Filtered by Category: Weekly Links

Just Good Shit: 05.22.22

Top down photo of a bouquet of flowers and two polaroid pictures: Rachel Miller sitting on a rooftop at a table, and a bunch of pink and peach balloons

Hello! The big news this week is that I have a new job: Iā€™m starting as Editor-in-Chief of SELF tomorrow! Iā€™m so, so excited for this new chapter in my life, and I had the loveliest weekend celebrating with friends.


Hereā€™s what else I was up toā€¦

Reading

Living With The Far-Right Insurgency In Idaho, HuffPost.
This was a tough read, but I really think itā€™s worth your time.

The Long Game of White-Power Activists Isnā€™t Just About Violence, NYT. (gift link)

The Promising Treatment for Long COVID Weā€™re Not Even Trying, The Atlantic.

The COVID Testing Company That Missed 96% of Cases, ProPublica.

A Birder Is Back in the Public Eye, Now on His Own Terms, NYT. (gift link)

The Unlikely Ascent of New Yorkā€™s Compost Champion, NYT. (gift link)

Let Me Save You Some Time: A Field Guide To Avoiding Transition By Family Committee, The Chatner.

Watching & listening to

I loved Heartstopper on Netflix! The new season of Drag Race: All Stars is amazing. This song is so good. And I saw two beautiful double-crested cormorants diving for fish in Central Park on Tuesday.

Have a good one! āœØ

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Just Good Shit: 05.15.22

non-alcoholic rosemary paloma while dining al fresco

Hello! Hereā€™s what Iā€™ve got for you this weekā€¦

Reading

The Sinister Connection Between Abortion Rights, White Supremacy, and Covid, Jezebel.
Really worth a read, especially given the reports out of Buffalo.

A Grandmother Needed Paperwork For A Glucose Monitor. The NYPD Broke Her Arm., Hellgate.

The Woman Who Killed Roe, The Cut.

The Horrifying Implications of Alitoā€™s Most Alarming Footnote, Slate.

3 Test Cases Progressives Should Bring in a Post-ā€œRoeā€ World, The Nation.

Indignity Vol. 2, No. 38: Fury road., Indignity.

Watching

10 Things I Hate About You (it had been literal decades), Crush on Hulu, and Senior Year on Netflix, which was so much funnier and weirder than I expected!

Have a good one! šŸŒæ

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Just Good Shit: 05.08.22

Itā€™s been a tough week for bodily autonomy. On top of Mondayā€™s horrible Roe news, gender-affirming healthcare for minors is a felony in Alabama as of today. Itā€™s hard not to feel abject dread and deep despair right now, but Iā€™m trying to focus on pulling on my little threads, and I hope youā€™re doing the same.

Hereā€™s what I have for you tonightā€¦

My shit

And thereā€™s a new episode of the podcast out!

Reading

Alitoā€™s Plan to Repeal the 20th Century, The Atlantic.

The Limits of Privilege, The Cut.
ā€œAs we teeter on the threshold of the post-Roe world, itā€™s worth considering that the message that privileged women will be just fine is inaccurate and that its repetition, while well meaning, is counterproductive to the task of readying an unprepared public for massive and terrifying shifts on the horizon. Itā€™s worth pointing out that it is simply not true that the reproductive options of white, middle-class, and even wealthy people are going to remain the same. Because while circumstances will certainly be graver and more perilous for the already vulnerable, the reality is that everything is about to change, for everyone, in one way or another, and to muffle that alarm is an error, factually, practically, and politically.ā€

God Damn America, Discourse Blog.
ā€œHere is a brief and incomplete list of the people and institutions that can go fuck themselves this morning.ā€

Democratic Leaders Are Getting the Abortion Story Wrong ā€” Again, The Cut.

A Q&A With Jessica Cisneros, the Pro-Choice Democrat Pelosi Isnā€™t Supporting, VICE.

The Wackadoodle Wave, The Atlantic.
This is a bad hed, but I think this article does a good job of explaining why, in a practical and logistical sense, increasingly extreme people are taking over the GOP.

Indignity Vol. 2, No. 37: Rights are for everyone., Indignity.

