snail mail

I constantly get hit with things that should give me fomo: travelling, going from one café to another, music festivals, other special events, amusement parks, the beach, and so on.

I'm not even on social media (except here) and yet I can't escape it. Our news outlets are covering EVERYTHING, then I get invitations, see/hear commercials all the time and when I go out for a shop the universe is steering me towards the fomo-sphere. I'm so done with it.

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Autumn brings calmness. I can go out to do something fun, but at least I'm not bombarded with activities and more things "I can't miss out on". Life is relaxed when the weather is colder and the days are shorter. I need the sun, but I migt appreciate grey skies and rain even more. (My tan will vanish once summer is over.) Plus, nothing beats waking up in the dark. It's the coziness of the colder seasons that just gets me.

What's also important (to me) is structure. During summer, it goes completely out of the window and every single year I feel so lost.

I'm not saying that going back to the grind and toiling through busy, planned out days is the way to go but knowing what's ahead is what I need. That kind of repetition is totally okay for me, as long as there is enough time and energy for leisure outside of work.

It may just remind me of the warmth and comfort of waking up early as a kid. Eat a nice breakfast, watch a cartoon and then hop on my bicycle to elemantary school before sunrise, tucked into snug clothes and feeling good.

That's what autumn is giving me after a long and uneasy season.

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My random goal for the next months: find myself these Coraline gloves. I wanted them since I was 13 years old and they still look good.

Money/card pouch and keys

Obviously ...

Agenda/To Do notebook

Must for work. I worked from home yesterday, otherwise I would've left the To Do notebook at the office

A fan (souvenir from my boyfriend)

<3

THE pouch

In which I carry everything important

- A mist for the face. Fanning afterwards is soooo pleasant.

- deodorant

- foldable comb with mirror

- sunscreen

- multivitamin energy tablets

- lipbalm

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That's it! Everything important luckily fits in this small bag. I also carry a water bottle with me but I just hold it or pop it in my pocket. Its not heavy.

...

I hope things will change. I know it's going to get cooler soon, but Belgium its urban planning and infrastructures are NOT made for heatwaves like these. A lot of people are having a very rough time right now and they can't be expected to just suck it up now or in the future, with the news these will become more frequent (looking at you, Theo).

It's 20° hotter in urban areas (aka all of Flanders)

In this piece I was reminded of the donkey being a reliable character. But I'm a big admirer of Goya's later work, and was also thinking of The Bewitched Man where donkeys make the backdrop of this devilish painting. Should I even dive into his etchings...

The Bewitched Man - Francisco Goya - c.1798

Donkeys were used by Goya to showcase idiocy. Having lived during the Spanish Enlightment, it was one of his many ways to critique human ignorance. It was satire.

Meanwhile, in religious works, a donkey represents humility. They will bear the burdens which meant they were loyal and trustworthy. In Pieter Bruegel the Elder his painting (that we were commenting on) the Virgin Mary and Joseph walk into Bethlehem on a donkey. You can spot them at the bottom of the canvas. He's carrying a pregnant Mary.

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I find his still life work very inspirational, even when the perspective makes no sense. Couldn't he do it, or did he not care? He mentioned that he paints what he perceives. The accuracy of perspective is just a mere afterthough if just not thought about at all. I've read an article stating that the painted objects moved with him, therefore the art remains in motion even when flat. Your eyes are being thrown around the canvas upon looking at it. Guess that challenged the concept of still life in a way.

Paul Cézanne - Nature morte pot à lait et fruits sur une table - ca.1890

But as someone who studied at an art academy where perspective had to be correct at all times, seeing his je m'en fous attitude for the first time was indeed unconventional in the best way.

Something I was just thinking about. Enjoy.

A song you like with a colour in the title.

O Green World - Gorillaz

A song that has to be played loud.

Illuminate - Orbital

A song to drive to.

Me Gustas Tu - Manu Chao

A song that is a cover by another artist.

A Minha Menina - Onda Vaga, Francisco, el Hombre (the original song is by Os Mutantes)

A song from the year you were born.

Fu-Gee-La - Fugees, Ms Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Pras

A song that makes you think about life.

Empire Ants - Gorillaz, Little Dragon

A favourite song with a person's name in the title.

Kelly Watch the Stars - Air

A song that moves you forward.

Linda Mañana - Ondatrópica

A song by an artist no longer living.

Lambada - Kaoma

A song that makes you (want to) fall in love.

So Easy (To Fall In Love) - Olivia Dean

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This week, thanks to reading a theatre review, I discovered the world-famous The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries (French: La dame à la licorne).

They represent the senses. L'Ouie be the one of Hearing (translation), with the lady playing an organ atop a table.

Hearing is often visualised with music. The Allegory of Hearing plays a Lute or an Harpsichord. Surely to romanticise the sense, but it intertwined. I'm thankful it did.

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Some things I've discovered/enjoyed this week:

Phenakistoscopes: It randomly passed me by on Pinterest. I spend so much time going through them, I was hypnotized by the end. It became even better when I discovered that it was first invented in Brussels ^^ and Berlin (around the same time, what a coincidence).

Phenakistoscope Disk - France - c.1835

Jorge Ben Jor - Força Bruta: I live far away from Brazil and I just have one Real bank note safely tucked away in a folder (it was given to me by an ex-colleague from Brazil), but what's bringing me closer is Samba music. My all time favourite music genre. I get in such high spirits while listening because everything melts together so beautifully.

Força Bruta is a wonderful album.

Also, the note I was given. I gave her 2 pounds in return. It's meant to bring good luck. This note is so pretty.