Friday Fare is my “best of” when it comes to Internet links that I’ve read this week. Here are the articles that caught my attention and maybe made me a smarter person this week:
I originally was going to start this post by saying “I don’t have a lot to share this week” and I really don’t, but then when I went through my bookmarks and random things I’ve emailed to myself this week, I realize that I’ve kept my mind decently occupied. However, I found myself in one hell of a funk this week upon the shootings of the two TV journalists in Virginia – Alison Parker and Adam Ward. One of my former news colleagues nailed it when she wrote the following post on Facebook: “Print and TV journalists are sometimes opponents. Not today. Today I am grieving with the WDBJ7 employees and the loved ones of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. I’m also praying for my friends who still go out and cover the news every day. Be safe, be aware and know that one (former) print journalist wishes she could give you an in-person hug today.”
I had plenty of angst for the television reporters that I came across during my tenure as a print reporter, but at the end of the day – we were all doing our jobs. And for this to happen? The thing I kept thinking as I read the coverage of their murders was that these guys were just kids. Their deaths made my heart hurt. A lot.
Other than that? My reading list was inane:
Can you filter cheap vodka and make it better? This article tests a theory.
This piece about a retired cop and a potential UFO sighting was just well done.
And finally, performance artist Amanda Palmer asks some questions that I found myself thinking before I had my children – how do you balance children with creating art? What changes? What gets better? What might get worse?
One of my favorite passages:
“So no small wonder that as I approached my mid-thirties I entered a conflicted baby conundrum. If I had kids, would I turn into a boring, irrelevant, ignorable artist? Would I suddenly start writing songs about balance and shit? Would I have a sudden, terrifying, interest in the LUTE?
Would I become that annoying person who is so enthralled with their child that it’s impossible to have an intelligent conversation with them about art because they’d rather show you iPhone photos of their kid drooling out a spoonful of mashed carrots? This all made me really afraid.”
(As for what I’d tell Amanda Palmer about the intersection of motherhood and art is that having kids has given me a sense of urgency about my writing. And for me, it’s deepened my process, but yeah … the sleep deprivation is a real bitch. And I haven’t found myself drawn to the lute yet.)
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Listening to: Still on my Ray LaMontagne kick. Specifically, this song. I’ve had a couple late nights recently working on a bid for my full-time job and this has helped me get through a few work days. What slays me about this video is not only LaMontagne’s raw vocals, but just the cohesiveness in his backing band The Pariah Dogs. Nothing flashy about them, just solid skills and a non-verbal shorthand that powers their collaboration.
Listening II: I really adore Kacey Musgraves. I’ve said that before, but I came across her NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” the other day and re-upped my adoration of her.
Reading: Still reading “Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Bibliography” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My first-grade self is a happy camper.
Fiction Update: Nothing this week. And trust me, I’ve been bitchy and antsy because of it. Next week will be better.
Happy Friday, friends!
michellekubitz 