Small snippets of modern love and my version of the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack
The giveaway is ‘Emma of 83rd Street’ by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding.
Just a short one today, but I’m cooking up something that I’m hoping will be different and great for next week. Stay tuned!
In writing news, last week I wrote a creepy new short story called ‘Tiny Stay’. I dashed it out over the course of an evening and was quite pleased with the result. I’m not sure where I’ll send it yet and I’m waiting to see what feedback I get from my writing group, but I like where I’ve gone with it.
I’ve been working on larger projects lately, which brings a sense of accomplishment that I’m making progress on chunky things, but it also means wins happen less often. I miss those more frequent small wins – a journal accepting a flash fiction piece for publication or magazines accepting my pitches. They’re good for self-confidence as well, giving it regular boosts. I’ve still been sending out those things, but far less often. Now there are longer lulls, but hopefully bigger waves of happiness eventually.
Anyway, take care and I’ll meet you all here next week. : )
PS: since this week’s Spotify playlist is Barbie-themed, here’s a photo my friend Kat took of me all dolled up (pun intended) on Sunday night.
News
1. In case you haven’t heard, Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC has announced a round of redundancies, including axing the political editor and two senior arts journalists. This seems… ill-advised. I certainly understand the need to move with the times, but why does it always seem to mean job losses, not hiring new people or reskilling people? In this article with Leigh Sales’s take on what’s happened, she comes across as very ‘I’ll be alright, Jack’. Her position is safe, so everyone else be damned. Cool, cool, cool. Or rather, very much not.
2. Hey Shaun, please come to Adelaide! This sounds lovely – a restaurant serving up Afghan food and for every meal sold, two go to refugees. And Afghan food is one of my favourite cuisines – yoghurt-topped dumplings, rices flavoured with raisins and slivers of carrots, kebabs… what’s not to love? (Although let’s be fair, pretty much every cuisine on earth is ‘one of my favourites’.) Today is World Refugee Day, highlighting the courage of those forced to seek safety and shelter away from their homes, so it’s especially nice to hear about this venture today.
Reviews
1. I must admit, 99% of the reason I bought Briogeo’s Superfoods kale + apple replenishing conditioner was for the apple scent and 1% was for any hair benefits it might offer. Happily, I wasn’t wrong about the smell – it’s a heavenly apple candy waft. My hair is notoriously dry, finicky, and needy when it comes to conditioners and treatments, but I was pleasantly surprised with how this one went. Generally, I stick to conditioners that prominently display they contain keratin and/or some kind of nut oil, but this one went on smoothly and left my hair feeling moisturised – no mean feat. It’s also cruelty-free, vegan, and sulphate-free. At $48 for 369ml, it’s pretty darn expensive, so you might want to save it for just before a date night, especially if you have a lot of hair, but at least it is lovely, lovely stuff and lives up to the price point.
2. The New York Times has a column called ‘Modern Love’ that is also a podcast and a TV show. The column features tiny reader stories of 100 words or fewer. These stories make some excellent points about relationships using scant words. The podcast expands on some of these points – meet-cutes in vast cities, asking what defines romance in our digital era, delving into polyamory, loving again after loss or U-turns, digging up buried journals of hidden feelings, non-romantic love, and more. A fitting examination of the topic for those of us who are Sex and the City fans.
3. Anthony Nocera wrote this beautiful, very funny, very real article in The Guardian about going to a ‘shared mourning experience’ as part of Hobart’s Dark Mofo festival. It’s a small, lovely exploration of how being around others and interacting with art might help us process grief. Or maybe you just sit on the floor at a weird performance and need a drink afterwards, lol.
What I’m Feelin’ Right Now
Downloading a bunch of retro text-based games
Polka-dot fashion
Enhyphen’s ‘Bite Me’
Metallic shoes
Trying my hand at making kimchi pancakes
Fabrics featuring works of art
Dodging drama like a Teflon-coated ninja
Waistcoats
Giveaway
Last week’s giveaway, Charlie, Love and Cliches by Ella Maise, was won by Rosalyn McFarlane. Ace stuff! Rosalyn, I’ve emailed you.
This week’s giveaway book is Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. Pop your name and email address in here to enter.
Playlist of the Week
If I’d overseen the Barbie movie soundtrack: