Yesterday I spent an hour or so mending clothes. I fixed a couple holes in denim with an iron-on patch for the first time. And sewed up a loose seams in a few sweatshirts and another pair of jeans. It feels good to take care of things. And it inspired a round of “do I need this anymore?”, which led to a new bag of clothes to donate. Spring cleaning is in full effect.
My mom revived her genealogy hobby recently, and turn up some new bits of family history on the New Orleans side. I learned that back in the 1920’s my great-grandfather drove into a tree when the steering wheel locked up (don’t trust antique cars!), and also that he was arrested for running a bar without a state license. Both were enough to make the local paper.
Books
The Honjin Murders. DNF. Rural mid-century Japanese detective fiction – it sells itself! Wrong time for this one, though.
Cryptonomicon. Interesting so far, but I’m feeling initial worries about the number of lectures disguised as conversations I’ll come across…
Not a book, but interesting: Boox Palma is phone-dimensional e-ink device that just looks cool. A more peaceful version of a phone but in a hand-friendlier size than a Kindle. I don’t need more devices, but…
Art
The Nimrud ivory of a lion eating a man is pretty intense. (via the mostly-not-related Statecraft article on Iraqi state capacity)
School
One more exam and the term is done. I need a break!
Running
This week I decided to re-introduce a bit more speedwork and weights. Fun 5k tempo run on Monday just to check in, see where things are. Feels like all the long runs through the winter paid off, the well is deeper, there’s more draw on, but alas, I am still slow. For now… 😈
Music
Nejma Nefertit’s Animal Barz is a hiphop creature concept album – “Pigeons“!
My fiancée made me a “Baptist Bangers” playlist and that led me to “Shackles (Praise You)” from Mary Mary, and back to Kirk Franklin’s “Revolution” – fond memories of the brilliant ecstasy of Vine: the “mind if I praise God?” meme is a pinnacle of internet culture.
I like the talking drums in the latest Tierra Whack, “MS BEHAVE“.
Floraleda Sacchi plays Ryuichi Sakamoto (RIP) on the harp. I like “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence“.
From William Tyler and Luke Schneider, “No Trouble” has big-sky reverb-y slide guitars that remind me of Eno’s work on Apollo – like “Silver Morning” and “Deep Blue Day“.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
“A hobby is probably one of the best forms of life insurance that one can have.“
The Citizens Budget Commission survey data for 2023 has intriguing maps and comparisons to the 2017 and 2008 survey data.
A series of articles on how Manhattan got its grid.
Steven Soderbergh talking about his year in reading with NYT Book Review. “I read in order to calm down.”
Also enjoyed this Vulture interview with Hanif Abdurraqib, whose new book There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension is due in my mailbox soon.
“Please don’t get too worried about whether your desired baby name is ‘too popular,’ especially if it’s not in the top five names in your state. Because, statistically, it’s probably not.”
In Rapa Nui news: settlers there likely had contact with South America 1000 years ago. And (via Marginal Revolution), they may have independently developed a form of writing. Pacific cultures are really cool.
Camille Herron ran 560 miles in 6 days and drops some of the wildest quotes you’ll ever read. “I felt like after a couple of days, the miles just kind of melted away and the days blended together. I felt like I was taking it 100 miles at a time after a period.” !
Movies
Iron Man. This holds up, and it was funnier than I remembered. Marvel is so lucky they got a talent like RDJ to kick things off.
Anatomy of a Fall. Loved this movie. I need to find more French courtroom drama. There’s some flavor in their trial system that feels more cinematic. I like the physical layout of the courtrooms. More confrontational and interactive, a little less speechy? It feels dynamic. (Saint Omer is another excellent French one where we don’t see the crime and must draw our own conclusions during the trial – one of my favorites from 2023.)
TV
X-Files, s2e3, “Blood“. This week’s happy casting surprise: William Sanderson, who I knew best as J.F. Sebastian from Blade Runner and E.B. Farnum from Deadwood.
Jack Reacher, s2e4. Funniest episode of this season so far, needed the jolt. Also appreciate the “Jack Margrave” call-back.
Shogun, s1e4. Tempers and romance coming to a boil. Canons! I’m into it!
Mark Larson 