What I’m Consuming: Week of 5/7/18

Personally, I like to know what my faves are reading, viewing, and/or listening to every so often. It keeps me on my toes and introduces me to creatives, thinkers, and other interesting humans I may not know about.

In that spirit, I’m committing to posting at least 2x/month here on my blog what I’m currently reading, viewing, and/or listening to. Maybe it’ll keep you on your toes, and maybe it’ll just vaporize into the online abyss. Either way, it helps me procrastinate when I’m supposed to be doing other things.

What I’m Consuming Now (week of 5/7/18):

READING: 

• Rac(e)ing to Class: Confronting Poverty and Race in Schools and Classrooms by H. Richard Milner IV (Harvard Education Press, 2015). This isn’t a book I can read from start to finish in a week, but each week I’m reading little bits and taking time to process what I read. I sought it out as part of my never-ending effort to understand race and poverty in America and its effect on (in particular) young people.

• “I swear to make the patriarchy uncomfortable. And I’m proud of it.” by Mona Eltahawy, public speaker and author of the book Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution (Macmillan, 2016). The older I become, the more I swear, and I think it’s because I’m finally coming to terms with my past and the fact that, each year, I give less and less of a fuck what people think of me. There, I said it.

• My oldest daughter’s texts. Because all I do, it feels, is read and/or write texts about dropping her off and picking her up at various locations, occasionally with food in hand.

VIEWING:

• Childish Gambino’s new video “This Is America.” If you haven’t yet watched this, you should. It’s visually stunning and full of things to unpack. In addition, it’s sparking an important intellectual debate about its actual merit. I’ve watched it approximately 3,549 times. (WARNING: contains sensitive material.)
• Live footage of Hawai’i’s Kilauea volcano, which began it’s latest eruption on 5/3/18. It’s terrifying and amazing to watch. Sending love to all those who have been (and who continue to be) impacted by this natural disaster and its aftereffects!
  

LISTENING TO:

• Inara George. Have you heard this woman? I had (she sang a song in the movie Bridesmaids–who knew?), but hadn’t realized it before this week, when I heard a story about her on NPR about her new album, Dearest Everybody. Her voice and her lyrics are gorgeous, and she’s about my age, so I don’t feel like a total poser listening to her.
• Decoder Ring by Slate podcast, a brand new podcast about pop culture and so-called “cultural mysteries.” Its first episode was about the Laff Box, more popularly known as the laugh track, which was an integral part of such television programs as “The Brady Bunch,” “Friends,” and many, many more. It’s short-ish and fascinating and great for listening to while on quick hikes in the woods.

What are you reading, viewing, and listening to? Help me procrastinate further by listing your current faves in the comments. Thanks!