Thursday, November 18, 2021
Last week was a short work week. Now that I work for a financial institution, I get paid time off for banking holidays for the first time in my career. I took advantage of the long weekend by getting my Moderna booster shot. I sure know how to party. Next week is another short work week, with Thanksgiving and all. Speaking of, I saw this link for Unlearning Thanksgiving 101. It’s an indigenous-curated set of resources to help guide conversations / unlearning around the myth of thankstaking.
In alarming news, COVID cases have been skyrocketing in Minnesota. I’ll admit, I have been more social in recent weeks. I’ve eaten dinner inside restaurants once or twice. I attended a packed Patton Oswalt show (patrons were required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks inside but still). In public spaces, I keep my KN95 on. But I’ve been to a friend’s home a few times for small gatherings. It’s a tough balancing act between physical health and mental health. I an introverted extrovert. I feel better, overall, after spending time with the sort of people who fill my cup (I don’t miss mixing with folks who drained me). But the risk of breakthrough cases is a clear and present danger.
More mixed bag news:
- As someone who desperately wanted to move to Denmark, a dream killed by COVID, this piece resonated with me. “You Don’t Want Hygge. You Want Social Democracy. Hygge has exploded as a cozy, comforting interior design trend. But the security and intimacy it evokes can’t be achieved by scented candles alone — that requires social democracy.”
- Unsurprising but disappointing. Once again, profits prioritized over public safety: Astroworld Security Firm Scrutinized for ‘Super-Rushed’ Hiring: ‘It Felt Like They Just Needed Bodies’
- Mona Chalabi is amazing. I’m a longtime fan. But her recent “Am I Normal?” podcast episode struck a chord. Entitled “Which box do I check?” the episode hit me hard as a nonbinary Arab-American. Give it a listen, along with the rest of the series.
- My favorite energy vampire, Colin Robinson from What We Do in the Shadows, was sucking energy from folks years before the show. Check out Painful interview with “yo-yo pro” Kenny Strasser.
- Mary Lattimore: Has Harp, Must Travel - “As a child, she learned she could play her instrument almost anywhere. As an adult, her bittersweet music depends on doing exactly that.” I’m very excited to see her play in Minneapolis next month. And yes, I’ll be wearing my KN95 mask.
Snow just started flying in Minnesota. We should be in better shape this winter than last, thanks to vaccines and boosters, but there is still so much uncertainty. Recommended reading: The Pandemic’s Next Turn Hinges on Three Unknowns: A potential winter surge is up to vaccines, variants, and us. I’ll just be over here, in the corner, with my anxiety.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Welp. We voted yesterday in Minneapolis. And woke up to disappointment today. I’m trying not to grieve too much and to look at the positive outcomes. Over 43% of our city said YES to a new vision of public safety. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough but this movement isn’t going away. My top pick for Mayor, Sheila Nezhad, released a hopeful statement. And, for the first time in history, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members will be people of color. The campaigns needed more funding and more “liberal” career politicians to get behind them and help with organizing.
A list of five things reflective of my mood, which is all over the place:
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Our second COVID Halloween is coming up. Once again, I have no major plans. Locally, there will be a few outdoor events. Hoping to get to one of those, weather permitting. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. For over a year now, I’ve been driving around in a ridiculous jack-o-lantern car. We’ve also been getting into the spirit by watching the Bob’s Burgers Halloween episodes and the Muppets Haunted Mansion. But I’m feeling nostalgic for days past. When my son was young enough for trick or treating. When I still owned our massive old house, where I hosted huge pumpkin carving parties.
Five spooky-ish things to enjoy:
Bah, I had intended to promote this sooner. Now it’s nearly over. But what a cool thing. I hope they do it again next year. Halaloween: An Online Muslim Horror Film Festival. Muslim Horror films on-demand, for free, from across the globe October 1st - 31st.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
On this day in 1988, my brother Tom turned 18. It was his last birthday. It wasn’t much of a celebration though, as he was in the hospital, enduring the after-effects of his first round of chemotherapy. Today he would have turned 51. I often wonder what our lives would be like if he had survived the leukemia. But I do try to focus on the time we had together. He was a wonderful big brother. I will keep his memory alive until the day I die.
