what i love right now
#4 of things i love that aren't "things"
Hello. December is here. How are you feeling about it? I’m finding a few moments of ease after a string of recurring nightmares that have left shades of gray during my waking hours. Hope ease is finding you, too.
Here are some things I’m loving right now. . .
1. Blackouts by Justin Torres
This book is incredible. I received an advanced reader copy and could not put it down. I will definitely reread it, and the only book I think I’ve ever reread is A Tale of Two Cities (for school). Blackouts is not only disturbingly relevant. It feels right for this time of winter, to me; for this season of heaviness, strife, and war that is happening around us. It is structurally inventive, historically rooted with artistic license, and so deeply felt. If you’re queer, or know a queer/LGBTQ2IA+ adult, and you/they are looking for a bit of a toothy, achey muscle in a good way feeling kind of read to chew on— this is it.
2. GoodGoodGood Co.'s Good Newsletter
GoodGoodGood Co is a media company that publishes “good news”. They have a weekly free email newsletter and you can get the physical newspaper sent (to yourself or as a gift) as a great way of sharing good news with the world. In the age of too much email, I love these stories.
The news covers climate change, global events, hyper-local stories about communities, and more. It fills my heart with joy and much-needed hope during dark times.
3. Freedom app
Freedom is a browser-blocking app. You can set it up for free, or, if you have a premium account, you can install it on as many devices as you want. I made a blocklist of sites I don’t want to be on, click which devices I want that active on, set a timer, and go.
The Freedom app has both paid and free subscriptions. I recently went whole hog and bought a “lifetime” membership. In spite of getting rid of my smart phone, I find myself still navigating the treachery of the internet, and I’m working on curbing that. This app has been great, and I’m going to install it on my (old but still working great) 2017 iPad Air 2, and my partner’s probably going to borrow it, too.
4. Perfectly Good Food by Margaret Li and Irene Li
Perfectly Good Food is an adorably designed cookbook. It definitely does include recipes, but it’s primary purpose is to help you reduce your food waste and use up all the usable parts of fruits, veggies, meat and protein, and other things. I am a fan of home cooking, and yet, I still find myself composting more food than I’d like to. One of my goals this upcoming year is to work on my food consumption and use more, buy less. This book is one of the tools in my metaphorical tool belt!
5. My (new to me) Nintendo 64 (thanks, Nick!!)
I know those who have read a handful of my posts might think of me as a bit curmudgeonly about technology. This comes from being a heavy user of it— Very Online, as people like to say. One element of technology I haven’t talked about a lot is my childhood love of video games.
The Nintendo 64 was one of the first gifts I got as a child for a holiday that I remember wanting desperately. I had, and played, that Nintendo 64 and even still owned the exact one I was given in 1997 until about 9 months ago—but it had stopped working. (Knowing what I know now, I probably would’ve tried to repair it.)
I really, really loved video games as a kid. It was a weekend ritual of mine to get up very early (around 6 a.m.) when the house was quiet, wander into the living room, plug in my Nintendo, and play with the volume on low on a Saturday morning.
When I got older, I was nervous that video games would impede me negatively as an adult, so I sold a lot of them before I went to college. (I miss you, pink Nintendo DS.) I have several gamer friends, who I adore, and I play with them sometimes, but until a few weeks ago, I didn’t own any systems except for an old 2DS.
Part of this is intentional. I don’t want to pay $70 for a video game on top of a $500 system on top of the hours I already spend glued to a screen. I also mostly love games of my youth. It’s a boundary I’d been nervous to cross.
As a gift, my friend Nick gave me his Nintendo 64. After a little bit of cleaning—he warned me that it may have needed a new cable, which I found online—it was working great. He also gifted me (so kindly) some of my most favorite childhood games, like Pokémon Snap.
My partner and I are trying to be really mindful of our game usage, so right now, we can only play games together and only for a few hours per week. But it’s been such a fun thing to do, to share (my partner did not play Nintendo growing up) and a nice escape on dreary winter days.
What are you loving these days? Let me know!
(Note: links to books are affiliate links that may provide me with a small referral fee if you purchase them through the links.)