Reading: Finally got around to reading “The Thirteenth Tale” which I finished tonight. Highly recommended if you like Wilkie Collins and you’re disappointed he stopped writing.
Watching: “Cobra Kai” is on Netflix, so yeah. It’s dumb. It’s really dumb. But I can’t resist it. Also, the actually good shows “Woke” and “What We Do In the Shadows” on Hulu, and “The Woman in White” on PBS. (See Wilkie Collins comment above)
Listening: nothing of note, just random podcasts during the day.
Sometimes dumb is what you need. I'm not much of a watcher of movies or TV, so I'm mostly clueless but I do want to watch "What We Do In the Shadows." That looks good.
Michael got me to sit down and watch the first episode of the British "Utopia" on YouTube (see his comment on Jenny's comment). It was intense and I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe for the entire hour. 13/10 would recommend.
Reading "Paper" by Mark Kurlansky. About the history of.. paper. Only into the prologue so far but it's quite fascinating. He also wrote a book I've been meaning to read called "Salt", which I've been meaning to read.
I think we're all brain tired. I haven't read his books, but I've always enjoyed those that take one narrow topic and research it deeply. If I were to ever write a book that might be what I would do - not sure what topic I'd like to get that deep into though!
On my nightstand: "Painless Chemistry," "Chemistry 12: College Preparation" "Barron's AP Chemistry flashcards," beside a little Buddha statue and a votive candle. I have a 12th grader at home who is struggling to make sense of the dog's-breakfast-online-program her school district threw together last week. Such a sh-tshow. As a result, unexpectedly, (overnight), I have become a Chemistry 12 student, too, as we figure this out and teach ourselves together. NOTE: The last time I took a chemistry course, Jimmy Carter was president. And, if that realization wasn't enough to make me feel really ancient: I realized that 18 elements have been added to the Periodic Table of the Elements since I took chemistry. But, I'm rolling up my sleeves and am giving it my best shot . . . right after someone passes me my prune juice and ear trumpet . . .
Reading: "Whole Life's Work" by Lewis Richmond . . . Watching: "Social Dilemma" on Netflix, "Let's Eat 3" on Netflix (dumb K-Drama for the elliptical) . . . Listening: Guru on Wondery (super interesting) . . . Eating: Hello Fresh meal kits, mostly appreciated because I'm going for new recipes and new (to me) ingredients to break up the monotony . . . things like freekeh, farro, halloumi & stracciatella cheeses . . .
And to you, Anne >>> THANK YOU for somehow being able to keep up with the newsletter, Instagram and Facebook through all this . . . your posts are always something I look forward to.
You're so welcome! I'm happy to hear you enjoy my mutterings.
I do not envy you and every other parent who is trying to navigate the online schooling nightmare. Whipping something together in a few days doesn't seem like a good way to approach it. That was what everyone did last spring - surely by now they'd have an inkling that attempts at in-person school would quickly end up in failure? I guess there's been a lot of wishful thinking and denial. I do wish you the best of luck in your "studies." We were told there would be better living through chemistry after all - maybe this is what they meant.
I still have not read that book! I'm glad you're finding joy in your folding. We all need to have those outlets to keep our minds off of *waves hand* "everything."
it's hard to know what to call them exactly; they were likely trans, but the vocabulary for their gender identities was definitely lacking.
i have been listening to a lot of oingo boingo, and daydreaming about handsome baby danny elfman.
work got extra hectic the last two weeks and while the stress hasn't been the most fun, i find that i'm actually (gasp!!!) kind of challenged at work right now, and that has been good for my brain. like any basic primate, i definitely need some mental stimulus, lol.
Just finished Endeavour Season 7 and it was stunning. I was glad to see the back of Morse's mustache.
I've recently finished reading "The Survivors" by Jane Harper; "Imperfect Women" by Araminta Hall; and "His & Hers" by Alice Feeney. I'm currently reading "The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez" by Rudy Ruiz which is particularly lovely in audio. Seriously, you should look this one up just to see the beautiful cover.
