This Week
First of all, let’s handle the most important news: Chance the Snapper was finally captured. I hope that he enjoyed his time in the spotlight and that he lives out the rest of his years quietly and safely (which he will be doing in a luxury Florida resort, evidently). And at least he got to wear a bow tie for his press conference.
Now that I’ve covered that, I’m not sure if there is any other important news. Let’s move on.
Links
At the university of Pittsburgh, there’s a student group dedicated to solving crimes. And it's run by young women.
The end of Youngstown’s Vindicator.
Cinematic masterpiece Road House is now on Netflix, so here’s a guide to the “greatest bad movie of all time.” Disclaimer: this is the title of the linked article, but I don’t think Road House is a bad movie! It’s an often ridiculous movie, in a sublime sort of way, but I truly don’t think it’s bad. I have, however, watched a large amount of bad movies in my lifetime, so I could be grading on a curve. The point here is that I love Road House.
Also, Sean Collins, who wrote that previous piece, is also writing a new essay every day about Road House. For real. Plan your life accordingly.
A deep dive into the folk art of Midsommar.
“It’s not that teen girls would love Nine Inch Nails songs with different lyrics. It’s that teen girls loved Nine Inch Nails songs with those lyrics — all that jocky, cocky, screaming rage, all that raw male power that was supposed to scare or exclude us, was relatable. Teenage girls get rage; they get self-hatred. Teenage girls know what it’s like to want to cuss and scream and fuck and thrash around incoherently because you don’t have the agency to do any of those things. Don’t open your eyes, take it from me, I have found you can find happiness in slavery: What is that but the feminine condition, sung REALLY REALLY LOUD?” The erotics of Trent Reznor.
A Twitter account is recounting the mission to the moon in real time with Lego reenactments.
The world’s only traditional Māori garden was made from memories.
“Life, I know, is a made thing. It doesn’t exist without me and my hands and my labors and my ambitions. If the tattoo serves merely as a reminder that I myself have to make it, then I’ll take it. And, so, I would be lying, too, if I said that I didn’t believe that there is something to believe.” On the eve of my eternal marking.
“If something can tell a story, chances are that it can tell your story.” The literature of “cootie catchers.” This is one of the best essays I’ve read all year.
Reading/Watching/Listening
I’m finally reading The Princess Diarist from Carrie Fisher. I read her first memoir, Wishful Drinking, many years ago, but I didn’t get this one right when it came out and, shortly after that, Carrie died, and then it was too painful to consider reading. A few weeks ago, I picked up copies of both Wishful Drinking and The Princess Diarist and, as it turns out, I’m now emotionally prepared to read them. They are good. That is all.
Coincidentally, my local movie house and favorite place on earth, the Music Box Theatre, screened Star Wars for their members (of which I am proudly one) this past week, and it was the first time I watched that film in theaters since the special editions were released in 1997, and I’ve really only seen it a handful of times in the years in between (compared to the approximately three million times I watched it as a teenager). I enjoyed this recent experience greatly. So, I guess, go watch the little-seen indie film Star Wars? For real, though, it was really nice to go back to the source and remember that I love that thing.
The Criterion Channel has a new collection of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films, which is pretty excellent summer viewing.
It’s an appropriate time to listen to 13 Minutes to the Moon, a podcast about the US quest to send astronauts to the moon (which happened fifty years ago tomorrow).
It’s the height of summer. Happy Lana Del Rey season.
Around
Hey, did you know the newsletter has its own website? It does: modernadventuress.com. It mostly serves as a regular pointer to the newsletter, which is useful when I do things like switch newsletter platforms, but I also keep there the archive of essays I wrote for the first three years of the newsletter. Which is roughly one hundred and fifty pieces of writing. Anyway, that website is now cleaned up and ready for reading, and I also made a brief list of my favorite essays on the landing page. If you really like those essays, I still write and send an original essay every month for paid subscribers.
Speaking of which, next Friday I’ll be sending out the essay for July to paid subscribers. If you would like to join their ranks, this is a good time to do so.
Remember that Keanu thinks you’re breathtaking.
(Yes, he signed this to one person in particular, but I feel confident the message is intended for everyone.)
Love,
Jen
Connections
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This week’s quote is from Margaret Atwood.