#8: Just as a shark must keep swimming or it will die,

Actual Updates

Alright, here’s the deal. It’s hot. I’m sitting here writing these words (these words, mind you; I’ll finish the rest later) at just past midnight, and it’s 86 degrees in here for some reason. There’s a little unforseen side effect of the pandemic for you: when you’re home all day, your house heats up more, because you’re using it all day long! Lights, screens, the stove - the oven, even, inexplicably! It’s not just that we used to get to escape to air-conditioned offices in the heat of summer, but that we also weren’t making the house hotter by being in it. Here’s hoping that by the time the next issue rolls around, things will be starting to cool down. I mean, my climate-change-related pessimism has opinions on that, but at the moment we do still have seasons, so I’m looking forward to us having a different one.

On the positive side, let’s see, I cut my kid’s bangs, but none of the rest of his hair, so now he looks like Prince Valiant. This is a positive because a) he doesn’t mind, and b) it’s funny to me. And I guess also c), he WILL mind when I show him the pictures once he’s old enough to have taste, and that will be pretty funny to me too.

Ok, ok, trying to stay positive, I’m reading some good books! If you’ve watched The Expanse, you might have also read the books they’re based on; I’m reading those right now and enjoying them. The show was very true to the books, though, so it’s sort of just like rewatching the show. I’m also anticipating Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, which I loved; I loved it enough to actually speak to someone on the phone when the online ordering form at the local bookstore I was trying to buy it from (because Amazon can fuck off) was borked. That’s pretty serious!!

I’ve started doing yoga? I think I might be the last woman of my generation not to have done yoga before, really, other than a couple stretches that got folded into other workouts here and there. But Matt wanted to try it to see if it helped with his “sitting in an unsuitable chair all day” back woes, and we could both use some calming down these days, so I looked up an online yoga lady I’d heard good things about and we’re off to the races. I’m really liking it; I’m not good at it per se, but I’ve always been pretty bendy (I used to be able to lie on my stomach and put my toes on my forehead), so the flexibility stuff is still pretty easy for me. I could have better balance, and the strength piece is, of course, where I’m doing the most work, but it’s nice to be doing something that I’m good at one part of. None of you, reading, would probably know what it’s like to be bad at everything - but imagine that you were, and then imagine that you find something you’re marginally less bad at, but trust me that it’s a fairly nice feeling.

Okay, that’s enough positivity because it’s time to get back to yelling about shit that pisses me off, namely the categories THINGS THAT I LOVE ARE CLOSING and PEOPLE ARE BEHAVING STUPIDLY IN THE FACE OF A PANDEMIC. We’ve lost or are in the process of losing 3 of my favorite places to see shows in this town (Great Scott! O’Brien’s, unless someone buys it and keeps it open! The fucking CANTAB!!), and I would be able to say “or play shows” except that the one time my band was going to play a show at the Cantab, we wound up having to cancel due to illness. And now the whole damn place is shutting down due to, basically, illness writ large. And people are still out there acting like things are fine and masks are not important and they can cozy up to their friends as long as they’re outside and just… do you not look at the numbers? We were back in the 500-cases-a-day range until yesterday, and we probably will be again. This isn’t, of course, solely due to the personal failings of individuals; I think the state’s reopening schedule was too fast and we should have spent longer at each stage than we did. We should be going backwards now to try and fix what has been wrought. It’s going to suck, but it could have sucked a lot less if we had just taken it slow to begin with.

Some links

Here are two (2) articles about crimes that occurred in the past, but beyond that they’re very different. I found them both incredibly compelling: Homicide at Rough Point and The Hero of Goodall Park: A True-Crime Drama 50 Years in the Making)

I learned so much from this article! I didn’t know about the Sogdian people at all. We learn about the Silk Road in just the absolute most basic terms but there’s so much more to know. A Silk Road Renaissance

This article is fascinating and the website it’s about is even more fascinating. I learned that I am older than the everything bagel, but several of my friends are younger than it! Who Will Save the Food Timeline?

IF YOU CLICK ANY OF THE LINKS THIS MONTH, CLICK THIS ONE. It’s so cool AND it’s so accurate. Why Time Feels So Weird in 2020

How about a Twitter thread about a mysterious Roman ring?

And finally (lol)… butts. Some Cheek! Museums Vie for the Title of the World’s Hottest Buns

Some tunes I’ve been listening to lately

Ok, I know I should try to keep to one song per artist because of how I’m going to turn this into a playlist at the end of the year and share it out, but I’m watching Long Time Running right now - the documentary about the Hip’s farewell tour once everyone knew Gord Downie was dying - and I welled up when they started playing it, and it’s always gotten me a bit sad with its high school dance vibes anyway, and if you think about them starting a trans-Canada tour and not being sure if he’d make it the whole way making everyone (or just me?) think of Terry Fox, and basically what I am saying is please cry with me to Long Time Running. Also, American friends, look up Terry Fox.

How about another song I’m going to sing at the online show (“show”) we’re doing? Note: it isn’t going to cheer you up.

To the point of venues closing all over the greater Boston area, you know what’s not closing YET? The Midway - where I actually have played a couple shows, and had my voice shit the bed on me both times but we still got asked back (somehow). It is also a place where you can get served a beer by a Boston punk legend: Lenny from Darkbuster. Who is also Lenny from Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys. See, I brought it all together at the end.

This month’s top 5: Great things my friends are up to

THESE MIGHT BE YOU!

1. Getting long-deserved and career-changing promotions and/or new jobs!

2. Starting their own really good newsletters! (note: if this is NOT you, why isn’t it? I do it and all I do is complain and then make you listen to music I like, so yours will almost certainly be better)

3. Getting, or perhaps giving themselves, frankly hot-looking haircuts! I can think of 3 just off the top of my head (ha! get it?), so if you’ve gotten a haircut lately and you’re wondering if I’m talking about you, I probably am - I’m sure you look hot to death in it - and you’re in great company.

4. Making outstanding jokes, which I will truly fight anyone who says that’s not an achievement

5. Keeping themselves and sometimes also their families going through now 5 months of this weird and lonesome hell

You ever think about what’s gone on for a shorter period of time than this quarantine/pandemic life? It’s a goddamn lot of things, that’s what. I think I’ve had shoes that have worn out in less time.