What I Read: Rabbit, Run

Another piece off the TIME Top 100 list, I felt obligated to slough through this one because of (maybe misplaced) Pennsylvania pride. That is the only reason I could carry myself through to the end of the book.

I can see why the technical mastery of Updike's prose would land this in the TIME Top 100 list. I guess. (His editor should have cared less about excising the sex scenes and more about needless wordiness in other parts, especially towards the end. Or did the end only seem to drag because I was so close to finishing and just wanted the damn thing to be over already?) Yes, Updike has an eye for detail and the writing, quite often, is beyond anything I will ever hope to produce. But fuck that.

Even if the writing is great, the characters are all horrible, and while Updike has made them each horrible in their own way, I still didn't want to spend a single word more with them I had too. The sole exception to this, maybe, was Ruth, except that she also somehow seemed enamored of Rabbit for no reason at all except maybe Updike was throwing in a little self-insert here and there. The bits of stream of consciousness here and there also don't really add much to the novel except to be annoying.

Or maybe they're a call back to On the Road, which was the impetus for Updike bringing Harry Angstrom to literary life to begin with. I can even empathize with why he wrote it, because I also think On the Road is a self-indulgent overrated turd of a novel. But much like when I'm having a conversation with someone and learn that their reason for hating George W. Bush's presidency is because he wasn't conservative enough, the enemy of my enemy does not a friend make.

Harry Angstrom is a dick. He is not some great confused and alienated everyman, a statement on the condition of a materialistic and over-consuming Cold War era society. He is an asshole. Updike could have redeemed himself by killing this asshole at the end of the book, but no. He brings back Rabbit in really too many sequels, more fitting for a slasher movie franchise than a literary milestone.

Not only is Harry Angstrom a terrible person, there is not one person in this book worth liking. They are all unhappy and miserable and kind of unattractive (except for the women Rabbit wants to sleep with). There are also a lot of characters who have decided, for whatever reason, that Rabbit is a really fascinating and interesting man. Eccles is chief among them, but the woman with the rhododendrons (YOU KEPT ME ALIVE, HARRY~~) and Ruth as well identify a certain je ne sais quoi about Harry. Harry Angstrom is a straight male white dude's Bella Swann: dull enough so that the (presumably male) readership can project themselves into him, yet everyone in the book's universe is fawning over him for a whole variety of reasons.

In a one word review: vomit.

Etsy Finds: SiSi J Couture

Ages ago, I came across a "baseball cuff" on Pinterest. In particular, this one from HandMarkedMetals on Etsy:

Lawyer Mom is a huge baseball and Phillies fan, so I put it on my "Things to Show Mom" board and went about my business.

When her birthday finally came up, I had no better idea so I went back to the pin to buy it off Etsy. But: horrors! It was gone! The shop has since closed. So I searched for other baseball cuffs on Etsy. When one came up with a Phillies bottle cap, I knew it would be the one to get. That one ended up coming from SiSi J Couture.

Baseball Cuff With Bottlecap Centerpiece by SiSi J Couture

I was really pleased with the craftsmanship on this piece: all of the beading is solid and the bottlecap is pretty solidly attached (I was worried about it falling off during shipping or through use, but it's held up quite well). Lawyer Mom was over the moon.

Ignore the crumbs. It was lunchtime.

SiSi J Couture does lots of bow work and frills that, while not my normal cup of tea, are rather cute and also very professional-looking. My favorite, though, are the baseball cuffs. She also does custom baseball cuffs too, so you can rep your own team's pride!

Geo-Shopping: Lapis Lazuli

It's been a while since I've had one of these posts. I mentioned lapis, briefly, in a stashbusting project. You may recall it ended up looking like this:

I recently got some more: I found a strand of neat dogbone lapis for a very budget-friendly price. I always like to keep an eye out for unusual bead shapes, like nuggets, cubes, or dogbone. Here's my score (most of which already ended up in another bracelet):

So. What's with this lapis?

It's a complicated amalgamated mass of things. Those of you following along at home may recall that many (though not all) of the stones that end up here are silicates. That means their interior structure is silicon dioxide. It looks like this:

In its most basic form, silicon dioxide is quartz. Variations in this structure give us citrine, amethyst, carnelian, and so forth.

Lapis consists of, first of all, a silicate known as lazurite, which is a feldspathoid silicate mineral. Say that three times fast!

If you are familiar with mineralogy or geology, you probably recognize feldspathoid up there. It refers to feldspars, minerals that crystallize from magma. A feldspathoid (or foid) is a mineral that resembles feldspars but doesn't have enough silicate to be considered one itself. Lazurite, specifically, is (Na,Ca) ₈(AlSiO₄)₆(S,SO₄,Cl)_1-2.

While this is the main ingredient in lapis lazuli (responsible for 25 to 40 percent of its content), and chiefly responsible for the brilliant ultramarine color of lapis (by way of a sulfur anion), as I mentioned earlier, lapis lazuli is a bit of a conglomerate. It's often found with iron pyrite and calcite. Sodalite is often found in lapis as well, contributing to its azure coloring.

The name lapis lazuli has an interesting history. "Lapis" is the Latin word for "stone," the same root word from which we derive the word "lapidary." "Lazuli" comes to Latin by way of Persian, referring to "Lāzhward," the primary source for the stone in ancient times (now in modern-day Afghanistan). The Latin name for Lāzhward was lazulum; its genitive form becomes "lazuli." Thus, lapis lazuli literally translates as "stone of lazulum (Lāzhward)."

