Better Living Through Literature
Words + Projects + Stuff I Like
1. The most nostalgic combination of words possible: 1991 California Raisins commercial for the library (via Austin Kleon).
2. I need to print this out so I can remember what’s actually helpful for people going through something (don’t put the burden on them! I speak from experience but I still forget!): 
3. I’m probably painting the hallway this weekend but what if I took a boat ride in a laundry basket instead? And I were a goose?
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1 . Work is unnecessarily stressful right now and I think I’m going to do this today: 
2. Some good eye candy: The CalArts poster archive.
3. Exactly what it says on the tin:
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1. Hamilton Nolan sent an excellent newsletter this week: Remove Your Ring Camera With a Claw Hammer.
I get it. People are worried that they may be victims of a home invasion. Is your dad Charles Lindbergh? If not, you will not be kidnapped as you sleep. I guarantee it. In fact, I am so confident of this that I am willing to bet one thousand dollars, right now, that it won’t happen to you. That’s how I got the big vault of gold I have: positive thinking, and basic statistical literacy.
2. Perhaps thematically relevant to The Times We’re In: a dictionary of demons.
3. An American in China times a hospital and pharmacy visit. “It doesn’t matter if you’re living here or what kind of visa you’re on, anybody can go to a Chinese public hospital.” And you can just show up without an appointment?? (Cries jealously in American.)
@internationalsidequest 19 minutes. ???? Slightly chaos but worth it #fyp #healthcare ♬ original sound – Jen’s Side Quests
1. Is your blood pressure high? I recommend watching seven minutes of cheetahs running in slow motion. (Bonus, you can see the toy they pulled along for one to chase.) 
2. And then you can get your blood pressure back up with this essay from Mike Moneteiro about voting with your wallet.
Oligarchs like Tim Cook and Elon Musk have shown us their ass. But when you show someone your ass you end up also exposing your neck. America has one neck, and it’s capitalism. Which runs on your dollar. If you want to change how America works, change where you’re putting your dollar.
3. How about a Rebecca Solnit quote to take us into the weekend?
The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean that we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. You may need to grieve or scream or take time off, but you have a role, no matter what, and right now good friends and good principles are worth gathering in. Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is. The pain you feel is because of love.
1. There’s a general strike today in solidarity with Minneapolis, comrades! (And if you can’t miss work, here are 20 other ways you can show up. Collective action takes many forms.)
2. If you’re local, there’s a rally at 2:00 at Washington Square downtown. I already made my sign:
3. It’s been a LONG terrible month but Sunday is February at least? I’ve also been doing Dry January–so I appreciated this post about managing anxiety without booze.
1. Speaking of Minnesota, after I posted yesterday I found a mega-roundup of links and ways to donate/help, “an independent project of a lady from Minneapolis.” Check it out–StandWithMinnesota.com.
2. Speaking of Minnesota, part 2: 
(from a hopeful thread on what it’s like in the Twin Cities now).
3. A wonderful thing: The darkest 10 weeks are over. 
1. Presented without comment: 
2. The NRA has to approve of the resurgence of the Black Panthers though, right?
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3. In happier non-America news: Japan is deploying robotic wolves to help deter bears. You have to click through to the picture.
1. I don’t want to make jokes about a murder but this did make me grimly smile. 
2. What a first week of 2026. I’m feeling this for sure (from Austin Kleon):
3. “The more division you have between people, the easier they are to control.”
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1. Continuing the holiday theme, I can’t stop saying, “Yule lads” to myself. Jólasveinar – The thirteen Icelandic Yule lads (Santa Clauses) .
2. This set of holiday jazz is smooooth and you can watch the guy being very “cool” about changing the records.
3. Final plumbing is happening today in the basement and final electrical might be Monday. Soon all the construction lads will be gone–I’d better ask if they’ve been practicing their dance moves while I can.
@brickingit1 Which is your favourite? #construction #dance #austinmillz ♬ Right Now – Austin Millz & Caroline Byrne
1. I learned a new word this very morning: Isicathamiya, “an a cappella singing style that is popular in the Zulu South African music community. It is known for close harmonies and choreographed dance moves performed by the singers.” How did I learn this? I saw a clip from The Joy, a group out of Durban. They picked a good name for themselves:
2. Hell yeah: Meet the Veteran Who Chases ICE on a Scooter.
“The first time I caught up to them, I could tell that they already knew who I was,” he told me when we first spoke on the phone in late October. “They had seen me before, so they thought they were just going to speed away. I was like, ‘Ha ha, bitches, I got a new scooter!’”
3. How every day of 2025 has felt:
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