The Institutionalist's Dilemma, Alex Pareene.

ā€œThe legitimacy crisis is that our institutions are illegitimate. For my entire adult life, beginning with Bush v. Gore, our governing institutions have been avowedly antidemocratic and the left-of-center party has had no answer for that plain fact; no strategy, no plan, except to beg the electorate to give them governing majorities, which they then fail to use to reform the antidemocratic governing institutions.ā€

If Roe v. Wade falls, are LGBTQ rights next?, Vox.

Meet Abortion Bansā€™ New Best Friendā€”Your Phone, Mother Jones.

The Holocaust Started With My Great-Uncleā€™s Murder, The Atlantic.

I Saw a Cool Truck Today, Alex Pareene.
Great blog about safety, public policy, and semis.

She Invented Adulting. Her Life Fell Apart. She Wants You to Know Thatā€™s Okay., Vanity Fair.

Jane Fonda, Then and Now, Glamour.

ā€œI made this so you can turn your anger into action. We all can do something, here's how.ā€ ā€”Alison Turkos

Take care. šŸ’›

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Just Good Shit: 05.01.22

two baby ducklings on pond with mother duck in background

Hello and happy May! Hereā€™s what I was up to this weekā€¦

Reading

School Boards Are No Match for Americaā€™s Political Dysfunction, The Atlantic.
Iā€¦did not expect this story to center on my hometown/the district my mom teaches in!!!

A Cage by Another Name, Failed Architecture.

How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable, NYT. (gift link)

You know itā€™s bad when NYT is flat-out calling someone racist. Also, here's a gift link for Part 2.

This Startup Wants to Get in Your Ears and Watch Your Brain, Wired.

How conspiracy theories went mainstream, Vox.

Turns Out You Could Have a TV Show That Doesnā€™t Tear Fat People Down, Discourse Blog.

Reconsidering the Spice Girls: How Manufactured Girl Power Became Real, NYT. (gift link)


Have a good one! šŸ„

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Just Good Shit: 04.24.22

Good evening, friends! Hereā€™s what Iā€™ve got for you this weekā€¦

Writing

And a new episode of the podcast is out!

Reading

We Could Be in the Middle of a Major Covid Spike and Not Even Know It, The New Republic.

Singal and the Noise, Protean.
ā€œLove is perhaps more of an action than a feeling. That belief of mine is informed by my experiences as a person with multiple marginalizations, as well as my personal ethics. Hate works the same way. There are a lot of bigots who think that if their mistreatment is unemotional, based on ā€˜facts,ā€™ then itā€™s not bigoted, and so work very hard at convincing themselves and others they have no feelings about the objects of their hate.ā€

When Doctors Cite 'Regret' to Deny Care, Who Is Really Protected?, Wired.

Stop calling them ā€œaccidentsā€, Vox.

Googleā€™s AI-Powered ā€œInclusive Warningsā€ Feature Is Very Broken, VICE.

Netflixā€™s Bad Habits Have Caught Up With It, Vulture.

Other recs

We watched all of Severance this week and I fully loved it! But this felt made for me; I love sci-fi + grief/sadness + memory stuff + winter. We also watched a few episodes of Our National Parks (the Obama doc on Netflix) and I found it more moving than I would have expected (and thatā€™s coming from someone who watches a lot of nature docs). Thereā€™s just something about seeing baby animals take their first steps or first flight that is genuinely awe-inspiring.

On a different note, I have NYT Cookingā€™s oven-roasted chicken shawarma in the oven right now and Iā€™m really excited; the prep was ridiculously easy, and I think itā€™s going to be really good.

Have a great week! šŸŒ±

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Just Good Shit: 04.17.22

Just Good Shit: 04.03.22

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Hi! Hereā€™s what I was up to this weekā€¦

Writing

I spent a lot of time working on this one and am really happy itā€™s finally out in the world!

Reading

We Have The Right To Not Be Annoyed, Ijeoma Oluo: Behind the Book.

Indignity Vol. 2, No. 26: All Fools' Day, Indignity.
ā€œThe joke is on everyone, all the time, and there's no way to get out from under it.ā€ (Related.)

