7 Things I’m Totally Obsessed With This Month (March 2018 Edition)

These are thoughts, the artwork, the news stories, the tools, the food, the conversations, and whatever else we just can't get out of our heads this month.     

1. The Magazine: She Shreds 

I love everything about their point-of-view. She Shreds is a print and online publication dedicated to women guitarists and bassists. They're based here in Portland, and I think they're doing an amazing job expanding narratives and confronting stereotypes around the people that play, make, and listen to music. 

From their statement of purpose: “We strive to change the way women guitarists and bassists are depicted and presented in the music industry and popular culture by creating a platform where people can listen, see and experience what it means to be a woman who shreds. Our goal is to transcend boundaries like gender and genre—supporting radicalism, respect and revolution.”

I believe in giving setting the stage to allow the marginalized, segregated, and under-represented communities, and She Shreds is doing that work, amazingly, in the world of music. They have ManMade's full support, and I recommend checking them out on their  web site and Instagram. 

2. The Song: Lucy Dacus – “Night Shift”

Do me a favor. Queue this up. Close your eyes. And just listen for 6:29.

(Warning: unless you're a robot, you'll be moved.)

3. The Thinkpiece: “The Men Who Eat Like Boys”

C. Brian Smith explores picky eaters, and why some men never outgrow the kids menu. 

4. The Video: “From Dream to Reality” by Max Joseph

I admit it: I'm a total sucker for this stuff. 

5. The Applied Philosophy: “How Schopenhauer’s thought can illuminate a midlife crisis”

Dr. Kieran Setiya thinks through what we can do to make meaning with the help of a 19th-century pessimist. 

6. The TV Show: Babylon Berlin

I'm in. I'm still not totally sure I know what's happening, but I'm 100% in. 

7. The Book Review: “The Forgotten Everyday Origins of ‘Craft’” 

The Atlantic takes a look at the new book on traditional European craftwork…err, craeft. Summary paragraph:

This, in a nutshell, is what’s at the heart of Craeft: It’s vignette after charming vignette of ancient processes, described in exuberant detail as Langlands travels through Spain, France, England, Scotland, and Iceland. Readers get a richly atmospheric peek into “craefts” like the thatching of roofs, the spinning of wool, and the tanning of hides.

Cool. On my reserves list at the library.