Just Good Shit: 04.17.22

Male mallard duck on rocks on the East River

Hello! It’s been a little while! Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

My shit

‘Nocs walk 02

Reading

The NYPD Can't Protect Us, Discourse Blog.

The Red State–Blue State Scramble to Replace Roe, NY Mag.

The Unseen Scars of Those Who Kill Via Remote Control, NYT. (gift link)

The Russian Military Has Descended Into Inhumanity, The Atlantic.

It Was Never About ‘Grooming’, Discourse Blog.

Distraught over orders to investigate trans kids’ families, Texas child welfare workers are resigning, Texas Tribune.

Democrats Are Doing Basically Nothing to Counter the GOP’s ‘Pedophile’ Attacks, VICE.

When Michigan jury freed militiamen, it exposed ugly realities about the spread of extremism, Daily Kos.

Have We Already Ruined Our Next COVID Summer?, The Atlantic.

How the “Jewel of Harlem” Became Unlivable, The New Republic.

Plovers quarrel: a tiny, endangered bird returns to Sauble Beach to find sunbathers dug into the sand, The Narwhal.
Really good longread about community organizing and extremely adorable birds.

How Do I Be More Online?, ¡Hola Papi!

Why City Pigeons Are Worth Watching, NYT. (gift link)

Watching & listening to

A two-part Decoder Ring on Jane Fonda and Michael Hobbes’ new video essays.

Have a good week! 🌸

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'Nocs walk 02

Our neighborhood ‘nocs walks are continuing apace! Here are some of the birds we’ve spotted in the past month…

Male mallard duck standing on rocks on bank of East River — Male mallard

Female mallard duck standing on rocks on bank of East River — Female mallard

Small flock of brants on the East River — Brants

Starling sitting on a wire fence — Starling

Male house sparrow sitting on temporary wire fence — House sparrow

White-throated sparrow on the ground — White-throated sparrow

White-throated sparrow standing on tree root on the ground — White-throated sparrow

Camera/lens: Nikon D3000 + Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED lens

Nocs: Pentax UP 10x21 pink binoculars (hers) and Carson VP series full sized or compact waterproof high definition binoculars (mine)

Location: WNYC Transmitter Park 🐤

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Just Good Shit: 04.03.22

Hi! Here’s what I was up to this week…

Writing

Covid-19 safety doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Here’s how to think about it going forward.

I spent a lot of time working on this one and am really happy it’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.
“The joke is on everyone, all the time, and there's no way to get out from under it.” (Related.)

How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student, The New Yorker.
This is just…appalling.

‘I’m the Operator’: 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. Florida’s 'Don’t Say Gay' Law Will Make It Worse., HuffPost.

The Biggest Lie About Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” 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.
“Something in my voice must have calmed him because instead of marching over looking for a fight, he’d come waddling out, softly honking and purring—because he would purr at you, you see, if he liked you, and Goo came to like me.”

BuzzFeed Doesn’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! ✨

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Just Good Shit: 03.27.22

top-down image of a butter yellow pullover sweater in the process of being knitted

Hello! Here’s what I had going on this week…

Writing

How to forgive someone who isn’t sorry

And there’s a new episode of the podcast out this week!

Reading

Motivated Reasoning: Emily Oster’s COVID Narratives and the Attack on Public Education, Protean Mag.

Why Ketanji Brown Jackson’s time as a public defender matters, Vox.

The Disillusionment of a Rikers Island Doctor, The New Yorker.

Madeleine Albright Was a Killer, Jacobin.

What White Men Say in Our Absence, The Cut.

What You’re Feeling Isn’t A Vibe Shift. It’s Permanent Change., BuzzFeed News.

The time to panic about anti-trans legislation is now, Vox.

When Debts Become Unpayable They Should Be Forgiven, Jacobin.

The Cut Confronts Its Spon-Con Standards, Gawker.

The Color of Dog Poop, and 9 Other Things That Changed Without You Noticing, Lifehacker.

Have a good one! ✨

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Just Good Shit: 03.20.22

peach emojis on a light blue background — Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Hi, friends! Just a quick one for you tonight…

Reading

'Why? Why? Why?' Ukraine's Mariupol descends into despair, AP.

In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things, New Yorker.

When will one-way masking be safe enough for everyone?, Jeremy Faust.

The Case That Killed #MeToo in Sweden, NYT.

Demand for This Toad’s Psychedelic Venom Is Booming. Some Warn That’s Bad for the Toad., NYT.

$87.50 for 3 Minutes: Inside the Hot Market for Videos of Idling Trucks, NYT.

The Baby-Sitters Club Wasn’t Enough for Netflix Anymore, Vulture.

Want To Declutter Your Brain? Cross Something Off Your 'Needle List', HuffPost.

Have a good one! 🌼

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Just Good Shit: 03.13.22

Hi! Hope you’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.) Here’s what I got up to this week…

My shit:

‘Nocs walk ‘01 (just a bunch of photos of birds I took today!)

And there’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.

“One 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.”

The Biden Administration Killed America’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: ‘We can’t do anything without optimism’, The Guardian.

Have a good one! 🕰

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'Nocs walk 01

My girlfriend and I made a goal for this month to go on at least one excursion with our binoculars — a ‘nocs walk! — every week. We actually did three this week, but today’s was the first one where I had the pre-owned telephoto lens I bought last week. Here are some of the birds we saw:

Camera/lens: Nikon D3000 + Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED lens

Nocs: Pentax UP 10x21 pink binoculars (hers) and Carson VP series full sized or compact waterproof high definition binoculars (mine)

Location: McCarren Park 🐦

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Just Good Shit: 03.06.22

Hello!

I’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 is…pretty much all we did! Woke up and soaked…did sunny midday soaks…soaked in the evening…took out the binoculars to peep birds while soaking…looked at snow and trees and stars while soaking… truly the best way to do nature! (I was also moved to re-read this extremely soothing and delightful 2016 NYT Magazine article about Iceland’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 was…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 I’m just so glad we got to take this trip.

Here’s what else I’ve been up to…

Reading

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

Texas’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: “cis people also get gender-affirming procedures but just don’t call it that.”

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 you’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.
“We must all care for one another—anything less is morally unacceptable.” I confess I didn’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 Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast last week in the Catskills and it’s so good!! Think You’re Wrong About meets This American Life. I think we’ve listened to about 10 eps so far, and every one has been a banger. It’s hard to pick a fave but I really liked “Truck Nutz” and “Gender Reveal Parties.”

Have a good one! ✨

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Just Good Shit: 02.21.22

I wasn’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 — and certainly the best reality television — I’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 there’s ~150 guests and a prominently-displayed oil painting of the baby (Joey — there are so many baby Joeys) wearing a tiny newsboy cap. The whole two-season arc is pure camp and I’m fully obsessed.

Here’s what else I got up to this week…

Reading

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

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

“The lesson of the AIDS pandemic is that it’s easy to leave people behind, even if it is at the cost of our collective peril.”

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! 🍝

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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

I’ve been having such a cozy and relaxing Valentine’s Day weekend, I’m not ready for it to be over! Here, in no particular order, are the corny/on-theme activities we’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 Year’s)