Garçon means Boy

I've been feeling very literary. I finished Bonjour Tristesse which was a beautiful little novel - a bit melodramatic emo-teen, but Françoise Sagan wrote it when she was only 18 and she was a lot smarter than I was at that age. Mostly, I bought it because I love the way the French language flows - even in translation. The way their phrase their ideas is always so lyrical, subtle and artful. To master the French language would be a true accomplishment and is on my list of things to-do. Even in high school, though I hated poetry in English, I used to enjoy writing poems in French. I also discovered that I got stage-fright in French, which doesn't happen when I'm speaking English.

Adieu tristesse
Bounjour tristesse
Tu es inscrite dans les lignes du plaford
Tu es inscrite dans les yeux que j'aime
Car les lèvres les plus pauvres te dénoncent
Par un sourire
Bonjour tristesse
Amour des corps aimables
Puissance de l'amour
Dont l'amabilité surgit
Comme un monstre sans corps
Tête désappointée
Tristesse beau visage

- P. Eluard (La vie immédiate)

Now I'm reading Oh, the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey, the editor-at-large of McSweeney's, which is my most favourite indie publishing houses in the universe. For those of you who are not familiar with McSweeney's, do yourself a favour and buy yourself a copy of Believer magazine, or check out any of their list of writers including Dave Eggers, one of my most favourite writers of all time.


















It is so much easier to consume creativity than pursue it. Besides adding some psychedelic swirls to my monster painting, I haven't touched it at all. It's just too intimidating. Drawing is easier, but I'm too lazy to do even that. So I hide behind my novels and read about inspiring Other People who achieve great wonderous things in their lives while I waste away my youth in front of the television screen.

Oh, I'm being melodramatic again. I do lots of fun young stuff. I almost threw my back out at the Yonge Street Festival yesterday where I got to see the Meligorve Band for free. I screamed and danced even though no one else was quite That into it. Except for this group of chubby 12 year old girls in the front (sigh). My enthusiasm was well rewarded when the drummer sent his drumstick flying into the crowd and I nearly caught it. Ryan caught it for me because he's taller. I got it signed by the drummer behind the stage and I was giddy for about half an hour until I remembered how fucking burnt-out I was from the 1.5 hour drive home at 3 a.m. last night from Barrie.