February 17, 2004
bottles
blue bottles, Alemany Flea Market, Polaroid SX-70
I am reading a beautiful book called How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. The stories are about some of the dark and mysterious parts of adolescence, the parts that we don't necessarily have language for. They are visceral and haunting.
I also recently saw the movie Thirteen, a more literal, in your face look at these years. The movie begins with the two main characters high on canned air and slapping each other to bits. Matt and I have since made a vow never to have a teenage girl.
As my friend James Rocchi says about the characters in this movie, "They are like feral angels."
Posted on February 17, 2004 11:32 AMi love the colours in this. i wish my polaroid would work, damnit.
Posted by: d at February 29, 2004 07:36 PMI must admit, I hated that whole prebubescent 12/13 year old "thing" - not that people were particularly mean to me or anything, but it's such a strange and awful age. For girls especially, for some reason. You go all through elementary school thinking you're cool and wonderful and popular, and then you get to junior high - when you hit that point where you realize that you're not those things (or you think you're not those things) it's just heartbreaking...
Hi Andrea,
I had to tell you that I have also just begun reading the Julie Orringer book and it is really wonderful - a reminder of all the complexities of adolescence..ahhh. Glad it's long overwith, but oh, my....I also had to tell you that I, too, recently discovered the photography of Loretta Lux online and in the New Yorker. Amazing stuff. Digitally manipulated certainly, but with a successfully disturbing magic. We must be on a similar wavelength these days...
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie at February 18, 2004 09:14 PMI really hope that was an exageration, I have three girls!
Posted by: Lora at February 18, 2004 02:51 PMi'm not sure how much of an exaggeration the movie is. it was written by one of the actresses when she was around 14 or 15. i have friends who work with teen girls and its not that far off...sadly and frighteningly.
Posted by: lena at February 18, 2004 01:09 PMI love hearing this!
It made us wonder about "kids these days"
you know?
Even though we know the movie was an
exaggeration.
I can handle somber and snarly.
a
Posted by: andrea at February 18, 2004 07:51 AMnever mind the movie..I have two teenage girls (14& 17) and they and their friends are awesome...a little somber and snarly at times, but aren't we all...I'll put the book on my list though..I love the title
Posted by: fern at February 18, 2004 05:35 AMAndrea, you might be interested in a querky little site called Mastication is Normal that reviewed the book design of How to Breathe Underwater. I loved the review because it expressed exactly how the cover makes me feel and when I found this site, it was like finding hidden treasure.
http://www.cheshiredave.com/mastication/covers/200310/orringer.html
Posted by: Lauren at February 17, 2004 07:05 PMI couldn't even finish watching Thirteen I was so disturbed by it.
Just stopping by!
Posted by: Abby at February 17, 2004 06:52 PMI love old bottles! As a herbalist and homeopath, I am especially fascinated with strange tonics and remedies from times past. They are curative just by looking at them, so beautiful and magical and intriguing...
Hmm...feral angels. I love that analogy. I feel like that sometimes too. My niece is thirteen and so wonderful, brave, enlightened, confused, and genuine. I love her and remember those ackward teenage times like it was yesterday. It was.
Posted by: Donavan at February 17, 2004 11:13 AMwe almost rented that movie. I was wondering if it was any good.
Posted by: rachael at February 17, 2004 09:51 AM