Tag Archives: John Jeremiah Sullivan

Five Things I Liked This Week

1. “It’s Adventure Time” by Maria Bustillos (The Awl)

So, you all know how much I love Adventure Time. There was no way I wasn’t going to enjoy this hyper-longform article.

 

2. “The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie” by John Jeremiah Sullivan (The New York Times Magazine)

I’m pretty sure I just talked about my admiration for John Jeremiah Sullivan last week (?) but this is a new thing by him and it’s very good and also interactive!

 

3. “No Second Thoughts” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Uh, just a random Tom Petty B-side that I’ve had in my head all week.

 

4. “Is It Time For Us To Take Astrology Seriously?” by Amanda Petrusich (Buzzfeed)

I’ve gotten really into astrology during the last year, which surprises me since I was disdainful of it even when I read my horoscope in teen magazines as a kid. But many of my friends are interested in astrology and after absorbing stuff from them, I’ve gone from skeptical and belittling to very curious. Horoscopes and astral charts don’t change the uncertainty of the future, but it’s fun to pretend that we have even the tiniest bit of an idea of what’s going to happen.

 

5. Easter candy! I have been binge-eating chocolate all week, mostly at my desk, where I keep a stash in my drawer. Every time I want a piece of candy, I quietly open my drawer and look around to see if any of my co-workers are watching me. Then, I take out ONLY ONE piece of candy, which I quietly unwrap and put in my mouth. Finally, I place the wrapper in my garbage and then worry about whether anyone heard the wrapper crinkling. I complete this exact process 10-20 times during the workday, usually between the hours of 11 and 4.

 

 

Friday Reads: Religion and Royals and Other Stuff

I think this is now a weekly roundup! I hope you enjoy these as much as I did and aren’t bothered by the fact that like half of them are from the New York Times. (I wasn’t reading super diversely this week.)

– Vintage Contemporaries (Talking Covers): Talking about those old Vintage Contemporaries covers. (I actually read this one last week but I think it’s still good.)

– Why I Love Mormonism (New York Times): Some/a lot of thoughts on the Mormon idea of God and Mormonism’s place on the spectrum of contemporary Judeo-Christian religion or something.

– A Literal Epidemic of Crutch Words (The Atlantic Wire): Basically a follow up to the original discussion of crutch words we use today.

– Salman Rushdie on Salman Rushdie (The New Yorker): An account of the days and months after he was sentenced to death by Ayatollah Khomeini.

– David Carr on Neil Young (New York Times Magazine): I think I love anything written about Neil Young and this was no exception.

– Prince Harry, Millenial Royal (The Awl): From Emma Garman’s wonderful series on British celebrities.

– An Interview with Jessica Valenti (The Hairpin): Nicole Cliffe interviews Jessica Valenti about her book Why Have Kids?

– John Jeremiah Sullivan on Cuba (New York Times Magazine): OK, I haven’t read this yet but I know it’s going to be good because John Jeremiah Sullivan is always good. (Did you read his thing on the Williams sisters a couple of weeks ago?)

And in case you’re interested, here’s what I’m reading in books this week:

– Still working on this.

– Just started The Night of the Gun by David Carr (lots of David Carr this week) and I feel, um, not great about it so far. But I’m only 10 pages in!

– Also picked up In Cold Blood, which I have never read even though I really like true crime books? And duh, it’s really good.