yay for natalie dee, keeping me in an upbeat, webcomic-y mood. i have this one as my desktop and have been laughing at it for several hours. in addition to my canada and quebec flags, there's going to be natalie dee comics all over my dorm room come september. "automatic snowman" is the accepted classic from ye olde bowditch 313, no?

there's not really a lot going on this week, or much inclination to write this summer, so here are other things i suggest:

things to read:

- empress orchid: two words, people: anchee min. you must read her. red azalea, wild ginger, becoming madame mao, and now this. she's doing more books on the orchid character (based on chinese empress tzu hsi), too. can't wait.

- a heartbreaking work of staggering genius: i just started reading it this morning after finishing empress orchid late last night. eggers had me somewhere between "THIS WAS UNCALLED FOR" and the profile of himself on the copyright page (complete with kinsey scale). the "THIS WAS UNCALLED FOR" introductory page rates right up there with my favourite one of all time, the "this is not for you" in house of leaves. speaking of which, mark z. danielewski's new book only revolutions stands a good chance of distracting me from early academic obligations when school returns. it'll be out september 12th.

- also of note: while my aforementioned summer drought is keeping posting light here, my dear friend laura is bringing the truths like a motherfucker on her blog.

- and finally: snakes on a plane, the novelisation. shiny. nick walker's blackbox: a novel in 840 chapters is my favourite book about planes, but it lacks the other vital component: snakes.

things to listen to:


- citrus: the new asobi seksu album, better than their first, which i thought was pretty good. pitchfork's review today just about echoes my feelings:

Contrary to what you may see written about them, Asobi Seksu aren't gazing at their shoes on their second album-- they're looking skyward the whole time. Yes, the guitar overload, massive reverb, and deceptively sweet vocals are all there, but this New York quartet is anything but a My Bloody Valentine retread.

Frontwoman Yuki Chikudate gives the band a charismatic focus, and her vocals range from a soulful croon to a delicate wisp. Whether she's singing in Japanese or English (she does both in about equal measure), she always keeps it catchy, and that squishing sound you hear when she sings 'put your tongue up to my battery' on 'Nefi+Girly' is indie boys melting across the country.

[...]the vibe is decidedly astral. It's one of many songs that drive home just how perfect Sean McCabe's cover art is: Yuki at the center of the swirl, bathed in bright colors, with big swaths of melody slathered liberally across the proceedings.

- "me plus one": this song by annie is unbelievably catchy.

- jolie holland: she is awesome. i finally got around to a thorough listen of my copy of escondida and enjoyed it, though not quite as much as her earlier work with the be good tanyas. i hear good things about springtime can kill you, her new album.

- "i got you (at the end of the century)": i caught i am trying to break your heart on the sundance channel earlier and i'm on sort of a wilco kick.

it's lonely this week and i can't think of anything except you.

and then there's this:

to conclude, random factoid: actor michael fairman, mr. pensky (of the pensky file) from the seinfeld episode "the barber," is the same guy who played niska on firefly. just noticed that.