27 September, 2007 | Leave a Comment
A day of beauty and literary stimulation for me. Right now I’m eating chocolate. Decadent.
With school starting and all, I figured it was time for a new hair color. My roots were showing, which always makes me feel like a slut. My new hair color is actually my real color, but it’s funny how strange it looks to me. Over the past couple years I’ve flirted with red and then a lighter shade of brown with lots of highlights. The colors just kept piling on and it damaged my hair. Last month I had to get a few inches chopped off. Now I’ve gone back to dark brown, the color the gods intend for me to have (after all, it’s what comes out of my head naturally):
I fear I look like quite the goth chick. I want to go out and buy some kohl to ring my eyes with. I just went down to reception and one of my co-workers saw me and did a double-take. I do look much different, but she thinks I look better. Well, that’s something.
On my way home from the salon, the Circle Line was basically shut down. As always. I have two questions: 1) does the Circle Line ever run properly? 2) why isn’t the Circle Line just demolished?
Moving on to the evening…
I went to an event for Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient. His new novel Divisadero has just been published. He did a reading and then he was interviewed by Hermione Lee. I had no idea she’d be there and it was very exciting. She wrote the biography of Virginia Woolf I’m reading. (Check out the interview with her on the special features of The Hours DVD). Ondaatje said during the interview that he likes to write about taciturn characters and it was funny because he’s not much of a talker himself. He seemed uncomfortable during the int’v, due to shyness I think. He wasn’t necessarily a compelling speaker, but then he’s a writer so he doesn’t need to be. He said it takes him five years to write a novel. I’ve been working on mine for six years, so that gives me hope.
I’ve never read Ondaatje, but he’s the kind of writer that other writers rave about — always a good sign. I didn’t buy the new novel, but instead got Anil’s Ghost, which appeals to me more. I had him sign it, which made me feel kind of chintzy given that everyone else was having him sign the new hardback and I walk up with a paperback. Oh well, I’m a student. It was so fun to be in the queue waiting for his signature with all these literary geeks. I felt right at home.
Okay, now it’s time for more chocolate…to match my hair.
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s Says:
September 28th, 2007 at 3:57 amAnil’s ghost is in my opinion Ondaatje’s worst book. By far. I would read Billy the Kid (poetry) or In the Skin of the Lion, or if you go for blockbusters, the English Patient.
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Yikes! The New York Times said it was his most beautiful book and the Independent said it was a “holy” book and proves why literature matters. I’ll let you know what I think. I couldn’t bring myself to read The English Patient because I hated that movie, but I know I shouldn’t judge the book by that. As for Skin of the Lion, I just read something in the Guardian by a writer who was raving about that book.
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Can’t believe I missed that!
Nice colour,it is kind of mine too,although some grays keep popping up. I dont know if you’ve heard of but there is a Vanessa Bell and Woolf’s joint biography which I love and recommend to everyone: http://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Woolf-Vanessa-Bell-Jane/dp/1860498515
also her “congenial spirits” which I do not have but read all the way through with blissful delight. it feels a bit nosy reading someone’s letters but here we go.
i read this http://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Woolf-Inner-Julia-Briggs/dp/0156032295/ref=sr_1_35/104-3655197-1383933?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190971753&sr=1-35 last year what was very good too.
sorry to litter your comment box with links of books you have already read!
have a nice day -
Thanks for the links, Daniela! I’ve never seen that bio of Virginia and Vanessa — looks great! And the Briggs bio is on my list. I always love recommendations!
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