It’s the end of summer break for my kiddos. Looking back, I had a lot of fun. I also completely drowned under it. Being full-time mom while trying to work and do…basically anything…completely blew me out of all my rhythms.
I didn’t really have rhythms, though. I’ve been struggling and scraping by without motivation, purpose, or desire for quite a while. Every time it seems I’m going to get traction on something again, I slip. It’s like 2020 absolutely ruined me.
Summer was especially messy, but it wasn’t *that* different from my psychological state these past few years.
I’m nothing if not stubborn though. I’m going to make good use of the time my kid is in school. I’m going to get stuff done, honest.
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Biden has been talking about dropping out of the race. (The Guardian) I don’t like authority figures in general, nor do I like presidents, but in a sort of neutral way I think the mythology of Joseph R Biden is interesting. He worked next to America’s first Black president and seemed to take a lot of pride in supporting him. He also chose a Black running mate for 2020 and helped usher in the first mixed race VP. By stepping aside, he’s also made Harris a contender as the first woman president — a Black woman, an Indian woman, from a migrant family.
I say this is his mythology because there are political machinations behind all of this. There are cynical, pragmatic reasons supporting and overwhelming the sentimental ones. Yet many presidents (none other than him) have chosen to have this mythology as their narrative. He’s the first to have committed to this kind of allyship. It says something that he wanted it, on some level.
Likewise, from the article:
Biden became emotional as he recalled a promise he made to his late son Beau about remaining in politics. “He said, ‘I know when it happens, you’re gonna want to quit. You’re not gonna stay engaged. Look at me. Look at me, Dad. Give me your word as a Biden. When I go, you’ll stay engaged. Give me your word.’ And I did.”
Biden and his team also chose this noble, family- and grief-driven narrative for his story as president. Essentially, Biden didn’t go for the strong-arm president, the wartime president, the anti-terrorism president, the “business leader in politics” president. He went for a particular American narrative I’ve always found least unappealing. The idea that we are, idealogically, a country aspiring to be a “more perfect” union. A pluralist society that can overcome its systemic apartheid-like biases within its borders.
Not everyone is willing to do this, so it does matter that this is what he chose…even while America does a lot of its usual nastiness everywhere else.
Just something I’m thinking about.
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No matter who gets elected in November, both main presidential candidates have promised to stop taxing tips. (The Guardian)
Which means it will no longer be illegal to pretend you didn’t get tipped, the way most people do.
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The fact Deadpool & Wolverine has done so well (to the tune of a billion dollarbucks) (Variety) reminds me of the way Iron Man 1 did well for Robert Downey Jr. In both cases, the movies were partially based around redemption arcs *outside* the movie.
Deadpool redeems the MCU by being honest about its massive flaws ad limitations.
Iron Man redeems RDJ by giving the Tony Stark character a redemption arc akin to RDJ’s, giving us the feeling of a shitty drunk dude stepping up to be a hero.
MCU seems to do well when it monetizes a sense of honesty, whether or not that honesty is authentic. It doesn’t do as well when it gets its head up its own butt about its mythology. They’re probably learning from this for a few projects, but they’ll get their heads firmly back up their butts in no time.
In generally terrible news for the movie industry, theaters are now just for people willing to pay a premium (Quartz). Less people are going overall. Those who do are paying more. In case you thought that anyone in the industry was in it for the art, let this be a reminder that overall, this is about investment.
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Smithsonian Mag talks about geoengineering Mars to make it more habitable. This time, it’s talking about putting more metals into the atmosphere to reduce the extreme temperatures.
This idea is meant to emulate global warming on Earth, but for benevolent reasons. As a storyteller, not a scientist, this sounds like a real bad idea.
Related to Earth’s climate change (not Mars), Utah has lost one of its famous interesting geographic features because of it. The “Double Arch” has collapsed. (The Guardian)
The popular arch in the Glen Canyon national recreation area fell on Thursday, and park rangers suspect changing water levels and erosion from waves in Lake Powell contributed to its demise.
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Psychedelic therapies have been on the rise in popularity, but the FDA has smacked down clinical use of MDMA for now. (NPR)
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Nothing gold can stay. Warner Bros reign of terror continues by demolishing the Cartoon Network website (Engadget), where kids could enjoy free episodes of shows. Everyone’s gotta go on Max now.
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I haven’t been posting Sara Reads the Feed lately, yet the Starliner saga continues. Astronauts remain stuck on ISS because Starliner isn’t safe to come down. (Quartz) Worse, it’s probably bricking one of the docking ports on ISS because Boeing removed its autonomous docking software.
So are you surprised to hear Boeing’s rockets are being built by an unqualified workforce? (Ars Technica)
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It has long been an issue that pain isn’t taken seriously for babies, nonwhite folks, and women. The fact that the CDC is only *just* recommending pain relief for IUD insertions (The Cut) is another reminder that we’re still dealing with these Victorian ideas in the year of our glorb 2024.
Several studies found that doctors underestimate the pain associated with getting an IUD. One study of 200 women found that while most women said the pain was about a 65 on a scale of 100, most physicians ranked it as a 35.
Woof.
