This week at Shangrilogs - March 1

A free version of the paywalled stuff. Just for funsies.

Yabba dabba doo, babes. It’s March! Normally this is one of my least favorite months of the year, but February was one very deep depression. I was a weepy little goblin, but now the cloud is finally lifting despite having a rash all over my legs, not being able to use my right hand for which a potential surgery is looming, and said mutual depression with my husband accidentally causing us to not plan our much delayed honeymoon on time and now there are no hotels available. Oops.

The good news is, the internet is ripe with distractions. Let’s get into some.

Stick around for three tiny delights this week!

Also! Hi free subscribers :) I wanted to give you a glimpse into what the paid content in these parts looks like without subjecting you to a “free preview” where you see three links and then get mad. When you become a paid subscriber, you’re saying each essay has the same value as literally any one item you can buy at Dollar Tree.

Reading: 

• “There’s 75 of us and we gotta talk to each other and see each other everyday.” If you’re remote mountain town curious, this is a fun look at what locals talk about.

• The internet is a mess, but if you’re ordering food online, make sure you know who you’re ordering from. A thread.

• This piece on “scarcity” that I came across in the beloved

  Wild Letters
  newsletter. Have you heard of “degrowth”? I believe that if you like this newsletter, you will be on board with this concept.

• Enshittification.

• How many clothes should we own?

• A card game to ruin (and then improve) your live-in relationship.

• The animals are not alright.

• God, the wealthy are so removed from reality.

• “Wasn’t using ChatGPT to complete a writing assignment (without acknowledging having done so) like going to the gym, setting the treadmill at 10 mph, letting it run for 30 minutes, taking a photograph of its display, and then claiming to have run 5 miles at a six-minute pace? It might appear to have happened, and the student, in a very passive way, would have been responsible for bringing the illusion to life, but the student would be no fitter or faster than when he or she had begun, or than the student who’d run one or two minutes at a six-minute pace or 5 miles at a comfortable jog.” More anxiety on ChatGPT.

• And finally I’m doing a piece for

  AFTER/WORDS
  soon, and here’s her latest round up if you’re craving more links.

Watching:

Finally watched RRR. What a ride. On Netflix if you have a spare three hours and wish Fast & Furious had more musical interludes.

Who amongst you lives in New York Citay? I need you to try every cocktail at this restaurant and report back, please.

You all know how I feel about birds. (Evidence here and here.) So when I tell you I loved All That Breathes, I mean I cried like a baby wishing for a better future.

Also, Mandalorian comes back tonight and so too does life to my body.

Listening:

I listened to the Huberman episode on Fertility, and whew boy does he make you nervous about getting a viral infection.

I’m going through all your podcast recommendations from last week still, BUT THANK YOU!

And our beloved Shangrilogs playlist has some new tunes up top.

I would add this to the playlist if I could.

Doing:

Researching tropical places I can disappear to in April, but literally every hotel that looks appealing is either 100% booked or $1000/night. When, oh when, will I learn to plan things in advance. When, oh when, will I remember in June that February looks like this:

Looks like our neighbors aren’t going anywhere.

One thing I am actually doing this week is joining a committee on the town council, as mentioned here. I truly cannot wait to report back.

Buying:

In our year of no spending, one of my earlier revelations is that if I spent less on little things, I’d actually be able to buy some art in my lifetime. Like, grown ass adult art. Here are some of the artists I’ve been ogling:

• Anna Songsong’s Lifeboat in the Yuma series

• Nicole James’s Don’t Look Down series

• Essentially everything from fellow Substacker and person of deep curiosity,

  Anna Fusco
  over at Lord Cowboy. Especially this.

• Many things Lily Rose Burgess, but in particular I wish I could have afforded the huge painting of this print because I find it so sexy? Tomatoes?

• This painting by Albott Bonhomme. TRANSPORT ME.

• And the utter joy in Mara Toledo’s paintings.

Hoping:

I am really hoping I don’t need surgery on my hand. I’m also hoping for some injection of joy from… somewhere? Anywhere?

One exciting thing would be hitting 4,000 subscribers which is just a handful of people away. Thank you, truly, for being on this ride.

Unsolicited Opinion:

Asking people to give a gift subscription after thanking them is tacky. But, here I am. Cringing all the way.

My real unsolicited opinion for the week is that if you don’t know how to zipper merge, you shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Actually, let’s go a little deeper on all my thoughts on driving:

• When on a Sunday Drive enjoying the sights, and someone catches up to me, it is my job to pull over at the next safe pullout to let them by.

• If I’ve watched too much Drive to Survive and have a rowdy playlist on, and I keep catching the Sunday Drivers, I am the one who needs to reevaluate. (And not by going 70 in a 55 to pass them.)

• Never, ever pull up to a light or stop sign so far that you are in the crosswalk. This is embarrassing.

• WHY DON’T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE WIDTH OF THEIR OWN CARS? On every mountain road, there is a person driving in the dead center because they think they’re about to go over the edge when they are, in reality, five feet away.

• Oh is everyone too cool for turn signals now? I am in hell.

• Coal rolling is the number one way to tell if a man is deeply unloved. Also, absolutely calling them Smoke Belchers now.

All to say I am probably going to make a bumper sticker that says “I SLOW DOWN IN TOWN” and open a little Shangrilogs Etsy where we’ll eventually sell Ben’s wares from the woodshop, too. Make the tiniest little empire in the tiniest little town.

Tiny Delight:

Ratatouille, but make it Search & Rescue. Rescouille?

More delightful and useful words!!! Listen, if we can adopt déjà vu and quid pro quo and adios and hoi polloi, then we can learn some of these.

And the absolute best thing: I love this man. Frod Forever.

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C’est tout, my beloved Shangriloggers. When you pay for Shangrilogs, you’re saying each essay is worth $1.25. Or, maybe some are worth like $3.00 and others are more like $0.75, which is how much smashed pennies used to be at carnivals. Am I old? Or am I just a delightfully smashed penny?