Wine in the afternoon

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Yesterday there was a huge blackout in 12 Brazilian states and in Paraguay. It started at around 22h, and the lights didn’t come back until 1h30. Thankfully me, my mom and my sister were safe at home. Still, it was really annoying and slightly scary, and I noticed how dependent on electricity we are. After throwing a fit and punching the walls a couple of times because I was watching the pilot of Melrose Place on TV (I know…) and it was interrupted right after Sidney’s death, I tried to figure out what to do. I’m scared of fires in confined places, specially spaces like my really messy bedroom, so I didn’t really want to light candles. I ended up eating, talking to my mom and watching Heathers on my notebook, and by the time I was going to sleep the lights were back up. Still, I decided I would write a small article on how to entertain yourself when the lights are out.

1. Take a bath: Light candles, turn up a battery-powered radio (or the iTunes on your laptop), get a glass of wine and take a warm bath. A book or someone to keep you company are optional.
2. Talk: Have you ever realized how easy it is to not really engage in conversation with the people you live with? How much time you spend in the same environment as someone else not really paying attention to the other person? How people can spend more time catching up with friends through IM than with parents, siblings and roomates that live in the same house? So just spend time enjoying the company of those who live with you. Unless, of course, you live alone.
3. Escape: I have some friends who just went to their cars, turned up the AC, the radio and the lights and waited there. It’s always an option. You can also go to someone’s place, if the problem was just at your apartment/building/street.
4. Take photos: Taking photos in the dark is great. Preferably with Lomo cameras, such as the lovely Colorsplash.
5. Draw: Take some crayons and make drawings. Since you’re not really seeing things all that clearly, specially colours, the outcome can be quite surprising.
6. Cook & eat: Enjoy the opportunity to have a candlelit dinner with a loved one (or by yourself, why not?). Make something using the oven (your microwave isn’t working), light candles and eat. Make it a romantic impromptu situation. Bonus points if you pretend you’re in and old time when electricity hadn’t been invented yet.

What do you do in situations like this?

Miss Sofia

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So yesterday I placed my first ever order from Amazon. Since I live in Brazil, there are importation taxes, and it’s not as cheap to buy books from Amazon as it would be if I lived in the US. Still, I managed to find some incredible deals, and me, my mom and my sister bought some Christmas presents in advance for ourselves. Here’s what we bought:

• Pants on fire, by Meg Cabot: This one is for my sister, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to read it too. I used to be a huge Meg Cabot fan, and have read most of her books, so my sister got into her too. It’s the best deal we got: $0,01 for a used hardcover. The problem is that, added shipping & taxes, the actual price is $12,50.
• Take another little piece of my heart: A Groupie grows up, by Pamela Des Barres: As you might have guessed from this article, that one is for me. It’s the sequel for her book I’m with the band, and I’m dying to read it. $0,60 for a used hardcover, but also more expensive with shipping & taxes.
• Being Human at work: Bringing somatic intelligence into your work life, by Richard Strozzi-Hecker: It’s a work book for my mom, because she works with somatic education. It seems really interesting, and she was thrilled to find it. We got it used, and the whole price (shipping & taxes included) ended up the same as the price for a new book not considering the fees.
• God Hates us All, by Hank Moody: Oh, yes. If you’re an avid reader of this blog you probably also guessed that this one is for me. By the lovely price of $10,00, new. Oh, yes, Moody, now you’re mine.
• Nine Dragons, by Michael Connelly: My mom is a huge Michael Connelly fan, so she was totally excited to see his new book had already come out. This one was the normal price, about $15,00, but she was so happy that we bought it anyway.
• The Vampire Diaries: The Return – Nightfall, by L. J. Smith: My sister has read all Twilight books, and is now reading Vampire Diaries. I’m kind of bored of the whole teenage vampires thing, actually. New hardcover for $9,00.
• Airhead, by Meg Cabot: Also for my sister, but I’m going to read it too, just like Pants on Fire. We got an used edition for $0,50, which means the whole order was for $13,00.

Well, point is: I’m excited! They won’t be getting here before December, so I’m going to wait reading Brave New World, Los Amores Dificiles (in spanish, as I’m trying to brush up my skills) and The Diamond as big as the Ritz. Yay, I’m such a bookworm.

Have you purchased any books lately? What have you been reading? Do you usually buy books online?

Miss Sofia

The lovely Sarah Hannah, from Death Wears Diamond Jewelry, gave me this blog award. So now I’m supposed to write down 7 random facts about me and pass this along to 7 other bloggers. Hmm, here it goes:

1. I started reading when I was 4, all by myself. My parents didn’t know I could read until they found me reading  a poetry book out loud in the living room one afternoon.
2. Although I live in Rio (Brazil) now, I lived in Paris for 4 years of my childhood. I still go back there from time to time, and it’s my favourite town in the whole world.
3. I have a phobia of needles, and I need to be sedated in order to take simple blood tests.
4. I write a lot of these articles when I should be paying attention to class. But I find some of my college classes really dull, so I write instead.
5. I’ll graduate from college at the age of 21.
6. I don’t drink alcohol, soda, artificially flavoured drinks and sugary juices. That means I only drink water and natural juice, sugar-free.
7. I used to be very socially awkward as a kid, and didn’t have many friends. Nowadays I still feel like sometimes

And I pass this along to…

1. Seamstress for the band
2. Joanne Faith
3. Hippie Froufrou
4. Annie Spandex
5. Blood like milk
6. Shimmer like gold
7. August Street

Miss Sofia

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I saw this over at Mochalove and thought I’d answer it.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack? I don’t actually snack, but I love drinking chocolate milk when I’m reading at night. If I’m reading during the day, I drink grape juice. Eating while I read turns out to be quite messy, so I stick to drinks.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read them, or does the idea of writing on your books horrify you? I only mark stuff I read for college. And I keep a Moleskine notebook next to me while I read, so that I can write things down instead of marking the book.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog ears? Leaving the book open flat? I memorize the page/chapter I’m in. I always lose bookmarks, and I hate dog ears. Leaving the book open flat always messes the book up, and it’s quite impossible to close it neatly again, so I only do it if I have to leave the book quickly (e.g. When I have to answer the phone).

