forward to seeing what these people have to say.

Well, it's breakfast time in Bronxville, so I must be off for yoghurt with honey and dried fruit and nuts on top.