The Crit
Impatiently awaiting shorts and a tank weather
Dear Critters,
I write this on the patio of a coffee shop in Kensington, Brooklyn, as what feels like hordes of kids writhe around me on the concrete floor, parents just unbothered enough to enjoy a coffee in 60-degree weather. Happy Memorial Day, or as it’s more pressing in my mind, Happy Three or Four Day Weekend to Those Who Work an Office Job, May You Enjoy Your Day out-of-the-Chair. My plans today involve being outside as much as possible, making sure these words land in your inbox, and relinquishing arbitrary burdens.
Critiques
Books
How Should a Person Be? By Sheila Heti: The last installment of my “How Should a Woman Be?” Reading Group. I wanted to like this much more than I did, especially since I did not like Pure Colour by Heti. Better than Pure Colour, but didn’t flip my soul upside down. I will say, there were moments of beautiful writing, and the sentiments generally aligned with some of my existential shivering. And that chapter (IYKYK) truly upended what I thought you could read in literary fiction. I can see why Roxane Gay said it was a perfect chapter.
Happening by Annie Ernaux: My first foray into Annie Ernaux, and certainly not my last. Underground abortion is a tough topic to first meet her with, but it immediately validated the hype I’ve heard about her. I wanted a little more narrator guidance at times, but it's one of those books where the experience speaks for itself and probably wouldn’t benefit from excessive commentary.
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (Audiobook): A notable return to John Green for me, since the last thing of his I read was probably in the Faults in Our Stars/Looking for Alaska box set over 10 years ago. He is still a good writer! This was not an all-inclusive, highly specialized look at the history and current state of tuberculosis, but it does its job of introducing and priming an audience of Western readers who may not realize that tuberculosis is still one of the most contagious and deadly diseases in the world today. I recommend it as an entry-level read for those entirely unfamiliar with systemic issues in global health and medicine.
Digital Media
The Hobbit: Last week, for what we learned would be the 3rd time, Scott and I decided to watch the Hobbit movies. We realized we’ve watched the first one twice, didn’t remember the plot at all, then remembered the plot after all, and continued with the rest of the trilogy. Incredible inability to write a single female character not inexplicably crippled by inane love for a mortal man (Bechdel test who?), and incredible ability to still build a better world than half of any other attempt at on-screen fantasy. I’m a sucker!
Photo by Nikhil Prasad on Unsplash Arrested Development: After seeing countless clips on Insta, I finally convinced Scott to watch what may be one of my favorite sitcoms in this century. It’s line after line, clever humor, and somehow not wildly outdated despite being over 20 years old? Lucille Bluth, Jessica Walter, thank you.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (SLOMW): I know, I know – You can stop rolling your eyes back into your head. I’ve broken it down into a neat three: 1) I’m fascinated by religious trauma that’s not my own, 2) I crave a dramatic yet inescapable friend group with an unlimited budget, and 3) I can’t leave a cultural touchstone unturned especially when its so bizarre and upsetting it serves as an anthropological text. Bonus 4) Hatred for straight white men can be a strong motivator.
Foods
Zoller’s Veggie Grinder: brought me back to life after my (successful!) 10k race a couple of weeks ago. A beet spread, tofu, tomato, arugula, paired with a cup of lentil soup, chips, and a delicious, over-too-soon pickle slice.
Le Paddock: When it's nice outside, all I want to do is gracefully plop myself en terrasse with a glass of rosé, some fries, and a carefree spirit. Happy I was able to convince Scott to join me this time. Fries, shrimp pastis (cast-iron grilled shrimp in peppery, garlicky olive oil), and a stunning beet salad with arugula and hazelnuts.
