Sunday, November 28, 2021

Syllabus #131

 These weekly posts are starting to feel more like a homework assignment for me, ironically, and I'm always on the verge of getting a check minus for handing this shit in late.  Nevertheless, here we are.

I hope everyone had a joyous, gluttonous Thanksgiving if you are inclined to celebrate.  I'm fairly certain only my mom actually reads this, so, mom, I hope you enjoyed stuffing your gullet and laughing so hard you nearly peed yourself as much as I did.  If you didn't, I'll light a clandle (sp) and say a prayer for you.


LOL


UGH


Analog Reading:

Still plugging away at Jonathan Franzen's new family epic, Crossroads.  I'm about halfway through, and it felt at first like it might be a slog but once you get invested in the characters, it flies.  

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Syllabus #130




I'll just be needing one plate.   No knife.    


Ya love to see it.  


Hello, it's me.  You may notice that my news consumption has morphed drastically compared to this time last year.  I just don't have the mental energy.  It's like, well, the adults are back in charge, I'm sure it's fine.  But meanwhile there's other awful shit going down and I just can't bring myself to look.  It's a privilege but also a problem.


Ah, who doesn't love a good old fashioned circle pit?


Colson Whitehead, cool guy.


Analog Reading:


Finished Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle.  I always find little bits of writing brilliance in his books.  This one was funny, dark, gripping, and ended on an upswing.  I dug it.


Now reading the new Jonathan Franzen book, Crossroads.  I'm enjoying it so far but I'm less than 100 pages into a 560-page time commitment, so like, gimme a minute, alright?


Sunday, November 14, 2021

Syllabus #129

So I skipped a week.  If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can contact customer service for a full refund of $free.99.

Due to an unusually high volume of dissatisfied customers, wait times may be excessive.  


Oh my god oh my god, I made this garlic soup that apparently went viral on Tik Tok?  I made it on Halloween and all I'm saying is no vampires dared to bare their fangs in my vicinity.  But hold onto your butts.  You might not want to eat this if you have a work situation where you can't sneak away and fart somewhere private throughout the day.  La sopa vale la pena, pero ten cuidado.


The reveal of Oprah's Favorite Things just isn't the same when you don't have a fat glossy periodical to hold in your hands, but 'tis the season anyway, I guess.  


Man that's really all I've got to show for the last two weeks.  


Analog Reading:


Finished Margaret Renkl's Graceland, At Last.  It was lovely.

Plowed through Michael Pollan's This Is Your Mind On Plants, with varying degrees of focus and concentration.  Not that it wasn't fascinating and approachably written, but it's kind of hard to zero in on new information when you're sitting in a hospital waiting area.  A little easier to concentrate at 30,000 feet on a mostly empty airplane.  It's been a week, and then some.

Still savoring A Carnival of Snackery.

Enjoying Colson Whitehead's new Harlem Shuffle.  We just had the pleasure of seeing him speak yesterday morning as the recipient of Nashville Public Library's 2021 Literary Award.  He's funny!  He's charming!  He's a little bit weird!  Delightful.