the immaculate mailing list - wow, what a time to be alive
welcome >:-)
hi all! i've been really overwhelmed for the last two weeks and really didn't have it in me to write anything on my usual weekly-ish schedule. luckily for me, my brain seems to have come back over the last 48 hours! huzzah. that being said, i don't have much of a reading list to share this time- i've pretty exclusively been beating Mario Run on my phone (this is a brag) and listening to podcasts about hackers (this isn't). i did manage to go through a few short pieces yesterday, and i've been going through a woody guthrie biography my mom (hi mom!) gave me for christmas, which has been nice. thanks mom!
anyways, the world is on fire, it's stressful, and it is absolutely bananas that we're expected to just continue carrying on with showing up for the pointless wage labor jobs we have to have in order to feed ourselves! what a load of bunk!! i might need to start a new music league soon.
also!! thanks to all who responded to my question about learning styles! lots of variations on revisiting material, and coming up with study questions to help yourself understand. appreciate y'all! :)
office hours
last weekend, kat and i went to the nearby forest preserve- it's been my favorite place in the city since i moved here in 2016, and realized very quickly i needed to get myself in some trees. it's also where we got married! it's a nice spot; there's a family of deer you're almost guaranteed to see, last year was a real banger for bird watching, and there's a marsh/pond thing in the middle (along with the north branch of the chicago river). it's a great spot!! anyways, kat and i were there last weekend, and realized we should make going a regular sunday practice. we also want to see friends in a safe environment! so if you're reading this (and in chicago) please consider this an invite to meet kat and i at labagh forest preserve (foster and cicero), sundays between 12p-1p! of course, show up early or stay late, and enjoy exploring the preserve yourself (we will be!), but please come say hey! just make sure to dress for the weather :-)
what i've been reading
- what can tech learn from sex workers? - zahra stardust, gabriella garcia, and chibundo egwuatu
- tech has learned SO much from sex workers, and it almost always turns around and boots them from the platforms used to conduct their work safely. tech has to be designed with a focus on liberation, and this sex workers.
- cuba tweaks socialist model to encourage work amid crisis - andrea rodriguez
- i am by no means an expert, but this seems like a bummer??
- why deaf interpreters are a crucial tool during the pandemic - alison stine
- want to know more about the interpreters you see on tv?? here is a good place to find that info.
- sound of metal is a heartwarming - and frustrating - take on deafness - sara novic
- some of you have asked me for what i thought about this movie, knowing i have some familiarity with d/Deaf culture- may i direct you to this piece by an actual deaf person!
- on one-on-one - hanif abdurraqib
- i like reading hanif's stuff, almost all the time. i also like romanticizing sports. this was a very nice piece for me :)
- what makes building ventilation good enough to withstand a pandemic? - linda poon
- see what kind of looks you get when you ask a building manager what their hvac system is like
what i've been listening too
- congotronics - konono no. 1 // riyl: electic mbiras, dancing with a crowd, syncopation
- encanto tropical - monsieur perine // riyl: colombia, pleasant sounds, grooving
- music has the right to children - boards of canada // riyl: sound collages, background music, lumber out of the great white north
- music for 18 musicians - steve reich // riyl: i've already listed this album a couple times- i don't have new riyl's for it!!
- laugh now cry l8r - lily konisburg & lucy // riyl: duets, eccentric song structures, indie pop
- shea butter baby - ari lenox // riyl: r'n'b, sultry vocals, jams
- channel orange - frank ocean // riyl: smash hits, stories about rich people, night drivers
- i am the movie - motion city soundtrack // riyl: frentic power pop, songs about addiction, synths
- rocket - alex g. // riyl: my two fav artists out of philly both have a song called "powerful man", is it a coincidence???
- awkward breeds - the sidekicks // riyl: the greatest rock and roll band in the usa, midwestern pop rock, melodies
- pornography - the cure // riyl: xxx
- gymnopedies & other works - erik satie // riyl: simplistic piano melodies, beautiful sounds, studying
- fates - erik mongrain // riyl: people playing guitar like a piano, open tunings, syncopation
- the disintegration loops III - william basinski // riyl: loops, literal disintegration, soothing and static sounds
- stop making sense - talking heads // riyl: live albums, watching music, japanese theatre
- heart like a wheel - linda rondstat // riyl: calling it like you see it, artists you would love to see in a dive bar, pop
- without hesitation - good luck // riyl: top five favorite bands of josh, hopeful enthusiasm, wondering about the people around you
- said & done - jeff pianki // riyl: small town charm, two concise and tight tracks, issues of the heart
- you are my sunshine - copeland // riyl: emotional pop, drum machines, delay pedals
- junk magic - craig taborn // riyl: glitchy jazz, songs that make kat anxious, probably new york city
- because of a flower - ana roxanne // riyl: sounds, nature, ethereal beings
- freedom of choice - devo // riyl: power pop, fun hats & costumes, straight tempos
- big sexy noise - lydia lunch // riyl: big things, sexy things, noisey things
- stranger in town - bob seger // riyl: albums that parents love, classic rock radio staples, pretty good albums
- seventeen seconds - the cure // riyl: new wave, goth pop, trees
- ism - junius paul // riyl: chicago jazz, jazz bass, a spectrum of dynamics
- innervisions - stevie wonder // riyl: perfect songwriting, The Classic Period, people at their prime
- a collection of short stories - houston calls // powerpop, vingettes, love songs
- here lies empty orchestra - empty orchestra // riyl: flint, protest songs, trauma
- toulouse street - the doob ie brothers // riyl: the radio station my parents listened to when i was a kid, probably lessening your sobriety on the bank of a river, guitar pop
- aja - steely dan // riyl: unmistakeable boogie, learning to play the saxophone, bonding with a father
- couldn't wait to tell you - (liv).e // riyl: low key moody, pop rocks flow, subtlty
- tell me how you really feel - courtney barnett // riyl: sing-talker/narratives/the mundane bits of life
solicitations
as always- send me albums or podcasts to listen to, or essays/articles/poems to read!
would also love to know:
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is there a specific piece of media that was a turning point for you becoming who you are today?
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what's your favorite food to make a big ol' batch of?
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what's the best photo you have of your pet?? (if you respond with this, let me know if i can share it!)
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what do you think the world will look like in three months??
okay, cool. thanks for reading! miss you all dearly.