How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student, The New Yorker.
This is justā€¦appalling.

ā€˜Iā€™m the Operatorā€™: The Aftermath of a Self-Driving Tragedy, Wired.

The Cruel Theater of Encampment Sweeps, Curbed.

Did Sweden beat the pandemic by refusing to lock down? No, its record is disastrous, LA Times.

LGBTQ Students Are Being Terrorized. Floridaā€™s 'Donā€™t Say Gay' Law Will Make It Worse., HuffPost.

The Biggest Lie About Floridaā€™s ā€œDonā€™t Say Gayā€ Bill Erases One Crucial Word, Slate.

The FDA made mail-order abortion pills legal. Access is still a nightmare., Vox.

The QAnon Style of Politics Is Taking Over America, TNR.

My Friend Goo, The Paris Review.
ā€œSomething in my voice must have calmed him because instead of marching over looking for a fight, heā€™d come waddling out, softly honking and purringā€”because he would purr at you, you see, if he liked you, and Goo came to like me.ā€

BuzzFeed Doesnā€™t Deserve Its Newsroom, The Nation.

How Two Best Friends Beat Amazon, NYT. (gift link)
Finally, some good news.

Listening to

Disorientation on audiobook. The Great Mattress Conspiracy: Why Are There So Many Mattress Firm Stores? and the new season of Fiasco.

Have a good one! āœØ

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Just Good Shit: 03.27.22

Just Good Shit: 03.20.22

Just Good Shit: 03.13.22

orange and white tulips

Hi! Hope youā€™re weathering the start of Daylight Saving Time okay. (I, for one, hate it and will be complaining about it for at least two more days.) Hereā€™s what I got up to this weekā€¦

My shit:

And thereā€™s a new episode of Oh, I Like That out! This week, we talked about games.

Reading

How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?, The Atlantic.

How To Murder a Good Idea With Conventional Wisdom, In These Times.

ā€œOne year after the biggest protest movement in American history demanded police reform, we now find ourselves in the ludicrous position of being told by all of the shallowest professional political savants that defunding the police is a toxic position that is poison to Democrats.ā€

The Biden Administration Killed Americaā€™s Collective Pandemic Approach, The Atlantic.

Here's Why Pandemic Fatigue Is (Still) So Draining, SELF.

A Poem (and a Painting) About the Suffering That Hides in Plain Sight, NYT. (gift link)

Angela Davis on the power of protest: ā€˜We canā€™t do anything without optimismā€™, The Guardian.

Have a good one! šŸ•°

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Just Good Shit: 03.06.22

Hello!

Iā€™m back in Brooklyn after a trip to the Catskills last week. My girlfriend and I stayed in a rental with a fireplace and hot tub, and that isā€¦pretty much all we did! Woke up and soakedā€¦did sunny midday soaksā€¦soaked in the eveningā€¦took out the binoculars to peep birds while soakingā€¦looked at snow and trees and stars while soakingā€¦ truly the best way to do nature! (I was also moved to re-read this extremely soothing and delightful 2016 NYT Magazine article about Icelandā€™s public baths.)

We also knit by the fire, worked on a puzzle, made ziti, got takeout from Phoenicia Diner, drove to Ashokan Reservoir, and made a stop at Woodbury Commons. On Friday, we went birding in Prospect Park, which wasā€¦incredible?! We saw so many birds, including cardinals, blue jays, downy woodpeckers, a shitload of robins, and, right before we left, a throuple of wood ducks. (Next on my to-do list: Getting my nice camera repaired so I can properly capture them.) It was a really lovely time, and Iā€™m just so glad we got to take this trip.

Hereā€™s what else Iā€™ve been up toā€¦

Reading

Right now we are just trying to survive, Welcome to Hell World.

Texasā€™s Attorney General Is Laying the Groundwork to Separate Trans Kids From Their Families, The New Republic.

Who Should Be Allowed to Transition?, NYT.
Related: ā€œcis people also get gender-affirming procedures but just donā€™t call it that.ā€

So, Just Making Sure That We Agree: It's OK To Seize Oligarchs' Stuff Now, Forever Wars.

