Monday, March 26, 2012

Why I should not be allowed onto the internet when I'm sad. Apologies.

I lie here longing for a different world,
where I was fulfilled and you were less cruel.
But I think you'd ignore me if I asked you not to,
and I worry you'd laugh if I told you I love you.

Yes, I dread your laughter most of all.

 Tim Burton

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Fallen.


http://www.codex99.com/photography/43.html 


 I don't know how or what to think about this...but I'm thinking about it nonetheless. It's superficially beautiful... then you think about it and there's nothing less beautiful.

My Shave, Books and Music.

Firstly, I am a terrible blogger. I apologise almost sincerely. I don't think I even have the right to call myself a blogger really...I haven't written anything in more than a month. I do have reasons though. I will list them. Here.
1) I was a bit sad and people constantly blogging about sad things shit me.
2) I just started up uni again so I'm not necessarily any busier, just feel like I should look like it.
3) I've made a very decent effort to read more books. I am doing this and it's fantastic. I am enjoying the lack of a computer screen a great deal.

I would like to introduce you to my new favourite band. They're called The Jane Austen Argument and reside in Melbourne. I saw them when they supported the Dresden Dolls earlier in the year...they were absolutely charming and beautiful musicians. They've just released their début album and it makes my heart hurt in a good way.
They are unsigned and sell all their music through Bandcamp which means all the money from sales goes directly to them- how it should be. You can listen to their whole album here:
You will not regret it, I promise you.

If you've never had a look at Bandcamp I suggest you do immediately. It's full to the brim with amazing artists that fly below the radar of popularity but are just. fucking. incredible. Your life will change.
 http://bandcamp.com/

The current mainstream distribution of music is becoming ridiculous. With faceless labels pumping out cold, unloved records you can see why so many people resign themselves to downloading music illegally. It's easier and obviously cheaper... what Bandcamp manages to do is provide a platform for artists to upload and sell their own music online for whatever price they choose (usually cheap as chips or free with the request of a donation) without the middle man giving them shit. How could you not love it? According to the Bandcamp website:
  • "Albums outsell tracks 5 to 1 (in the rest of the music buying world, tracks outsell albums 16 to 1).
  • On name-your-price albums, fans pay an average of 50% more than the minimum."
  • It encourages my faith in people and music and art in general. Beautiful. 

I must admit, I knew very little about Neil Gaiman until he married Amanda Palmer. After stalking him on twitter for a month or two I decided that he seemed like the sort of author I wouldn't mind giving money to. I've started with something short and easy; his most recent children's/adult's/everybody's novel The Graveyard Book. It follows the childhood of a boy named Bod, short for Nobody. He is raised by the ghosts of a graveyard as his parents and sister were killed by the story's antagonist Jack. He's a creepy fellow. His writing style is beautifully clear. Almost lyrical. I don't want to say much about the storyline as I feel like it should be discovered for oneself but the ending was so poignant and endearing. I cried in the middle of a cafe at university surrounded by friends as I finally closed the book. I am a hopeless case.
If you enjoyed books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones then I cannot recommend this enough to you. It's definitely not just a children's book.

As I said on my previous blog, I'm taking part in The World's Greatest Shave. I am the only Xanthea to shave her head this year! I know, it excites you more than it excites me. I pretty much just a bunch of friends to come to my house, drink cider and go crazy with my locks. It was excellent fun. My Mother cried but I think she's almost used to it now...and I've raised $1,800 so far! Look!


I am sometimes overwhelmed with people's generosity. It is truly heart-warming.

This is a recent history of my hair in picture form. 
A couple of weeks earlier...WITH A IGUANA!

Mid way through...
Ta-DAAAAhhhh!!!
Speaking of picture form, I'm taking a picture a day of my head and then putting them all together in a time lapse video. My hair will look like it's on crack. I'm pretty goddamn excited. 

There are some novelties to being bald that I hadn't anticipated...these include:
  1. The feeling of air conditioning on my naked scalp is indescribable. almost orgasmic. wonderful.
  2. People are constantly playing with my head. The hair feels amazing and I'm definitely not complaining about and almost constant head massage.
  3. Head on pillow feels like Velcro. THAT is bizarre. 
  4. People constantly feel the need to say I look nice. I don't consider myself all that vain but it's really nice to hear all the same. 
  5. Complete strangers have started coming up and talking to me and asking me about it. It's a convenient conversation starter! Win! I thought people would try to ignore it and be weird. Most aren't.
  6. OTHER THINGS that I cannot think of currently but will mention when I do. Promise.
I don't know how to stop these things so I will now. Cheerio chaps, I will strive to more regularly update my life to you invisible people. Who knows, someone out there one day might be interested in the incongruent ramblings of a 20 year old bald vegetarian girl. Stranger things have happened, right?

LOVE x