Photo of the day, 10/2/09

So I was a slacker. I skipped the last two days. Wednesday, I was in such a foul mood that I couldn't even think about taking pictures. Yesterday, I actually took quite a few pictures, but I think they all turned out terribly, so there's no point in posting them.

Today's photo is one of my favorite subjects. For some reason, I always enjoy looking at, photographing, and otherwise studying City Hall. Almost every time I go past it, I'm reminded of how beautiful and majestic it is. This pic was taken on my phone from the back seat of a cab as I was on my way home from S's.




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Photos of the Day, 9/29/09

I couldn't decide which one to post, so I went with both!



The stairs of the Residence from the ground floor. Anyone who is familiar with Frank Furness' architecture will know that one of his signatures is the use of the exposed 'skeleton' of a building. The steel and rivets used to support the stairs are a focal point of the design, rather than the infrastructure that ends up being hidden.



I just thought this pattern was beautiful - it's a tapestry-like fabric, that evokes the Moroccan tile that I was so obsessed with when I visited there.

Eugénie Grandet, by Honoré de Balzac

I just finished reading Eugénie Grandet, after having started it *months* ago. It came highly recommended, as de Balzac is one of B's favorite authors. Admittedly, I found it a little bit difficult to really get into it, because it moved really slowly, and - more importantly - none of the characters were particularly compelling.

The story is that of this miserable old miser, who has built up his fortune from nothing by a series of wily business deals that were legal, but ethically questionable. He has absolutely no qualms about manipulating those around him to increase his fortune, and many of the other notable residents of his little village are more than happy to BE used and manipulated because they want to marry his daughter Eugénie, and hence his money.

This miserly old man has a devoted wife and daughter who he forces to live in a state of poverty so that he doesn't have to relinquish the slightest bit of his fortune in order to benefit their quality of life. In fact, if his wife and daughter are more important to him than his gold, it is only because of their status as "assets" to him. His wife had her own fortune, to which Eugénie is the sole heir.

Rather than recount the whole story, I'll just direct you, my lovely readers, to a summary, but I think my main issue with the book was that none of the characters were particularly likable.

Monsieur Grandet is a mean, spiteful, manipulative, abusive man, who cares more for his bank balance and the acquisition of money, even to the extent that it endangers the life of his dutiful wife.

Madame Grandet is a meek martyr of a woman, who is incapable of standing up to her husband. While I understand that it's very much a sign of the times (the novel was set in 1817), it's still immensely irritating that she essentially wrings her hands and plays dumb through the entirety of the novel.

Eugénie Grandet is also spineless, and has inherited quite a bit of her mother's martyr-ish-ness. She often denies herself happiness or pleasure both to please her father and to spite him, truly only hurting herself in the end. She ends up inheriting both of her parents' fortunes, but in the end, she's living the exact same life of austerity and isolation that she led in the beginning. She marries for convenience, but is widowed young, and is left with nothing but her inheritance, which (I think) she resents, unlike her father who worshiped his fortune.

I realize that not every story has a happy ending all tied up in a neat little bow, but Eugénie Grandet was depressing from start to finish. AND, there was no character development through the entirety of the book; almost every character was the exact same person at the end of the book as they were in the beginning.

So, that's my "review" of Eugénie Grandet. I'd give it a 2 out of 5 stars. It was well written, but that wasn't enough to get me to actually care about any of the characters.

Photo of the Day, 9/28/09

I've seen this guy tooling around the neighborhood a few times, and I think it's really amusing how he wears a motorcycle helmet rather than a bike helmet. (I know it's a crappy picture; they'll improve, I promise!)

Photo of the Day, 9/27/09

S mentioned that the sky was beautiful after it cleared up from today's storms. I decided to go out and document it, and voila.

Comfortably Numb

And I'm not talking about the Pink Floyd song.

This describes the way that I feel far better than I could ever describe it myself.

I found the link to this post from The Happiness Project, which H has been talking about for quite a while. I have to admit that I haven't really been paying too much attention to it, but perhaps it deserves another look...

Photo of the day, 9/26/09

This needs no explanation!




Although other than the awesome concert, the other highlight was the middle aged couple two rows in front of us. They were hysterical!


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Photo of the Day, 9/25/09

I got home in the wee hours of the morning, so I'm just getting around to posting the picture from last night. Introducing, my new best friend Cassie!

She and her owner were sitting at the table next to us at Triumph last night. She was so cute and so friendly, I just wanted to snatch her up and run away with her!!

P.S. Sorry about the picture quality; she wouldn't sit still long enough for a good picture!

Photo of the Day, 9/24/09

J celebrating the 250th anniversary of Guinness as only an Irishwoman can!

Culture and Education

I spent this evening at the Free Library of Philadelphia at the launch of the 2010 "One Book, One Philadelphia" project. The kick-off event was headlined by the author of this years' selection, Marjane Satrapi. Her 2-book series of autobiographical graphic novels (or "comics" as she insisted they be called), "Persepholis" is going to be the foundation upon which literacy, educational, and cultural events are built over the next year.

The first volume caught my eye several years ago, when it was first published in English. At the time, I was at the peak of my Iran fascination. I read and watched everything that I could about life in Iran. Of particular interest was the time during and immediately before and after the Islamic Revolution, and how the revolution affected the lives of Iranian women.

I was like a sponge. I needed to read everything and anything written about the era. I consumed every autobiography and memoir that I could get my hands on. I read books written by Iranian women, as well as books written by Western women (mostly journalists) about their experiences there.

So when the first volume of "Persepholis" came my way, I pounced. It told the story of a young Iranian girl sent to Europe to school during the Revolution, and the second volume followed with her journeys back to Iran. The story of her life was touching and heartbreaking at the same time, with a sprinkling of levity that could only come from the format. Satrapi's drawings are simple yet full of personality and emotion. It's amazing to me how the characters in a graphic novel (ahem, comic) can so clearly evoke happiness, sadness, fear, homesickness...

I have to admit that I was a little bit starstruck when I reached the front of the line to get my book signed. I completely forgot to ask her the question that I had in mind. But it's no matter. I have a new treasure - autographed (first edition!!) copies of Persepholis volumes one and two. And more importantly, I can't wait to hear about the schedule of events for "One Book, One Philadelphia" 2010!