Week 19

Hey sweet peas!
So it's Sunday afternoon and I'm trying to drink my Earl Grey with the spoon still in the cup, and generally feeling pretty dazed but specifically feeling like I miss Ginny. Because she's posted in Cambridge now and I'm still in London and while I talk to her everyday, and call her so she can help me choose my shopping at Sainsbury's, it's not the same as having her here. And I'm not writing this in a 'woe is me, poor preppy white girl' kind of way, it's just the gypsy life gets a little bit tiering sometimes, and if you have even just one person who you get to hang out with all the time, and who has known you for more than 12 months then, well, you're really lucky. Because you can show up to their house uninvited, and make potato waffles together and just sit and talk shit or just do your own thing but know that they're there, and they love you. So if you have someone like that in your life, now is probably the time to turn around and look at them in their cruppled tshirt and yesterdays socks and give them a mad hug. Like properly bear-jump them.
Hope you guys have fun together.




Really hope it's not racist to think that Mexicans have an alarming resemblance to peanuts. Because they do. Here is my super prototype for a new generation of kids toys, 'You're very own Several Amigos' set. All peanut characters are detachable and come with a hat and concise personality profile. Squint your eyes if you want to read.

This week we love...




Every once in a while you meet someone that just seems to come from nowhere. You know the ones that you can't imagine them having parents, or a bank account, and would put money on them not actually having a belly button. This week's featured person is one of those. Allow me to introduce you to Kpete Noeden Howden Brunton-Crunk, 23 year old med student, gambler and substance explorer.
Now if this was a Charles Dickens novel, and people's names served as an indicator of their character, Kpete's pretty much sets the pace for his life. Someone bet him that he wouldn't put a silent 'k' infront of his name so he not only proved him wrong but one-upped him by having a renaming party and registering himself as this new double-barreled monstrosity. Kpete Noeden Howden Brunton-Crunk. Amazing.
As you've probably guessed by now, Kpete has a penchant for drugs. While we're chatting he's whipped out abotu 10 enormous poppy pods, stuck them in a blender and made tea with the powder. Smells like the skin of a jacket potato but he seems pretty happy with it.
He hands me a 5 page letter from his solicitor giving the details of his arrest and subsequent caution for posession of class A drugs. Here's an excerpt:

In respect to the LSD, you said that it was your intention to recreate the LSD experiments conducted by the CIA in the 60s.
You indicated that all the drugs found on your person were for personal consumption and that the self seal bags and scales were consistent with that usage.
you gave details of the casinos in which you were gambling and you gave details of your "winning methods".
[...]
You were interviewed by the police and accepted my advicec to answer questions, you set out your case fully and frankly. You told the officers that you are a heavy user of drugs on occasions you are not studying for higher level qualifications.

He seems pretty unphased about it all and has decided to take a gap year, make some money in casinos with his autistic friend (I'm not even kidding) and go travelling around South-East Asia.
As for long term plans he's got it all figured out. First up will be his charity 'The Dangers of Running with your Hands in your Pockets' aimed at spreading awareness of this extremely dangerous habit (think tshirts, website and a yearly marathon to really make his point) then make millions, buy a fucking massive yacht and write a book.
It's time to go to bed so we part ways with an invite to take shrooms in Kew Gardens and one last funny story about the time he set his hair on fire in the bath.
I hope he lives to 100.




The Suburbs- Arcade Fire

Being a total cheat here and putting this here even though I haven't listened to the whole album. Just feel like sending out a bit of general Arcade Fire appreciation, rather than anything specific to this album, because 'The Suburbs' and 'City with no Children' are good, but so's 'Wake Up' and 'Intervention'. Also loving the film clip for 'My body is a Cage'. Wish I was a cowboy.


The Cranes Are Flying- Mikhail Kalatozov

Recommended by my Grandpapie, 'The Cranes Are FLying' seems to me like a Soviet-era version of 'A Very Long Engagement'. Released in 1957 it's a beautiful black and white film about WW2, or as Russians refer to it, 'The Great Patriotic War', and the effect it had on the Russian psyche. More specifically though it's about Boris and Veronika, two sweethearts who are separated when Boris volunteers himself into the army, and the torment Veronika puts herself through as she waits for him to come home. In true Russian style it's all rather tragic and you're left with very little comfort at the end but some shots are just perfect (favourite being the cuckoo clock hanging in the bombed down living room). Plus Tatyana Sanojlova is an absolute babe.


John Dilnot, Natural History at Rebecca Hossack Gallery, 28 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia London W1T 2NA

Feeling a sense of urgency about writing this because the exhibition ends either today or tomorrow, but if by any chance you're in central London this very minute RUN to Charlotte Street and check it out. It is the prettiest darn exhibition I've ever seen. The Rebecca Hossack Gallery is a lovely little space, two rooms of wood floors and white walls and currently home to 30 or so pieces by John Dilnot. The collection's called 'Natural History' and is best summed up as: maps, mothboxes, paper birds, bad apples, miniature forests and melancholy. go.right. now.
Or look it up on Google Images, either way.


Also...

Saw this a few days ago in my first ever film studies class. It's just so romantic, especially if you see it in big.