Laura Blegen

So rude.

How many times do they have to try that before they become afraid of it?

Related to this, but even easier: I keep meaning to put little baggies in my jacket pockets for picking up random trash I find when there isn't a can nearby, so I don't then have to put that trash loose in my pocket.

BRB - now that I've taken the time to type it, I'm gonna go do it...

Oh I am not at all good at this. What a snarky little game...

Is there a functional difference between a dinosaur and a dragon other than one is "science" and the other is "fiction"?

(My inner six year old really wants the answer to that, because she has always confused the two, anyway)

I had a three day weekend, and ALSO my usual Tuesday evening commitment has been pushed to tomorrow, so I am going to be absolutely confused about what day it is ALL WEEK.

Loved that book!!

The *saddest* arguments I see online are the ones between people who are agreed on wanting to change things but who disagree about whether it's better to be optimistic or pessimistic right now.

Thanks for keeping us all aware.

Picture of a Genesis GV70 parked on a street in St. Paul, MN

🧵It’s a sunny Saturday after the much-promised end to the lawless occupation of Minnesota by federal paramilitary. In our neighborhood this morning, folks have noticed a number of unfamiliar cars parked on the streets at an intersection near three churches. 1/5

So quickly, I imagined several stories, ranging from the most likely to the one where you're celebrating something and inviting all the other commuters to join you...

One of my favorite things about humans, honestly, is that we all have different taste. Different foods. Different stories. Different music. I love that there's something for everyone.

This is a powerful mix of fascinating and deeply moving.

Human ingenuity at its best, in response to the worst.

I guess there's a reason I should be glad I've never really gotten into google docs. I do have some stuff in drive, but it's easy enough to put somewhere *else*.

I'm switching to proton mail for my writer domain email. If it goes well, this will be the next big step in de-googling my life.

I've had my personal gmail account for a very long time, now, and I'm a little nervous about leaving it behind. Anybody else have experience/thoughts to share?

I just wrote my first newsletter in... about a year? It's about why stories are important. Speak from the heart, or not at all.

cookies are fuel!

Of how important it is to find the joy available to us today, because nothing is guaranteed beyond this.

And because, even more than the food, the joy is what fuels us to keep going.

I wish you a delicious orange today.

7/7

I also can't help but remember a beautiful monologue about a remembered orange, eaten in the midst of a terrible war. That monologue was written by a playwright who's no longer with us, and delivered by an actor who's also no longer with us, and it's a really visceral reminder...

6/

But that probably wasn't the case at all. Because, as scary and difficult as our lives seem now, it's not like life was always a cakewalk before now. And that person, remembering every minute detail of a glorious experience, may have remembered it precisely BECAUSE of a terrible backdrop.

5/

When I hear an elder describe their own version of that orange - the food that was so good they concentrated on every single detail - I tend to imagine that the world around them was similarly idyllic. That their "orange" was somehow a representation of the perfect winter, or some such thing.

4/

And THAT got me thinking about the occasional moments when you hear someone ELSE describe a particularly small eating experience, and realizing that I've always listened to those stories wrong.

3/

It got me thinking about the importance of mindset, and how, with all the other things pulling on my attention right now, it would have been super easy to fall into my usual habit of just chewing, swallowing and moving on, all while trying to read the news or some such distraction.

2/

I ate an orange yesterday that was one of those startlingly delicious pieces of fruit, that inspires you to just stand still and ignore everything else for a few minutes so you can savor it properly.

🧵

They did?! That's amazing.

Sigh

First of all, what a sad c*nt.

Second, she’s not a writer no matter how many books she vomits out. I’m not in competition with her. None of us writers are in competition with her. It’s not a contest. Writing isn’t a race it’s a process, it’s creativity, & she’ll never become one doing this.

Can he show up as a colleague or a consultant in book 3?

At this point in history, if you're putting yourself forward as some form of expert on democracy vs. tyranny...

and you go on a national media platform crying "Now is the time to take this seriously"

...You sure as hell better follow that up with some action steps. I don't need more unguided fear.

Movie review from Guardian on Melania.

Thank you for giving me the advice I'm terrible at giving myself.😂

(I'll be happy to return the favor, if you find yourself struggling with preparations for your trip...)