March 16, 2018

I had the perfect opportunity to unplug the other afternoon – I cracked my phone screen and landed it in Phone Hospital for a few hours. Somehow it was the first time I’ve ever done that, and I ended up with a phone-less afternoon… It’s kind of embarrassing how refreshing it was to be parted with my phone for like 3 hours, because it made me realize how constant that presence is. Like, I never do anything in silence. Unloading the dishwasher, staring at my groggy face in the mirror, walking my (perfect) dog, sewing…I usually have a podcast or tv show on. I’m going to be working those afternoons in more often!

1. Words for Empty and Words for Full, Bob Hicok. I just discovered this poet in my life thanks to Wonderful! podcast…His poetry is musical and grammar-flexible; it’s the kind of poetry I want to be writing. My favorites from this collection are A Primer, A Wedding Night.
2. Are Home Renovations Necessary? Curbed. I’m a big fan of Kate Wagner’s blog, McMansion Hell! “Whether presented as a self-improvement project (update
   your house lest you be judged for owning a dated one) or a form of
   self-care (renovate because it will make you feel better), the home
   remodel is presented as both remedy and requirement.
   Take a moment to consider this simple idea: There is nothing wrong with your house.“
3. The Dirty Secret of Secret Recipes. “But more frequently, when readers learned the truth, they accepted it and loved the recipe more than ever. The cookies and cakes and potato salads were, after all, still associated with childhood memories and departed loved ones.” This is really sweet to me. Did you know that copyright rules for recipes are interesting – a list of ingredients isn’t protected, but the instructions and other narrative material is? (source: “Copyright law does not protect recipes that are mere listings of ingredients….. Copyright protection may, however, extend to substantial literary expression—a description, explanation, or illustration, for example—that accompanies a recipe or formula or to a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook.”) Is that why some recipe blogs have the longest rambling stories and photos before you get to the recipe? I just want to bake this chicken!
4. I Have Information Overload, Haley Nahman. “My challenge now is to resist my animal-like impulse to constantly
   consume, to pick what I engage with more thoughtfully, and then dare to
   embody the kind of idleness that work demands. Maybe art needs space
   like we need space. Maybe, in a simple resistance to the mindless
   scroll, ideas bloom.” Same girl!
5. The Perfect Man Who Wasn’t, The Atlantic. These women taken in by a conman team up to take him down. "For years, Derek had evaded punishment by
   moving around; local police had limited ability to chase him across
   state lines. But the women he’d victimized had no jurisdictional
   limitations.”