The There There Letter: IRTPA, Indie Bookstores, and In the Belly of the Whale
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, IRTPA …
That's the International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Maybe everybody else already knows this, but the original version of tennis -- "Real Tennis" (the Real may come from Royal) is still played professionally. NOT the tennis of Wimbledon (that's Lawn Tennis), Real Tennis is played on special courts with oddly-shaped raquets and less-bouncy cork balls. Thanks to The Guardian for drawing my attention to its existence.
"I’m a 13-time world champion at real tennis"
IRTA brief History of the Game
Second up this week, Indie Bookstores …
It's a great time to read books, while sheltering-in-place. OK, anytime is a great time to read, but a lot of people have more time now. Shopping for books, however, is a bit challenging with so many shops closed. The easy answer is to order up books from Amazon, or one of their subsidiary companies (ABE Books, Alibris, Book Depository). But wouldn't you rather support a local independent bookstore? Most offer online purchasing.
Nearby me is The Avid Reader, which got lovely new owners just in time for COVID-19 closures.
I particularly love Rakestraw Books in Danville, and Point Reyes Books in Point Reyes Station (I've ordered online from both). Check them out!
Third up this week, In the Belly of the Whale …
Thanks to Austin Kleon for drawing this poem to my attention. So apropos right now.
"Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale"
Measure the walls. Count the ribs. Notch the long days.
Look up for blue sky through the spout. Make small fires
with the broken hulls of fishing boats. Practice smoke signals.
Call old friends, and listen for echoes of distant voices.
Organize your calendar. Dream of the beach. Look each way
for the dim glow of light. Work on your reports. Review
each of your life’s ten million choices. Endure moments
of self-loathing. Find the evidence of those before you.
Destroy it. Try to be very quiet, and listen for the sound
of gears and moving water. Listen for the sound of your heart.
Be thankful that you are here, swallowed with all hope,
where you can rest and wait. Be nostalgic. Think of all
the things you did and could have done. Remember
treading water in the center of the still night sea, your toes
pointing again and again down, down into the black depths.
—Dan Albergotti, The Boatloads
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I write, organize, plan, produce, manage, direct, act, sing, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, IRTPA …
That's the International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Maybe everybody else already knows this, but the original version of tennis -- "Real Tennis" (the Real may come from Royal) is still played professionally. NOT the tennis of Wimbledon (that's Lawn Tennis), Real Tennis is played on special courts with oddly-shaped raquets and less-bouncy cork balls. Thanks to The Guardian for drawing my attention to its existence.
"I’m a 13-time world champion at real tennis"
IRTA brief History of the Game
Second up this week, Indie Bookstores …
It's a great time to read books, while sheltering-in-place. OK, anytime is a great time to read, but a lot of people have more time now. Shopping for books, however, is a bit challenging with so many shops closed. The easy answer is to order up books from Amazon, or one of their subsidiary companies (ABE Books, Alibris, Book Depository). But wouldn't you rather support a local independent bookstore? Most offer online purchasing.
Nearby me is The Avid Reader, which got lovely new owners just in time for COVID-19 closures.
I particularly love Rakestraw Books in Danville, and Point Reyes Books in Point Reyes Station (I've ordered online from both). Check them out!
Third up this week, In the Belly of the Whale …
Thanks to Austin Kleon for drawing this poem to my attention. So apropos right now.
"Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale"
Measure the walls. Count the ribs. Notch the long days.
Look up for blue sky through the spout. Make small fires
with the broken hulls of fishing boats. Practice smoke signals.
Call old friends, and listen for echoes of distant voices.
Organize your calendar. Dream of the beach. Look each way
for the dim glow of light. Work on your reports. Review
each of your life’s ten million choices. Endure moments
of self-loathing. Find the evidence of those before you.
Destroy it. Try to be very quiet, and listen for the sound
of gears and moving water. Listen for the sound of your heart.
Be thankful that you are here, swallowed with all hope,
where you can rest and wait. Be nostalgic. Think of all
the things you did and could have done. Remember
treading water in the center of the still night sea, your toes
pointing again and again down, down into the black depths.
—Dan Albergotti, The Boatloads
That's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Please feel free to share any or all of this newsletter.
If you're seeing it for the first time, you can subscribe at TheThereThere.com
Don't miss what's next. Subscribe to The There There: