Also, you can keep up with our thrilling adventures in the world of knitwear design at our knitting blog, Yarneteria.
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
I was in a really bad mood earlier today, and was listening to Liz Phair all morning, and it was brutal. I was revisiting Phair to try and get at the root of why I’m still single (the answer is here somewhere!), why that kind of seems to be about being a woman who writes about music (even though there’s so much more to me than that), and why I have this complete inability to approach men I’m interested in and indicate my interest.
I mean, really, this put me in about the most terrible mood you could imagine.
And then I decided to listen to Rilo Kiley, and … even songs I wasn’t so hot on when they were first released — none of that leaves me disoriented and nauseated as Phair’s music. And yet! I’d say that band’s music was possibly more influential on my way of looking at the world (and other art and music) than Liz Phair ever was. It’s not just about subject matter, or musical prowess … though I’d put Rilo Kiley slightly ahead of Phair in both categories.
I guess what’s so shocking is the way that the cynicism and self-loathing of Phair’s lyrics really wormed their way into whatever part of of me that defines self-worth. Yes, there were things going on in my life at that time that were just as important at drawing those lines (I mean, I was a freshman in college! my life was a mess!), but dammit if I don’t think listening to Liz Phair nonstop kind of made it all worse.
Does this make any sense? It’s been a long time since I had a nice and semi-unhinged post about the way music makes me feel. (To a certain extent, meghanagain, I think this one’s for you.)
xoxo, c. hotpoint
Sir Laurence Olivier … in a girdle for a charity performance, 1964. Photo by Terry O’Neill. (via vanityfair.com)
xoxo, c. hotpoint
via Shorpy
October 1942. “Women are trained as engine mechanics in thorough Douglas training methods. Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California.”
So much to love here, visually and … contextually.
xoxo, c. hotpoint
Look! I’m five years ahead of the curve, again! Somehow, that’s not making this particular pill any easier to swallow. Can’t we talk about what to do next?
xoxo c. hotpoint
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
The study, still under peer review before publication, analyzed 22,000 online daters and found that women put a premium on income and height when deciding which men to contact, said Dan Ariely, a Duke behavioral economist who worked with University of Chicago researchers on the project.
For example, the study showed a 5-foot-9-inch man needs to make $30,000 more than a 5-foot-10-inch one to be as successful in the dating pool.
Men in the study showed strong preference for women with a body mass index of 18 or 19 - “which is slightly on the anorexic side,” Ariely said. (A 5-foot-6-inch woman would need to weigh about 115 to fit that profile, according to the National Institutes of Health’s online body-mass index calculator).
And yet? Isn’t every straight man (hell, some of the queers, too!) in this city wanking to Christina Hendricks on the cover of NY Mag this week? I bet they are.
xoxo, c. hotpoint
1) Turn up for work. Discipline allows creative freedom. No discipline equals no freedom.
2) Never stop when you are stuck. You may not be able to solve the problem, but turn aside and write something else. Do not stop altogether.
3) Love what you do.
4) Be honest with yourself. If you are no good, accept it. If the work you are doing is no good, accept it.
5) Don’t hold on to poor work. If it was bad when it went in the drawer it will be just as bad when it comes out.
6) Take no notice of anyone you don’t respect.
7) Take no notice of anyone with a gender agenda. A lot of men still think that women lack imagination of the fiery kind.
8) Be ambitious for the work and not for the reward.
9) Trust your creativity.
10) Enjoy this work!
Jeannette Winterson in Ten rules for writing fiction(part two) @ guardian.co.uk
Though there is lots of good advice in parts one and two of this feature from a stunning array of great writers, Winterson’s is by far the most realistic and pointed and useful.
xoxo, c. hotpoint
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Here’s an answer to the question, “What is the worst 2010 rip-off of Lady Gaga?” courtesy of Popjustice.
Comes off kinda… Aqua-y, no?
Ha! When I first saw another Cascada video on MTV Hits a few months ago, that was my first thought too. However, for better or worse, everyone is going to be ripping off Lady Gaga now, whether its logical or applicable or not. Everyone. (Of course, this train of thought makes me desperately sad about the loss of McQueen all over again …)
xoxo, c. hotpoint