Justice According to Letitia James, NY Mag.

If youā€™ve rented a car from Hertz, there could be a warrant out for your arrest, Yahoo.
I hate Hertz. Hate!!!

The Endless Cycle of Opinion Havers, Men Yell at Me.

The Euphoria Problem, All in Her Head.

Paul Farmer Invented a New Way of Caring for One Another, The Atlantic.
ā€œWe must all care for one anotherā€”anything less is morally unacceptable.ā€ I confess I didnā€™t know who Paul Farmer was before reading this obituary, but I still found it incredibly moving and inspiring.

A gripping yarn: inside the Knitting.com drama, Input.

Listening to

We started listening to Slateā€™s Decoder Ring podcast last week in the Catskills and itā€™s so good!! Think Youā€™re Wrong About meets This American Life. I think weā€™ve listened to about 10 eps so far, and every one has been a banger. Itā€™s hard to pick a fave but I really liked ā€œTruck Nutzā€ and ā€œGender Reveal Parties.ā€

Have a good one! āœØ

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Just Good Shit: 02.21.22

I wasnā€™t feeling well over this three-day weekend, so I spent most of it knitting and watching Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 4, which, combined with Season 3, is truly some of the best television ā€” and certainly the best reality television ā€” Iā€™ve ever seen. The drama feels real, the brawls feel earned, and every goddamn line is a banger. I thought Succession was the best example of modern-day Shakespeare, but RHONJ certainly feels like one of his lesser-known plays. Season 3 opens with a brawl at christening (!!), where thereā€™s ~150 guests and a prominently-displayed oil painting of the baby (Joey ā€” there are so many baby Joeys) wearing a tiny newsboy cap. The whole two-season arc is pure camp and Iā€™m fully obsessed.

Hereā€™s what else I got up to this weekā€¦

Reading

The Millions of People Stuck in Pandemic Limbo, The Atlantic.

The Moral Danger of Declaring the Pandemic Over Too Soon, NYT. (gift link)

ā€œThe lesson of the AIDS pandemic is that itā€™s easy to leave people behind, even if it is at the cost of our collective peril.ā€

27 Years in Solitary Confinement, Then Another Plea for Help in Texas, NYT. (gift link)

We are deeply and profoundly sorry: For decades, The Baltimore Sun promoted policies that oppressed Black Marylanders; we are working to make amends, Baltimore Sun.

The Crankification Engine, Gawker.

How Bosco Sticks Became the Secret Weapon of Midwestern Cafeterias, Eater.


Have a great week! šŸ

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Just Good Shit: 02.13.22

pinwheel lasagna, roses, and pellegrino on top of a white and red checkered tablecloth for Valentine's Day

Iā€™ve been having such a cozy and relaxing Valentineā€™s Day weekend, Iā€™m not ready for it to be over! Here, in no particular order, are the corny/on-theme activities weā€™ve gotten up to:

  • Wearing pink, lavender, and/or red loungewear all weekend

  • Buying roses from the grocery store

  • Making boxed brownies, then topping with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup (very chain restaurant molten lava)

  • Playing a little flower card game

  • Listening to Slut Pop, the new Kim Petras album

  • Watching Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 3 (thanks to a rec on the podcast from Caroline Moss), which is truly incredible television

  • Eating bread and brie plus strawberries with chocolate and whipped cream and, later, hot chocolate

  • Doing red/pink mani-pedis in bed

  • Making Don Angie pinwheel lasagna (from the frozen extras we made for New Yearā€™s)

Hereā€™s what else I had going on this weekā€¦

My shit


Reading

What Do Masks Do to Kids?, The New Republic.

Boston University epidemiologist Dr. Eleanor Murray speaks on COVID-19 and endemicity Part 1 and Part 2, WSWS.

Stop Calling Them ā€˜Accidentsā€™, NYT. (gift link)

Artificial snow is nothing like the real stuff, Vox.

How to win an Oscar, Vox.
This is a fascinating breakdown of what an ā€œOscars campaignā€ actually entails.

Was It Me? Or My Teeth?, NYT. (gift link)

'Goodnight Moon' and the Queer Love Story of the Great Green Room, Lambda Literary.

