Welcome back to Wednesday Links!
Big thank you to everyone who gave me eyedrops advice. It’s much appreciated and I’m excited to sally forth into allergy season with my new tools!
I’m currently in a giant reading slump. I can’t seem to focus long enough to make progress, like I’d rather play a mindless phone game or grind out levels in Final Fantasy XIV. Is anyone feeling the same way? I may try the “30 minutes before bed” trick and just be happy with whatever I can accomplish in that time.
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Shondaland recently had a piece about the popularity of romance. I do think the evolution of the genre is the most interesting part of the discussion, given that I’ve been reading it for most of my life at this piece.
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Unfortunately, Twitter now forces you to log in to look at all of the tweets, but Sarah shared this thread of beautiful and interesting sculptural details.
https://twitter.com/JamesLucasIT/status/1787536073947484377
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EC Spurlock sent this link in, about the discovery of children’s notebooks dating back as early as the 18th century.
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I know we have a large figure skating contingent amongst the Bitchey, so I’m hoping someone can explain or add some historical context to this bizarro performance.
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
Those sculptures? No words. How often do we look at art and never notice such details? Simply amazing.
Thank, EC Spurlock, really interesting article. Though I don’t understand why they have redacted children’s names from as long ago as 1773, and in some cases inadequately anyway (I do understand why they have redacted names where the children may still be alive). Also, I love the cover of that 1883 notebook.
Well, that led me down a Evgeni Plushenko rabbit hole. I haven’t thought about him in years (I’m more of an Olympics/World Championships figure skating watcher than someone deeply knowledgeable.) I remember him as being a great dancer; although if Nathan Chen is ballet, Plushenko is musical theater. What I learned watching all these exhibition skates is that he’s a total ham and great with his fans. The specific link looks like a Champions-on-Ice type performance with added Russian humor. He also had a “Sexbomb” exhibition performance (no weird Max Raabe Britney cover) that’s pretty funny. Unfortunately Plushenko is a supporter of the Ukraine war and of Putin in general, which kinda tempers my enthusiasm.
Goodness, I could look at those notebooks all day!
My will specifically states that all my writings must be destroyed after my death, precisely because I don’t want them to become accidentally of historical interest somehow (I used to study historical documents; anything can be of historical interest if it survives long enough or the wrong person finds it), so I don’t know, the redaction seems respectful to me, since the children didn’t and can’t consent to having their notebooks made public.
The people creating the notebook archives are looking for translators, so if anyone can read the languages in the notebooks and would like to volunteer to transcribe them, please contact the person in the interview.
Also, great article on Reactor today: https://reactormag.com/chaos-under-the-corset-when-romance-covers-hide-revolution/
As well as a promo for what looks to be a very entertaining new read: https://reactormag.com/excerpts-the-ornithologists-field-guide-to-love-by-india-holton/