archi_you

Less, by Andrew Sean Greer
What a soft-hearted bastard of a novel.
It’s the story of a failed — failing — novelist about to turn fifty. His long-time lover is marrying someone else, and he’s been invited to the wedding. To avoid the whispers and rumors that would abound, he takes the only course of action he can imagine: accepting every literary invitation he’s been putting off, a journey that will take him around the globe and well away from the wedding of the man he loved. Loves.
It had me from the first page, and I’m not even precisely sure why. The prose is wonderful, to be sure. Playful, rollicking, sly, observant. The main character, the anxious and vain Arthur Less, is boyish and gentle and smart and I adore him. The narrator (whose identity I guessed with increasing hope and anticipation as the pages went on) guides us skillfully through present events and past ones, uncovering the parts of Less that need to become More in order to find happiness. The settings —San Francisco, New York, France, India, Japan — are wondrously and precisely evoked. Side characters caper in with delicious specificity and purpose, both thematic and human. Is one of those aspects what I loved? Is all of them what I loved?
I actually think I loved it because of what it believes. There’s a line in the book — I had to fetch it to quote it exactly — that I think is what the book says on every page:
“Just for the record: happiness is not bullshit.”
That belief in happiness and love is what makes this novel a comfort read. Every character is desperately flawed and every setting has a rainy day and every relationship is complicated, but its over-arching naive and wavering pursuit of happiness is what made this book feel like something I wanted to curl up in for a long time.
I’ll be rereading this one many times.

Dear Future Wife...#733

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:27:29 -0400

dear-future-wife:

Life throws you curve balls. A weekend meant to be spent on a lake taking out a pedal boat and biking around the hilly village can be spent at a hospital instead. Waiting on ominous results that take forever to arrive.
Love isn’t just a spark. It’s not just cute letters and grand gestures. It’s not just selfies on vacations or going ring shopping. It’s not even just clear communication and good conflict resolution. Love is steady support when you’re falling apart. Love is driving people around when your future wife is in the hospital trying to be brave for her scared parent. Love is doing the dishes and being extra nice even when your partner is a stressed asshole.
I knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. I knew that a while ago…but you’ve given me so much love and strength this week that I never knew I could receive from someone who didn’t raise me. For as long as I can remember, taking care of these people would fall on my shoulders one day. I don’t have siblings, I don’t have cousins close by. It would just be me and these 4 now aging adults. I never thought I would have help. And yet, here you are. My hero…my support…my love.

You’ve really helped me to see that love is a real partnership. I don’t have to do anything alone. We’re in this life together and I hope that everyone out there works as hard as we do because love isn’t supposed to drain us. Real love heals and helps. Real love asks for help and holds us accountable. Real love lets laughter permeate through the scary pauses when a flood of what-ifs feel like they can derail everything we’ve been working for.

Thank you for being my rock. You never know how people react in a crisis. Now I know we’re going to be strong even through rough moments. That’s how safe I feel with you.

zeanmacfarlane: Re Form III - Zean...

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 10:25:02 -0400

zeanmacfarlane:

Re Form III - Zean Macfarlane
http://zeanmacfarlane.com/

zeanmacfarlane: Grass Roof - Zean Macfarlane...

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 10:24:51 -0400

zeanmacfarlane:

Grass Roof - Zean Macfarlane
http://zeanmacfarlane.com/

finn-wilkie: GAFPA, House G1301, Gent, 2016www.gafpa.net/

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 10:24:45 -0400

finn-wilkie:

GAFPA, House G1301, Gent, 2016
www.gafpa.net/

archidrawings: unknown author

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:56:54 -0400

archidrawings:

unknown author

explicitiary: El Podio.

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 05:33:22 -0400

explicitiary:

El Podio.

finn-wilkie: Innauer-Matt, House in Tschengla, Tschengla,...

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 05:33:10 -0400

finn-wilkie:

Innauer-Matt, House in Tschengla, Tschengla, 2016
www.innauer-matt.com/

artemisdreaming: Isamu Noguchi (via:...

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 05:33:03 -0400

Contoured Playground, 1941, Model

Playground for United Nations: New York, 1952, Model

Detail of Playground for United Nations: New York, 1952, Model

Model Levy Memorial Playground: Noguchi/Kahn, 1961-66

Playground equipment for Ala Moana: Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1940

Riverside Drive Playground New York: Fifth Proposal, Nov. 1965

Play Mountain, 1933, Model

Riverside Drive Playground NY Photo: Michio Noguchi

artemisdreaming:

Isamu Noguchi (via: architekturfuerkinder.ch)

Click through for details