The Thing We Won’t Name

A Thursday Friday Thoughts for reasons of timeliness. Also, tomorrow is Distaff Day and there shall be things said about that. Warning: This is me splutteringly angry. You may not want to read on... And here we are… it’s the first anniversary of the day a couple thousand desperate white guys attacked the Capitol Building,… Continue reading The Thing We Won’t Name

A Very Short Response to Reading

https://thebaffler.com/latest/burdened-by-books-zaretsky This article has finally crystalized a growing idea of mine. We need to change how we teach. Fundamentally. We need to train people to read critically and enable them to engage with and reflect upon what they are reading. It is of utmost importance that people be able to determine the merit and reality… Continue reading A Very Short Response to Reading

The Cult of Busy-ness

I am reading Sarah Jaffe’s Work Won’t Love You Back. As you can imagine, this is rather like throwing gasoline on a flame. Jaffe’s book is packed with all the things I hate about our working world — or perhaps our not-working world — and she’s put names and vivid life stories with all the… Continue reading The Cult of Busy-ness

Wednesday Word: 8 December

In my part of the world, we have reached the days of earliest sunset. Night falls at 4:11pm. Tomorrow will be the same. But Friday, the sun will hover on the horizon for one more minute in the evening. The days will still be growing shorter for a couple more weeks, but that trend of… Continue reading Wednesday Word: 8 December

Wednesday Word: 24 November

I don't like Thanksgiving. I never have. I don't appreciate the the days of preparation necessary for one meal, much of which becomes an endless stream of leftovers that nobody wants to touch. I can't eat the sugary things anymore and don't want to eat a turkey. I spend far too much money to find… Continue reading Wednesday Word: 24 November

St Cecilia’s Day

November 22nd is St Cecilia's Day. Nothing of her story bears repeating, but through it she became the patron saint of musicians. And maybe there is more in that story of a feisty Roman girl that we could find if we cleaned up all the sexual politics and grisly death. St Cecilia Playing the Harpsichord… Continue reading St Cecilia’s Day

In Praise of Laziness

I tossed out what many seem to have construed as a slur on Western Americans last week, mostly, I confess, for the alliterative qualities of the phrase. (Because I do like me some euphony.) I said Burqueños are “laconic and lazy” (and not much interested in your specialness). Far from being derogatory, this is high… Continue reading In Praise of Laziness