Have a good week! šŸ’˜

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Just Good Shit: 02.06.21

photo of a hand-knitted mallard duck

Hi and happy February! This week, I finished knitting this mallard duck (pattern from DotPebblesknits on Etsy), watched biathlon (extremely underrated Olympic sport imo), and listened to the newest Serial podcast (which I thought was very well done). Hereā€™s what else I had going onā€¦

Reading

Why Wishful Thinking on Covid Remains As Dangerous as Ever, The Nation.

The American sickness, Indignity.
I also paid $6 to subscribe to this newsletter/access this related article (about masking in schools), and it was extremely worth it.

Working parents with little kids: how can your coworkers help you?, Ask a Manager.

What Scares the Worldā€™s Most Daring Olympians, NYT.
Loved this package.

Fuck Noom, Lifehacker.

Why Spotify Will Win, Slate.

To Find the History of African American Women, Look to Their Handiwork, The Atlantic.
Related: I just bought this book.

Sex With An X: The Perils Of Performative Spelling, Autostraddle.

Glorified Electric Golf Carts For All, VICE.

One Good Thing: A soothing tabletop game about birds, Vox.

How the Sausage Gets Made: Inside Hollywood's Prosthetic Penis Craze, Thrillist.

Have a nice week! šŸ¦†

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Just Good Shit: 01.30.22

peach emojis repeating on a peach background

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Hello! Hereā€™s what I was up to this weekā€¦

My shit

Thereā€™s a new ep of Oh, I Like That, and Sally and I were guests on Caroline Mossā€™s podcast Gee Thanks, Just Bought It.

Reading

When Omicron Isnā€™t So Mild, NYT. (gift link)

The Big-Name Journalists Who Are Trying to ā€œBoth Sidesā€ Covid, The New Republic.

You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence, Leaving Evidence.
ā€œAbled culture teaches abled people to be entitled. You are entitled to never have to learn anything about disability and ableism. You are entitled to get to move through the world, and through our movements, with little-to-no understanding or political analysis about disability, even as you pontificate about every other system of oppression and violence. Abled culture in our movements mean that we will say, ā€˜we must center those who are most impacted,ā€™ all day every day, but then not include disabled, especially those who are high risk, in the center during a global pandemic. Abled entitlement means that you will still continue to plan your vacation abroad, even amidst the Delta surge; you will still post pictures from your giant family holiday gathering amidst the Omicron surge.ā€

We're All Trying to Find the Guy Policing Our Behavior, Alex Pareene.
ā€œI find the tenor of discussion around Covid-19 restrictions genuinely bewildering. There basically arenā€™t any. The United States is powering through the Omicron wave with its usual enforced individualism. The hard restrictions on our activities are, for the most part, not mandated or enforced by the state, acting at the behest of liberals who refuse to go back to normal because they are addicted to panic and quarantine; the limits are imposed by the virus that isnā€™t going away.ā€

The Bogus Claim That School Closures Will Doom Democrats, The New Republic.

The New Face of ā€œNo Promo Homoā€ Laws, Slate.

ā€˜Jeopardy!ā€™ Hasnā€™t Had a Player Like Amy Schneider, NYT.

Watching

On an absolute impulse, I decided to check out the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock. I had super low expectations and wasā€¦delightfully surprised?! I have seen every episode of the original many, many times over, and my girlfriend had never seen it; we both really liked the reboot. All the references to the original feel more like Easter eggs than anything else, and itā€™s not overly nostalgic. (Itā€™s also addressing race and class considerably better than And Just Like Thatā€¦not that itā€™s so hard, but still.) And itā€™s just bizarro and silly and made us laugh out loud a bunch. A perfect little pick-me-up In These Times.

Cooking

Weā€™re having a beany one: bean and cheese burritos, roasted tomato and white bean stew, and cheesy white bean and tomato bake (all from NYT Cooking).

Have a good night! ā„ļø

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Just Good Shit: 01.23.22

assortment of pastel yarns on top of mint green rug

Hi, pals! This was a chill and cozy week, made better by the fact that it started with a Monday holiday. We made Parmesan chickpea soup (so easy), listened to JP Brammerā€™s audiobook (even better than the book, which I also loved), and watched the Beanie Mania documentary on HBO Max (absolutely delightful). I also got a ton of yarn and started working on my first big project of the year: a mallard duck!

