Collaborating

This evening while I was sitting in Starbucks (handy location for me) and reading, a girl came to my table. No no, it's not that kind of story. She had blue hair, and from conversation, I learned she was a high school senior in advanced art classes.

Her project--which she asked me to help with--was to draw with 25 other people. On a page in a decent-size sketchpad, she would make a mark, then I would, then her again, then me, and so on. At some point I felt like I was overthinking, so I started making the marks with my eyes closed, and she followed suit.

She filmed/taped us at work, so I don't know if this will show up somewhere and if I might see it. It was interesting, though, and I think the young woman in question will prove a valuable talent.

Sure about Friday Random Ten

Hmm. Why did I pick that header? I really don't know. Maybe it's more like, "Sure. About (i.e. approsimately) Friday." Taking into account differing time zones?

1. Bob Dylan--Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again*
2. Elvis Costello & the Attractions--Party Girl
3. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings--Better Things
4. Talk Talk--My Foolish Friend
5. Zapolsky Quartet--Nielsen Sting Quartet op 14, Allegro con Brio
6. Thelonious Monk--Straight No Chaser
7. Janis Joplin--A Woman Left Lonely
8. The White Stripes--One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
9. Los Campesinos!--The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future
10. Pink Martini--Ou Est Ma Tete?

* Yes, he really did fit that phrase into the chorus.

Love the one your with

I like this. Yes, sex with homo floresiensis is a scene that I probably wouldn't get into myself. (Neanderthal chicks might be a different story.) But humanity has grown insular over the millennia, loath to admit we have any relatives among the animal kingdom, much less peers. So I'm gladdened to know that we once reached out to our kindred species, that we carry some of them in our makeup. Let this knowledge go out.

It's less thrilling to know that they're all dead. Their estate lawyers and life insurance companies may want to look into this.

It's funny because it's abstruse

Two solipsists walk into a bar. But only one of them counts.

Wizarding stuff

First of all, Friday Random Ten hasn't been permanently cancelled. It didn't fit into this week's schedule, but will likely be back soon.

Just finished reading Susannah Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Which took a couple of weeks, at least. In mass market paperbook, it's 1000 pages and change. Compulsively readable, though. There are a huge number of characters, so the fact that so many of them are as detailed as they are is more than impressive.

Narcissism seems to have a major power in the story. Norrell and Strange are both self-obsessed in a way, although the latter is somewhat more grounded by his wife (until he isn't.) Of course the elfin villain has everyone beat in self-regard. The path to his defeat is interesting, and I won't spoil it here.

Fired up

This is pretty interesting. From what I understand, Australia's Western desert is one of the harshest environments on the planet. I'm sure the local species are glad of any help they can get.

Martu life revolves around hunting and fire, Douglas Bird explained. Martu inherit ritual duties that correspond to certain tracts of desert called "estates." An important part of this inheritance is the knowledge of when and where to light smoldering brush fires. Martu never start blazes without knowing every nook and cranny of a territory and often forgo campfires when traveling through foreign estates, he said.

"You never burn unless you're with someone who has all of that knowledge about that estate," he added. "If your fire were to threaten one of those totemic spots where they keep all their religious paraphernalia associated with these rituals, it's technically punishable by death."

Whoa! Message received. Even if you know how to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, you want to take a consult before you actually do it.

Waste not, want not

This is an animated film by John and Faith Hubley. The dialog is by their daughters Georgia and Emily. The former of these daughters later went on to co-found Yo La Tengo (shown up a few times on my FR10 lists.) What's cool is that they seem to let the animation flow out of what the girls are saying, leading it to places it might not have gone.

It carries a sixties air with it, even though you won't mistake it for the two giants of sixties animation. (Yellow Submarine and The Jetsons of course.)