Five Things
by rosalyster
1. This is an oldish project, and one which has been accused of “stunning” self-importance. Sue me. I think it’s the best idea ever, and I long for every woman I know who cares about clothes to fill in one of these surveys: http://www.womeninclothes.com/survey/
Please can everyone just do it? I filled it in, and here are some of my answers:
“12. CAN YOU SAY A BIT ABOUT HOW YOUR MOTHER’S BODY AND STYLE HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN TO YOU, OR NOT?
My mum and i don’t really have the same body. I think i got mine from my dad’s mum. But i have inherited certain articles of faith from her, the main one being that we both think an embroidered thing is better than a not embroidered thing. My mum got married in a dark red floral embroidered dress from Afghanistan. I always thought that was just about as cool as it gets.
13. HAVE YOU STOLEN, BORROWED OR ADAPTED ANY DRESSING IDEAS OR ACTUAL ITEMS FROM FRIENDS OR FAMILY?
Everything. I am a very avaricious and covetous soul.”
Don’t those sound like good questions? Don’t you feel like you would learn a lot about yourself, via the answering of this simple quiz?
2. 
3. I started reading “What I Loved” last night, and had to stop straight away. It’s really bad. Bad in a way that seems sort of Evil, I think, like where you can tell the author doesn’t know what a shit she is. I read a lot about it this morning, and this article was the most steamy and gossipy, and therefore the best: http://observer.com/2003/03/for-richer-or-poorer-hustvedt-revisits-murder/ This is a ten year old non-scandal, but do not let that stop you.
In answer to the question “Would you rather be stuck in a lift with Siri Hustvedt or Lydia Davis”, my response is Lydia Forever. It also made me feel better about hating everything Paul Auster ever wrote. Jokes, I didn’t need to feel better about it – I already felt excellent.
4. She taught herself Norwegian: http://lithub.com/lydia-davis-at-the-end-of-the-world/
5. 
Rosa Lyster, in Swedish, means something like “pink glitter”. Lyster in Danish, however, apparently means EEL SPEAR. What I am trying to say is that the weather has turned, in Cape Town, and it is high time that I took out my Winter Eel Spear.
