Sustained Criticism

I don't get Pulp Fiction, it is very analysable. At times beautiful, picturesque, very Tarantino, very occasionally remarkable. It doesn't deserve the acclaim it's been given. Everything Tarantino puts his name on is an instant hit. A cult hit, perhaps, but a hit. I like Kill Bill, I fell asleep halfway through Reservoir Dogs and don't particularly like Pulp Fiction. Arty, independent European film, yes, not an American trying too hard. It's not bad, it's just not as fantastical as people make it out to be. There is no disgust, no horrification, there is nothing.

----

"Comme lui je me consume." (As him(/like him), I consume(/devour) myself) French, obviously. And a delight. The last line in a poem, read on a girl's tattoed back. (Where have I heard the phrase "tattooed backs"? Dresden Dolls?) I only wish it was feminine passe compose, acquiring the ending ée: consumée. Why could I never appreciate French like this when I was learning it?

My collarbone obsession is back; there are so many beautiful people with gorgeous collarbones.

And I'm reading DeLillo's Falling Man, another 9/11 book. Very different from Safran Foer's take on it, not as heart-breaking, but not bad.

Oh, and I think I've found my dream flat. CK30, in Oslo, by Akerselven. The area isn't fantastic, but the flats are. Old industrial building, lofty ceilings, fantastic aesthetic. I want to live in an old factory. No country houses, but a factory-flat <3.

240 words, darlings, 240 French words. All written by me. I actually had quite a lot of fun writing it, something must be very wrong with me. Or I might just be a complete philology nut when there's no teacher around to bother me.

Mieux vant tard, ne c’est pas?

I hate my "French inability". Why on earth can't I just sit down, read the grammar and get it? It's exceedingly simple, yet I get nowhere. I'm perfectly capable of it, there is no doubt, I just can't make myself do it. And it is incredibly frustrating: I need to learn French, I need to speak and write French. If not flawlessly, then close. Two hours on a single page simply will not do.

So, Alex, read French grammar, see "Romeo and Juliet", write the essay, pick up a French book of some sort, and read it. Understand French, read French and get good at it. Oh yes, I've a real way with languages*snort*.

I'm most probably going to Paris with school. And I'll most likely be miserable half the time, but misery's good for the creativity and Paris a great place for photography. Perhaps I could convince dad to get us (in effect me) a new camera - without the diabolical delay the Lumix has. The new Lumix wouldn't be too bad, it's supposedly sans delay.

My French is, by the way, as laughable as ever. To remedy it I plan on spending Christmas memorizing grammar.

I would like to learn French. Not that I like it, I simply want to read it. It's a delicate, emotional language, and I want to read French books.

I can't write anymore, and I hate it. Someone sit me down, make me write something creative, and butcher it. Please?

Spiffy stuff.