amandasweeet-blog

[amandasweeet-blog]

Bluebird/Bukowski. today my heart is heavy.

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him, I say, stay in there, I'm not going to let anybody see you. there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that he's in there. there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him, I say, stay down, do you want to mess me up? you want to screw up the works? you want to blow my book sales in Europe? there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too clever, I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep. I say, I know that you're there, so don't be sad. then I put him back, but he's singing a little in there, I haven't quite let him die and we sleep together like that with our secret pact and it's nice enough to make a man weep, but I don't weep, do you?

[amandasweeet-blog]

Another childhood favorite of mine - Graeme Base. The above images are from "Animalia", a book that I had several different versions of. I loved his book "The Eleventh Hour", even though I never figured out who the thief was and had to cheat by opening the sealed answer in the back. I still drool over his illustrations for the Lewis Carroll nonsense poem "Jabberwocky", which happened to be my nickname from 2007 - 2009. Every time you look at his illustrations, you see something you've never seen before. So brilliant. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

"The Principals and Practices of Embalming" Published in 2000, 3rd Edition. 

I have thought, perhaps with slowly increasing intensity, about what kind of career I could truly dedicate myself to. Something that I could do anywhere in the world, at any time, so that I never feel locked in to one place forever. A skill that I enjoy, where I will be able to challenge myself and surpass doubts about my capabilities that I didn't even realize I had. Something that would be worth swallowing my aversion and fears of school, sucking it up and getting a degree. I have a few possibilities. They are, in maybe a semi particular order : entomology, zoology, midwife or doula, book dealer/decorator and last but not least, mortician. Bugs, animals, birth, books and death. Sounds about right.

I came across this book a few days and it is awesome. I like that it's very detailed in the embalming process itself and equally as detailed on the cosmetic and presentation of a body. It also goes over the history of embalming which, duh, is super interesting. Did you know that there is such a thing as "embalming for delayed viewing"? As in, preserving a body to be shown 7 months after the time of death? Who woulda thunk?! The photos in the book are quite informative and illustrate many procedures step by step. There are many contributors to the text which appears to keep the tone of the text engaging throughout. 

I think that people who are in this profession need to be able to work with strength, of stomach and mind, and tenderness. I imagine it might difficult to separate yourself completely from the body that you prepare for preservation and then make it look like the person known by the loved ones coming to see them. My mothers grandfather was a mortician so not only am I fascinated by the whole process, it's probably in my blood to be good at it. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

Jason is one of my favorite comic artists. When I worked at a big used book store in Manhattan, I discovered him while shelving in the art department. I picked up "I Killed Adolf Hitler" and I loved it, as soon as I flipped through it. When I read the author bio on the back flap it sealed the deal. There was a little anthropomorphic drawing he did of himself and underneath that it said:

"JASON was born in Norway in 1965. Suddenly he spoke to a cat. Winter filled the room. They could see the ocean." 

I don't know why, but my stomach got all funny and my eyes got all fuzzy when I read that.  I then read everything I could my sticky paws on. In 2009 he came out with "Low Moon". I learned he was going to be doing a signing at the store that I worked at, the place where I had first found him.

I bought "Low Moon" and waited in line. The events manager had told me in advance that he was a quiet and shy. When I arrived at the table, he asked me my name, signed my book and drew a picture in gold. I was very happy and I told him that I thought he was wonderful. He blushed and started sweating which made me very self conscious so I blushed and started sweating too. I hadn't meant to cause him discomfort. Regardless -  I left the signing content. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

O ELEANOR DAVIS!  YOU ARE MAGIC!

doing-fine.com <---------------- try this on for size.

[amandasweeet-blog]

I tried to read this book so I'd be able to offer some sort of synopsis but honestly? This book is weird. I couldn't even find a review or description when I searched the internet. To be clear, this is NOT a juicy book. I can't quite figure out if it's really pro-sex the way it sort of advertises itself to be.

 It's supposedly still in print but isn't the easiest to obtain. If you read it, and are able to understand it, pray thee do tell!

[amandasweeet-blog]

CATMOPOLITAN co 1987, by Ilene Hochberg.  Normally this sort of humor doesn't really do it for me. That being said, this cat themed parody of the women's magazine Cosmopolitan tickles me right in the armpits (the worst kind of tickle that makes you scream and froth - like a rabid monkey! - but in a good way). Catmopolitan has dumb "articles" which aren't far off from real Cosmo - "He's Pussyfooting Around" could totally be an article title in the September 2012 issue - but they're cute because it's cats instead of women.  There are some great soft focus, low light glamour shots of kitties. The best part  - this magazine is not demeaning for cats the way Cosmo is for women.  

