Enthusiastic criticism + recommendations for thoughtful pop culture mavens

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Jul
25
July 20: It’s not a machine, after all

July 20: It’s not a machine, after all

Maybe you missed those weekly recs, maybe you never gave it a second thought. Maybe you’ve been lost in the Feed for so long that you’ve gotten used to the idea of people fading in and out of your scroll that absences mean almost nothing to you anymore.
5 min read
May
06
Image of a midwestern landscape with windmills in the distance

I Want To Talk To You About Cruelty

Julie is the first person in your life who paid attention to you - really stopped to pay attention to you. And it changed you. It made you better. And the cruelest thing is that places like Taylor and Cedarville don’t believe you’re worth that attention.
7 min read
Apr
01
April 1: If nothing can be known, then stupidity is holy

April 1: If nothing can be known, then stupidity is holy

It’s not cowardice to take a moment and find the soul at the bottom of your coffee cup.
3 min read
Mar
18
An image of a lock in the Erie Canal near Baldwinsville, NY.

March 18: Whiskey and Twizzlers and Youth’s Discontent

The fire dies down and you feel you’ve gotten what you needed from it and so you venture back out under the winter sky, maybe remembering that its cold blue is as beautiful as the orange glow of the hearth.
4 min read
Apr
09
April 9: In Case You Missed It

April 9: In Case You Missed It

ICYMI: The records we didn't talk about from Q1 that you should still be checking out.
4 min read
Apr
02
April 2: How do I not cast a shadow?

April 2: How do I not cast a shadow?

Don’t worry. I have nothing to say about last week’s Oscar night and the slap that has already
6 min read
Mar
26
March 26: The sacrifice is a metaphor

March 26: The sacrifice is a metaphor

Video games are often vehicles for power fantasies. The fantasy of environmental supremacy - being able to navigate any space.
7 min read
Mar
12
March 12: I hold my peace and watch the day go by

March 12: I hold my peace and watch the day go by

Hey it’s been a minute. The past few weeks have been a lot of moving around - heading out
5 min read
Feb
12
February 12: Don't need a cure for me.

February 12: Don't need a cure for me.

Indulge me for a moment, won't you? It’s our anniversary. It’s been a year of The
5 min read
Feb
05
February 5: I'm worth what I'll convince myself to be

February 5: I'm worth what I'll convince myself to be

I told myself a month ago that 2022 would be the year I stopped kidding myself. I’m approaching my
7 min read