it's cold today. i slept early last night, having not slept much at all the night before. i woke up many times from 4am onwards, dried out from the radiator heat, frequently cold though less so after switching to a wool comforter. i eventually got up and had half a bagel and some leftover desserts from the party. this chilly week was/is bookended by my birthday celebration, a sweet gathering with some friends (and special guests in town e + a <3) at my community garden this past sunday, and the real thing on the 14th.
this morning a left + i chatted with them about a desirous dream they had about someone we know from college. i posted a recent ceramic jar i made to instagram, one of my favorite things i've made this year, i think. i read a few of jackie ess's newsletters this afternoon and appreciated her insights on "bears’ porridge problems" and suggested readings, including "the end of genderqueer" which i also re-read.
i've been listening to hill swum nonstop since i fell into a big juicy research hole last sunday, especially my little shabby dreams ... so sweet and good. i also really like the zines and propaganda work made by the same people at the institute for barbarian books and felt really inspired seeing the breadth of things will and momoe have made and how fucking cute and awesome their propaganda is. reminds me of thom colligan's little figures, and also michael deforge's propaganda / solidarity visual work. that same research hole contained a deep dive into michael deforge's older (10+ yrs ago) comics and blog. one highlight was a very old 2011 contribution, College Girl By Night, from a porn anthology series he edited, thickness #1-3, which is no longer in print, but some helpful redditors had already traced the path for me. i am curious how different my visual work will be in 15 years hahaha. i need to start making comics now to find out though.
i read My Picture Diary by Maki Fujiwara last week. it was lovely, with currents of sorrow and anger. i had read her much more well-known husband's work with some ambivalence before at the library and i'm glad her work is being published and read and given context. i tried to write a wikipedia entry for her and was denied by annoying wiki editor men a couple times so i've given up. this one grew my desire to read more diary comics, especially from the 20th century... this one, from the 80s, was a good reminder of life without phone and computer noise. as freighted by jp patriarchy and money childcare homecare stress and annoying husband as hers was.
here are two little bikers i drew on the subway in my notes app last week:
i'm off to try to do laundry, eat lunch, call b my fellow birthdayer who is abroad on a busy and tiring trip! smell you later!