Charcuterie of Written Words
Charcuterie of Written Words
BONUS post! March has five Fridays this year, and the charcut. is back by popular demand.
Please enjoy this random assortment of things I read this month that are not books :)
An actual physical magazine
Yep! I read a magazine this month (most of one, at least). I was traveling from New York to Charlottesville and while buying my water and Swedish Fish at the BuzzFeed News, I caught sight of the March edition of Harper’s. Yes you read that right - I said BuzzFeed News. Like Hudson News but instead of that it’s BuzzFeed. Why can’t BuzzFeed keep its grubby hands off of anything?
The cover article of this particular edition was about the Penguin Random House trial re potential merger with Simon & Schuster. I was aware of PRH’s plan to purchase Simon & Schuster back when it was announced in March 2020. I knew that the Department of Justice antitrust division filed a lawsuit to block the merger. After I stopped interviewing for jobs in the publishing industry, I lost track of that particular news trail. Until now, that is! It’s like I mentally fast forwarded through the three year wait and found out how it all ended without even remembering that I was waiting to find out. No merger is how it ended.
The article was interesting for two reasons. First, because it provided a glimpse into the closed courtroom, and the author, Christian Lorentzen, did a great job of reproducing some of the more humorous testimony. Second, because it did a good job of validating the arguments on both sides. In fact, I couldn’t tell you with any certainty whether Lorentzen was in favor of the merger or not. I suppose now it doesn’t matter much.
In addition to reading the cover article, I also read some other stuff. Harper’s is a funny magazine, and a very old one, I learned. There’s something called “Harper’s Index,” (trademarked apparently) which was entertaining, and I also enjoyed the “Readings” section, particularly the little box about Sam Bankman-Fried (see below). Oh, and the illustrations (paintings?) with the article about the non-merger really pleased me. There’s something different about seeing the little images on the printed page instead of on the non-printed page (see below again). I’m thinking about getting a subscription. There was one of those little tear outs with a pretty sweet discount code. I just might share it with you too if you ask nicely.
This article that I randomly stumbled upon about Ladies’ Night in the 90’s on the Upper East Side
I don’t even remember how I found it - I think I was trying to find some specific bar on the UES, and whatever string of search terms I entered dragged this baby from it’s corner of the internet straight to my Google results page. In 1991 a bar on First Ave called Far Out Lounge decided to let ladies drink for free. Many other bars followed suit. The article describes the madness that ensued up to the official last call on ladies’ night. I highly recommend just reading the whole article. Though it’s a bit long, it’s a really fun read.
These kinds of stories make me feel like…I don’t know if I can put it into words. Is there anything at all happening right now in New York City that could written about 33 years from now that would sound fun and crazy and just utterly ridiculous the same way that this does? Not that the scene described even sounds remotely appealing to me, but still. I talked about this unique brand of NYC nostalgia after I read Patti Smith’s Just Kids. Obviously that was a very different lens (a much cooler one), but the point is kind of the same. I find that I must always fight against the yearning for a past that is both unproductive and unrealistic at its core.
This sign on the counter at Circa in Charlottesville
For those who don’t know, Circa is a spectacular vintage furniture store. Anyone reading this in Charlottesville does know, but for out of towners, I highly recommend a visit if you have the chance. The sign on their counter caught my attention and made me laugh. Then it made me think. Is this really true? About the furniture it probably is a lot of the time, but on a larger scale, is it?
I think there’s something to be said for momentum - acting quickly when the feeling is right. That lane of forward motion - essentially, buying the chair I like the day I see it instead of waiting until tomorrow - is the lane I’m currently trying to occupy in my larger life. However, I think it’s important to make a distinction between acting because it feels right for YOU and acting because you feel like someone else might snatch up what you want before you have the chance. We don’t do scarcity mindset. All that is meant to come to me or to you will come. And sometimes if you wait to buy the chair, someone else buys it, but a different, better one shows up the day after that. FFT (food for thought).
