27 February 2009

Looking VS Reading

Might I be lazy for a post and direct you to several things I found today on the brilliant World Wide Web? All of these items are courtesy of The Penguin Blog maintained by the kind folks at Penguin UK.

First. A site of book covers. Penguin book covers to be exact. I believe my favorite to be this cover of Jane Eyre:


1,024 more beautiful covers can be found at: http://bookcoverarchive.com/?startrow=0

Second. A wonderful article on design and reading called "In Defense of Readers" by Mandy Brown. Copyright issues probably prevent me from re-posting the entire article here (not to mention the length of the article would dwarf all of my posts), so I shall only include an excerpt.

"The best readers are obstinate. They possess a nearly inexhaustible persistence that drives them to read, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. I’ve seen a reader absorbed in Don Quixote while seated at a noisy bar; I’ve witnessed the quintessential New York reader walk the streets with a book in hand; of late I’ve seen many a reader devour books on their iPhone (including one who confessed to reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy while scrolling with his thumb). And millions of us read newspapers, magazines, and blogs on our screens every day—claims that no one reads anymore notwithstanding."

There is a bit about the difference between looking at something and reading something. Very interesting.

(my thanks to Mandy Brown, wherever you are)

To read the rest of this article, please visit: http://alistapart.com/articles/indefenseofreaders

It's really very good.

Two more covers to appreciate:


26 February 2009

I Made It.

Dear Internet:

This post is woefully overdue, so my apologies are very much in order.

As you can tell from my subject line, I did in fact arrive in Los Angeles safely. In fact I not only arrived safely, I arrived tired and well after dark. Meghan and Joe were very kind to not only let me sleep on their comfy couch for a week but also to store my suitcases and tote bags in their living room.

Here's what it looked like when I crossed the California state line:


What a strange experience this move has been. As I left the unfamiliar, dry landscape of Arizona and entered a state I once called home, the terrain became recognizable and reassuring. All of the hallmarks of a California freeway welcomed me back: highway patrol cars were the usual black and white sedans with officers dressed in brown uniforms; blue call box signs marked the way down Interstate 10; drivers changed lanes without using indicators or their rear view mirrors.

As I headed west through the desert, the intense California sunset faded into whispers of pink and blue and yellow until all the colors bled into indigo. The desert sky was littered with more stars than I had ever remembered seeing out there.

During my first week here I found a very small apartment near work, I bought new tires because two of the old ones split, I enjoyed a lovely lobster pot pie while watching the Oscars with Meghan and I tried a breakfast place called The Waffle.

There will be much to write in the coming days, I suspect. This place feels more like a foreign country to me now than another state.

13 February 2009

1000+ Miles and Two Days Later...

Last night I stopped outside San Antonio, made friends with the girl at the to-go counter at Chili's and tucked myself into a Hampton Inn. (I can't help but wonder if I am supporting Paris Hilton's lifestyle each time I stay at a Hilton)

Here are photos from today's journey through the grand state of Texas:


Stopped at The Alamo to buy postcards and so that I could say I had seen it.


Just in case you're ever in the neighborhood.


Wondered why Montana is called Big Sky and not Texas. Isn't everything bigger in Texas?


Found joy in the fact that I could indeed go 80mph on the highway.


See? That glorious sign says 80!


Texas.


Way off in the distance, the sun sets over Mexico.

12 February 2009

First Stop: New Orleans


Started the day off with a good breakfast.



Watched the morning commute on the Mississippi.




And decided that I love New Orleans.

11 February 2009

Maybe Thomas Wolfe Was Right



Talk about an appropriate fortune. Last week I got this fortune in a cookie, and this week I packed up my car for a cross-country move.

After a year of trying on my hometown with little success of a fit, I am moving back to LA. I can't help but think that maybe Thomas Wolfe was right.