Pizza scams, pregnant goats, oh my ([#79]
Happy New Year!
Going into the new year like this guy...
And look, if this year doesn't get off to an auspicious start we have the Lunar New Year at the beginning of February to start all over again, so keep in mind you have a mulligan. But whether it's Western or Eastern, the start of a new year is always a helpful time to re-evaluate. I completed a reflection and planning exercise called Year Compass, which was ... not bad. Check it out.
What I Read
EB White's letter about hanging on to hope. The age you peak at everything. So many wonderful things from pop culture last year. Barack Obama's favorite books, music and films of 2018. Why cultural criticism matters. Everything you know about obesity is wrong, which reminded me of the powerful Linda Holmes essay on pulling her "red handle." On scaling down. Poems for if you're feeling rudderless, or if you were ghosted. Maybe the problem isn't the kids' screen time but their parents' screen time. The cost of modern communication: A zone between solitude and communion and not really having either. The crisis of US foreign policy. The case against Trump is already clear. A helpful guide to all the Trump investigations. Americans make up five percent of the global population but consume 30 percent of the world's prescription narcotics. The man who made air travel better has died. Friend Brad wrote the official obit, and it's a lovely look back. "Future love does not exist. Love is a present activity only." A New York City pizza scam you should know about. The 60 pregnant goats stolen in an elaborate heist. How do you mess up a COIN TOSS!?
Work/Musings
The Year in Review episode for It's Been a Minute. A look back at the books I read in 2018, complete with data visualizations. Things that brought me joy from a quick trip back to the 512.
Watch/Listen
Charles Barkley's unlikely lasting friendship with an Asian dad. The New Yorker Radio Hour's special on Philip Roth. How to let go of what's not aligned with your heart. BoJack Horseman, still bingeing and still excellent. I caught Disobedience, starring the two Rachels, on a plane. Probably deserving of a second viewing.
It's also awards season here in LA, my first one as an Angeleno. "It's gonna be so crazy for hair/makeup/spray tan people," said my brow person. I'm a member of SAG/AFTRA again because it's the domestic-based NPR employee union, which means we get a bunch of screeners in competition for SAG awards. Can't wait to get all caught up on the contenders.
Should old acquaintance be forgot? So confusing.
Elise