1. We’ve reached the point of winter where your skin is so dry and pale you feel like an albino lizard. This animation made me laugh (the whole thread did):

Hitting 30 like pic.twitter.com/yRTBtHSFlT

— » dr mrs the mothman » 🔌🔋 (@exfatalist) January 13, 2020

2. Here’s something to read if you want to start dismantling the capitalist system that keeps you tied to consuming more than the planet can sustain in lieu of living a more meaningful life (and I say this as a lifetime consumer; I’m just starting to wake up): Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed.

We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing.

Western economies, particularly that of the United States, have been built in a very calculated manner on gratification, addiction, and unnecessary spending. We spend to cheer ourselves up, to reward ourselves, to celebrate, to fix problems, to elevate our status, and to alleviate boredom.

Can you imagine what would happen if all of America stopped buying so much unnecessary fluff that doesn’t add a lot of lasting value to our lives?

1. Wow, the first full week of 2020 didn’t pull any punches, did it? Maybe we can try again for that “fresh start” next week.

2. The world may be falling apart but I DID A SKATE TRICK! I can’t wait for warmer weather when I can skate outside.

3. This seems like a good January link: A Radical Guide to Spending Less Time on Your Phone.

1. I got a new PR at the gym yesterday for deadlift–200 pounds! I’m giving credit to that tin of butter cookies I ate (and, OK,  another 6 months of training). I’m going to try for a new max on bench Saturday if I’m feeling good.

2. It’s the Winter Solstice tomorrow. My work bro asked what I did to celebrate and I got to throw all the links at him: The Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar, some Wikipedia history, and Susan Cooper’s poem “The Shortest Day.” If you do nothing else, light a candle tomorrow and be glad we’ve made it to the return of the light.

3. I’m off next week so I will be doing some last-minute sewing, making more cookies, and just taking it easy instead of posting. Happy Solstice, Good Yule, and Io Saturnalia to everyone out there.

1. I just learned (from Robin Sloan’s newsletter) that Rudyard Kipling wrote two sci-fi stories. In 1905 and 1912. You can read both of them here.

2. I also just learned that Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now, has an Instagram account, where I saw this:

Far out!

1. This is accurate:

(Via)

2. This is hilarious (sound on, via my friend who finds all the best things):

1. I have next week ENTIRELY OFF, which is my first real break in three months of being the only writer at work. Lisa Congden posted this last week and I can relate:

2. This is my pile of projects I think I can get to next week: Three fancy blouses and a sweater. Can you tell I’m craving some color?

3. While I sew, maybe I’ll listen to this podcast Austin Kleon talked about. This quote got me:

“I’m trying to keep my heart alive,” Silverblatt continues. “I’m trying to keep my joy alive. And if I stand up and roar, I’m trying to keep my soul alive… That’s what we have all done, when we get to do what we want to do with our lives: We keep our joy, we keep our hearts, we keep our soul.”

4. I won’t be posting next week, to have a real break and to give myself a little space. This will be the first Thanksgiving without Mom; I can stockpile all the pretty projects I want but there will still be hard moments. “Breathe deep and let November be November.” Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

1. This is…really accurate lately:

2. This is the best Twitter thread I’ve ever seen: Anagrams of Bond film titles.

3. And these are lovely–loose notecards with words of love on them.

1. Take a break from feelings and read about cooking a good pot of beans instead.

2. Be the crow you want to see in the world:

1. It’s Samhain (well, it began last night at sundown) in the Celtic tradition, which means we are at the midpoint between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Six more weeks of the darkness.

2. It’s also Dia de los Muertos, which I had never really studied, assuming it was just a take on the Roman Catholic All Saints Day. Turns out it has its origins in Aztec culture–2,500-3,000 BCE–and the Catholic Church just put its veneer over it.

3. And, since we’re talking about death and gray hair this week, here’s another take on it from Long Reads: I’m 72. So What?

[…] The approach of death puts pressure on life, to extract as much juice from it as we can. But it’s a different kind of pressure than the one I felt when I was younger—the social pressure to conform, to hit the required milestones, meet the right man, get pregnant, have a family, succeed in your career. Rather, it’s a new awareness of time being finite, the focus sharper, the purpose clearer. Simplifying, pruning, keeping only the essential. There’s a huge relief in attending to your core needs and goals, getting closer to the bone, a deeper spirituality.

1. More Danny Ortberg and music: The Problem With Opera

2. From Outside magazine, all the “wellness” tips you really need:

On a micro level, think about your acute environment daily. Is your phone always on? Are you constantly being interrupted by notifications? Are you in a space conducive to the goal you want to accomplish? Do you keep lots of junk food in the house? Do you surround yourself with junk content? The goal is to design your environment to support the behaviors you desire.

On a macro level, ask yourself these questions: Do I live in a place that feels unlivable? Does my commute totally suck my soul?

3. ACCURATE: