19 February 2021

“The hoarding of soul within interiority has served a defensive function, protecting us from the tragedies and travesties in our midst."

Jen Myers

Feb 19

This Week

It’s mid-February, everything’s frozen, we’re just powering through. Stay safe and warm. Spring is coming.

Links

Investigation finds that Chicago police failed on every level responding to the past summer’s protests.

kelsey mckinney @mckinneykelsey

Texas mutual aid funds you can donate to right now on Venmo and help someone live through this week: Dallas: @ feedthepeopledallas Houston: @ mutualaidhou Austin: @ austinmutualaidhotels

“Outdated facts are mental fossils that are best abandoned.” On the importance of forming your own second opinions.

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover @NASAPersevere

I’m safe on Mars. Perseverance will get you anywhere. #CountdownToMars

“You can get lured into loving yourself too much. That’s why I left Hollywood. I didn’t want to get into all of that. I didn’t want to lose myself. I needed to leave to save myself. I like who I am, even with the suffering you go through, even with the fact that when you’re vulnerable you feel everything so intensely.” A lovely profile of Kim Novak.

The rise of the digital gothic.

If winter feels extra hard this year, you’re not alone.

Reading/Watching/Listening

Friends, I have been on a journey with WandaVision. I’m not a big Marvel fan, so I tend to only seek out those films with a particular character or hook I might be interested in rather than watching every one. I am a busy person, I have zoo animal videos to watch. I haven’t seen an Avengers movie beyond the first one (which I did like, for the record). I was irritated when WandaVision premiered because the advertising for it was everywhere and I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t particularly care. Then I discovered Kathryn Hahn was in it (why didn’t the advertising lead with that?), so I thought maybe I’d check it out eventually. Then I started reading more about its complexity and depth and so I watched all available six episodes over the long weekend. And now I’m borderline obsessed with it. Highly recommended if, like me, you were slightly mystified by it.