The Farmer’s Almanac website, and mainly this page that taught me about the March night sky
This was a really important discovery for me. I fully believe that the moon affects my sleep and therefore my mood, so I make an effort to keep track of when it will be full or new each month. I have no scientific or even nonscientific evidence on hand to back this up, but I’m pretty sure that particularly for women, the cycles of the moon have a profound effect physically and emotionally. It’s just something that I feel like I know to be true. Somehow, in all of my “when is the full moon this month” searches, I’ve never landed on the Farmer’s Almanac website before. Another search term coincidence/gift from Google.
Aside from a reliable lunar calendar that’s easy to read, the Farmer’s Almanac website has a treasure trove of info about the moon and other planets. This month, I learned that the March full moon is called the Worm Moon. Also - on the 23rd when I was flying to Charlottesville, I saw the moon and Venus out of the window on my plane, just like the Almanac said! I tried to take a picture but of course you can’t take a picture of that kind of thing.
Long story short, I’m a Farmer’s Almanac girlie now. I know that I live in New York City, and I’m not a farmer, but I’m about to start acting like I am one - emotionally at least. You can become a Farmer’s Almanac girlie too, and read about the April night sky here right in time.
A selection of inspirational quotes from my grandfather, Jedo
I get one by text every morning. Here are my favorites from this month:
“Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune.”
- Walt Whitman
“Someone else has already solved your problems. Unless you’re at the fringes of science and technology your problems are not new, people have been dealing with some form of them for thousands of years. Read books, they’ll give you answers.”
- Nat Eliason
100 articles about the best pair of flats to buy
None of these articles were helpful and they all repeated the same 7-10 brands and pairs of shoes, so I’m not linking any of them here. I finally settled on these from J.Crew because they are standard and cute (bows), and I generally view J.Crew as a reliable place to buy anything I might wear to work now that I’m an in-office-er. That’s why I wanted the flats in the first place, although I do plan to wear them not to work too, now that it’s warming up and ballet flats are apparently back in.
Close second choice were the Everlane ones, but they go a little bit higher up on the front of the foot, and I was worried I would be weird about that. I famously wore Tom’s around for two years of high school because I was convinced that sneakers (we’re talking converse here) looked “weird on my feet.” My dream ballet flats are obviously the Loeffler Randal ones, which are perfect and look like actual ballet shoes. Perhaps my next pair.
My Own Journal
As the first quarter of the year draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting. It feels like my life has gotten exponentially better in the past three months. It’s like every day I wake up happier than I was the day before. Mostly. How is it possible?! What is happening?! I’ve been reading my journals to try to find out. Anyone who keeps journals knows what a deeply disturbing undertaking this can be. It’s like hearing the sound of your own voice in a video - “oh my god…is that what I sound like” - but instead of your actual vocal vibrations, its your inner monologue that you’re horrified by.
You may be wondering - if I hate going back and reading my old journals so much, then what’s the point of writing them? First - it’s cathartic. Everyone should journal for this reason alone. Second - maybe I’m about to become the person who DOES go back and read them, okay?! And third - obviously I’m writing my journals for my future descendants and biographers.
On the second point above, I’ve learned this month that, as cringey as this reading exercise can feel, it’s also informative. You realize that a lot of little things that get you down or piss you off cease to matter just a few short weeks later - if you even remember them at all. That’s a good lesson. It’s also a good way to take stock of bigger things that get you down or piss you off. If something keeps coming up over and over again, maybe it’s time to fix it more permanently. Also on the more positive side - it’s really fun to re-read the fun, good, lovey stuff, and a great way to keep track of important dates.
@starswholesome Instagram account
I am OBSESSED with this instagram account. It’s my new favorite thing, even though I haven’t been on instagram very consistently in the past couple of weeks. The little stars are SO wholesome, and I like how a lot of them feel really specific too. It’s not just “I like you,” its “listening to your voice is better than listening to music.” Ugh - it’s so good! Send them to your friends, lovers, crushes, strangers, everyone!