15 things I consumed this week

Hey,

This week sucked, but I think and hope it has a lot to show us beyond regular doom and gloom. In that vein, most of my article recs this week are about the lessons of this election. I think it’s really important to read proper journalism rather than 7,000 social media posts (although I get it).

Also want to boost Women’s Emergency Network—a great place to donate to help women in Florida safely access abortion following the scary legislation that just went through. Feel free to comment other resources you know/want to share.

1. “Once Again, Democratic Leadership Has Failed Us,” by Nathan Robinson for Current Affairs, one of the more comprehensive retrospectives I’ve read of the election, synthesizing a lot of points I’ve read elsewhere (like this Jacobin piece about billionaire donors, this one about the dealignment of the working class, Bernie’s statement, and this Jeet Heer critique of Democratic elitism—all worth reading imo). This made me a paying subscriber of Current Affairs.

2. In my continued BJA affection, this “election content” made me lol:

brianjordanalvarez

A post shared by @brianjordanalvarez

3. A few sips of the Diet Coke my sister got from the Union Square McDonald’s in a thirsty moment, at which point I was stunned to discover its superiority. Sinister!

4. “What We Just Went Through Wasn’t an Election. It Was a Hostage Situation,” by Tyler Austin Harper for The New York Times. I really appreciated how this drew some salient comparisons between the right and left establishments right now, which mainstream media tends to avoid doing out of deference to their narrative that half the country is simply stupid and bigoted.

5. Speaking of the NYTimes, no games or cooking right now to support The Times Tech Guild strike (they actually made their own strike-themed games to keep you company in the meantime).

6. This iconic conversation between Quincy Jones and David Marchese, which I first read and loved in 2018, reshared by Vulture following his death. RIP to a legend.

7. The perfect Chinese take-away from Shan Szechuan in Cobble Hill (been looking for a spot like this for a while). Kind of criminally expensive but alas.

8. My 2022 essay about the New York City marathon (and the beloved and insane Barkley Marathon), sweetly reshared by a few people after the marathon last week. Just reread and got emotional again about the Barkley. Can’t recommend the doc enough to restore a little faith.

9. The cursed eggs and the Twitter user who compared it to this Marc Jacobs label, lol

Thank you @drewapicasso_ and @Unc1eAnt

10. “Democrats Chose Backing a Genocide Over Defeating Trump,” by Adam Johnson for The Real News Network. “A campaign that embraces conservative themes and personalities, even while throwing out progressive policies here and there, is bound to alienate voters for whom politics isn’t just a platform for endless triangulation.”

11. This amazing 1980 drought PSA to “Keep New York City Wet.”

12. This old Stars song, which my friend Cat played and sang for me on the piano when she came over last week. I love private little performances, they make me want to cry.

13. “The Taylor Swift Endorsement Fantasy,” by BD McClay for The New York Times, which I missed when it came out but is as relevant as ever as liberal pundits act cartoonishly baffled by Kamala’s loss given how many celebrity endorsements she had. “The idea that a Swiftie-inclined voter might ignore [their political] concerns simply because of an endorsement from a favorite pop star isn’t just insulting; it’s dystopian.” (Found this via the author’s newsletter following the election results, which I also thought was a smart write-up.)

14. Sunny’s first birthday party ever, a combined affair with her bff Eden last Sunday. Very sweet event but I now understand why my neighbors gave me a compassionate look of concern and wished me good luck when I told them it was the day of her party, lol.

    

    Photo by Alex Wohl depicting Sunny’s reaction to hearing the Happy Birthday song (not a fan) just before her first-ever bite of cake (couldn’t have cared less)

15. The incredible, Richard Scarry-themed birthday crowns my sister made for the babies, which we’re going to use for as many future birthdays as Sunny will allow. Like if you agree my sister has found her medium:

I must say, having a baby was a huge morale boost this week, despite its attendant fears. Nothing like waking up to Sunny utterly beaming seconds after I read the news on Wednesday.

Sending lots of love. I’ll see you on Sunday for Maybe Baby #196, which reflects on this past week and how I’m planning to move forward.

Big squeeze,
Haley