Friday the 13th! Fun fact: The word for fear of Friday the 13th is “paraskavedekatriaphobia.” Another fun fact: In Italy, Friday the 17th is the day of bad luck–the 13th is considered lucky.
Anyway, this week was launch week for Ways the World Could End! Thank you to everyone for the support. I hope you enjoy the book! Let’s get into the usual…
Quote of the week:
“At the heart of solitude lies a paradox: look long and hard enough at yourself in isolation and suddenly you will see the rest of humanity staring back.”—Stephen Batchelor, The Art of Solitude
What I’m reading:
I finished Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey by Florence Williams this week. It exceeded my expectations—lots of nuggets of wisdom and interesting factoids. I’m starting On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong this week.
What I’m listening to:
This week, I listened to In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom. It’s about her experience alongside her husband as he chooses to end his life at Dignitas in Switzerland after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Sweet, tender, and heartbreaking. Next up on Audible: Today a Woman Went Mad at the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer.
Oh, also this week, I listened to Krista Tippett’s unedited conversation with Mary Oliver from back in 2015. So good. And a couple podcast episodes featuring the lovely Liz Gilbert.
What I’m watching:
I’m watching The Staircase and just started the new season of Workin’ Moms.
Writing news:
Ways the World Could End is out! I did some fun launch-day interviews and whatnot. Women Writers, Women’s Books also published an essay I wrote, “Writing my ‘pandemic novel’” if you want to give it a read.
What I’m talking about:
- Abortion rights. As expected, the Women’s Health Protection Act failed this week. This legislation was more about a Democratic strategy to mobilize voters. Please vote in the primaries! I’ll be researching the candidates and issues in my state this week
- The Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, which is just a few miles from where I live. This isn’t wildfire season, and nobody really expects fires near the coast like this, but the times they are a-changin’. I’m thinking of all the families who lost homes. Side note: I highly recommend Stuart Palley’s photography and activism. He takes photos of all the wildfires in CA, including this one. I saw him speak a while ago about climate change and it was very moving
- The power of awe. Peter Hendricks, a clinical psychologist and awe researcher (it’s a thing!), said, “To be the best versions of ourselves you need to transcend the self and dedicate your life to something bigger than you. Often you can achieve a recognition of that through peak experiences, and those are typified by awe. Awe ideally makes us realize that all humans are in it together, all creation is in it together.” Side note: In 1969, Maslow amended his original hierarchy of needs to add “self-transcendence,” which is very related to awe
Interesting things I learned this week:
- The Event Horizon Telescope obtained the first image of the long-theorized supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy this week
- Chile may become the first Latin American country to have the right to abortion enshrined in the country’s constitution
- The Earth’s CO2 just hit the highest recorded in human history
- Once paired up, 75% of prairie voles will stay together until one dies, even when the female isn’t reproducing. If the male dies, the female will rarely partner with a new mate. If she dies first, 20% of males will pair up with someone new
- The word “angst” comes from the Greek word ánkhō, meaning “strangle,” and the Latin words angustia, “tightness,” and angor, “choking” (interesting how the word is tied to a visceral response)
- Of all the countries in the world, Japanese adults have the least sex overall
- In the UK, 41% of Britons say the TV or a pet is their top source of company
- Sweden is #1 for single-person households
- There is a Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia that features various items that people received from former lovers and then donated to the museum
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“History of Mickey Mouse.” A good friend informed me that Mickey Mouse was inspired by an actual mouse that visited Walt Disney at his studio. Of course, I had to look this up. The full story is even more interesting: Mickey Mouse was created as a replacement for a character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Animator Ub Iwerks was told to come up with a new animal. He tried various things—dogs, cats, a female cow, a male horse, a male frog. All rejected. Walt Disney got the inspiration for Mickey Mouse from a tame mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City. Hugh Harman drew some sketches of mice around a photograph of Walt Disney and these inspired Ub Iwerks to create a mouse character. The character was originally named Mortimer Mouse, but Walt’s wife Lillian convinced him to change it to Mickey.
Someone should make an animated movie featuring all the rejected animals (and a mouse named Mortimer).
What I’m grateful for:
- A fun weekend in LA—got to visit Small World Books, Skylight Books, LACMA (photo from the Barbara Kruger exhibit below), and see a symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
- A great book launch day!
- Nearing completion on the first draft of my next novel. I’m at the stage of wondering if this novel is any good, which means it’s time to print it out and read through it
- Celebrating my cousin’s wedding this weekend and spending time with family I don’t get to see that often
A few snapshots from this week:
