Talokan Forever
As an archaeology writer living in Mexico City, I spend an above average amount of time imagining life in pre-colonial Mesoamerica and early colonial Mexico....
Power, colonialism, and daylight saving time
Three weeks ago, Mexico permanently ended daylight saving time. We fell back one last time, and we won’t be springing forward ever again. (In most of the...
Fun with branding
Now that I’ve quit Twitter like a rat leaping from a burning ship into the cold, dark, open ocean, it’s time to spruce up my newsletter. My personal brand on...
The sweet release of deactivation
I look forward to spending more time on crafts like these. I did it! I quit Twitter. Despite what the timing would suggest, my decision is not (entirely)...
The bleakness of space
William Shatner’s essay about going to space on a Blue Origin flight has been bouncing around my internet for the past few weeks, and it’s as good as...
Should I get back on Twitter?
Long time newsletter readers will remember that a little over two years ago, I soft blocked Twitter from my life and my mind. I didn’t delete it, but I...
The rest cure
Well, I got COVID again, and it’s weird, again. At this point, writing about it or anything else feels impossible, but I hope that won’t be the case forever....
A parable on two wheels
One of the experiences I’m proudest to have cultivated during the pandemic is that of surrender. As a recovering perfectionist control freak, it’s valuable...
Slow running
Today I’m shocked to find myself recommending an article from the New York Times, a publication that has been bugging the hell out of me lately. I will not...
The counterintuitive power of forever
Editorial note: You can now read my Weird Covid essay in Slate! Thank you to Shannon Palus for helping me polish it up for a wider audience. If you’ve been...
Weird Covid
I tested positive for Covid on January 20, 2021. This was before vaccines were available beyond healthcare workers and the very elderly, at a time when all...
Why I write this newsletter
Lately I’ve been thinking about how and why I write this newsletter, and I’ve gotten some questions about it too. Here are the basics: I usually write a...
Fun with music
Since I wrote about getting off Spotify a few weeks ago, I’ve been exploring other ways to listen to music. I thought I’d share a few discoveries and...
Black and white
This newsletter has been a Four Thousand Weeks fan account for a bit now, and I’m sticking with the theme this week, sort of. I say “sort of” because I’m not...
Three myths of time management
Myth 1: You have enough time to do everything you want to do. Sorry, you don’t. No one does. The hard truth is that there will never be an end to your to-do...
The problem with burnout discourse
Long time readers of this newsletter will remember my obsession with the monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, initially sparked by this article by...
Reclaiming my taste
Last week I canceled my Spotify premium account, a step on the way to deleting it altogether. I’ve gotten off a lot of apps and platforms over the last...
Why I have to start at the beginning
While exploring your warm-ups a few weeks ago, I promised more about my conflicted relationship to outlining. It turns out my relationship to it is even more...
On post-plague disappointment
For my apocalypse book, I’m researching the Black Death. It’s probably the most stereotypically “apocalyptic” event I’m exploring, in terms of its sheer...
A round-up of your warm-ups
Thank you to everyone who commented or sent me notes on your writing warm-ups! No one does it exactly the same way, and the diversity of approaches was...