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Though I haven’t been a student for a long while, I still get those back-to-school feels every Fall. Pure nostalgia. The reality is very different, especially now. My heart goes out to parents. Particularly those of the under-12 crowd (I hope a vaccine is approved for that age group soon). But this time last year I was still an adjunct instructor. Every Tuesday and Thursday night I would teach, via zoom, after working my full-time day job. With teaching prep to do every weekend. I’m taking a much-needed break this semester But the other night I realized I don’t know what to do with myself. A friend reminded me that resting is enough. Resting is resistance. I remind others about that often but I’m less gentle with myself.
Things on my mind:
My son turned 22 recently. And this birthday was better than the last. We were able to socialize a bit, though cautiously. We had dinner at my ex-husband’s on my son’s birthday. And I rented out an independent theater for his party the following weekend, to screen Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. My Dad even came. But I hadn’t watched that movie in years and there are more problematic bits than I remembered. Oof.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Comic books have always been a part of my life. My brother was a huge fan and my Dad before him. We are a family of nerds. But I’ve been a little more selective in my comic book consumption. Brian K. Vaughan’s work really spoke to me in the early aughts. I loved Y: The Last Man. But I was still a bit of a romantic then. I’m older and more cynical now. The author’s more recent work, like Papergirls and Saga, has resonated with me. But now that we FINALLY have a live-action adaptation of Y: The Last Man, after being in the works for 15+ years, I’m not sure how it’s going to hit me. I watched the first three episodes last night. They were solid. But my now 48 year-old self can’t help but think the 27 year-old protagonist is a little shit and, after years of therapy, I have a much lower tolerance for dudes like him. I realize Yorick Brown’s character has always been written that way but I’ve grown a lot as a person. And that’s great, honestly. Thankfully, there are other characters. And Ashley Romans is absolutely brilliant as Agent 355. PERFECTION. I look forward to watching the series unfold.
Five interesting things:
The first time I attended Square Lake’s Film and Music Fest was back in 2006, to see Low perform in a barn. I’ve returned many times over the years since. I am so grateful for this place and for the generous souls who share it with us. And was so happy to return there Saturday night, for Low’s HEY WHAT album release show outdoors. The pandemic drags on. But I’m trying to take advantage of safe opportunities to experience joy.
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Last night I’d already planned to get to the Derecho residency on Icehouse’s patio. It’s one of Alan Sparhawk’s many side projects. But my all-time favorite band is Low, his main, long-running musical endeavor with his wife, Mimi. And I was treated to a surprise Low set last night, before Derecho’s funk kicked in. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was just what I needed. Other good news yesterday? A friend who has been looking for work (pivoting from software sales to data science) for over a year and 60+ interviews just landed a job that looks to be a great fit. I’m so happy/relieved for him.
Five more good things:
Bonus: When I got home last night I watched the first few episodes of Only Murders in the Building on Hulu. It’s a true crime sendup/whodunit. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are all fantastic in it. I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds.
I often fail at sleeping. Usually, it’s my own mind that prevents me from getting a good night’s rest. But the other night I was deeply asleep when a neighbor’s car alarm was triggered. It went off several times, at length, between 2am and 4am. It was like having a newborn again. It left me feeling pretty wrecked. I am opposed to toxic positivity but sleep deprivation put me in sort of a good vibes only mode, paying attention to things that please me. Here are five of them:
In other good news, a handyman friend has been working at our place all week. Replacing hideous, partially-functioning light fixtures and putting in tile. We’ve lived here for just over two years. Before we moved in, I had all the rooms repainted. And I’ve been slowly making other changes since. It’s nothing like what you see on HGTV, with a crew of dozens blowing through a punch list in a couple of days. But I’m proud of our progress! I have a few more big ticket items on the list, like a new fridge (in an annoying specialty size to fit our small kitchen) and ductless mini-split air conditioning. But those things can wait a little longer.