Fiction, Non-Fiction or both? Mostly fiction, but I like non-fiction, as long as it’s an interesting subject. I actually read a lot of articles for college, being an international affairs major, so I try not to read too much of those on my spare time. When it comes to non-fiction, it’s usually biographies or books about music.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? I usually prefer getting to the end of the chapter, but I don’t mind putting it down at any point.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? I don’t usually come across unfamiliar words, and when I do I’m normally able to figure it out from the context.

What are you currently reading? The Beautiful & Damned, by F. S. Fitzgerald. And the next one in line is The Diamond as big as the Ritz, also by Fitzgerald.

What is the last book you bought? A beautiful copy of The Great Gatsby & The Diamond as big as the Ritz from Collector’s Library. I’ve already read the first story, but I’m dying to read the second one (see above question).

Are you the type of person who can only read one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? I used to read lots of books at once, but nowadays I usually stick to one. Maybe two, three tops, usually when I have a lot of reading assignments for college. I read pretty fast, so that’s not a problem.

Do you prefer series or stand alone books? No preference. Stand alone books are simpler, because I don’t have to go and buy the rest of the series. But series are fun, because I get really caught up in it. So, really, either is fine with me.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? I always recommend Nick Hornby, because I think his books are brilliant. But I usually recommend really good stuff I’ve read recently. Now, for example, I’ve been babbling about the Sookie Stackhouse series and Fitzgerald A LOT.

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)? By author’s last name. My shelves are a total mess right now, though, so there’s absolutely no organization at all.

What about you?

Miss Sofia

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I’ve decided to join this little meme that goes on on August Street every month. So here it goes:

Reading… The Beautiful & Damned, by F. S. Fitzgerald.
Listening… A lot of Frank Sinatra, Garbage, Beatles and Brendan Benson.
Watching… Californication, Glee and Gossip Girl. Hank Moody is my dream man, and Chuck Bass would do as well. When it comes to movies, I’ve been watching things as different as Bande à Part and Kiss me again.
Buying… Stamps and postcards for Postcrossing.
Loving… Friends (old & new), my internship, music, new books, going to cafes with my grandmother, getting sweet Postcrossing cards, 80s teen flicks, my fake pearl necklace.
Wanting… To get away. Paris would be great.
Trying… To save money for a trip to Paris (see “Wanting…”).
Making… Plans. Lots of them, always.

Miss Sofia

Actionsampler

Last night I attended the Lomography Gallery’s opening party in Rio. Not only was the party great – drinks, cake, cool people and east-european music -, but I was really excited about finally being able to buy all my lomographic needs close to home.

Lomographic cameras are old-fashioned photo cameras made out of plastic. They’re very simple, light weighted and look a little like toys. Each model offers a different approach to photography, with its own little quirks: the Colorsplash, for example, comes with colorful flashes, while the Actionsampler takes 4 pictures in a row. The whole point is to end up with an unexpected result, usually with a vintage and experimental feel to it.

The Ten Golden Rules of Lomography

1. Take your camera everywhere you go
2. Use it anytime – day and night
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it
4. Try the shot from the hip
5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible
6. Don’t think (William Firebrace)
7. Be fast
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film
9. Afterwards either
10. Don’t worry about any rules

In addition to the list above, let me give you some personal Lomo advice:

• Experiment: Play with light, movement and color. Try different exposures, different film developments, different films, different everything. Some suggestions include taking a photo of you and your loved one on double exposure; flashing different colors on the long exposure mode; trying black & white film; taking a photo of a beautiful landscape and then a photo of a person on double exposure. Come up with your own ideas, share the result.
• Pick your subjects: When you’re new to lomography, don’t worry about this. Shoot everything and anything, just for the sake of it. Some photos that you’d expect to be boring can actually turn out great. But, once you’re acquainted with the process, try looking at things from a photographic point of view. I’ve learned from my own experience that the Colorsplash takes great party pictures, and not so great photos when it’s sunny (since it’s fun is based on flash), and that the Actionsampler gives great results with movement, specially people jumping. Also, someone popping bubblegum is a cute subject for a Fisheye photo.
• Storage: I write the date and occasion on the back of every photo, scan them (although I’m a little behind on the scanning part), upload them to picasa and keep the original ones on a nice photoalbum in my drawer. My favourite ones go on my walls, and I sometimes make copies for friends, when it’s a really good photo.

More: Lomography; Wikipedia; Shop; Lomography.net; Flickr; My Lomo photos

Miss Sofia

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So summer stains the sky with inky swirls that bring the thunder low

Bem-vindo ao primeiro post do Wine in the afternoon. Os textos serão publicados em inglês e português, e eu falarei sobre a vida, o universo e tudo o mais.

E, caso não conheça a música que dá nome ao site, veja o clipe:

Wine in the Afternoon

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Welcome to Wine in the afternoon’s first post. Text will be published both in english and portuguese, and I’ll talk about life, the universe and everything else.

And, in case you don’t know the song the title is based upon, check it out. Right now.

Wine in the Afternoon

Miss Sofia