A book YOU MUST READ
by Faith
I have just finished a book that knocked me flat. One of the most finely wrought novels I have read in many a year. Perhaps ever. Get it. Read it. An astonishing achievement that will transport you.
Category: Daily
Don’t tell Mama!
Back in the day, when one of our parents or aunts or uncles did something a tiny bit naughty that was witnessed by someone else, the event was invariably accompanied by the admonition, “Don’t tell Mama!” Mama’s not around anymore not to be told anything–how was THAT for some convoluted grammar?!–but she would be most …
I see the moon!
by Faith
Yesterday or the day before–who can keep track of the days in pandemic times?–was the anniversary of the moon landing. A great event in my childhood, which I can see in my mind’s eye like it was yesterday. This photo essay is just marvelous. The paper of record is doing an incredible job right now. …
On waiting and burnout
by Faith
I got all excited when I thought I might get to see a new ocean! And then I came to the part where it’s going to take 5-10 million years. . . . Interesting article on burnout in global health. I think burnout generally, especially in this endless pandemic, is a real and serious problem. …
Paper, ink, and stamps
I have just finished a round of actual correspondence and it made me a bit nostalgic. Even though I now print my own stamps! So I was interested to read this op-ed in today’s NY Times. And here’s the address of someone you can write to right away–to thank him for DOING HIS JOB. And …
Various. Plus coffee.
by Faith
You must look at these gorgeous photographs of Vermont. This is perfectly extraordinary. I admit to loving my Nespresso machine(s). But the (non)recycling aspect is huge. In Switzerland, you can’t swing a cat without coming across a recycling station for the capsules. In France? Rumor has it there are something like 100 across the whole …
Miscellany of cool things
by Faith
Who knew the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority has its own photographer? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/nyregion/nyc-subway-photos.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage Like plenty of others, I am fascinated by tiny houses. This one is really intriguing, not just the building but the whole ethos and the story behind it. And in my home state of North Carolina! The incredibly talented Jessica Abel …
Bits of brilliance
by Faith
For your plague reading, which, as it turns out, did not stop with Defoe or Camus. (I once had occasion, in an earlier disaster, to write about the timelessness of Defoe’s work. You can read it here: McLellan washday in Durant. THIS. The New York Times is just on fire. Kudos to all. Love the …
Books and “art”
by Faith
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, in part, of course, to escape the news of the world. And, because I took a road trip, some of those books have been audio versions. I’m sure I already raved about Donna Tartt’s reading of Charles Portis’s True Grit. I listened to that and Lawrence Wright’s …
Speaking of extraordinary
by Faith
I have been feeling mildly sorry for myself, nervous on my first outing (by car) in these pandemic times, masked and hand-gelled to the hilt, wiping down surfaces in hotel rooms with disinfectant, giving people a wide berth in the streets, alert to any cough or sneeze. While it may not have been the best …