āWhen I have food in thatās bad for me Iāll bolt some of it then bin the rest and pour bleach over it in the bin so I canāt fish it out later and eat it, then Iāll smoke the first cigarette from a new pack then go to the sink and hold the rest of the pack under the cold tap on full or Iāll have a first few pulls on a cigarette and pluck it from my mouth and flick it some irretrievable place. The expression on my face wonāt change; when thereās no one around I neednāt be convincing. This is very realistic; my feelings happen internally. Iāll have half a glass from a bottle of wine then upend the rest of the bottle into the sink. I like making whatever bad thing irredeemable because I donāt trust future me to be consistent with current me. I know Iām inconsistent and this can be frightening. Self-love is an unobservable phenomenon that cavils forever. I should be punished but not killed outright.ā
This a great book on many levels, it looks at the history of cigarettes in popular culture and society. Klein explores it on a deeper level, looking at the way humans love to dance on the edge of danger and how we process death as well as the association of danger with allure. An interesting mix of absurdism and nihilism. Pretty quick read, 8/10.
This world is a life sentence. Iām in a state of constant, low grade agitation. Crust gathered around my eyelids like dead weeds in the summer sun. Iām sitting in the line for the COSTCO gasoline station in Van Nuys, CA as I type this. Itās hot and stifling and the malformed waddler phenotype directly in front of me canāt for the life of her get her COSTCO card to read at the scanner. Iām seething, seething in my non-air conditioned 2005 Toyota Solara. It occurs to me that when the government decides to suspend the constitution & institute mass incarcerations, they wonāt even need to erect FEMA camps. Iām thinking forced relocation of insurgent population to COSTCOās around the country. it wonāt even be forced. Weāll all just move in & relish the the opportunity to finally, holistically Live in Bulkā¢ļø . In this moment, when being a total misanthrope comes as easily, as urgently as reaching for the glass of water on the floor next to the mattress (also on the floor), I canāt help but think to myself āthe narrator from my year of rest & relaxation is literally meā.
Fun, easy breezy read. Made me lol a couple of times. Middle part drags a bit, but the endingās brilliant. late to the party on this one, but glad I finally got around to it
Currently reading a third time because itās just so yummy. i read it the first time in a day granted I was in rehab. Eve babitz is the fucking goat and forever underrated. OG it girl and tortured artist literally female Ernest Hemingway With a dash of hunter Thompson heaping spoon of Joan didion. Fiction based in reality like a girl moveable feast. I think I like it so much bc the main character is me coded tbh but the way she says so much in so little is insane and itās hard to believe itās not written recently bc it feels so vivid
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š