But This Is Wondrous Strange | Week 5
Week the 5th. Call it 5.9th.
It's really the middle of an alternately rainy and partly cloudy day in the PDX as I start this, but sunlight jamming in through the windows and onto my skin and eyes is undoubtedly a good thing after so much gray. And, again, I like the gray, it's one of the reasons I moved up here.
Mistakes Were Made. By Me. I Made the Mistakes.
I inserted a footnote tag into an early paragraph of the newsletter last week, and then forgot to put the referenced note underneath somewhere. It was supposed to be about the sexist lyrics to "Lowdown," and while they aren't a problem on the surface, in context of a society and abundance of songs about how women are just needy, gold digging bad news, it's cringey, and those things tend to grate on me now. There are songs about men who done her wrong, yes. I'd bet they aren't close to a majority, and by sheer representative numbers of songwriters who have been historically allowed to participate it's not a risky wager. It's long past time to do better.
The New Emotional Weather Report
I've had a resurgence of acceptance the past few days. It's less resignation and more embrace, a more positive and helpful state, I hope. There are a few things that have contributed, and some that have pulled the other way. A couple podcasts are in the latter column, and here they are:
- Hurry Slowly - "Holding Space for Yourself"
- The Happiness Lab - "Sleep When You’re Dead Tired (LIVE with Arianna Huffington)"
The first has become one of my favorite unskippable podcasts. I have way too many subscribed to get through everything before more show up, so I have to pick and choose my way through the feed. Geil's presentation of keeping your life open to possibility and letting creative work take the time it needs is both refreshing and encouraging. This episode particularly was a lovely encapsulation of love and support for her listeners. Getting out of the productivity trap—where everything needs to be done faster and bigger—is tough in a world full of articles and apps shouting that we aren't working efficiently enough. It's long past time to get slow.
I've long enjoyed Arianna Huffington. Her accent and intelligence are charming and compelling, and as a survivor of sleep-deprived collapse, her insights into proper sleep habits applied to practical creative and work matters gave me lots to chew on. There was a bit of woo-woo creeping in, it seemed to me as I listened along, but the habits and advice on sleep is vital.
Speaking of Productivity
I re-read No Zero Days to see if I'd missed things about it, but u/ryans01 made it pretty simple. While it could lead to new lazy habits (hey, I did my one drawn line for the day and my one sentence, time for bed!), it's yet another way to stop beating yourself up for a lack of grand projects moved a mile down their respective roads and acknowledge that even a little movement is a Good Thing.
Here Endeth the Lesson
This one will be a shortie while I regroup for the end of the week and getting back on the weekly track. Fingers crossed!