Status Updates From Biały album

On the Morning After the Sixties- About the massive change that came about from the 50s to the 70s, the vast gap between the time of football luncheon dates to her present day. How her generation was cynical from the beginning and thus accepted adulthood for what it was

my introduction to didion. read one essay so far. she has a fascinating way of weaving that "red string" into each entry, allowing the essay to jump with joy (rather, angst) without becoming discombobulating.

This really is a monument to American engineering, a statement in stone of our accomplishments in the controlling of nature. Every time I start a new essay I am astounded by the breadth of her knowledge and interest

At the Dam- at the damn Hoover Dam. This fits in well with her earlier essay on water treatment. The carving of the date of the dam by stars in the concrete for when we are no longer here hit me just as hard as it did her as a classics student. That these engineers were so confident in their work that this damn would be standing past the life of our empire is a complicated thought that honestly makes a lot of sense

In Bogota- I've never been to South America but I'm sure I will one day go. This was an illustrative portrait of an unstable but deeply historied country. I wish that all American travelers today had the same feeling of needing to keep up our country's image and not come off as rude and arrogant or ignorant. This was beautiful and transformative

On the Mall- this is interesting to read as it was written on the forefront of the shopping mall, and I'm reading it in the time of death of the mall. The mall really did fill a third space role in society for quite a long time and while a beacon of unrestrained capitalism, truly did become a place to tune out the outside world and let yourself just wander and be consumed which I think she knew is sometimes necessary

usually matter a lot end up not mattering much at all. Although I could never live it in reality, I also completely understand the appeal of the corporate jetsetter, the constant meetings and rigidly scheduled time would certainly be a way to live. There is a strong appeal to it for sure, besides the fact that I would undoubtedly lose myself in the process

On the Road- This was felt quick and hectic and dense. As someone who has done quite a bit of travel in her time, including road trips all over the US and has spent a lot of time driving through nearly all of the country, I liked this one a lot. There is a lack of time and a disappearance of the normality of daily life that disappears on the road. Time becomes more of a construct and harder to track, things that

In Bed- this one was on migraines, which I never realized were that bad. I enjoyed the acceptance and willingness to look at it as a sort of palate cleanser of life, an allowance to enjoy the little things. The ending where she addressed her migraine as a person, a visitor in her life, is very reminiscent of poetry I have written about my own seasonal depression and I enjoyed that connection

most essential part of the process to the higher ups. Somehow even being around for seemingly forever, Hollywood has still managed to keep up its sparkly image of mystique that hides the true going ons. And how this system of risk and politics and risque relationships has somehow enabled it to be stable and keep itself afloat. In a sentence it will always be impossible for the outsider to truly view

represents all of his own opinions. I think it was interesting how she explored how the industry can make itself have this false facade that even people who visit with the purpose of peering inside the curtain can be fooled by. How it really isn't this glorious world of art and directorial freedom but is almost like Vegas in the sense of gambling and money and the payout (though more in process than result) being the

In Hollywood- I think this was more than anything about people's lack of want to understand the complication of that which is unfamiliar and seems simple on the surface. This was a particularly interesting one for me as I grew up so interconnected to Hollywood and the industry. It really is so easy for outside observers to make bold claims such that studios are dead or this film by a certain director obviously

lingering tragedy that it represents

militarization, agriculture, tourism, and military. The musings on the royal hotel and what it represented still seem pretty relevant, I've certainly stayed in places like that. The military section, especially about the burials from the Vietnam war, nearly made me cry and think about my grandfather who fought in Vietnam and lost all of his friends. It is hard to separate Hawaii and all its natural beauty from the

and events of the world, I truly believe we were never meant to know everything that is happening everywhere all at once, our brains just weren't designed for that kind of information. Hawaii has always been an outlier in American history, technically a state but not culturally really American, its true culture still lies in the native population that's still very present. A symbol of American imperialization and

In the Islands- the first of the Sojourns, I liked how it started a lot, I think I enjoy her writing most when it is about herself, all I think in a way in is all about herself through other mediums. In a way I think the depersonalization of events over the years represents more a healing, a feeling that she is no longer just floating through the world. I have too felt a similar way and disillusioned with the news

me, because they usually were either born there and never left, or sought it out as an opposite to where they're from. As someone who was not quite born in the desert but was raised alongside and overlapping it, I have a certain deep admiration but also a kind of fear and yearning to distance myself. So although O'Keeffe claims it doesn't matter where you're from, I think this proves in a deeper way it always does

capacity as an artist and a woman, but it is not the type of woman that I am (or Didion for that matter). I think it was an interesting choice, and I'm certainly seeing the title of The White Album come more into play here, with all of these unmatched and widespread topics that come together not quite fittingly to form Didion's life. One more thing about Georgia, people who draw inspiration from the desert fascinate

her and wanted her to do, and her need to do the complete opposite of what they told her. Her roughness and hardness as an artist. He need to prove herself all on her own. Joan Didion doesn't really offer a whole lot of commentary on her life and choices, just presents and frames them, which leaves it a lot up to the reader, especially in the frame of the previous essays. I have a lot of respect for her and her

Georgia O'Keeffe- I have my own admirations of Georgia O'Keeffe, as this is actually an artist I'm familiar with. I thought it was fascinating how the essay began with an assertion from the artist that it didn't matter where she was from or her experiences, just what she did with them, that was a complete turnaround from the last piece. The emphasis of this one was certainly on her rejection of what men expected

Doris Lessing- this is not an author I've read before, so I don't have a lot to say of her interpretation of her work. I think a lot of her observations about where you come from and the interactions you view growing up having a strong impact on what's important to you and what you seek to solve as an adult is very true. Certainty and uncertainty, and constantly looking for answers in an unorthodox way seems poignant

complete erasure of the experience of being a woman. This was a challenging and difficult essay, but it is certainly one that has left a large impact on me

weak. Tbh this is not a line of reasoning that I've ever encountered before but it's kind of fascinating. Another part was discussing how there is a new rejection of the 'roughness' of womanhood as something told we should feel by men, the deep sadness, blood, anger, and complex emotions that come with things like abortions, birth, menstruation, and other processes- that we should actually feel nothing. And that is a