Back in 2013, I think it was, I joined an online reading group to read Infinite Jest. David Foster Wallace's 1996 novel that blew the minds of readers and critics alike. It's still doing that! The Infinite Jest is now more than ever. Because I've been seeing YouTube videos from many BookTubers claiming the novel is … Continue reading The Infinite Jest: Now More Than Ever
Category: YouTube
Logging and all things trees
No one loves forests and parks more than me. All things trees, in fact. I love wood, have a deep reverence for it. I have my whole life. That began, I recollect, when I was five watching my father build a bookcase. My brother's wife has it now. Now, it's seventy years old. I built … Continue reading Logging and all things trees
“Fight Like Hell”: My review of the documentary
The documentary Fight Like Hell (2024) shook me to my core. It's about the January 6th, 2021 riot at the US Capital. The film doesn't take sides. Most of the videos were shot in real time during the riot. However, there is a lot of important video of the lead-up to that day. The preceding events, if … Continue reading “Fight Like Hell”: My review of the documentary
2Way- live streaming political discourse: a review.
2Way is a new live streaming political discourse platform. It is the brainchild of Mark Halperin, a long-time political journalist, reporter, producer, and author. I first became aware of him in the 2008 US presidential election via MSNBC. I'd thought he was one of the good ones--meaning honest and fair-minded. During the 2016 election, he had … Continue reading 2Way- live streaming political discourse: a review.
The Male Loneliness Epidemic
is a thing that was recently brought to my attention via a YouTube, Breaking Points, podcast. The podcast is the brainstorm of Krystal Ball, long one of my favorite political and cultural commentators. Krystal and I share a birthday, though we're 33 years apart in age. She first caught my eye back in 2007 on the run-up … Continue reading The Male Loneliness Epidemic
Following up: You are what you watch
is what I did on Monday. Because I was bored after doing things that needed doing. Those things also being boring. What I did was click on YouTube and spend the next ten or twelve hours there - watching. Can I now say with any certainty, THIS IS WHO I AM? Let's get into it. … Continue reading Following up: You are what you watch
Men Without Work
is a book by Nicholas Eberstadt, an American political economist, written in 2016 and updated in 2022. I haven't read the books but have listened to him talk about them on YouTube podcasts. The premise is that the documented 7.2 million men, aged 21 to 54, that have quit the workforce is a problem. For … Continue reading Men Without Work
You Are What You Read
is a quote from the 1998 movie You've Got Mail. Is that true? Joe Fox (corporate big box bookseller) says that to Kathleen Kelly (independent bookstore owner) as they banter in this RomCom that is now historical fiction. [It describes the incipient impact of the internet.] The film was an adaptation of an earlier film (1940) … Continue reading You Are What You Read
Time Bind 2023 update
Time Bind is a book I'm currently reading (when I can find the time). The book was written by Arlie Russell Hochschild published in 1997. It's a sociological study of the then demand characteristics of work/home/life balance. It's fantastic, real journalism that foreshadows, but doesn't come close to realizing the bind we're in now. We … Continue reading Time Bind 2023 update
2022 Year End review retrospectively
To be the clear - this is a personal review - not one of a national or world. Here I'm looking back retrospectively using health and well-being metrics. In retrospect, 2022 was not a good year. My Health and Well-Being Inventory took a hit this year. Body blows. The HWBI scores how one is doing … Continue reading 2022 Year End review retrospectively