The Internet is a cruel mistress. As the wise Aziz Ansari said, “I read the Internet so much I feel like I’m on page a million of the worst book ever.” But it sure has some wonderful highlights. Here are my favorite things I read this week:
- Grantlangst, by Carles.Buzz. There were many obituaries of the late, great Grantland, but this was my favorite: “In a sea of ‘hot takes’ delivered by traditional talking heads, the internet prosumers needed a place for a branded intelligent take. But the audiences in demand of intelligent takes no longer achieve the necessary economies of scale to sell ads against.”
- The Grown-Up Styling Tip You Should Forget About, by Rachel Syme. Rachel is an inspiring fashion writer, especially with Iris Apfel as her muse: “Giving yourself the permission to don whatever you desire will keep you excited to wake up the next day and do it all over again; when you turn your closet into a playground, you are prolonging your own life.”
- The Deadly History of Women using Perfume as Poison, by Arabelle Sicardi. The story I never knew I needed until I read it: “While invisible scents may seem like the poltergeist of aestheticism, perfume is often the monster, too, leaving bodies behind in the fumes.”
- The Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield, by Daniel Engber. The long, gripping true story that explores disability, sexuality and consent and left me thinking about it for days: “What made them so upset — what led to all the arguing that followed, and the criminal trial and million-dollar civil suit — was the fact that Anna can speak and D.J. can’t; that she was a tenured professor of ethics at Rutgers University in Newark and D.J. has been declared by the state to have the mental capacity of a toddler.”
- Overcoming the 10 Biggest Obstacles to Creating, by Leo Baubata. A practical, straightforward look at the emotional, challenging reality of avoidance and procrastination: “Every day I struggle with the resistance to writing, and every day I lose the struggle … but then I beat the struggle. I lose more often than I win, but I win every day. And that’s what matters. “
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