Nemi!

I  just discovered that Nemi has made it across the ocean!  I randomly discovered her while visiting a tiny village in Norway, the name of which I can't even remember.  I was in a store and saw the cover of the comic and was instantly drawn to it.  I got it and made my Norwegian cousin, Egil translate every sketch while traveling by bus and boat along the fjords.  I still have the book, a treasured keepsake from my European visit.  I occasionally peruse it's pages, trying to remember what they say, trying to pronounce the Norwegian words, conjuring a distant memory of the warm hospitality of my Scandinavian family.  When I got back to the states, I searched the internet for more of my favorite gothic comic girl and was hard put to find a site that made any sense to me.  Eventually, I found that she was syndicated in the Metro, some UK rag (hey I don't know what it is... A newspaper?  A tabloid?  I'm just glad she exists in a language I can understand!) so I could occasionally check out what she was up to.   Recently, however, I found her at my local library!  How exciting, no?  Yes!  I am so getting a copy of the English version book.... um, someday when I can justify spending whatever it costs to own it...  For now, I've got it on loan from the library.  Long live the Library!  I love you Library, you're like my second love... My first?  Well I'll let you guess at that one!

Current Obsessions and Interests!

A few things I'm into at the moment:

Music: Vashti Bunyan. I'm enamored of her sweet soft voice, a gentle and clear whisper. Listening to the lyrics takes me into a dreamlike UK countryside, a place I desperately yearn for, where my heart is at home. I can't seem to get enough of her album "Just Another Diamond Day". If you like dreamy music, she's your girl! Read her bio here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashti_Bunyan

Books: "Awkward and Definition" by Ariel Schrag. This book is two graphic novels in one, penned by then high-schooler Ariel in the mid-90's, chronicling her freshman and sophomore years. The art is great, the writing well-done and the story-lines charming. I'm about a year older than Ariel, so it's really a blast from the past for me, a little reminder of my own high school experience with references to bands, fashions and the general teenage weirdness of the day. Ariel, being in the Bay Area, was probably more worldly than I was, well... more infused with booze, sex and drugs anyway, but I can still relate to the questions on sexuality, celebrity crushes (even if she literally worshiped Juliette Lewis and I literally spat on her every visage), and experimentation with "adult" games, substances, and responsibilities. I heartily enjoyed reading "Awkward and Definition" and look forward to reading the third installment in her series of 4, titled "Potential". Here's a little more about Ariel and her work: http://www.arielschrag.com/pages/bio.html

Dance: Butoh. I just saw and amazing Butoh performance last night by a group called Death Posture. They performed at the Fez Ballroom with a live experimental noise group made up of two prepared guitarists and a percussionist. I was lucky to have the chance to chat with the two dancers, Alex and Vanessa, about their work, and learned a lot about the meaning, intent and history of Butoh as well as their personal artistic processes. I have played with the idea of studying this dance of Japanese origins in the past, but am now even more interested, as it applies to work I've already done and to work that I'm in the process of creating. It would be a welcome addition to my artistic pallet for sure. Look here for some more info on Butoh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butoh