no. 2: questlove, what liberals don't realize, and more from megan
Whether we’re working outside the home, working from home, or not working at all, one thing many people have mentioned about this period of social isolation is the strange, new feeling of Not Being Expected to Meet Up. I agree, and this has changed my perspective on work significantly. The past month has included many meetings and panels on Zoom, recording keynote addresses to be played later to audiences at home, phone interviews…the work certainly continues, but all of it can be done from my living room couch or dining room table now. There’s no drive time. There’s not even any hair and makeup time. How many hours per week was I spending Just Getting Ready and Driving There?!
I thought I was efficient with time. But with all the Not Being Expected to Meet Up, there’s suddenly more found time, and there’s also pressure to use it wisely. Read a book, learn a new skill, sew something, start the big new project (is this newsletter a big new project? …it’s just for fun). You absolutely don’t have to do any of that. Maybe you just want to rest. Maybe you needed it.
One of my mentors, Chris Guillebeau, writes about living a purposeful life, seeking independence, and reaching goals by eliminating things that you really just don’t want to do that are just getting in the way of the time you could spend in a more meaningful way — parenting, helping others, writing, for example. Even just rest. Even nothing. Chris has written several nonfiction books about this stuff, and last week he released his first novel, The Money Tree, which I was thrilled to see just got an excellent review in the NYT.
To root out and identify unnecessary commitments, I ask myself, “Why should I do this?" "What will happen if I don’t?” It’s cool to give up on things you don’t want to do. It’s fun and freeing to take a lightsaber to a big pile of dead stupid projects you are trying to ignore or shove into the back of your mental closet, and just say, “I’m actually not doing any of this stuff.”
The “found hours” opened up during this period of social distancing and Not Being Expected to Meet Up have presented a great opportunity to decide what we’re going to do and what we aren’t. I am going to try to carry that forward once this is all over. It’s going to be interesting to see how our expectations about how we “perform work” will shift.
this is my favorite thing to see
What I’m listening to:
Questlove, drummer and bandleader of The Roots, has been spinning nightly marathon dj sets from his living room for the past several weeks (watch on Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, everything), and I try to catch a little bit of it every night. The first night I tuned in, he was doing a set offering “the finest in slow jams, slow wine and slow grind,” mixing slow jams spanning decades, from 70s funk to an even-more-slowed-down End of the Road from Boyz II Men. He did a two-day, eight-hour set for Q Tip’s birthday featuring known and obscure cuts from A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and Tip’s expansive solo catalog. He did a Stevie Wonder set, during which Stevie surprised Q by calling him during the set!!
Last night’s set was day two of an eight-hour Prince tribute, and my friend Anil Dash (tech entrepreneur legend, probably the most prince-obsessed person alive) broadcast the stream and provided commentary. Did you know that "Jamie Starr", the producer of Vanity 6 and The Time's albums, was actually Prince?? I didn’t…
Watching Questlove nightly is better—healthier!—than watching tv.
A lot of Clan of Xymox, a Dutch goth band formed in 1981. My daughter and I saw them in San Francisco earlier this year—It was her first concert, and they are her favorite band. If you want to know what it sounds like in my house for about 4 hours/day, listen to Jasmine and Rose on their album Creatures. We met the band, she told them it was her favorite song, and then they played it just for her at the concert. She talks about it every day.
Today I read:
This Quora thread, started by attorney and mediator Peter Kruger, asking the question “What don’t most liberals realize?” As you’d expect, this question attracted a lot of racist and xenophobic responses, a lot of yikes, but you can find a few gems.
“That we are so far up our own asses.” (okay, true)
“Most of the outspoken liberals out there are not rural folks. The ones that dominate the Democratic Party are typically from urban areas.” (yes, that’s a problem)
“People do switch sides if they have a good reason, so quit writing off my people as a lost cause.” (very important)
I’m a registered Democrat, but as I often talk about, I come from a Republican family, I had many Republican teachers, I now have many Republican colleagues who I like very much. I have known so many Republicans who are principled people of integrity. I don't do the "trash all Republicans unequivocally" stuff. Not every Republican accepts the mandates of today's Trump GOP, especially in states like Nebraska where you’ll find a strong tradition of nonpartisanship and lots of libertarian tendencies. But of course, how we think and act is one thing. How we vote is completely different. We who are progressives have to take policy and outcomes for people seriously. But we should never take ourselves too seriously, and we should never write people off.
In the Omaha World-Herald: “Nebraska Crossing and its owner have donated almost $100,000 to Ricketts since 2014.” The only reason Nebraska Crossing can be “The first shopping center to reopen in North America” as COVID-19 cases in Nebraska begin to spike is because Governor Ricketts hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order or closed nonessential businesses. So, yikes… Mess…
Things I’m doing
Ordering delivery from Le Bouillon: I know I mentioned them yesterday, but tonight I got the chicken crepe, frites, two bottles of wine (their choice), and three cookies. Le B is one of the “nice restaurants” in Omaha and, while I cannot recreate that atmosphere in my dining room and I continue to hate eating in my own home, at least the food was perfect.
Writing over 300 birthday cards: I tweeted a few weeks ago that I would like to send cards to children who have had to cancel or postpone their birthday parties because of COVID-19, and wow, what a response… So, my hand can do about 30 per day before it cramps up too much. So far, I have sent cards to 19 different counties in Nebraska, 6 different states, and 3 countries! And I have many more to get through.
Watching Succession on HBO, finally. I had to get an HBO login. I just caught up with Mrs. America on Hulu, which people seem to find very controversial…
Things I’m not doing
Trash: I now make my nine-year-old take all the trash out. I can’t with it!!!!!!!!!! We all have to contribute!!!!!!
Sweeping the floor: I run my robot vacuum (which I inherited when the store closed) twice a day (sometimes!) with a reusable pad.
Eating my fruit quickly enough… no problem with the potato chips though…
I’m ending this edition by giving a hand to my local Omaha area restaurants that are working so hard provide food for all of us and support their staff while facing this unprecedented economic disruption. If you can swing it, consider throwing them some support this week:
Best Burger - This is a *BRAND NEW* burger joint in North Omaha started by my friend Ashlei and her partner Universal. They’re currently doing carryout and delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The Trap Room - Online ordering for booze to go. What you want to get here is the margarita kit.
Via Farina - This popular downtown homemade pizza and pasta spot is offering takeout, delivery, AND groceries, including their own pasta that you can take home and cook.
Subscribe to my good friend and food writer Sarah Baker Hansen’s newsletter for more local food tips.
More to come. If you know someone who would like this in their inbox, forward it to them and tell your friends to subscribe. Stay home, and stay safe!
Meg