Great friends, good food, animals and tow--followed by a Doobinin gig at Rockwood....could I ask for a better day to kick-start the summer?
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
I just finished The First Man by Camus, which was one of the most poignant, beautiful books I've ever read. I haven't felt the need to openly cry over a book in ages. LT: 0 Camus: 1
After he died in a car accident, his family found the manuscript, along with notes and sections completely crossed out. His wife did not want it published and until her death, his children agreed. After they read it and thought about it more, they decided to go ahead and publish it to give his readers more insight into his life. When I started reading it, I felt a sort of disloyalty because as many of you know, I have struggled with letting certain things from people I have known who have died being brought out for public consumption. What I have learned from being allowed to read such a beautiful book, is that in the end, all that matters is that the original material should not be edited or retouched. It should be left as is--which is exactly what this book was to really honor that person and their wishes.
There are footnotes throughout the entire book, noting things like "illegible word" or "sentence ends here." The last section of the book are his notes--which mostly contain random facts and beautiful ramblings for thoughts on how some sections should be rewritten. It ends with two letters--which were so beautiful and humbling--I feel lucky that I was able to read them and peek inside this iconic writer's inner life.
The First Man is a semi-autobiography about Camus childhood in Algiers and the struggle he felt while growing up in poverty and the hope and passion he had for life because of it. It is an amazing book and I highly recommend it.
Case in point:
"...today he felt life, youth people slipping away from him, without being able to hold on to any of them, left with the blind hope that this obscure force that for so many years had raised him above the daily routine, nourished him unstintingly, and had been equal to the most difficult circumstances--that, as it had with endless generosity given him reason to live, it would also give him reason to grow old and die without rebellion."
Go read this book now!
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
Spring will always get me. I miss the days of running around and having no responsibilities--and having my biggest problem be what guy I was going to go after...
Ahh youth.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
KT once told me about someone she met that enjoyed talking to. She asked him for a list of 5 books she should read in her lifetime. She enjoyed the list. I loved that idea so I am asking you, dear friends, what 5 books would you tell me I must read before I leave this earth? Comment back please!
If I could only bring 5 books with me on a desert island and/or to my death bed, this would be my list*
*subject to change at any time and I am cheating by throwing in a 6th so I can get my poetry in there too
Anything by Edith Wharton is amazing. I love her to pieces. Her stories of Old New York are timeless but this one is pure magic.
*Sigh* He is one of my favorite authors, dead or living, hands down. I'm sad though because I've read everything--including his short stories, autobiography and magazine articles so I may have to reread this again soon for another fix
My generation's "Unbearable Lightness of Being" (just cheated again!) Hilarious and poignant--and love the diagrams (pre-Eggers)
Ok. This is a kids book. But this is not for the faint of heart. One of my first real-life (and not Hollywood) crushes was Mr. Loffler--my 4th grade teacher who read this out loud to us every day after lunch. One chapter a day. As we got towards towards the end, he started crying and tearing up so much that he couldn't finish the book and it became a home work assignment. When I finished it at home, I had to sleep downstairs on the couch, next to my parents room and with my dog right at my feet for quite a while. I cried like a baby over this book for a good week. I don't know if a book has effected me that much since.
Thus began my Lethem fetish.
Book of Poetry: Tie (extra cheating)
A line from "The Victims" to entice you--it's really powerful--all the poems are:
"Now I pass the bums in doorways,
the white slugs of their bodies gleaming through slits in their
suits of compressed silt,
the stained flippers of their hands,
the underwater fire of their eyes, ships gone down with the lanterns lit,
and I wonder who took it and took from them in silence
until they had given it all away and had nothing left but this"
I don't believe this fella requires an introduction.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
A few weeks ago, I went with my friend Jill to pick out a dog at the Brooklyn branch of the NYC Center for Animal Control. My heart broke into a million pieces and I highly doubt it will ever recover. Ladies and gentleman, this is no ASPCA. This is the lowest of the low. Dogs, Cats and Rabbits are shoved into tiny cages, no blankets, no toys, a bowl of water and little hope.
After 7 days of being posted, if no one adopts or claims them, off they go to Animal Heaven. 20,000-30,000 adoptable, healthy dogs are euthanized every year in NYC alone because of overcrowding. I don't even want to know what the total number of animals (including cats, rabbits, etc.) is. The whole thing is truly wretched.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. I have to do something to help. I've decided to give as many animals as possible a little trinket to play with or a nice place to snuggle while they are in the shelter system.
This is where you come in.
Every month, I'll be collecting gently used blankets, towels and new toys for any of the above animal types and will be dropping them off at the Brooklyn branch. I will be donating at least $25.00/month or more to the cause and will personally drop off anything I collect.It's not a lot but at least it's something.
If you are interested in helping, please comment back and I will email you with my mailing address so you can send whatever you would like to donate. I will post pictures or a note from a NYACC rep to prove that it's all going to this new cause I'm on.
I'm calling this initiative the Furbaby Blanket Fund and will be creating a separate blog to post updates.
Thanks for reading this--and thank you in advance for any blanket, towel, toy or donation you send.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
I was very happily surprised and delighted to find out that there is a new blog in the New York Times Online edition called Measure For Measure, which gives songwriters the chance to share their songwriting process. A description of the blog reads "With music now available with a single, offhand click, it's easy to forget that songs are not born whole, polished and ready to play. They are created by artists who draw on some combination of craft, skill and inspiration. In the coming weeks, the contributors to this blog -- all accomplished songwriters -- will pull back the curtain on the creative process as they write about their work on a songs in the making."