I've been working on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories since summer. I've been finding it difficult to carve out time and maintain focus to read for sustainable amounts of time. Similarly, I have not been watching anything with one exception of a watch party where we watch Schitt's Creek. I have a list of shows and books to get to someday but now; it's just not happening. What I do have time and attention for is podcasts and baseball games. I follow the San Francisco Giants and love listening to the MLB app. It's nostalgic. Hall of Fame announcer, John Miller, it like an old pal. I was really happy that baseball came back. It helped make things feel somewhat normal. I listen to a range of podcasts. Many of them are from NPR. I was on a true crime bend for a bit. Currently, I'm just listening to ones that have weekly and biweekly releases: Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Up First, Stuff You Should Know, Fresh Air, What Trump can Teach us About Con Law, Passing Judgement, The NPR Politics Podcast, The Moth, Radiolab, The Daily, All Songs Considered, FiveThirtyEight Politics, Snap Judgement, WTF, Vinly-O-Matic, Code Switch, Ear Hustle, 99% Invisible, Spooked, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, This American Life, Radio Rental, and Spilling Rubies.
I keep routines so time still has meaning. I switch up routines to keep from feeling like Groundhogs Day. I work from home but go into work on Fridays more for a social connection than for the necessary paperwork.
I have been doing a lot of house tasks and being intentional about them. That gives me satisfaction and joy. I've been cooking and discovering and rediscovering simple specific recipes. I've finally had the mindset to revisit sewing. It was really satisfying to make another pair of shoes and start a new shirt. I journal daily and try to get some drawing in from time to time.
What's really saved my mental health over these months has been running and focusing on my overall fitness. I run most every day. The smoke days were hard. I'm grateful to be back out on the road again.
Talking to my level headed dad has helped keep me grounded during the crazy politics right now.
Ann, thanks so much for your newsletters and the push to check in.
Reading time has been hard for me too. Sometimes it's easier to pick up the phone and doomscroll (or just scroll through Instagram which is mostly pretty pictures). We definitely keep a different routine on the weekends than workdays, but the flow of time seems odd.
Let's hope the smoke days are over for the year. I know fire season goes on for a while longer, but perhaps the winds will stay favorable so you can get out for healthy runs.
HI! All of above! I am parsing my time with comedy, Sci fi books, podcasts about reality and consciousness, general art things, building my house and not going crazy. So far so good except I wouldn't know if I was so I guess it doesn't matter. Time has become a tiny house fly that occasionally buzzes my nose and reminds that its there. Music is a constant fuel. October will be a month of no news broadcasts, no noise! No apps! Meditation, fasting and art projects. Thankful for rain....
Have you read "The Three Body Problem" yet? It's a good sci-fi, first of a series. I've not read the third yet. Good stuff.
It sounds like you've got a good October ahead. The next month is one of the most beautiful in the mountains and foothills as fall really sets in. Keep an eye out for strange fungi!
Just watched the first episode of Utopia which just came out on Prime today. It was quite an adventure. Pretty dark but looks like it will be interesting. I heard in science twitter there is a new book coming out called Hurts So Good: the science and culture of pain on purpose about all the ways people enjoy pain - spicy foods, endurance sports, etc. It sounds pretty wild! http://tinyletter.com/painbook
Okay - Michael convinced me to sit down and watch "even just five minutes" to see what it's like. An hour later I realized I'd barely been breathing. If you can't find it streaming just watch it on YouTube. Jeepers. It was intense.
I have to agree with you and Michael. The English versions of shows usually are better. Life on Mars comes to mind. I LOVED the British version and of course the American version was the pits. Even with Harvey Keitel. Speaking of British shows, I wish to god I could stream Rock Follies. The nostalgia is strong with that one.
Hello and thanks for your posts. I’m reading Eddie S. Glaude’s book Begin Again. It’s excellent. Yes, time has lost all meaning but oddly, I purchased a watch. I don’t even wear watches. But now I am. So odd.