Mariscos el Submarino: Joining the masses claiming that Mexican food in NYC is routinely subpar, except for this place. The mariscos were fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. Aguachile verde was spicy and tangy enough. Coctel de camarones was a little too sweet but with more depth than anything else nearby. Tacos had sturdy tortillas, crispy cheese, and smoky fillings. Would 100% go back, but skip the coctel, up the tacos, and throw in some of the grilled shrimp to share.
ceviche tropical (con pepino y mango), coctel de camarones (sz small!?), aguachile verde, and various tacos
Other crap
Weather: Hate to relentelessly complain about the weather, but whatever the fuck has been happening in NY is so far beyond acceptable I am losing grip. 50 and rainy the last week of May?! Rain for 4 days straight!? I am supposed to be wearing sandals and shorts and recognizing myself again. Instead, I pulled out a winter sweater I’d packed away already. I’m generally anti-building-a-biodome-to-control-the-weather for obvious reasons, but like an animal lashing out on its deathbed, I’d love a weather-controlling biodome right now. Or maybe a move to So-Cal.
Got a fancy wagon to haul stuff to the park. Can’t even use it yet. But the cats are treating it like the Love Island Villa.
Critical Thought
This might be a good time to mention one of my favorite topics: Not having a 5-day work week. I bitch a lot about work, but truthfully, I don’t hate all work. Some things have to get done. I see a world where work does not feel stringent and oppressive, but rather feels deeply gratifying, necessary, and beneficial. If only we could embrace a more balanced, generous approach to it and undo our programmed thoughts that capitalist, lifeforce-exchanged-for-currency, profit-driven work trumps all. It’s a hard sell for many US workers, so instead, let me bring up an easier-to-grasp concept: the 4-day work week. I’m not ready to touch on the use of AI or robots to supplement work, nor the logistics of every type of shift worker's schedule, but generally, what I’m calling for is a better balance of time spent as an employee and human without a decrease in livable wage. So many of us (US residents, mainly) accept that after school we cede everything in our lives to work—our time, our personal life, our health, our overall wellbeing—because we have no power or choice to set different standards. A 4-day work week can be a good intermediary towards de-centering jobs as the dominant part of our lives. Out of a seven-day week, 4 days are still the majority of the week spent working, but it means 3 days instead of 2 are spent enjoying our lives. Not to mention that 4-day work weeks increase job satisfaction, decrease certain company costs, maintain or increase productivity, allow flexibility in schedules, decrease or prevent burnout, and increase overall well-being and mental health. With the current standard 40-hour work week, the average number of working days is 260 days per year, the average hours being 8 hours per day, meaning that 2,080 hours are spent working each year. Say you start work at 22 and retire at 65 (LOL, as if) – You work 89,440 hours over your working life, or 3,727 days, or around 10 years total. Excluding grade schools, commuting, middle-of-the-night stressed work thoughts, accidentally reading emails, etc. A decade of your life spent in an office. Imagine a 10-year-old child having worked every hour of their life. Why are we doing this? Another world is possible. Yesterday night, when we all had a wave of relief instead of a jolt of Sunday Scaries, should be our new normal (until a better normal arrives). I will never not argue for this, no matter how many times I hear bosses or colleagues laugh at the suggestion. Our time and energy and planet are too precious to donate to another billionaire’s bank account.
Crit Pic
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t losing track of all the critters of Crits past, but I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen these babies yet. Monkeys and variations of monkeys are kind of hit or miss for me (moreso, I’m deeply, inexplicably disturbed by apes), but these Alaotran Gentle Lemurs captured my heart entirely. Full of spry curiosity and adventure! Adorably compact! I’d be honored to feel its little fingers wrap around my big one. One minute of eye contact with this lemur would cause chasms of knowledge to unfold in my brain, and my whole personality would condense into a single drop in an ocean.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for this week’s Crit Corner! If you made it to the bottom, you have my sincere gratitude. Like, subscribe, leave a comment, whatever else YouTubers say. I hope you enjoyed the ride.
“but like an animal lashing out on its deathbed” I got a visual of you struggling to get your sweater off. lol
Hecate and Styx treating the wagon like a villa, genius 😅