Thank you New York Times!
To make this discovery even more amazing--one of my favorites of late, the wonderful, talented and magical Andrew Bird, will be detailing his process as he records his new album (which I cannot wait for). The first post went up yesterday. It really touched me. His album Armchair Apocrypha is one I have listened to a lot over the last 6 months--and it's really helped get me through a lot of hard times. I love his voice and think he's pretty unclassifiable. It's pretty incredible to get the inside scoop. The story he wrote of, in regards to the forthcoming "Oh No" is funny and poignant--just like his music.
Big shout out to the NYT and Mr. Bird himself for participating. I will be looking forward to all the other postings. Roseanne Cash, Darrell Brown and Suzanne Vega will also be writing.
Without further ado, a live performance from Coachella 2007:
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
I cannot resist posting more pics of my new little boy Ollie. Enjoy!
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
My amazingly talented and resourceful friend Michelle (aka Mushy because she is just that) recently realized her dream. She opened a beautiful store in Hollywood, steps away from her house. It is beautiful! She has always been great at picking out pieces for friends homes and realized that she loved decorating. After trips to Thailand and lots of happy clients, the space opened up and she grabbed it. It is just gorgeous!
I am so happy for her. I am also lucky to know her. Not only does she do decorating but is a trained masseuse and healer. She has impacted my life in so many positive ways.
The next time you are in L.A., pay her a visit. You won't walk away empty handed--but the great thing about her prices is that you won't walk away broke either.
Enter M-U-S-H
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
My last post was sad. My past month was terrible. I couldn't stand being the only heartbeat in my house anymore so on Saturday, I picked up a new rescue friend. Meet Oliver!
Things we are going to work on:
-Walking on a leash
-Being nice to men
-Doing business outside while on a leash
-Knowing that when the phone rings on TV, it's just on TV and nothing to be too alarmed about
We start puppy classes in a few weeks. I hated gong to work today--but I really can't wait to get home.
Check out his awesome mohawk in this picture...his hair has a tendency to stand up on end after a good nap.
A few more parting shots for today...more to come...I'm sure!
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
This has, by far, been the most heart breaking week of my life. I am so sad to report that on Monday @ 10:19 AM, little Miss Dixie Doodle passed away. She developed pneumonia and the pressure on her heart was too much. She suffered a cardiac arrest and the vets could not revive her. She was 10 years old.
Dixie was a very special dog. I always said that when she came into my life, 6 1/2 years ago, that we rescue each other. Life will not be the same without my little side-kick. She was an angel.
In the spirit of our amazing life together, I want to post some of my favorite pictures of her. The first one is the first picture I ever saw of her. When I saw it, I knew she was my dog.
This was a fun day at work, when I got to bring her in.
Lounging around
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
Um people...this is too much. Please take 10 minutes to watch this. You won't regret it and will be quite amazed.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
As most of you already know, I have been gearing up for a few months for a trip to Utah in February. I am really excited to go, because I will be volunteering for 4 days at the Best Friends Animal Society--the largest no-kill animal shelter in the U.S. The staff works tirelessly to place the animals in adoptive homes, or if necessary, the animals live out their lives in a beautiful setting where they are well taken care of and loved. There are many things I love about this place--but one of the biggest, is that the funding they receive goes towards making sure that every animal there gets the medical attention it deserves--no matter what the cost.
I am pretty beside myself to go--I can't wait to make an impact and utilize the empathy/love I have for animals in a way that really makes a difference.
The shelter announced today that the Michael Vick dogs have arrived and are doing well in the beginning stages of rehabilitation. I'm not sure if a first time volunteer will be given access to them, but if I can do anything while I am there to help them, I will.
In more Best Friends news, National Geographic also launched a new series "Dog Town" about the dog portion of the center that you can catch on Friday nights. It's truly inspiring.
You can make a donation if you wish, by clicking here
I'll post pictures when I get back (if I am allowed to take them!)
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
There's something about a hot guy with a fro who can sing and play drums at the same time! I've been listening to the Eagles a lot lately and they are for sure, a long standing favorite band of mine. I remember Thanksgiving of 7th grade getting in trouble for not being on time for dinner because I could not tear myself away from a radio interview with Don Henley. I still have the cassette tape from recording it (I have a problem when it comes to throwing stuff like that out). And I labeled it "Pink Champagne on Ice." I was such a dork. But I loved Don Henley and I always will. I don't care how old or bloated he is.
In honor of my new tagline, check him (and his fro) in all his glory in this TV performance the year I was born. I love that this song was written about Stevie Nicks.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
I signed up a few weeks ago for a daily tip email from Ideal Bite on how I can make more responsible choices for the environment. I really enjoy reading them each day and they offer customization by city--which means that you can actually go and check out or buy whatever they write about. I encourage you all to go check it out and sign up..it's pretty cool stuff. I also love the side bar on what would happen if everyone did what the tip. I love being an idealist.
Originally posted on lauriert.vox.com
and BTW, the 3-song Black Star EP is effing amazing. To cover Neil Young and Radiohead in one sitting takes balls.
- Location:home
- Mood:
tired - Music:Gillian Welch
- Location:work
- Mood:
excited - Music:Chuck Prophet
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