Hereā€™s what else I had going onā€¦

Writing

Reading

The world has moved on from Colleyville. American Jews canā€™t., Vox.

When My Mom Got Covid, I Went Searching for Pfizerā€™s Pills, NYT. (gift link)

Will Omicron Leave Most of Us Immune?, The Atlantic.

In Arkansas, Trans Teens Await an Uncertain Future, NYT. (gift link)

How Politics Tested Ravelry and the Crafting Community, The New Yorker.
This article has an audio option, and I highly recommend listening vs. reading if youā€™re able to ā€” itā€™s like a perfect, fascinating podcast episode. (Bonus: Pair with the new knitting episode of Normal Gossip.)

The secret MVP of sports? The port-a-potty, ESPN.

Will Heated Gloves Help Me Stay Warm This Winter?, Wirecutter.
As someone with Reynaudā€™s who is perpetually on the hunt for good gloves, this article felt meant for me personally.

Wordleā€™s Creator Thinks He Knows Why the Game Has Gone So Viral, Slate.


Have a good night! šŸŒ¬

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Just Good Shit: 01.16.22

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Hi! Hereā€™s what Iā€™ve been up to this weekā€¦

Reading

Back To Normal Isnā€™t Enough, Defector.

What to do if you've got covid, Calm Covid.
Really enjoying this newsletter!

Calling Omicron ā€˜Mildā€™ Is Wishful Thinking, The Atlantic.

The Real Reason Americans Arenā€™t Isolating, The Atlantic.

One-Way Masking Works, The Atlantic.

The Agony of Parents With Kids Under 5, Slate.

Iā€™m a Longtime Union Organizer. But I Had Never Seen Anything Like This., NYT. (gift link)

Kyrsten Sinemaā€™s opposition to filibuster reform rests on a myth, Vox.

Hanyaā€™s Boys, Vulture.

6 Ways Fitness Instructors Can Check Their Anti-Fat Bias, SELF.

A Survival Expert Breaks Down the Yellowjacketsā€™ Best and Worst Decisions, Vulture.

Colors: Where did they go? An investigation., Vox.

A Rio Grande Valley Woman Just Broke the U.S. Record for Most Birds Spotted in a Year, Texas Monthly.

They bought a blender. Three weeks later, their cats continue to hold it hostage., Washington Post.

Watching & listening to

Yellowjackets. Drag Race Season 14. ā€œFor the Birds,ā€ a very good Radiolab episode. (It really picks up in the second act.) The excellent Holly Madison episode of Power. And a segment from an old episode of Bitch Sesh, in which the hosts read aloud a series of dramatic and chaotic (real-life!) emails from a group of very intense parents planning a teacher appreciation luncheon. (It starts around 11:14 and ends at 36:00 and Iā€™ve listened to it three times in the past week. I just put it on again.)

Have a good week! āœØ

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Just Good Shit: 01.09.22

My girlfriend & Chuck having a cozy one

Hello and happy (?????) new year! I had a lovely holiday and then spent this week feeling really crappy due to cold/allergy-like symptoms that are not covid (according to one negative PCR and five negative rapid tests). Iā€™m very bummed, as January is one of my favorite months and I feel very motivated to organize, decorate, and hunker down with some new hobbies. We had big plans to go to Prospect Park this weekend and look at birds, and instead I spent the weekend on the couch taking Sudafed.

Hereā€™s what else Iā€™ve had going onā€¦

Writing

Reading

America Quits the Fight Against Covid, The New Republic.

Who Gets the Blame When Schools Shut Down, The New Yorker.

Omicron Is Our Past Pandemic Mistakes on Fast-Forward, The Atlantic.

ā€œIf you're going to trust anyone to know the real cost of #COVID19 in terms of deaths, trust life insurance companies.ā€

Seriously, Upgrade Your Face Mask, NY Mag.
I really like the Harley N95, available from Bona Fide Mask (currently $45 for a box of 20).