Life has been a mixed bag lately, as usual. What’s going on in Afghanistan makes me feel powerless though the situation has been occupying my thoughts a great deal. Please consider donating through the International Rescue Committee, or other vetted NGOs, if you are able to.
The Taliban’s Return Is Catastrophic for Women
As a photojournalist covering Afghanistan for two decades, I’ve seen how hard the country’s women have fought for their freedom, and how much they have gained. Now they stand to lose everything.
The rest of my brainspace has been occupied by random distractions, as usual. A round-up of some of them:
My son started Fall semester today. And his courses are all fully remote, again. It’s like deja vu from the last school year, except this time around we’re vaccinated at least. And I’m taking a break from teaching at his college. Last week, I got my first new tattoo in years. This tiger is a stunner and it felt like a little bit of normal life. But I’ll be using my home COVID test kits just in case. Sigh.
My son and I had been together, every single day, since January of 2020. When I decided to take a brief trip to Madison, I asked if he wanted to join me. He declined. Some time apart is healthy. I’d feel better about it, however, if it weren’t for the Delta variant. I went out of town to attend my first indoor music show. Orville Peck was absolutely amazing. The venue was lovely. As was the boutique hotel I booked, a block from the venue. I drove there after work Thursday night, worked from the comfort of my hotel room all day Friday, then went to the show. It all would have been so perfect but being packed into a crowd of 2500 other humans was unsettling, to say the least. Maybe 60% of us were wearing masks. I hope the percentage of folks vaccinated was much higher. I try not to judge other parents, but a couple brought their unmasked three or four year-old daughter to this sold-out show, and without ear protection to boot. If my son was still ineligible for the vaccine, we wouldn’t be engaging in such risky behavior. I do wish I could have gone to Orville Peck’s outdoor show, at Red Rocks, instead. Or that the venue required proof of vaccination, like the First Avenue empire now requires. I hope more businesses go this route. My new employer planned to have us return to the office, part-time, following Labor Day. But this current surge is so severe that that plan is now on hold, thankfully.
In less dire news, comedy continues to help me get by.
- Ted Lasso is back, and as beautiful as ever. And my Roy Kent crush has only deepened (the twitter-verse is with me on that one). Roy Kent is played by the delightful Brett Goldstein, who has a podcast called Films to Be Buried With. He has a lot of other great comedians on to discuss two topics that occupy my thoughts: films and death.
- A repeat guest on Brett’s podcast is the incomparable Romesh Ranganathan. Who also has a show with Rob Beckett. I’ve seen many episodes of Rob & Rom Vs. but a recent one had me just howling. So much that I alarmed my son. Watching the out-of-shape Rob and Rom attempt to participate in Olympic sports was a thing I didn’t know I needed.
- Speaking of out-of-shape middle-aged people (I am one, myself), I thoroughly enjoyed The Paper Tigers. Now on Netflix. The movie “blends action, comedy, and heart to produce a fresh martial arts movie with plenty of throwback charm.” I highly recommend it.
- Back to the Olympics, the only coverage I really consumed was comedic. Like Snoop Dogg’s commentary on dressage. Perfection. Or diver Tom Daley’s impressive knitting output.
- Another source of joy recently has been the musical comedy Schmigadoon!
Sad that we’re already reaching the finale this Friday. I wouldn’t want Melissa and Josh to be trapped there forever, but I could use more episodes. Each one has been so brilliant.
Last September, for my son’s pandemic birthday, we had a small outdoor picnic. We were careful to spread out and shout to have conversations with the handful of friends and family we invited. To make up for last year’s lackluster celebration, I’ve rented out a small movie theater next month to host a private screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. We’re asking our guests to only come if they have been vaccinated and that they wear masks throughout to minimize risk. Really hoping that the covid surge reverses and we can pull this off safely.
