Random Reading/Watching/Listening (and even Cooking!) Friday

I've been more productive than I thought.

For months, I have studiously avoided work on the memoir I keep telling everyone I’m writing, not to mention this newsletter. Why do we do this to ourselves, WHY?! The ancient Greeks had a word for it: akrasia “the state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgment through weakness of will.” 

Gee, THANKS, Plato.

But I’ve recently joined a writer’s workshop plus a memoir class, both of which require turning in up to 2400 words every two weeks. So I have no more excuses. (Want to know the secret to ending procrastination? Set up some real deadlines. Accountability works. Well, sometimes.)

Here’s what I’ve been watching, listening to, reading, and even cooking lately:

• I stayed up late last night, watching the first two episodes on Hulu of The 1619 Project, an expansion of the New York Times series and book. Nicole Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer for her work examining how the legacy of slavery still affects American life. Right-wing media hates it — all the more reason to watch and decide for yourself.

• After that, I saw a documentary (also on Hulu) about the writer Margaret Atwood, who gave us The Handmaid’s Tale, among many other brilliant works. Sometimes I need to stop scrolling and learn something. One thing I learned — being the shallow, celebrity-obsessed human that I am — is that the young Atwood was probably the most beautiful genius since Hedy Lamarr. How did I not know this? Also, she makes me want to write again, and aspire to be half as good as she is.

• OMG, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT ANIMANIACS IS BACK — and already on season 3 on Hulu! (I swear this post is not sponsored.) Do you have any idea how much I love Animaniacs? Three guesses.

• Finished listening to the audio version of Steven Pressfield’s latest, a memoir called “Govt Cheese”. (Weird title, but it makes sense eventually.) The last two words of the book made me cry, not because they were moving (they were) but because they tied the whole book up in a nice, neat bow. To me, that is brain crack.

• This essay by Virginia DeLuca is a lesson in growing old and getting dumped with wisdom and humor.

• Right this minute, between sentences, I am snacking on homemade mac ’n cheese with just a sprinkle of hot sauce on top. I need to say homemade because I have never made it from scratch before, but I did today and it is dee-LISH. Mom would be proud. Here’s the recipe.

• Finally, I am still obsessing about finding the perfect vehicle, one that gets good enough mileage to let me run errands in town — a 60-mile round trip — without running up insufficient funds charges for gas. I dream of getting AWD or even 4WD because of the snow, ice, and mud up here, but I also need enough room to camp for weeks at a time (I don’t think I want to spend another winter in this cold, brr!) Lots of people live fulltime in SUVs but they’re just too small for me; I’m old and decrepit and need to get up to pee every two hours during the night. So, it looks like a minivan is the best option. But then again…

  

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend, and stay warm!

p.s. You may have noticed the audio version above. Go ahead and click, it’s not an AI voice this time, it’s me! I thought I’d better get in practice for my soon-to-be new career of narrating audiobooks. The sound quality needs work and I definitely need the practice. Hope you like it. :)