I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Wednesday when it was actually Thursday. I don't know how it can possibly be almost October, yet here we are. The last watch I owned was in the 90's. My ex-husband ruined it when we were in Hawaii... in 1992? I got confused and almost said the 80's. That was way wrong. My internal time-clock has one up in flames.
This month I read two true crime novels that someone had left in our free little library - Bad Karma by Deborah Blum and Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule. I also read Admiral Richard Byrd's account of losing his mind in the Antarctic in his book Alone. Gas fumes from his crappy stove almost did him in. I'm also working on art projects - I just finished making an altered book for my daughter's birthday. She's going to be surprised because her dog is in it! And I always listen to podcasts while I work. John and I watch a lot of old movies we tape off of TCM - they never fail to amuse. And thanks to you, Anne, I've been subscribing to more and more newsletters. I LOVE Edith Zimmerman's.
John and I escaped to the redwoods this past week in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park near Crescent City, CA - it was bliss, pure bliss! We were very secluded and barely saw anyone, but when we did, people wore their masks and gave each other plenty of space. It was the first time in a long time that I took a social media break (four whole days!) and it felt GREAT. I think I'll do that on a regular basis.
Oh, and I'm so excited about Allie Brosh's new book. Yay!!!
We're having an 80's-ish dance party as we do sometimes on Friday nights...
B-52s
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
The Cramps
Adam and the Ants
Bow Wow Wow
Other good stuff that isn't from the 80's.
That is so awesome.
Reading: Finally got around to reading “The Thirteenth Tale” which I finished tonight. Highly recommended if you like Wilkie Collins and you’re disappointed he stopped writing.
Watching: “Cobra Kai” is on Netflix, so yeah. It’s dumb. It’s really dumb. But I can’t resist it. Also, the actually good shows “Woke” and “What We Do In the Shadows” on Hulu, and “The Woman in White” on PBS. (See Wilkie Collins comment above)
Listening: nothing of note, just random podcasts during the day.
MH
Sometimes dumb is what you need. I'm not much of a watcher of movies or TV, so I'm mostly clueless but I do want to watch "What We Do In the Shadows." That looks good.
Michael got me to sit down and watch the first episode of the British "Utopia" on YouTube (see his comment on Jenny's comment). It was intense and I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe for the entire hour. 13/10 would recommend.
Reading "Paper" by Mark Kurlansky. About the history of.. paper. Only into the prologue so far but it's quite fascinating. He also wrote a book I've been meaning to read called "Salt", which I've been meaning to read.
brain tired. my reply could have used a lot of editing.
I think we're all brain tired. I haven't read his books, but I've always enjoyed those that take one narrow topic and research it deeply. If I were to ever write a book that might be what I would do - not sure what topic I'd like to get that deep into though!
On my nightstand: "Painless Chemistry," "Chemistry 12: College Preparation" "Barron's AP Chemistry flashcards," beside a little Buddha statue and a votive candle. I have a 12th grader at home who is struggling to make sense of the dog's-breakfast-online-program her school district threw together last week. Such a sh-tshow. As a result, unexpectedly, (overnight), I have become a Chemistry 12 student, too, as we figure this out and teach ourselves together. NOTE: The last time I took a chemistry course, Jimmy Carter was president. And, if that realization wasn't enough to make me feel really ancient: I realized that 18 elements have been added to the Periodic Table of the Elements since I took chemistry. But, I'm rolling up my sleeves and am giving it my best shot . . . right after someone passes me my prune juice and ear trumpet . . .
Reading: "Whole Life's Work" by Lewis Richmond . . . Watching: "Social Dilemma" on Netflix, "Let's Eat 3" on Netflix (dumb K-Drama for the elliptical) . . . Listening: Guru on Wondery (super interesting) . . . Eating: Hello Fresh meal kits, mostly appreciated because I'm going for new recipes and new (to me) ingredients to break up the monotony . . . things like freekeh, farro, halloumi & stracciatella cheeses . . .
