Distractions and pleasures
In this newsletter: Delightful, pleasant ways to distract yourself from the apocalypse.
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Yes, the world’s stubbornly trying to reopen itself. No, it really shouldn’t be. Not yet. We’re continuing to stay home, take precautions, etc. If you’re able to do the same, I hope you will. And because staying home, three months in, is probably taxing you like it’s taxing everyone, I thought I’d share a few distractions that have kept my family from imploding.
Ready?
Go!
WATCH THIS GUY SOLVE AN IMPOSSIBLE SUDOKU!
No, seriously. It sounds like I’m asking you to watch paint dry. I’m not. If you’ve seen this one going around lately, then you also have seen everyone declaring it to be a near-spiritual experience. Everyone, at least in this case, is not wrong.
TAKE A JOURNEY TO THE END OF TIME!
Squish and I spent a half-hour watching this fascinating video, by MelodySheep, about a possible future timeline of the universe and time itself. Some people will find this alarming and panic-inducing; if you’re one of them, maybe skip this one. But if you’re the sort of person who appreciates perspectives that make you feel your insignificance in the universe—a perspective that actually might help someone weather a pandemic like this one by recontextualizing it—then click play and watch this on the biggest screen you have available.
DISCOVER SOME NEW ARTISTS ON INSTAGRAM!
I swap new artists in and out of my Instagram feed fairly often. Some stick around for years, like Joy Ang or Tom Haugomat or Ryan Andrews; some I’ll follow awhile, then move on.
Also give a look to Eleanor Davis, Charlie Davis, Cat’s Cafe, Courtney Autumn Martin, Anton Gudim, Greg Martin, Vera Brosgol, Tillie Walden, and Sarah Mensinga.
WATCH JOSH RITTER PLAY SONGS FROM HIS SOFA!
If you don’t know Josh Ritter yet, you’re in for a nice pandemic binge-listen. One of the smartest songwriters I’ve ever heard, he’s been recording for twenty years and has a deep catalog of marvelous things. (Maybe start with this song, or this one.) Well, for the last couple of months, Ritter has been livestreaming a weekly show from his living room, accompanied by his wife and daughter. Great songs, played raw and acoustic, and little stories and Q&As in between. And any donations/tips are being donated to charities like Feeding America. Here’s the most recent:
And here’s all of them to date.
WATCH (OR RE-WATCH) MAD MEN!
Everyone’s favorite time capsule show about ad men and women in the 1960s is still on Netflix (though there are rumors it’s leaving in June). If you’ve never watched the show, you’re in for a treat: The show is, like The Wire, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad, one of the few shows that’s ever felt like an absolute novel, rich with detail and complex storylines, capable of taking the broad view (tracking stories over a decade of passing time) as well as the micro view.
Also, Don Draper says…
And if you’re rewatching, then now’s a great time to pair your rewatch with some astute criticism and analysis of the show. I recommend starting with Matt Zoller Seitz’s companion book, Carousel. It’ll level up your viewing. But if the prospect of lugging a book into your TV sessions is daunting, check out his recent writing on the show:
“Mad Men is a Show That’s Built to Last: Your guide to watching (or rewatching) the Matthew Weiner series)”
“Mad Men Series Premiere Recap: It’s Toasted” (Seitz is sharing excerpted recaps from Carousel right now; check his archives for all of them)
And if it does leave Netflix soon, you can still find this.
WATCH BEN GIBBARD PLAY EVERY SONG HE KNOWS!
Okay, this one’s a lot like Josh Ritter. Ben Gibbard is the frontman for Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. He’s been doing weekly live shows from his home in Seattle, and has played just about every song he’s ever recorded, and then some. I’m a big Death Cab fan, so these are must-watches for me each week. Like Ritter, he’s also taking donations for (mostly Seattle-based) charities. Here’s the whole series, for anyone who wants to binge. And here’s one of them, where he plays the top ten requested songs by viewers:
START PLANNING YOUR NEXT VACATION!
This short video about Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica will either make you shiver or wish you had the $26,000 it’ll cost to book your next vacation. Everything about this video both annoys me (I wish the Wes Anderson aesthetic would just…go away) and delights me (I would love to spend a few weeks out here, perhaps working on a book).
READ, READ, READ, READ, READ!
There is literally no better way to weather this current storm than with a stack (or many stacks) of books. Here’s my reading list for 2020 so far, along with my lists from past years. And here are seven books you shouldn’t miss:
The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel
American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson
We Are Okay, Nina Lacour
Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson
Writers & Lovers, Lily King
Motorcycles I’ve Loved, Lily Brooks-Dalton
And if you’re a parent of little ones, there are countless storytimes happening online these days. Michael Chabon has a YouTube channel filled with storytime videos, for instance. Here’s a good one:
WATCH THIS FOX STEAL AN IPHONE…WHILE IT’S RECORDING!
This one pretty much speaks for itself, I think.
Go forth and keep thyself entertained!
✏️‘Til next week,
Jg
About the author
Jason Gurley is the author of Awake in the World, Eleanor, and other books. He lives and writes on a hill in Scappoose, Oregon. More at www.jasongurley.com or on Instagram.
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