[amandasweeet-blog]

[amandasweeet-blog]

Salomé  - play by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley in the 1894 English translation. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

These are some ultra neat book covers I came across today - The layout! The unicorn in the garden of eden! The colors! The giant flying monster fish! 

[amandasweeet-blog]

These are some of the books in the den of my paternal grandparents house located in Long Island, NY. It is the house my father grew up in. I asked my grandma last night if she read all of them and after laughing for a few moments she said, "Oh no no no, these were grandpas book. Wars and history and all that." He was in the USCG for WWII. Later he was an opera singer for NYCO. There are also a lot of books about opera, music theory and so on. It's an interesting collection.

I asked where her reading material was and she pointed to a pile of Danielle Steele hardcovers I brought her several years ago. My grandma was a girl who danced on roller skates (like, professionally - she was in a movie!) before she became an RN. I don't think she is able to read much the last few years. The Reader's Digest in the bathroom hasn't been swapped out for a new issue in over a year though a plastic sealed copy still arrives each month.

In the basement of the house are boxes and boxes of National Geographic that for some reason no library will accept as a donation. I don't even remember how far back the issues go. Which doesn't mean I haven't spent hours looking through them. I would have checked them out last night except I am 26 and still afraid of descending into that darkness once the daylights gone. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

Here are some more of my books at home. These may be more of sugar bears but certainly not all. 

[amandasweeet-blog]

C.B. w/ cat that looks like my Filou

[amandasweeet-blog]

I often come across books I can't stop looking at that focus on topics I would not have independently pursued. Thank goodness I have so many opportunities to peruse! Today the book that grabbed me is the revised and updated edition of "Herculaneum" by Joseph Jay Deiss, copywright 1985 (the year I was born!)

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town ruined by Mt. Vesuvius which you might recognize as the famed destroyer of Pompeii (along with Stabiae and Oplontis). When I think of death by volcano, I think lava. I don't know too much about volcanoes, obviously. I learned that Herculaneum residents were actually killed by something called a "pyroclastic flow",  a cloud of superheated gas and ashes that can reach temperatures of 1,830 degrees fahrenheit and can reach speeds of 450 mph. Insane! 

When researchers first began excavating Herculaneum, it was believed that most of the population had successfully evacuated. When the excavations spread out to the beach area, hundreds of skeletons were found on the beach and in boat houses. Fun fact: despite being indoors, a surge of heat such as that of a pyroclastic flow causes explosion of the skull, fractures of long bones and teeth, and contraction of hands and feet.  The upside to this particularly cruel end is that when all of the flesh melts from your body, the volcanic ash that settles over your skeleton preserves you rather well. The bodies preserved in this manner were the first Roman skeletal and tangible remains available for science being that Romans used cremation as a means of disposing of their dead.

There were also plenty of stunning treasures unearthed at the site of Herculaneum. The picture at top right and the picture at bottom left are both from the Villa of the Papyri, a private house once thought to be owned by the father-in-law of Julius Caesar, Lucuis Calpurnius Piso. The image at top right is a bronze brazier that has 3 Pan-like figures supporting it. They may also be representations of Priapus, a Greek god of fertility. The image at bottom left is a statue found in the garden of the Villa of the Papyri. It depicts Pan with a she-goat. The top left is something called a tintinnabula, which are bronze wood chimes that frequently were rather phallic. Their function was to ward off evil spirits and inspire prosperity. Tintinnabulas were common in houses and shops. The quality, detail and level of preservation in these objects is remarkable. I'm quite pleased to have come across this fascinating if perhaps slightly outdated book, pictured at right. Excavations have currently come to a stop in order to preserve what remains and is at risk of rapid deterioration. I'm curious to see what may be unearthed in the future now that Herculaneum is on my radar!

[amandasweeet-blog]

This is yet another favorite from when I was a little one. These illustrations still blow my mind. Plus look at that dress she is wearing whilst sitting by that pond! I'd pinch someone for it. The story is a mix of a few typical fairytale elements. My copy is pretty battered by now but check it out if you can find it.

[amandasweeet-blog]

These are a portion of my books. Well some of them belong to my beloved sugar bear. But most are mine.

[amandasweeet-blog]

18 Years Ago Today - Peace be with you, K. Cobain.