Long time no see, my Critters!
I am crawling back to you on my hands and knees, begging your forgiveness for my absence and distance. You see, I’ve been elsewhere, many elsewheres, writing everything but the things I want to say to you. What I mean is, well, I’ve been preparing my grad school applications. GASP! I know. Embarrassing, despicable, yet maybe admirable. Out of the last 5 weeks, I’ve been out of town for 3 of those weekends. I started taking another writing workshop that’s three hours long after my full workday on Wednesdays, not including the other hours of work and writing for that class. I’ve been trying to get back to lifting more than 15lb dumbbells on leg day at the gym. I’ve been searching every cavity of my being for the scraps of what it feels like to get my shit together. October passed and I found but a few of those scraps. The rest will be found in November. In and down in November, locked in and down.
Critical Thought
Brain space, attention span, catching passing thoughts with your fingers spread wide. The thoughts hitting your palm like the point of a football. I really don’t want to talk about the election. Maybe you wanted to hear my thoughts on it or maybe you opened this praying I don’t go on a rant about it. I have no interest in electoral politics. Both of these parties support genocide. Maybe one is better at saving face, or at least still thinks that’s what matters. Open racism and hatred are attractive to a lot of US Americans and they want a president who will voice those parts of them.
All together now – I hate it here.
Critiques
Books
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong: I wanted to read good creative nonfiction essays. In this, I read great creative nonfiction essays. Easy, immediate, recommendation for anyone at all.
The Wild Hunt by Emma Seckel: I picked this book up at Half Price Books nearly a year ago. The premise of it was mildly interesting but there was a notecard stuck in the center of it. The notecard was full of passionate affirmations of life and its meaning, and I simply couldn’t put it down. In times like that, I loved used books. The books as a great read for October, but in some ways I wish the drama had been turned up a little more.
Photo by ifer endahl on Unsplash. The Wild Hunt is a spooky little book involving some violent crows. Story of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang: Wow blown away. Incredible writing and storytelling. Like genius jumping off the page. Every story was so unique and mindblowing in its own way. My favorite was Story of Your Life and my least favorite was Seventy-Two Letters which I just couldn’t get into.
‘arrival movie’ generated by AI. I was going to upload an actual movie still because Arrival is based on “Story of Your Life” but this is so much more unhinged.
Digital Media
Somewhat of a Halloween mix.
Pearl - Deeply unsettling but I get it. Good
What We Do in the Shadows - So funny. Good.
Over the Garden Wall - God I love this show. Best fall show ever.
The vvitch - Well, that was fun I guess. Good
The Crucible (Winona Rider and Daniel Day-Lewis one) - Not to be confused with the Scarlett Letter although I can't remember which one I actually read or if I read both. Honestly, good.
The Vatican Tapes - This was probably my only shot at convincing Scott of the power of religious horror. This movie failed us. Bad.
Photo by Sašo Tušar on Unsplash. So sad Halloween is over tbh!!! Traveling, ‘being outside’ in October is hard because you miss such good ‘inside’ vibes.
Foods
Leef Peeping Lunch: While Scott and I drove through the entire state of New Hampshire in just under 4 hours, we stopped at this food trailer called StrEatz. We were thrown off by the reasonable prices and incorrectly assumed portions would be small. Pretty good, would stop by again for next year's leaf peeping through the Kancamagus.
I got a ramen bowl, Scott had a pulled pork sandwich and chili, and we got a side of zucchini fries. Vegan Feast: Finally tried Anixi, an all-vegan Mediterranean place in Chelsea. Delicious dips. Could have skipped the tuna crudo (too fake fishy tasting, which is a lot for me to say). The beef skewer and potatoes and dessert were all incredible. Would go back.
those dips were sooo good. and the beef skewer was good but freakishly real. Brunchin’ Atlanta: Spent a weekend in Atlanta for an engagement trip with some dear friends! Brunch at the Daily in Buckhead. Fall harvest bowl with a side of impossible sausage and unseen, easily devoured buttermilk chive biscuit. The food in the South is something else.
best rose cardamon latte ever and tasty asf fall harvest bowl
Other crap
One more thing before I share this week’s critter…. I’m doing No TV November!!! This is something I made up because I need to lock in and lock down on my goals. I need to get it together. I need to read and write and edit. Then I need to read again and write some more and edit it all down. I need to send kinda stressful emails. I need to go to the gym so my hip doesn’t detach from its socket or whatever the hell happens when you erode your hip labrum as I have (in other words, I need to control my chronic pain.) I have to get a grip! I’m kind of excited by the prospect of it?!
Crit Pic
I’m passionate about this one. They’re endangered and native to the same place as me. South Texas. And they’re insane, otherworldly, enchanting, elusive. I love all cats, but these have a special place in my heart. Folks, it's the ocelot. So special. I want them to thrive and for everyone who kills one with their car to have a curse on them and their lineage forever.
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.
Sooo does no tv november include not watching the long-awaited hit musical-to-movie Wicked???