I just got back from London. And I feel very lucky. When I was growing up, I wanted to see the world. My parents indulged that itch with weekend trips to Newport, Washington D.C, Cape Cod, and other wonderful East Coast towns and cities.
When I saw kids in middle school wearing “Oxford University” sweatshirts from their time abroad, that kind of excursion felt out of reach. Then we did the Europe thing as a family.
I felt the same way about going away to college. I saw the college movies every teenage boy sees, and I thought that was just not in my future. Perhaps I didn’t think I was conventionally bright enough. And it definitely seemed too expensive. But then I did it. And I was grateful for the experience.
In London, covering the New York Giants - Green Bay Packers game for NPR and asking a question to quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the post-game press conference, I had a similar moment of self-reflection. I knew kid-reporter me would be proud. And current me.
(Lucian Freud painting above)
What I’m Reading: On the plane ride home, I finished Rachel Aviv’s new book, “Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us.” I cried once, maybe twice. Her prose cuts through the noise. Like if you can’t read a book right now, try this one. The stories she tells about “mental health” are destructive and healing. Cheers to that.
Aviv, an expert writer at The New Yorker, usually avoids writing about herself. But this collection shines in exposing her stake in the field of psychiatry and in combining autobiographical details with the lives of her subjects.
I’ve been psyched to read Hua Hsu’s new book “Stay True” for uh so long (it was even pre-ordered for me). I’m about 50 pages into it, and it’s all I wanted and more. Hua feels like a friend, and his writing style matches the exuberance and self-doubt of being a young person.
Hua writes: “He [my dad] often implored me to apply some of the energy I spent memorizing sports statistics or writing record reviews to my schoolwork. I just had to study my textbooks the way I studied my cherished magazines.” Me too, I thought. I heard this from my parents when I failed my biology and geometry tests, while scoring a gig with Sports Illustrated.
On Tuesday, I’m producing a segment on Hua’s book for my NPR affiliate station!! It should air around 12.20 ET, so tune in then if you can!
What I’m Listening To: A lot of podcasts and radio programming with my job and all. I think Rough Translation is one of the greats from NPR. Two episodes I loved: “Home/Front: Marla's War” and "As Russians approach his town, 'the cat must still be fed.'"
I guess I’m nostalgic for Ithaca because I’ve been listening to WRFI’s Conference of the Birds. A lot of free-jazz and Tropicália on that show, so they got me good.
Oh, and I took my parents to see Vieux Farka Touré, who just released a new album. A sense from the crowd of wanting but not knowing how to dance to the music. I think Vieux killed it though.
What I’m Watching: 200 years late, I’m watching The Sopranos. Yeah, it’s good. Per Donnell Alexander’s Twitter recommendation, I’m going to watch City of Ghosts (a show, where I think, kids interview ghosts in Los Angeles).
I saw the 2003 doc, “Afro-Punk,” at a small screening recently. Probably because it’s not my scene, there’s a lot I learned about the music and that period of time, in I guess the early 2000s. Really great, genuine film from director and graphic artist James Spooner.
What I’m Eating and Drinking: At Borough Market in London, I had a bunch of great food and tried (after much anticipation) some of Oliver’s cider. It was exactly what I was looking for: dry and funky. Voyage of the Mayflower #4, a pet-nat finished with ice cider, was a favorite. At Quality Wines, a pretty perfect bar/shop in the city, I had some wildly good Serbian wine. In terms of eats, street food of any kind was good. Nem Nem was a wonderful, small-plate-oriented Vietnamese spot.
Haven’t been cooking much, but I’m here to disperse, in these busy times, the delight of one-pot recipes.
On Wednesday, October 19, at 7 pm, The Park Center for Independent Media and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival will host a book launch with friend of the newsletter, Naeem Inayatullah.
Join us then: https://www.parkindymedia.org/book-launch-naeem-inayatullah-pedagogy-as-encounter/