I’m trying to get into the habit of writing a weekly blog, rounding up interesting things I’ve watched, listened to, read or written in the past week. Hopefully this provides fertile ground for developing long-form pieces, and gets me into the habit of regular writing and publishing, even if I’m not entirely happy with what I write, or if I leave some things out:
So, here’s the first ~lo-fi~ version -
What I’m watching:
The BBC/Hulu adaptation of Normal People, Sally Rooney.
What I’m listening to:
Billie Eilish’s rendition of Bobby Hebb’s Sunny from Global Citizen’s One World; Together at Home concert.
Mac Miller’s Circles
Dope Lemon’s Smooth Big Cat
What I’m reading:
This really sensitive photo essay called “Put out to grass: when animals are allowed to grow old”. Most of the subjects have been rescued from slaughterhouses or farms after cases of cruelty. Recalled for me how sickening I find factory farming, and how any kind of animal cruelty makes me uncomfortable even with the idea of being human.
The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months, by Rutger Bregman in The Guardian.
10 reasons why COVID-19 favours a Trump re-election victory, by Associate Professor Timothy Lynch in UniMelb Pursuit.
This charming piece on Bluestone and Melbourne by Stephanie Trigg, in The Conversation and in longer article form (before her book is published). It explores how bluestone has shaped Melbourne as a city - or as Ben Wilkie put it on Twitter, “the intermingling of human and lithic histories”. It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time. Melbourne and bluestone have always been synonymous in my mind; not because it constitutes so much of our built environment, but because - probably for reasons of synaesthesia - it reminds me of the character of the city: a little bit melancholic, calmer and cooler than Sydney sandstone, and strong and durable. One of my favourite things is the glistening and reflective light of bluestone streetscapes after it’s rained. It also reminds me of the stunning Parisian cobbled roads made up of intersecting concentric circles. I love the texture of these streets, and how they used to feel when driving or riding over when I lived in Paris in July 2012.
And finally, something beautiful:
I’ve been a fan of New York based artist and illustrator Mari Andrew for a long time. I even went to one of her private sketching workshops in Melbourne in 2018; it was a surreal experience to see an Instagram character assume material form.
Today is Mother’s Day, and Mari posted this beautiful image from a year ago on her story. Like most of Mari’s work, I think it’s really thoughtful and touching and is particularly welcome for those who find Mother’s Day difficult, lonely and saddening for various reasons. It also adds complexity and dimension to the notion of motherhood, drawing attention to the negative space of idealised, affirmative concepts.
Mari Andrew, 11 May 2019, at https://www.instagram.com/p/BxUYs-Bh916/