Reading List: Heat Waves, Heat Waves Everywhere, And Not A Breeze In Sight.
Dearests! It’s Friday, so we’re going take five minutes to breath or meditate, we’re going to make our favorite morning beverage and truly appreciate it as we drink it, and we’re going to congratulate ourselves for whatever boundary we established this week to take care of our mental health. And we’re going to mentally mark one thing that we’re grateful for today - for me, it’s getting to talk to all of you every(ish) morning! Now THAT’S how we do hot vaxxed summer, mmmkay?
TO THE LONGREADS
Alex Wilhelm, An interview with a leading venture capitalist (TechCrunch) - Sometimes Friend of the Missive Alex writes something so satisfying, it’s maddening, especially when it’s a satire of the endless conversations he has with over-coached executives (and yes, fellow communications people, we contribute to this wordy nothingness.) From the satirical piece, excerpt in point: “… have you read Recently Published Book? Someone gave me a copy and I read the dust cover. Books are good. I read them.”
Alex DiBranco, The Long History of the Anti-Abortion Movement’s Links to White Supremacists (The Nation) - I’m finally watching The Handmaid’s Tale all the way through, since I was emotionally unable to do so during the Former Guy’s presidency, and let’s just say that all of these anti-choice bills coming out of the states is giving the series a specific gravity right now.
Damian Paletta and Yasmeen Abutaleb, Inside the extraordinary effort to save Trump from covid-19 (The Washington Post) - I imagine I will read the new book this article is from (‘Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History’) but I’m going to need to be a in a good head space to do so if this preview is any indication. Dunno if my anxiety can handle it.
Rosalind S. Helderman, Emma Brown, Tom Hamburger and Josh Dawsey, Inside the ‘shadow reality world’ promoting the lie that the presidential election was stolen (The Washington Post) - Speaking of anxiety, SCREAMS INTO THE VOID.
Anne Helen Petersen, Towards a Unified Theory of Peloton (Culture Study) - Look, yes, I am one of those people that is inordinately grateful she spent a bunch of money on an extra-expensive networked exercise bike that allows me to ride out my anxiety in 20 min bursts during my at-home work day. But I’m also glad smarter people than I like Petersen—who, it should be noted, also love their fancy bikes—are looking at how the company has been so good at building their fitness content/entertainment cult.
Y’all are swell. Be kind to yourself, and know that you’re appreciated. And much love to dear friend Austin Hunter who in being appointed to San Francisco’s environmental commission, received one of the most to-the-point but also strangely vintage-feeling Pride month headlines I’ve ever read: Gay man joins SF environmental panel (Bay Area Reporter). Mazel tov, Austin, we love you!
xoxo
Amy