Syllabus #35 - New Year, New Classes

New throne, who dis?

New decade, same old routine.  Or is it?  Those of you who are astute at observing patterns may notice that this missive is coming at you after a longer interval of silence than usual.  I can explain!  The thing is, I just didn't feel like pulling a post together until now. One of my goals for the year is to cut myself some slack.  Some might call it giving myself permission to be lazy, but I prefer to think of it as awarding myself the agency to choose whether and when I do things that are optional.  Obviously, I still have to keep going to work and paying my bills.  But, like, sometimes maybe I can choose not to vacuum and just read a book instead.  The animal hair tumbleweeds will still be there tomorrow. 

Throughout this overly generous hiatus, I have hoarded so many links.  Brace yourself for the deluge.  Some are probably growing barnacles by this point, so wade through at your peril.

I'm all about this embracing of one delicious vice instead of a traditional resolution for deprivation in the name of self improvement.  What would your vice be?  Mine would be making chocolate banana "ice cream" with cocoa powder and frozen bananas and just not even caring that I will definitely be eating all of it in one sitting even when I know I probably used 5 bananas and that is way too many bananas to eat in a day.  God, that's the lamest vice.  I need to get out more. 

This is...relatable.

This article basically listed all of my main food sources as either pre- or probiotics.  My gut microbiome is spectacular.

Have yourself a little light toilet reading.  If they were being fully transparent and self aware, they would call themselves Hemorrhoid Magazine.

Get it together, people


Terry is not afraid to push your buttons.  Be like Terry.

The author of this article has never received one of MY Christmas cards, which are custom made each year for a select group of people and consist of absurd and often vulgar Mod-Podge collages of images culled from National Geographic, Oprah magazine, and various free publications.


My only thought when reading this article about the Wawa data breach, immediately prior to my trip home for the holidays:  NOOOOOO.  Fortunately, my mom came through with a Wawa gift card so I could caffeinate myself with reckless abandon.


Even with disposable cameras, I used to capture a lot of dreck.  Over the holidays, I flipped through some old photo albums from middle and early high school and it's a true mercy that digital photography and social media weren't a thing in the 90s.

The truth is out there.

Have you read any of Obama's favorite books of 2019?  I've read only 3 so far (Trick Mirror, Maid, and Inland) but have a bunch of others on hold for 2020's reading journey.

Nobody asked me, but I woulda voted for Obama.  Or Rick Steves.  But I guess we clearly are divided if such polar opposite figures were reported to be equally admired.

Analog Reading:

Finished The Overstory by Richard Powers.  Highly recommend.  I was uncertain whether I would enjoy something classified as ecological fiction, but it was an exquisite metaphor about nature and humanity. 

Finished Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  2 out of 5 stars, would not recommend, unless you are under the age of 17 and/or enjoy hate-reading books.  I read it for a book club (which I am really stoked to have joined!), and was relieved to know that everyone else pretty much felt the same way I did.  We had an interesting critical discussion about the book, but the general consensus was - cool message for teenagers, but way too choppy and unsubtle for adults.

Halfway through Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.  I don't know what I was expecting but I can't put it down.  I guess I didn't realize the book was so focused on these women's sex lives, but maybe I just wasn't paying that much attention to what was being said about this book when it first garnered so much attention.  I'm not mad at it, though.

Until next time, whenever that may be.  Give yourself permission to do whatever the hell you want this year, as long as you aren't hurting anyone else or letting your life fall into utter squalor and decrepitude.