“The thing about dawn is that it’s morning, but it’s still dark. I know it’s dark out there for a lot of people, but I want them to know it’s morning: the sun is coming up.”
I saw this tweet attributed to Georgia Senator-Elect Reverend Raphael Warnock going around Twitter on the morning he was declared the victor, and, to my surprise, I started crying. It’s still dark out here for us! I mean, what’s worse, police brutality or police incompetence? (The correct answer is: both are bad, and also, government incompetence is equally bad.) When will our morning come? When will the sun come up?
His statement -- upon fact checking, I believe it’s paraphrased from his full remarks -- reminded me of the essay I wrote for my university’s entrance exam, which I had centered around the saying “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” How hopeful I was then while writing it, half a lifetime ago. How hopeful I still want to be now.
This was pre-Capitol attack though, so I had soon plunged back into the habit of feverishly scrolling my feed and reading aaaaall the things. “OK doomscrolling is bad but have you SEEN the quality of the doom this week?” read a tweet by @ethanjacobslaw, which made me laugh.
I also laughed a lot at this tweet by @tichavakunda: “We in a panny… barely got a stimmy… at the beginning of a.. civvy?” It’s so hilariously absurd; everything is absurd and chaotic and shocking and mind-boggling. I spent the first few days of the week dazed and unproductive -- the normal kind; coming off a long vacation, I had expected this struggle -- and then the next few days still dazed and unproductive, but coup d’etat edition! A whole new level!
I tried to read Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss to the baby the other day. It was a childhood favorite. That’s kind of how I feel about what’s going on right now - as the day goes on, the number of absurd things grows and there’s an increasingly panicky “What is going on??” feeling.
feat. My Friends
Audrey (you may remember her from the Dear Books feature months ago) has a separate bookstagram @audreads -- and I was so struck by an IG story she had posted of the tracker she uses to measure how diverse her book consumption is. I saw her give herself points if the author is female, LGBT, POC, etc. and that thought stayed with me for days after. I asked her if she’d be willing to share about it here; if I’m interested in it, willing to bet at least one of you is, too. Here’s Audrey in her own words:
Pre-pandemic 2020 started off with my wanting to find slower hobbies. This led me to going back to reading, which I have not been as voracious about since maybe high school or early college. So you can imagine how different my tastes are now compared to then, with my growth in beliefs and all. I now wanted to read more voices that aligned with my values today, so that entailed reading more women, more people of color, more queer––not just to go against the current system that favors certain kinds of writers (i.e., straight white men, haha) but to educate myself better in the issues and stories that matter to me, too.
This tracker started as a Google Sheet but transitioned to Notion for the book summaries because I needed a guide and dump when I write down the thoughts and feelings I have for the books I read. This is important to me, too, because I didn't just want to read without absorbing and reflecting; I wanted to read intentionally, thoughtfully. I got a really nice book notes template from a YouTuber I follow (linked in the template itself!) and tweaked it to my own needs.
All in all, this is just my Type A, Virgo self needing to track and systematize my habits and hobbies, haha! It's helping me a lot with my personal reading goals (read weekly and more women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA, translated works), and it might not work for everyone, but I am very happy to share it with anyone who might want a little help when it comes to tracking what matters to them when it comes to reading.
Link to my Notion Book Notes: http://bit.ly/audreybooknotiontemplate
How to Use
- Copy the board (http://bit.ly/audreybooknotiontemplate) to your own Notion by clicking "Duplicate" on the upper right corner of this file.
- Each page (the cells on the first column, also where you see the book title) has a template inside for your book notes. Do open the pages before deleting them so you can easily copy the template for your own reading notes.
- Once you have your own copy, feel free to adjust according to your needs, and do share with me at @aud.reads how you've been using it. I'd really love to see how you've made it your own and to exchange Notion ideas, bookish thoughts, and reading hacks!
Happy reading! ◡̈
Currently…
Decluttering digitally: organizing my phone gallery; unsubscribing from a bunch of newsletters; clearing the podcast app that’s built up hundreds of episodes I did not listen to and probably never will; checking that I still use the subscriptions I have recurring payments set up for. Do I really need the Audible sub even though I haven’t listened to an audiobook since the pandemic hit, because I stopped driving to work? The answer is no; therefore, I paused that one.
Listening to an audiobook that I bought with the many Audible credits I had accumulated before pausing. It’s called “Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love” by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller, and it’s fantastic. I wish I read this book 15 years ago before I started dating. I wish all my single friends would read it. (Applicable pa rin naman for marrieds, but who am I to tell y’all about your relationships haha) I committed to my friend PJ that I would listen to it (at minimum) when I’m in the shower, since I haven’t figured out how to incorporate audiobooks into my home life, and I’m surprised by how much I’ve already listened to.
Laughing at how dedicated I was to watch BTS perform while at my dental appointment. One hand held up the phone for streaming, the other hand was texting the group chat, while my mouth was wide open. I gave up on the group chat pretty quickly and just started keyboard smashing. LOL.
Rearranging my bedroom to accommodate a larger TV so that the subtitles are bigger. I am old, hahaha. It also gives me more room to work out. The energy of my room feels fresh and different. So far, I’m into it.
Celebrating Mom and Iea’s birthdays this week! The babies met for the second time! My birthday is also coming up in a few weeks, and every year I get hit with the birthday blues. I usually plan a trip with my barkada and that’s good enough to distract me, so I’m feeling especially bummed that can’t happen this year. So far, I have ordered my favorite red velvet cupcakes from Dessertation by Anna and indulged in a loooot of online shopping. I should stop. Please stop me. Haha huhu.
Longreads
Meena Harris, Building That Brand — Jessica Testa, New York Times.
I’m such a fan of hers.
Internet detectives are identifying scores of pro-Trump rioters at the Capitol. Some have already been fired. — Jaclyn Peiser, The Washington Post.
I’ve enjoyed this kind of citizen detective-work for years, starting from when I began following David Fahrenthold as he used his Twitter followers to help ‘follow the money’ and won a Pulitzer prize for it. This is more of the same; it’s thrilling to watch unfold in real time on Twitter. (Follow @outterrorists, @jsrailton, and @erinscafe)
The Pro-Trump Mob Was Doing It For The ’Gram — Elamin Abdelmahmoud, BuzzFeed.
I have not stopped thinking about this since I read it - that for a big chunk of the insurrectionists (is this what we should be calling them?), it was a performance to be captured for their social media followers; it’s their currency. I am still honestly surprised at how many of them proudly posted — and continue to post! — on their accounts. Catch every last one of them.
My Friend Group Dumped Me and Now I Have No One! — Heather Havrilesky, Ask Polly.
“If you cultivate a close relationship to yourself, and treat yourself with compassion instead of heaping yourself with shame, you will naturally grow into someone who has a lot of interests and AN UNHOLY BOATLOAD OF FRIENDS.”
What’s Going on With Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, and Their Hands? — Rebecca Alter, The Cut.
I learned about this in the “Idea of You” Facebook group, which I joined because I am still thinking about that damn book!
The Way We Make Fitness Resolutions Is All Wrong — Maggie Lange, The Cut.
I am starting to get reader submissions -- meaning my friends send me articles saying they think I’d like it, and most of the time, I do! This one is from KB: “Feeling average: it’s the pretty nice, super unappreciated, balanced mid-point between great feats and great flops, which both happen all the time.”
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Yours from afar,
Pinky