And to you, Anne >>> THANK YOU for somehow being able to keep up with the newsletter, Instagram and Facebook through all this . . . your posts are always something I look forward to.
You're so welcome! I'm happy to hear you enjoy my mutterings.
I do not envy you and every other parent who is trying to navigate the online schooling nightmare. Whipping something together in a few days doesn't seem like a good way to approach it. That was what everyone did last spring - surely by now they'd have an inkling that attempts at in-person school would quickly end up in failure? I guess there's been a lot of wishful thinking and denial. I do wish you the best of luck in your "studies." We were told there would be better living through chemistry after all - maybe this is what they meant.
I just finished reading This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I loved the book.
I haven’t been folding much lately and recently got re-connected with my folding group. Had forgotten how much I enjoy the activity and the people.
I still have not read that book! I'm glad you're finding joy in your folding. We all need to have those outlets to keep our minds off of *waves hand* "everything."
i'm reading a book about Fanny and Stella; two "drag" queens in Victorian London who caused quite a stir. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/25/fanny-stella-neil-mckenna-review
it's hard to know what to call them exactly; they were likely trans, but the vocabulary for their gender identities was definitely lacking.
i have been listening to a lot of oingo boingo, and daydreaming about handsome baby danny elfman.
work got extra hectic the last two weeks and while the stress hasn't been the most fun, i find that i'm actually (gasp!!!) kind of challenged at work right now, and that has been good for my brain. like any basic primate, i definitely need some mental stimulus, lol.
That looks like an interesting book!
Just finished Endeavour Season 7 and it was stunning. I was glad to see the back of Morse's mustache.
I've recently finished reading "The Survivors" by Jane Harper; "Imperfect Women" by Araminta Hall; and "His & Hers" by Alice Feeney. I'm currently reading "The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez" by Rudy Ruiz which is particularly lovely in audio. Seriously, you should look this one up just to see the beautiful cover.
Ooooh, that is a pretty cover!
Right?
I've been working on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories since summer. I've been finding it difficult to carve out time and maintain focus to read for sustainable amounts of time. Similarly, I have not been watching anything with one exception of a watch party where we watch Schitt's Creek. I have a list of shows and books to get to someday but now; it's just not happening. What I do have time and attention for is podcasts and baseball games. I follow the San Francisco Giants and love listening to the MLB app. It's nostalgic. Hall of Fame announcer, John Miller, it like an old pal. I was really happy that baseball came back. It helped make things feel somewhat normal. I listen to a range of podcasts. Many of them are from NPR. I was on a true crime bend for a bit. Currently, I'm just listening to ones that have weekly and biweekly releases: Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Up First, Stuff You Should Know, Fresh Air, What Trump can Teach us About Con Law, Passing Judgement, The NPR Politics Podcast, The Moth, Radiolab, The Daily, All Songs Considered, FiveThirtyEight Politics, Snap Judgement, WTF, Vinly-O-Matic, Code Switch, Ear Hustle, 99% Invisible, Spooked, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, This American Life, Radio Rental, and Spilling Rubies.
I keep routines so time still has meaning. I switch up routines to keep from feeling like Groundhogs Day. I work from home but go into work on Fridays more for a social connection than for the necessary paperwork.
I have been doing a lot of house tasks and being intentional about them. That gives me satisfaction and joy. I've been cooking and discovering and rediscovering simple specific recipes. I've finally had the mindset to revisit sewing. It was really satisfying to make another pair of shoes and start a new shirt. I journal daily and try to get some drawing in from time to time.
What's really saved my mental health over these months has been running and focusing on my overall fitness. I run most every day. The smoke days were hard. I'm grateful to be back out on the road again.
Talking to my level headed dad has helped keep me grounded during the crazy politics right now.
Ann, thanks so much for your newsletters and the push to check in.
