Should I step off the roller coaster?

That sounds dangerous.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been putting off sending out a newsletter, because… the world! The world, people! It’s too much, sometimes, and it’s easier not to write a newsletter, and instead to watch The Great British Baking Show while knitting a sweater, which is the double dose of hygge that I seem to require these days.

When I was feeling overwrought the other night, Graham said, “Step off the roller coaster.”

The sort of thing that makes me sure that aliens would never understand us.

Should I step off? Photo by Itai Aarons on Unsplash

He was acting very low-key, not like someone who wanted his spouse to die a tragic death, which is what would surely happen if I were to step off a roller coaster. So let’s imagine the best, that his roller coaster had already come to a complete stop at the roller coaster finish line.

What he probably meant was, step away from the things that are bringing you up and then down. Notably, the election.

But does he know me? Step away? I’m a doer! I don’t sit still! One of my MBA professors used to tell us to “Act, think, act,” and it’s like he was reading the instruction manual of my soul. So, I act. I just completed a phone banking shift, calling voters whose absentee ballots were rejected. That felt good. I run (a marathon last month, two half marathons coming up). I bake pumpkin cake (which my son called “the best cake he’s ever eaten”).

But if you’re someone who wants to take your mind off ALL OF THIS, and perhaps you’ve already watched all the Bake-off episodes, I’ve got some suggestions below to entice you away from the insanity.

Watch

1. SNL skits about George Washington

If you liked that one, try also the second in the series. My youngest child liked this one even better.

2. TV reporter bloopers

insidedutchculture

A post shared by @insidedutchculture

There are so many good moments in that short video. The offering of the necklace. The microphone. After watching it, try this other take from Ellen DeGeneres, in which she invents captions for the video.

Another journalism blooper, one that should properly be called “big black australorp cockerel” (below). Please, take 12 seconds out of your day to watch this. And maybe another 12 seconds to watch it again because I predict you’ll laugh both times. Then practice saying the bird’s name in an Australian accent, because I feel like that would be an excellent party trick.

3. Livestream of Moo Deng, the Tiktok-famous newborn pygmy hippo in a zoo in Thailand. Soothing instead of humorous. (For the pygmy hippos, scroll to the right-most video in the second row.) I watched this livestream between 8:30pm and 9:30pm Eastern, which is morning in Thailand, and it was so peaceful. Zoo visitors hadn’t yet arrived, and a zookeeper was watering the pen, and Moo Deng and her mother were just chilling in the sun’s early hours while birds chirped their happy little dawn chorus. Moo Deng would stray occasionally, then always trot back to Mom, and then they almost laughed through my computer (I swear) when the zookeeper chose to spray them with water. The oxytocin hit was as good as eating pumpkin cake in a hot tub after a long run, not that I have ever done such a thing.

4. Amazing archival rock footage: Björk and PJ Harvey, “Satisfaction”. The build around 2:15 is incredible. How did I not know about this video until now?

Listen:

1. NYT Book Review podcasts with certain authors featured in the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. If you read my last newsletter, you’ll remember I was rather obsessed with this list. Now, more fun: it turns out, it’s delightful and informative to hear an author reflect on their work, years after it was published and became a prize-winner or bestseller. In particular, I recommend the interviews with Colson Whitehead, George Saunders, and Min Jin Lee.

2. “The Wonder of Stevie” (podcast series). I grew up during the 80’s, firmly in the “I Just Called to Say I Love You” era, so I thought Stevie Wonder was a king of soft pop. What a revelation to discover, as an adult, the Stevie Wonder from the 1970’s, funky and soulful and visionary. My friend-of-a-friend Wesley Morris, a culture critic at the Times, breaks down Wonder’s string of five albums in that period, along with- wait for it- President Obama and Questlove and other awesome guests. This series has given me a deeper appreciation for this incredible artist.

Other Links:

1. Fall Foliage map: check the entire U.S. or individual states for predictions of peak foliage. Here in central Virginia, peak color will be coming over the next two weeks.

2. Population.io: learn how much of the world (or the U.S.) is older or younger than you, how many folks share your birthday, and other interesting data visualizations. Describing this site doesn’t do it justice- go play with it. You’ll see.

3. How common is your birthday? Another cool data visualization. I discovered that my birthday (October 31) is the 357th most common, or phrased differently, one of the rarest, in the country.

Book Recs:

I’ve been reading a lot of short story collections this term. If you’re normally a novel or a nonfiction reader, consider picking up some short stories. They’re often the perfect length for pre-bedtime reading. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan: three short stories, each exquisite. Keegan is a master of economy: every word bears weight, and she doesn’t pad her writing with anything extra. There is so much contained here, in such small containers.

2. Tenth of December by George Saunders. I have come to appreciate Saunders more and more through his bi-weekly Substack. He is so smart, so generous, so kind. This is my favorite collection of his, full of his distinct voice and satire, stories I could read again and again.

3. Safe as Houses by Marie-Helene Bertino. Each of these stories has something “uncanny,” aka surreal or magical, that makes it unique, while still carrying emotional resonance and imparting hope. There were so many stories here I loved.

And because it’s my newsletter, this photo of my friends.

Sunset in Tucson. Our own little high school reunion.

I’ll be back in your inbox between Thanksgiving and the holidays with my annual best books of the year. Until then, hit me up- what are you doing to stay off the roller coaster? Or do you ride it happily?