However, this name only dates back to Medieval Latin. Historically, lapis was referred to as sapphire, the name we now use for the blue variety of corundum—though simultaneously, the name of lapis lazuli's mining location began to be associated with the color and the stone itself. For thousands of years, Afghanistan was essentially the world's only source for lapis (one mine has been in operation for 6,000 years!). Lapis mined there was traded all around the known world. While it's most famously associated with the luxuries of ancient Egypt, bits of lapis jewelry and carvings have been uncovered as far west as Mauritania. The Epic of Gilgamesh also makes several references to lapis, and it is thought to be one of the gemstones on the hoshen, the priestly breastplate of the Israelite High Priest. Lapis lazuli was also used for dyes in tempera and oil paints until the discovery of a synthetic equivalent called French ultramarine.

Today, lapis is primarily used for ornamental and decorative purposes. Afghanistan is still the world's top supplier, though other sources have been found in neighboring Pakistan and as far off as the Andes (in Chile) and California, USA.

Because lapis has so many constituent ingredients, it's a rock, not a mineral. While it does contain some silicate, it's softer than most "purer" silicates (for example quartz); lapis is only about a 5 on the Mohs scale. Beware of stringing it alongside harder substances and treat any lapis jewelry you wear in high-traffic places (bracelets, rings, dangling pendants) with care.

When shopping for jewelry or beads, buyer beware: unscrupulous dealers have been known to pass off sodalite or even dyed howlite, chalcedony, or jasper as lapis. The easiest way to tell if you are getting true lapis lazuli is to check for the tell-tale gold flash of iron pyrite inclusions. Lapis from the Kokcha Valley in Afghanistan is typically the most brilliant shade of ultramarine; stones from other sources are often dyed to achieve this same blue. If you care to test lapis (or any stone) for dye, use a Q-tip and swab a small, inconspicuous part with nail polish remover. The nail polish remover will wash away any dye. There is reconstituted lapis on the market as well: lower-grade bits of lapis rubble ground up, glued together, and cut again. As far as I know, there's no good way to determine reconstituted lapis from regular lapis. In an ideal world it would be as simple as price, but I'm not naive enough to believe that reconstituted lapis lazuli has never been passed off as the "real" thing.

Personally, I have no issue with dyes or altering stones in any way. We've been doing that since at least the Greeks. Nor do I take issue with reconstituted stones, as in some cases it leads to a more attractive and more durable piece. But I have major issues with a supplier dying some Chilean lapis with ferrocyanide and then passing it off as Afghani. Forewarned is forearmed!

To learn more:

• The All About Gemstones guide to lapis lazuli.
• The Mindat entry on lapis lazuli.
• Tips on tumbling lapis lazuli.

Or browse some gorgeous lapis and lapis-inspired items:

'Lovely Lapis' by Kokoba

Lapis earrings,post earrings... AnemoneJewelry $55	Ultramarine Blue Scarf, 100%... artinsilk $29.4	1 pound Lapis very pretty gr... Kreationzbyme $15	Natural Lapis Lazuli Cubes w... AmaloreStudio $28
Exclusive White Marble overl... MARBLEINLAY $7200	5. Afghanistan Lapis 3mm Rou... FavourJewelry $5.95	Lapis necklace - Bezel Gemst... delezhen $55	The Lapis Lazuli Kraken, Kra... Elstwhen $450
8mm Lapis Lazuli (A grade) R... BeadGirlzBouti... $10.95	Deep blue lapis beaded 4wrap... TownofBeadrock $95	Tea Length Convertible Dress... BlushingBrides... $85	Blue Lapis Lazuli Elongated ... TheDesignersGe... $14.5
Lapis Lazuli Necklace In 14K... SaressaDesigns $45	Lapis and Silver Large Guest... RedOtter $36	Lapis lazuli smooth Rondelle... HandBeads $16.6	Lapis Lazuli Beaded Sterling... KimsJewels $40

Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.

Music Monday: The New Pornographers

This is another semi-forgotten gem I found by putting my entire music library on "random" while I work. Enjoy:

101 in 1001

I'm not going to lie, I'm pooped. That's my only excuse for being irregular in updates. Not that my invisible non-existent audience has been breathlessly awaiting any, of course. But for my own record:


Completed:

None!


In Progress:

I watched Rear Window last night (5 - 3). Plus another update and comment. (1 - 3) ( 7 - 4).

Failed:

None!


Rest of the list after the jump.

Music Monday: No Brain

Great Korean pop-punk.

101 in 1001

Sorry I've been neglecting you, blog of mine. I've just been so busy! It seems the last time I updated my list here was at the beginning of June, holy moly. Well, time to see what's happened since!

The long-term goals and the monthly goals are the ones I keep sliding on. I need to focus more on those.

Completed:

None!


In Progress:

I've managed to knock off a few more books off the TIME Top 100 novels list, including A Death in the Family and The Sheltering Sky. (3 - 3) Right I'm reading (and enjoying!) I, Claudius. 

I also went through and revamped my goals. A couple were time sensitive (and the time had long since passed) so I changed them to reflect that. I also added a few writing-based goals to get me motivated to take it a little more seriously. (10 - 14, 10 - 16)

I also read 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists, Train Man, and The War of Art for non-fiction (9 - 2). I also watched A Classroom Divided (9 - 6)

Failed:

None!


Rest of the list after the jump.