Donā€™t Be Too Cavalier About Omicron ā€” Long Covid Is Still a Real Risk, Rolling Stone.

How to Stay Safe if Youā€™re Trapped in Your Car During a Snowstorm, NYT.

Shoe Obsession for the Ages: Princeā€™s Killer Collection of Custom Heels, Now on View, NYT.

The 2021 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 100, Audubon.

Entertainment

Iā€™ve been watching Yellowjackets, How To with John Wilson, and Selling Tampa; knitting; watching Rajiv Surendra DIY videos on YouTube (start with his house tour); listening to Like a Virgin; and playing Parks (a Christmas gift from my gf ā€” itā€™s so gentle and nice).

Have a good week! šŸŒØļø

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Just Good Shit: 12.20.21

Gray wingback chair with plaid blanket and "merry christmas" pillow

Hi! This weekā€™s post is late because I was watching Season 2 of 12 Dates of Christmas on HBO Max, a reality TV dating show that also happens to be my new favorite Christmas movie. Itā€™s really light and fun, provides so much ridiculous Christmas/winter eye candy, and is very gay! (The first episode is available on YouTube if you donā€™t have HBO Max.) Watching it offered a much-needed respite from the terrible news and absolutely rotten vibe of this week.

Hereā€™s what else I have for youā€¦

My shit

And a couple of things from the archives that might be useful at this exact moment: Guidance for safer vaxxed gatherings (from September, so please err on the side of even more cautious/conservative), how to tell your family you arenā€™t coming home for the holidays this year, and what to do if you think your cousins might give grandma COVID this holiday (if youā€™re once again arguing with family, this time about things like taking rapid tests or canceling entirely).

Reading

I Canceled My Birthday Party Because of Omicron, The Atlantic.
ā€œIt is easy to despair, but we cannot afford the luxury of nihilism. ... The infectious nature of a virus means that a tiny bad decision can cause exponential harm, but also that a tiny wise decision can do exponential good.ā€ This whole essay is so good.

What if the Flu isnā€™t ā€œjust the Flu?ā€, The Air Letter.
This is a sobering read. (Also: Please get your flu shot!)

Iā€™m Staying Home for the Holidays Again This Year. Hereā€™s Why., Self.

Why Canā€™t America Get Rapid Tests Right?, Slate.

The Abortion I Didnā€™t Have, NYT.

Please Stop Saying ā€˜Happy Holidaysā€™ When You Mean ā€˜Merry Christmasā€™, Hey Alma.

Retailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise, LA Times.

A parent and daughter battle over an elaborate Lego creation, The Washington Post.
ā€œI am trying to be encouraging here, but I am incensed that youā€™re going to war with her joy, security and well-being over carpet-cleaning.ā€

What worries me about making a family into a brand, Mothers Under the Influence.

Ask a Cardiologist: Should Carrie Have Called 911?, Vulture.

Have a cozy and safe one. šŸ›·

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šŸ‘

Just Good Shit: 12.12.21

Safely celebrating a winter birthday during a pandemic is not the easiest thing to do, but Iā€™m pleased to say I made it work on Friday night for my girlfriendā€™s 30th! After I found out the hot tub boat I had been banking on left for Florida in November, I did a lot of research and eventually came across CityWell, which is basically an indoor/outdoor spa situation that you can book for private parties of up to 10 people. We utilized the outdoor aspect and had access to saunas, a hot tub, and a fire pit, which turned out to be a great jumping-off point for a ā€œwinter yeehawā€ party. (Turns out, when you type ā€œcowgirl bacheloretteā€ into Etsy, you find a lot of good party stuff. Also, the airbrushed custom sweatshirts our guy Stephen at FreshAirShirts made were truly a work of art.) I also booked Miss Malice, a fantastic local drag performer, as a surprise. It was just a really special night all-around, and, in a huge surprise to me personally, I am pleased to announce that ā€œI love hot tubsā€ is my new personality!

Now that the party is over (though not her official birthday ā€” thatā€™s on Wednesday), Iā€™m excited to turn my focus to Christmas and New Yearā€™s!

L train ornament from Craftspring