Required Reading. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I favour a relatively monochromatic wardrobe. While I’m not an all-black-all-the-time kind of gal, my version of colour tends to be more like grey and denim than anything else. So, I loved reading this piece on why New Yorkers have long favoured black. Guys, it’s a good look. Seriously. And frankly, if this style of dressing has the fringe benefit of making me look like I might belong in New York, I am 100% okay with that. Because, as Amy Larocca writes in this article, “we are, in a sense, with the band. The band is New York, and the…

Required Reading. As an avid fan of live theatre and dance and music, and as someone who used to perform in front of people relatively regularly, I have a more than a few thoughts on the various end of show rituals. Clapping is weird when you really start to think about it. Standing ovations should be reserved for really spectacular performances. And bows should be kept to a minimum. They are important for both audiences and performers. Like a mutual exchange of thanks. The audience thanks the performers for their work and the performers thank the audiences for the chance to share their performance. However, curtain calls that last forever and ever…

Required Reading. I am an avid reader of the blog A Beautiful Mess. It’s fun. It’s colourful. It inspires me to try new things. It inspires me to pick up habits I have let lapse. In general I love it. But this post, this post has a special place in my heart. Emma’s story really resonates with me. Not because I am where she is at, but because I often feel like I am in the middle of it. I particularly love this bit: “Out of money and ideas, I finally gave in to her requests and moved home. Elsie was moving her business into a much larger building and…

Required Reading. For a laugh. I am probably one of the most awkward people on the face of the planet when it comes to flirting interactions. Of course, the fact that 90% of the time I am entirely unaware that flirting is occurring likely does not help my case. This, plus a recent situation involving my friend being unable to figure out how to respond to “you have lovely eyes”, mean that “How To Respond When You Suspect Someone Is Flirting” by Mallory Ortberg seriously delights me. I’m probably just going to memorize this list for future use. “Thank you for your time and for your goodwill.” “I am happy…

“The Writer” by Richard Wilbur. I’ve loved this poem for a long time, and have some very fond associations with it. To be honest, however, I hadn’t thought about it in a very long while. Then, the other day, a series of internet rabbit holes somehow miraculously led me back to it. This was delightful not only because it reminded me of this piece, but also because internet rabbit holes usually lead to the scariest parts of the internet, so this was a far more pleasant outcome.   The Writer Richard Wilbur   In her room at the prow of the house Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed…

Required Reading. One of the poems in one of the collections I am working on in my dissertation (assuming the dissertation becomes something real and not another failed project, for if I collect anything at all it is failed projects and this one is starting to seem like it may be another piece for my collection) is “The Heart” by Souvankham Thammavongsa, from Found. This poem is particularly striking. I don’t know what to do with it yet, but it resonates with me. I’ve tried to replicate it here as best I can, but you should really pick up the book itself. It’s beautiful.   THE HEART,   the real   heart,…

Required Reading. McSweeney’s is so frequently spot on with their content, and this piece is no exception. I cannot quite explain how accurate I find this article. And I so enjoy the names for the various panic attacks. Broti Gupta’s “My Panic Attacks: A Performance Review“. WORK PRODUCT In Q1, Broti’s panic attacks were timely, well-organized, and produced outstanding work, including Making Broti Cry During a Charmin Commercial and Broti Asking a FedEx Employee If He Was Mad at Her. After Zoloft was brought on there were a few bumps in the road (Broti Breathes Deeply and Counts to Ten, and Broti Chooses Not to Eat the Cheez-Its She Found in Bed), but recently the drug has been…