Paige Railstone!

So I am probably going to sound like such a poser, jumping on the Paige Railstone bandwagon (tons of people have these past few days), but I couldn't help but get interested in this underground phenom. Paige Railstone, for those of you not in the know, is an awesome DJ, but I find her as a person more interesting than her music. She's had such an exciting life, and she's only 22. She ran away to New York City at fourteen, where she started on her DJ career. Now she basically roams the world, going to small clubs, doing sweet musical mash-ups, living in hotels. She's also just an eloquent, articulate person.. She seems so smart, and I love this quotes of hers: "Sometimes I am Canadian, sometimes European, sometimes African, sometimes Asian. In this world, it is not enough to be who you are. You must also be where you are."

One of my much cooler friends downloaded her debut CD Off the Railstone, which is coming out from DFTBA records, and her music is perfect to dance to! I was grooving around my room to it. Apparently, Paige sings and plays instruments too, though she's very private about it; I'm really curious to hear what her own music sounds like, since she seems to have really natural creative sensibilities.

John Green, YA author, is actually a big fan, and he explains Paige's appeal perfectly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMPUNgDh__8. Check it out for more information.

Imagining Others

I just finished reading Paper Towns by John Green this evening, which I really enjoyed. It was thoughtful, funny, and at some points, quite heartbreaking. Plus, it's by John Green, who, if you've ever seen his videos on YouTube, is totally hilarious. NERDFIGHTERS! DFTBA!

Erm, anyway...the book talks a lot about imagining other people, and if we're able to ever really fully imagine other people, and when we can imagine them best, and how sometimes we're just in love with the idea of a person rather than a person itself. All of this I find rather fascinating, by the way. The fact that we're all in our own shells and we'll always only ever be us, but at the same time, we rely so much on our connections with other people--that these are what make our life full. In fact, wanting to get into someone else's head is one of my main motivators for writing.

One of the scenes I liked in the book was when the main character, Quentin, and his friends were on a road trip. They were playing a game they made up called That Guy is a Gigolo (which is a great name for a game, by the way) where you basically see random people and imagine who they are...what their story is. I can't help but do this sometimes, especially when I see people walking alongside a highway or doing something otherwise strange. Usually my ideas of their lives are somewhat romanticized or melodramatic, and that comes into play in the book too: sometimes what you imagine about others shows more about you than it does about them.

Anyone else like thinking about the possible lives of strangers?

Oh, and speaking of Paper Towns, which cover did you prefer? I read the sad one, but I didn't have much choice in the matter, since I just got the library system to send me a copy. I really can't wait to see what they do cover-wise with the paperback version!