Quirky things

In case you missed the allusion in the last 'What I'm Reading' section, I have finally finished Bret Easton Ellis' Glamorama! I actually finished it last week, reading the last 40 pages or so in one day. It wasn't that it was a bad book - it was, surprisingly, an engaging and interesting book, but it was the graphic sexual scenes and violent fights that let me put the book down at times. I'm not averse to reading material of that nature (if it contributes to the story) but Ellis describes bloody and brutal bombings and amputations in such detail that I almost started to feel pain in each part of the body that was being blown off in the story. If you're interested in technique, and structure in particular, I suggest you read this book. Ellis uses stream of consciousness very effectively and seamlessly.

On another note, I love finding quirky things anywhere, so here's some of my most recent purchases.

I had to buy these black shoe socks when I saw them, and then bought the same pair in red. The striped socks just seem really witchy.

I've heard that these masks can sell for up to $300 (in the Australian dollar) so to find this mask in a crystal and knick-knack shop for $20 was incredible. I was immediately fascinated by the black one in the store because the last time I had seen Venetian masks was in the 2006 film Marie Antoinette and all these thoughts about where this mask would have been and who would have used it if it was made during that time started to flood my mind.

That day I also bought the 2 candle lights behind the mask. They're battery-operated and are made to look like old 17th-century candles in gold holders. I bought them in a $2 shop.

And these are my first Argyle socks. You can tell I have a thing for socks. Now I want to find an Argyle vest in these same shades.

Now I have to finish off a reading for tomorrow's class, watch the last 5 minutes of a Big Bang Theory season 1 episode, and get some sleep before this all starts again.

Reading: Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, and Alexandra Potter's Who's That Girl?
Listening to: Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, "Illume" by Stevie Nicks, "Silver Girl" by Fleetwood Mac, and "Everybody Finds Out" by Fleetwood Mac