Valarie Smith's avatar

Valarie Smith

@valarie.bsky.social

267 followers 79 following 1605 posts

Probably wondering if I should reread Woolf’s “The Waves” yet again. Also a fan of Sam Shepard, Kerouac, Willy Vlautin, Donna Tartt, Elliott Smith, film noir, folklore and the Backlisted podcast. Lifetime member of the Boyd Crowder Fan Club. Portland, OR.

Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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One of their most brilliant moments

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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The book sounds too good to give up on!

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Backlisted listeners scouring the internet for a copy of Joan Barfoot’s Gaining Ground for under $40

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Recently watched Northern Exposure and realized I completely forgot about their Twin Peaks parody. I don’t know what’s funnier - that they did this at all (it shows up very randomly in the episode) or that it’s now only available on YouTube in Hungarian with no subtitles. youtu.be/1C1AfNIjHio?...

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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The sixth house on my astrological chart

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Güero, everyone's favorite torta shop, has a bird club! You read correctly. They have guided outings in the mornings AND evenings, complete with a binocular library to borrow from, and also have a fun and educational Substack to subscribe to. I haven't attended yet, but hope to! #Portland #pdx

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Wishing a hearty congratulations to my British friends! I know the results aren’t perfect, but they never are. I hope you’re a harbinger of things to come for us a few months from now. 🇬🇧🥂

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I’m in Milwaukie right now and there’s no one on the road. It’s like the apocalypse but really sunny.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Hey #birds fans, have any of you dealt with trichomoniasis? This is my first year as a birder; a few days ago I saw a HUGE finch and took down my feeders & bath as a precaution. It breaks my heart to see them looking for them, though, esp water during a heat wave. Any advice?

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Watched the astonishing 1964 film I Am Cuba tonight. It's sort of like Godard directs a German Expressionist film about the Cuban Revolution. Stunning cinematography and innovative film techniques, although the political plotline hits closer to home than I might like. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwEa...

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Colossal's avatar Colossal @thisiscolossal.com
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Artist Hitomi Terasawa drew a meticulous cross-sectioned rendering of Hong Kong's infamous Kowloon Walled City before it was razed in 1994. Now we have rare scans revealing the inner workings of the labyrinth-like metropolis.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/kowl...

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Brian Libby's avatar Brian Libby @brianlibby.bsky.social
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Two shots from last week of the light and shadow at our favorite cabin, near Terrebonne, Oregon.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Thank you so much! It was wonderful, and while I only finished one book while I was there, the others really resonated together thematically. A lovely time was definitely had.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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First day back at work after a ten-day vacation: solid 7

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Women’s March but against the Supreme Court

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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New-to-me Sam Shepard releases are rare, but I’m excited to get this copy of photos and stories from the documentary Shepard and Dark. The doc is tough at times, thanks to Shepard’s mercurial, flinty self, but every step closer to Sam feels like I’m closer to the truth of something.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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My top ten books for the year so far, in order, starting with the electric Girl, Woman, Other as #1. (Why did I wait so long to read it?) Funny, but I’m reading much more slowly this year compared to last, but also truly loving far more books.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Using MOVIE as an acronym, recommend 5 films. My picks: M - The Missing Pieces (Lynch, for Twin Peaks diehards) O - Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone) V - Vertigo (Hitchcock) I - Infernal Affairs (Lau and Mak) E - Erie (Everson)

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I appreciate your lack of reverence for Marty.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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“This is the water and this is the well. Drink full and descend.” - the Woodsman in Twin Peaks: The Return “The water is in the thirst. It is necessary to enter the well itself.” - Pablo d’Ors in Biography of Silence

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I didn’t watch the debate, but as soon as I saw the reaction I thought, okay, but what is Estep going to think about this? You haven’t disappointed.

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Stone Cold Jane Austen's avatar Stone Cold Jane Austen @abbyhiggs.bsky.social
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How I introduce myself in an icebreaker session

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Oh, you have got my interest there. Thank you!

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I didn’t realize Eve’s Bayou was supposed to be so good until Criterion featured it . Sounds like this needs to be on my list.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Finally saw Asteroid City last night and I’m already excited for Wes Anderson’s next one, when George Clooney plays Guy Hiding Behind Tree 300 Yards Away.

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Estep Nagy's avatar Estep Nagy @estepnagy.xyz
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Watching Chungking Express on #criterionchannel for the first time in years and my god the raw energy of pre-handover Hong Kong

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Just finished Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other, which I couldn't have loved more, and discovered that she's curating a book series called "Black Britain: Writing Back," which involves bringing books from Black authors back into print. Has anyone read any of these?

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I wouldn’t have believed you before that episode, but now I’m ready to dive in.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Omg, this was a CD slot in a Portland music store that we still bring up because it was so funny. I had no idea it was an actual band - I just thought they were making fun of him!

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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A friend just posted to IG a ticket stub for a 1988 Ramones concert in a church basement in Queens. The opening band was called Norman Bates and the Showerheads.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Portland, you’ve been sleeping on the job. Why didn’t we think of this first?!

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Ah, I see. Well, I can definitely confirm that. Speaking up meant I was either having to refine and articulate a previously nebulous POV or that I could ask questions that could help me sharpen my understanding. An exchange of ideas is really the most important part of the process.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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1. David Tennant’s Hamlet, hands down 2. Patrick Stewart’s Macbeth, a magnificent Gothic fantasia Best reimagining: My Own Private Idaho

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Up until my senior year in high school, I was too insecure to venture an opinion, especially when the boys seemed so confident. A teacher in my sr year helped me privately to see that my ideas had merit and worth, which changed my behavior - and then indeed it made class much more fun and rewarding.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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I’m so sorry, Gregory. The innocence of the gesture makes it even that much more heartbreaking.

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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Yet another great episode that convinced me to try a book I’d previously had no interest in. (I swear Dr. Laura Varnam is a sorcerer who could probably persuade me to buy the collected works of Ayn Rand if she wanted to.)

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Valarie Smith's avatar Valarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social
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“What chance does beauty have to sneak in?” Sam Shepard, from The One Inside

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