Day 221: They can't all be peaks

Hello readers!

In contrast to last week's mega-post, not a lot happened this week. Next week will be more exciting to read about because I'll be presenting my research as it stands thus far to my Fulbright compatriots, and I'll get to see what they've been working on as well. I did sit down with Oz Almog for a second meeting--he's always a pleasure to talk to! I'll be following up with the other artists involved in my project before I go, just to get an update on their work--for some of them, it's been six months since we last met in person! (Which seems ridiculous, because how have I been here that long??)

I have a few pieces that are being published or already have been published this week, so keep an eye on that section of my main site. I've got a few books to read for PopMatters, including the newest David Sedaris, an artist profile to write for Whitehot Magazine, and a movie review to finish for Bust. I still get a little thrill every time I see my name in a byline, even though I've been freelancing for years.

Sometimes it's a little difficult to keep consuming media that ends up disappointing me--I start to wonder if watching or reading things I don't like makes me expect to not like the next thing, and so on and so forth. But I can honestly say I haven't read so much for pleasure since high school, even if that pleasure ends with me giving a book a number grade, and it's certainly nice to be able to watch movies and television and justify spending time doing that because it's technically work! And the more television I watch, the better I get at watching television--take that, everyone who says television will kill your brain! It has only made mine stronger.

However, I've also noticed that more and more, I've been delving into these works and trying to disappear into their worlds, like I did when I was a kid. It's becoming increasingly hard to keep up with the new cycle and not feel scared or angry about the country that is my home becoming a place that I don't recognize--a place that doesn't want me to be there and doesn't find me valuable, whether it's because of who I am or the kind of work I want to do. Especially when it comes to reading the David Sedaris--I've been reading his essays for almost ten years, and it's hard not to think about what felt different in 2007-8 when I read him for the first time, and how reading the same writing now makes me feel. I remember laughing, I remember being shocked, I remember where I was when I read a certain story--it's like a time machine, but I don't know if the me that first read David Sedaris could envision the unease and anxiety current me feels.

Photos of the week:

Spotted near my apartment!

"All you should eat"... sounds like both a challenge and a judgment! I'll eat as much as I like!

This giant cup was in an Illy coffee products store (not a cafe), which was far too fancy for me. It was actually a sculpture and not a proper cup.

This was also in the coffee store and was almost a little disturbing. If I want to buy mugs, I don't want them to look like specimens in a lab...