The Flu Descends: January 27 - February 2

I'm one to retreat and ignore the world as it falls apart. It's not the healthiest coping mechanism, I realize, but it is a coping mechanism, and so I'm not surprised to see that I seem to have watched more movies this past week than I had the rest of the month combined. (I also had more time in front of the tv as my daughter fought off a crazy-high fever brought on by the flu this week.)

The good news is that, as I've gone into a sort of hiding, I haven't lost my capacity for joy and wonder. I continue to be amazed by acts of glowing creativity and driven to create something myself when the stars finally align and the weather warms and I can carve out some space to try woodworking. I don't know how sustainable any of this is, but I'm holding onto what I can right now.

Books
The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry (continued): It's incandescent – or maybe irridescent. I've been trying to decide what it reminds me of, but the chapter in which two characters eat psychedelic mushrooms while on the lam in a forest had me thinking of Allen Ginsberg - and that's when I decided to just enjoy the ride. If I weren't shuffling between this and Wendell Berry, I'd have finished it in a fever.

Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry (continued): It was the damndest thing. I read a solid chunk of this earlier in the week and was really thinking about what was drawing me into it so thoroughly, and then I finished a chapter in which Jayber reflects on grief and I genuinely found myself crying. I thought that only happened in books.

Movies
Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music (dir. Questlove): My ultimate memory of living in NYC is the night my wife and I got to see an airing of SNL. And on that night I sat directly behind Questlove in the audience, and the only thing I really remember from the show was seriously disliking the musical act (Greta Van Fleet) and watching Questlove to see what made him laugh. I learned that he's there most weeks, and it makes total sense that they asked him to make this documentary. The montage in the opening 5 minutes is the most creative thing I've seen in years, and I couldn't love it more than I do. Here's a clip of Questlove talking about it.

The French Connection (dir. William Friedkin): It's basically one long-ass stakeout and chase (so, basically, a boring chase and an exciting chase). I like the stories about making it better than I do the actual finished product.

A League of Their Own (dir. Penny Marshall): My 6 year-old daughter had the flu this week, and this is somehow her comfort film so I spent my Friday morning with the Rockford Peaches. She is very sure Dottie drops the ball on purpose at the end to be a good sister.

Dog Man (dir. Peter Hasting): I'm a big believer that a movie should be judged on the extent to which it succeeds in doing what it sets out to do. I took my suddenly 9 year-old son to see it on Saturday afternoon after we had to cancel his birthday party due to his sister's flu, and he turned to me three separate times in the theater to tell me how great this movie was. So who the hell am I to judge? The animation was pretty cool, even if, like me and unlike my son, you don't know exactly which Dog Man book each narrative thread of this movie comes from.

Music
Feed The Animals, Girl Talk: The opening of Questlove's documentary left me fired up and reminded me of how I felt when I first heard Girl Talk, so I listened to this all week. I saw him once at the 9:30 Club in DC, and it was incredible. I don't really know how he did it live, but I will never forget the joy of discovery that night. This is an album I wish I could listen to for the first time all over again.

Articles and Episodes
How to Make a Simple Bookcase, Paul Saunders: This is my dream.

This D-II Coach is a Basketball Genius, CJ Moore (The Athletic): A classic story of the outside-the-box thinker who is ignored and an even-more-classic conclusion of "well, he still hasn't done it at the highest level so maybe it doesn't work..."

The Telltale Toilet, Jennifer Ouellette (Ars Technica): Who can resist a headline like this? Not this guy.

"A Hardened Detective and an Angry Rock Star: How a Vast Art Fraud Was Cracked", Norimitsu Omishi (New York Times): I think maybe we're using the term "rock star" a little too loosely here, but as I've mentioned before I'm a sucker for art theft and forgery stories, even when they're ultimately a bit underwhelming like this one.

Tips on Journaling, Austin Kleon: I've enjoyed Kleon's books, and I've been thinking about keeping an old-school journal – but I guess that's what this project really is for me. Still, I might dip a toe.

Too many to name or list: Videos learning about the upcoming Civilization VII. I've never really played a 4X game for more than a few minutes before feeling overwhelmed, but the guys I play NCAA Football 25 with are pivoting to this next week and I'm going to give it a real shot. There's a lot to learn, but I'm doing the deep dive. Quill18 and whiteandnerdytv have been helpful and entertaining so far. I'm very open to tips if any readers have experience with past editions of the game...