So last year was a bad year for my mental health, and just like some memes I’ve seen, it is difficult to emerge from a depression to a never-ending list of to-dos. One of those task for me is to try to catch up & keep up with this website. I’ve only posted a few articles since December, but I’m getting my shit in order. Part of that is reading over all the links to news stories or features that I saved over the past year.
I’ve written a little bit (or a lot bit) about each link to help you understand why I thought it was noteworthy, and I’ll put them in reverse chronological order, starting in December. After December, I didn’t really save any links because I knew I would be doing this & didn’t want to make my list messy. This seems like a ridiculous idea now, but I’ll start fresh from now on. And I’ll try to keep up with these little bits of news & analysis on a case-by-case or, at the very least, weekly basis.
Without further ado… 2021 links:
December 23, 2021 – Celebrity Deaths of 2021
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/entertainment/gallery/people-we-lost-2021/index.html
This list (with pictures) of celebrity deaths of 2021 contains so many important people. I don’t know if it’s my age or the age of “big celebrity” itself that makes 2021’s list so overwhelming. I started writing a list of the people whose loss I felt most acutely, but soon my list filled an entire pace and carried over to a second. You’ll see when you click through. What a year.
December 1, 2021 – 15 Books to be movies in 2022
https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/books-becoming-movies-2022-48601554
For those of us who might prefer the books to the movies, here’s a list to prepare for 15 book-to-screen transitions happening in 2022 (happily including many Classics like Jane Austin).
July 18, 2021 – “Oh Happy Day” Oakland’s Controversial Gospel
There’s a catchy hymn in Sister Act 2 called “Oh Happy Day.” It’s also appeared in a handful of other movies, and it has been covered by more than 120 musicians. The song was a hit for the Edwin Hawkins Singers, but also drew controversies from most churches in the Bay Area, especially the Pentecostal church that it originated from. For a more exhaustive look at the controversies and the achievements of one of our favorite Gospel songs, click through to read more.
July 16, 2021 – Panera’s Swimsuit Collection???
https://jezebel.com/paneras-swimwear-collection-is-weird-broccoli-inspired-1847303893
First of all, why did Panera make a swimsuit collection? Second,why does it have broccoli on it??? Is broccoli cheddar soup really that popular? Has broccoli become suddenly trendy? Do a lot of people take broccoli to the beach? Never mind the questions though. I’m actually kind of sad that it was all sold out before I even heard about it!.
July 8, 2021 – Song of Summer from NPR
www.npr.org/2021/07/07/1013751002/our-songs-of-summer-2021
“Every summer gets its own unique soundtrack — a fresh batch of hit songs, all vying for an unofficial title: Song Of The Summer. Often these songs are on the wind, everywhere, dominating not just the airwaves, but also the cultural conversation. And sometimes, a song of the summer is just a great new music discovery.”
And every summer, I love watching the competition for song of summer. From NPR Music’s playlists, I can honestly say that (in retrospect), my song for last summer was Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u.” What a great, rockin’, screaming girl power breakup song. I’m still scream-singing it in my car on a regular basis.
May 28, 2021 – Poetry Books, even for non-poets
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g36478225/best-poetry-books/
Another list of books to read, this time poetry-specific. I’m always surprised to see poetry recommendations from non-literary magazines. Good Housekeeping??? I’ve actually read several of these books and can back up the recommendations.
May 24, 2021 – Corn Nuts
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Bay-Area-history-of-Corn-Nuts-Oakland-snack-16194249.php
Have you ever wanted to learn how Corn Nuts became a thing? Well, it all began in the bar, as many great things do, with the salty crunchy nuggets being given away free as snacks for the patrons of post-prohibition watering holes. After a change in ownership of the original company, Corn Nuts grew into an official business in Oakland, California. The article details the entire history, as well as some fascinating details on how the special corn was selected and bred. If you need some fascinating small talk, read this article. You’ll definitely want a bag of super crunchy ranch-flavored Corn Nuts afterwards.
April 9, 2021 – PEN America Literary Awards
I often post articles about books, lists of books, and literary award winners as reminders to myself that there are some books I need to read. Here is another such list, filled with diverse perspectives and featuring many of my favorite types of authors (ie, women and people of color). It’s been one month short of a year since I saved this article, and I still haven’t read any of these books…
February 23, 2021 – Ferlinghetti Dies
The man, the myth, the San Franciscan. The poet, the painter, and the bookseller. Lawrence Ferlinghetti passed away last February, and I meant to mark the occasion. I only saved the link, however.
If I’ve never mentioned it, I actually went to school for poetry— and have an MFA from the University of Arizona. I moved directly from Tucson, Arizona to San Francisco sight unseen in 1999. And one of my first trips was to City Lights books. A delightful bookstore that you could get lost in for hours; just across an alley from a great little bar called Vesuvio’s (yes, like the volcano that destroyed Pompeii). The bookstore was also directly across the street from what would become two of my favorite places, Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe and Tosca Cafe.
Both Specs’ and Tosca are less “cafe” then outright bar, although now Tosca seems to be more restaurant. Specs’ quickly became one of my favorite dens of iniquity. The bar had unionized employees, some sort of fisherman’s union according to one of the bartenders. The walls are covered in tchotchkes, signs, fishing memorabilia, and even the bone of a whale penis. The door to the women’s room was always propped open and conversation flowed between patrons huddled near the mirror at the single sink. They had a giant wheel of cheese and served a little red basket filled with saltines and a hunk of cheese chopped off with what looked like an old grade school paper cutter. That cheese saved my empty stomach more than once! And Tosca was right next to Specs’, across another alley but really steps away.Tosca was a must-visit location for my first days in San Francisco because it was featured romantically in my favorite movie at that time, Wim Wenders’ “Until the End of the World.” Tosca is known for its bright red leatherette booths, it’s gorgeous long bar with a fantastical looking machine used to make the Irish Coffees, bartenders with the old-fashioned white coats, a jukebox with opera, and a legendary back room with a pool table where the literary elite hung out with the manager.
North Beach was definitely my preferred neighborhood to hang out in when I moved to San Francisco. In addition to the 3 bars & bookstore, I had 2 other frequented spots. One was a tiki bar called the Bamboo Hut, where I danced and laughed and probably tortured the bartender Steve. I closed most of my Friday nights in North Beach at this place, which was connected by regular door in the wall to the HiBall Club, where we snuck occasionally to swing dance. But we always went back to the Bamboo Hut because it was just more fun. The next most visited spot was Caffe Trieste, an actual coffee shop which describes itself as “the first espresso shop on the West Coast in 1952.” It was a place I lingered, often at tables on the sidewalk, hoping that I’d get a glimpse and maybe a quick chat from Ferlinghetti himself. He lived in North Beach and was rumored to hit up Trieste often, and I was a poetry fan girl.
January 24, 2021 – James Baldwin Playlist
James Baldwin’s entire record collection made into a giant playlist. Definitely worth checking out, even if we don’t like Spotify anymore. We know the difference between listening to Joe Rogan and listening to the music listened to by one of America’s greatest writers.
December 16, 2020 – Pinterest
After settling a gender discrimination lawsuit against former COO for $22 million, Pinterest needs to change what has been called its widespread discriminatory and retaliatory culture. I find the news of these workplace problems so disheartening, especially considering Pinterest is an overwhelmingly “female” product. Just another example of using women as a product, as a way to make money, but disregarding the actual women who work for you. Also, why is Pinterest run by a man???? This leaves an incredibly bad taste in my mouth.