Last weekend was Open House New York Weekend, where you can snoop around a bunch of places that you usually can’t. I went to Brooklyn Army Terminal to see some oddball art and open studios.
I think I had a breakthrough on that morning adventure. Namely, getting better at managing hangry-ness. Half the battle is predicting it: when I’m on a long morning adventure, I’m going to get tired, hungry, cranky, frustrated. So I left the house prepared, and arrived home happy rather than desperate.
With my new wisdom, I implore you: carry snacks. The great enemy of your progress is unresolved tension within!
Running
I got an idea for a spiral running route one night as I was going to bed, so used that for my Saturday long run. The result GPS track, map redacted:
Wasn’t sure how it would feel to run it, but it was a really neat way to revisit familiar territory.
Books
The Subtle Knife. DNF. Just couldn’t stay attached.
The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast. Really enjoying this one, with focus on the native, English, and Dutch on the coast up here from Hudson Valley to Cape Cod. We think of colonization as a land-based thing, and underestimate the maritime powers already in place.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
William Gibson on a radio interview with R.P. Bird in 1987. Listening to oddball radio shows late at night – one of those things I remember that my kids probably won’t. (via Joanne McNeil)
“Here is a (very) nonexhaustive list of nonprofits that have helped achieve prosocial outcomes, that do not currently have enough funding to achieve their greater ambitions.” Lots of good stuff out there.
Boosting Housing Affordability: Practical Suggestions for Congress and the White House. Interesting to see what opportunities are available, some direct, some bankshots.
“A lot of people don’t know how government works generally, even if they’re inside it. They certainly know their piece of it, and they know how to navigate the relationships. They’ll always tell you politics is relationship driven, and it certainly is. And they’re also deeply creative. It requires ingenuity to figure out how to get an agenda through the system.”
We can Terraform the American West.
Movies
The Witches (1990). Fun! Anjelica Huston is such a good diva. Love the handicraft make-up and costuming. Unhinged at times, and maybe feels unsure of its target age. Enjoyed it, though, and enough so that I’d be willing to check out the remake.
Scream VI. I agree with my complaints from my first watch in May, but also my conclusion: I love this franchise. I like the darkness in our heroine, and focus on the sister relationship as they find their own way through trauma.
Music
The Smile, Cutouts. Must feel good to reset under a new name, remove the expectations of the old one. “The Slip” is so good, dark and slippery. “Eyes & Mouth” is about as funky as I’ve heard them, and I love how the toms are tuned so loose. The whole album just races by.
Ngô Hồng Quang, Nhìn Lại. I like the mix of old and new. The final ballad Chông Chênh Sông Hồng is lovely, as is the a cappella “Có Những Ngày“.
Gonchareva, Ocean, Symphony for Electric Violin and Other Instruments in 10+ Parts. The variety of intrumentation is the best part. Not your grandfather’s symphony.
Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard. I love how close this recording is, right on your ears. “My Man’s Gone Now” might be my favorite here.
Bill Charlap Trio, Street of Dreams. More piano-led jazz combo. “Out of Nowhere” has such good bones, hard to go wrong.
Jupiter & Okwess, Na Kozonga. Congolese afropop/funk. Big fan of “Izabela” and Bakanda Ulu“, at least before the heavy belting starts.
TV
The X-Files, s3e15 “Piper Maru“. Feels good to be back on mainline conspiracy stuff. Frickin’ Krychek.
CSI, s10e14. Starring Rascal Flatts? Didn’t see it coming.
The Terror, s1e8. Ugh. It’s the Hickey show now.
Mark Larson 