Reading time has been hard for me too. Sometimes it's easier to pick up the phone and doomscroll (or just scroll through Instagram which is mostly pretty pictures). We definitely keep a different routine on the weekends than workdays, but the flow of time seems odd.
Let's hope the smoke days are over for the year. I know fire season goes on for a while longer, but perhaps the winds will stay favorable so you can get out for healthy runs.
HI! All of above! I am parsing my time with comedy, Sci fi books, podcasts about reality and consciousness, general art things, building my house and not going crazy. So far so good except I wouldn't know if I was so I guess it doesn't matter. Time has become a tiny house fly that occasionally buzzes my nose and reminds that its there. Music is a constant fuel. October will be a month of no news broadcasts, no noise! No apps! Meditation, fasting and art projects. Thankful for rain....
Have you read "The Three Body Problem" yet? It's a good sci-fi, first of a series. I've not read the third yet. Good stuff.
It sounds like you've got a good October ahead. The next month is one of the most beautiful in the mountains and foothills as fall really sets in. Keep an eye out for strange fungi!
well then, been listening to The Fall a lot, as always... they never go sour...
the new Public Enemy is a bit good too... & as for the new Idles LP, damn!... makes me fell young again!!!... so fucking punk rock, so damn good...
reading?... still looking forward to a new David Foster Wallace novel... oh well, such is life...
time, what time exactly are you talking about... time out of mind?
make things, old things preferably...
Just watched the first episode of Utopia which just came out on Prime today. It was quite an adventure. Pretty dark but looks like it will be interesting. I heard in science twitter there is a new book coming out called Hurts So Good: the science and culture of pain on purpose about all the ways people enjoy pain - spicy foods, endurance sports, etc. It sounds pretty wild! http://tinyletter.com/painbook
I like spicy foods - to a point! Too much overwhelms the fine tastes though...
the English version of Utopia is so much better!
https://youtu.be/JyPJxgwVpWY
I did not know this existed![googles "stream english version utopia"]
Michael and I were just have a conversation about how the English version of so many shows and movies is always better.
Okay - Michael convinced me to sit down and watch "even just five minutes" to see what it's like. An hour later I realized I'd barely been breathing. If you can't find it streaming just watch it on YouTube. Jeepers. It was intense.
Sheesh! Will try it tonight!
I have to agree with you and Michael. The English versions of shows usually are better. Life on Mars comes to mind. I LOVED the British version and of course the American version was the pits. Even with Harvey Keitel. Speaking of British shows, I wish to god I could stream Rock Follies. The nostalgia is strong with that one.
Hello and thanks for your posts. I’m reading Eddie S. Glaude’s book Begin Again. It’s excellent. Yes, time has lost all meaning but oddly, I purchased a watch. I don’t even wear watches. But now I am. So odd.
You're welcome!
I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Wednesday when it was actually Thursday. I don't know how it can possibly be almost October, yet here we are. The last watch I owned was in the 90's. My ex-husband ruined it when we were in Hawaii... in 1992? I got confused and almost said the 80's. That was way wrong. My internal time-clock has one up in flames.
This month I read two true crime novels that someone had left in our free little library - Bad Karma by Deborah Blum and Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule. I also read Admiral Richard Byrd's account of losing his mind in the Antarctic in his book Alone. Gas fumes from his crappy stove almost did him in. I'm also working on art projects - I just finished making an altered book for my daughter's birthday. She's going to be surprised because her dog is in it! And I always listen to podcasts while I work. John and I watch a lot of old movies we tape off of TCM - they never fail to amuse. And thanks to you, Anne, I've been subscribing to more and more newsletters. I LOVE Edith Zimmerman's.
John and I escaped to the redwoods this past week in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park near Crescent City, CA - it was bliss, pure bliss! We were very secluded and barely saw anyone, but when we did, people wore their masks and gave each other plenty of space. It was the first time in a long time that I took a social media break (four whole days!) and it felt GREAT. I think I'll do that on a regular basis.
Oh, and I'm so excited about Allie Brosh's new book. Yay!!!
xoxo