I removed Twitter from my phone last Sunday, and it’s been interesting to compare before and after. I’m lucky that, compared to some, I don’t seem to be as triggered by the sewage you can see there sometimes (often). But still, just as addicted as many. It keeps me hooked.
But I cut it off for a bit, and all that would-be scrolling time became much more peaceful. Go figure! Kindle on the train, RSS in those weird restless pockets that open up throughout the day, Kindle before bed. A bit of time on the laptop in the evening, but I usually don’t have much appetite for that after a day of work. Compulsion replace with intention. Nights are quieter, and feel longer, and days a bit more deliberate and focused. It feels good I’m pretty sure I’ll be back eventually, but enjoying this right now.
I remember I had a tough start on Monday. A bit of Sunday scaries, and bad sleep from wordy thinking + struggle to find the right temperature. Still wrestling with changes in my routine, but things are settling into place. I try to remind myself I don’t need to form an opinion or change it all immediately. I let the new days settle into place, and see what I want to change when it’s taken form.
Art
“Wind, Miami Beach“, photo by Anastasia Samoylova.
“Woman Leaning on Her Hands“, bronze by Henri Matisse.
“Pierrot with Clarinet“, sculpture in plaster by Jacque Lipchitz.
Running
I think I’m finding my groove again. Back to my usual weekly mileage after a couple down weeks. Sunday afternoon jogs are proving useful to replace the weekday mornings I pulled back on. Saturday long run include a stint of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway I’d not done before, connecting Sunset Park and Bay Ridge/Fort Hamilton. I think I’ve run almost all of Brooklyn’s perimeter/borders, except for a few odd miles here and there.
Books
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson. Ultimately really depressing! Glad I read it. The world of ambassadors and diplomats is interesting, though. I wonder what the best general history books on the Foreign Service are?
Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West by Calder Walton. The 10% of so that I read seems good, but I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach here. DNF.
The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman. I was going to read the The Golden Compass only to realize I read it two years ago. Need to Wikipedia that one and get this started again.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
I’m visiting all 350 of NYC’s neighborhoods. Here’s some of what I’ve learned so far.
“The obituaries section is exclusive real estate. They don’t let boring people in.”
“Politicians from the left and the right sometimes like to say that 60 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. It’s the type of statistic that can fit a variety of economic narratives. […] It’s also, more importantly, not true.”
Using static websites for tiny archives.
Movies
Coraline. Pretty good! The stop-motion animation is really impressive, easy for my attention to be focus more on that than the plot. The story is unhurried and pleasingly creepy.
The Witch. I just love this movie. Third or fourth time I’ve seen it, and keep finding new riches. Robert Eggers is one to follow.
Music
Pharoah Sanders, Great Moments with Pharoah Sanders was my favorite album this week. Perfect music for walking through the city in the morning. Check out his “Naima” and “Soul Eyes“.
Jaco Pastorius, Jaco Pastorius. Insane electric bass playing here.
Yin Yan, Mount Matsu. Some interesting electronic/south Asian surf rock?
Giuliano Sorgini, Lavoro e tempo libero. Disco! “Turbine in moto” is a good closer.
Brian Green, Impressions for Headphones. No single track was especially affecting, but useful and enveloping when taken as a whole.
Keith Jarrett, Facing You. Jazz piano as soloist. I like “Starbright“.
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” rec. New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein. I went through a big Mahler phase a while back, maybe a decade ago now? Still love the scale and drama of it all.
TV
The X-Files, s3e14 “Grotesque“. Here we have a more tormented Mulder than we usually see. A detective in too deep for his own good, like you see in Seven or Hannibal or something. But we also understand new motivations, chips on his shoulder from a career being bullied and ostracized. I like the range we get to see from Scully here – loyalty, patient, frustrated, angry, worried, commanding. Interesting that the enemy here has honor enough to help himself get caught.
The Terror, s1e7. The crew has abandoned ship for overland journey, and Mr. Hickey is outta control. Hope he doesn’t take over the plot, but… I don’t think I’ll get my wish.
Mark Larson 