Happy Almost-Weekend, Let's Consume Us Some Content! Wooooooo!
Hello, my dearests. Once again, I have pulled my stuff together enough to get a Missive into your inboxes whilst the furry taskmaster naps in her crate.
I went on a walk yesterday evening from Fort Mason to Crissy Field and back - the sun was setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge, a cargo ship was moseying its way towards the Port of Oakland, and the windows on Alcatraz were sparkling in the dwindling light. There’s so much to be worried about right now, so much hurt and anger and uncertainty, but it was fantastic to take the time to look around. As a recovering toxically positive person, I noted the difference between forcing myself to find the good in any situation vs. just being able to keep myself open enough to notice the beauty that is a short drive away. One habit forces good into bad, while the other allows the good to shine.
And yes, I realize that the paragraph above reads like some Stuart Smalley shit, but you know what, that’s my mood right now and I am out of writing practice. So anyhoo, considering I spend most of my days walking or chasing after the wee terror, here’s some content I hope to consume during crate time! Will I get to all of this? Probably not, but a girl can dream!
Squid Game (Netflix) - If you’re sure that I’ve been already been inhaling this ultra-violent (seriously: if you are at all squeamish, don’t watch it) streaming series based on a not-quite-dystopic Hunger Games-esque murder competition… you’re correct. Especially since it is pissing off North Korea and causing a run on tracksuits, which makes it even more appropriate for our weird and wild time.
Erin Woo and Erin Griffith, Inside the Courtroom With Theranos’s Elizabeth Holmes (The New York Times) - I quickly devour any coverage of this trial, but especially when covered by these two reporters. Any old school newsletter consumers will remember Erin Griffith’s glorious Tributes To The Heroes Of Business, and I am so glad she is one of the members of the media covering this circus.
Olivia Nuzzi, ‘I Was Part of Something Unusually Evil’ (Intelligencer at New York Magazine) - This came out on the 5th, and while I do not want to purchase Stephanie Grisham’s book because I don’t want to participate in the reputation laundering of former Trump officials, I sure as heck will read Nuzzi’s interview because I LIVE for drama.
Christopher Shea, The great pandemic work-from-home experiment was a remarkable success (The Washington Post) - Glad to see there’s some science backing up the feeling I’ve had that I’ve been eons more productive during the pandemic, taking on and managing more than I have at any point in my career (for better or worse, of course!) Now, is this likely because I get up to two hours a day back from not commuting, and because I’ve blurred the lines between work and home that it’s taken a creature that could literally die if I let her out of my site for one freaking second while I make her breakfast, lest she find and gnaw on the one cord I’ve forgotten to hide? MAYBE… sorry, what were we talking about again?
Ellen Cushing, Slackers Of The World, Unite! (The Atlantic) - Knowledge workers have traditionally, to the delight of many corporate shareholders, been seemingly immune to organizing, leading to toxic and sometimes dangerous working environments. I love Ellen Cushing’s work, and I find it fascinating that the office communication darling Slack may be the great organizing tool of white collar America.
Sam Brodey, Kyrsten Sinema Is Unfriending Her Network Into Oblivion (The Daily Beast) - I just… can’t with politics right now (had a colleague I greatly respect ask me yesterday for my take on how the Biden/Harris White House is doing, and I sent them a stream of IMs talking about gridlock in Washington due to a 50-50 senate and a filibuster, the lack of nationwide COVID testing, the current state of SCOTUS, and how I’m not a fan of portfolio Vice President Harris has been handed. So yea, just going to put this out there because I am fascinated / terrified by the senior senator from Arizona.
That’s it, that’s all! Drink water, get outside for fresh air, and be kind to yourself, mmmkay?
Xoxo Amy