PicoBlog

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“I desire the the things that will destroy me in the end.” — Sylvia Plath I was first introduced to Sylvia Plath when I was seventeen. I immediately connected to the rich darkness within her poetry. I have always been perpetually sad. I watched the 2003 film with Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig. I am aware that it is a particularly contested film, but I personally adored it. The one poem (aside from Lady Lazarus & Daddy) I always come back to is Cut.
Over Easter weekend, we got wind that something wild had gone on in Sutton. Pictures surfaced of what appeared to be a drag queen, dressed in a pink miniskirt with ruffly underwear exposed, standing on a table in the Sutton High School library, surrounded by students. The image was simultaneously so ridiculous and inappropriate that frankly, it was almost unbelievable. Some folks online claimed the pictures had been taken from the school website(!
Welcome back to Dive Bar Jukebox, where every Friday bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a host of dynamic people answer the question: If we were hanging out at a bar together and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? Their answers reveal thoughts on their favori… ncG1vNJzZmiaopaxtbTOppisqJGnwLC60meqrpqjqa6kt42cpqZnoGSxqsLEZpmaql2fwqyxwaivZq%2BZqbVuts6rm6KrXaq7qK0%3D
I’m not sure if satisfaction should be a life goal. Or I’m not sure if it can be for me. Definitions of satisfaction include “a state of being pleased, proud, happy, and content”—good stuff, but then there’s the shadow side of satisfaction: satisfaction can also mean “a state of being smug, pleased with oneself, complacent, settling for.” I’ve been thinking about how moments of satisfaction, as pleasing as they are, are fleeting by definition, but maybe that’s a good thing.
Novak Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6/4 6/3 in the final of the Paris Masters 1000 on Sunday. It was Djokovic’s 40th Masters 1000 title (58 finals). He now leads the H2H with Dimitrov 12-1. Both men had come through tough draws and long matches in the previous rounds, with Djokovic requiring a medical time-out to treat back pain in his semifinal win over Rublev. Dimitrov wasn’t without his own bruises and had been playing with a heavily strapped leg since the quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open 6/3 7/6 6/3 to clinch his 24th Grand Slam singles title and extend his H2H over Medvedev to 10-5. The Serb has now won three of the calendar year’s four slams for a record fourth time: In my semifinals recap, I touched on two key areas in the Djokovic/Medvedev rivalry: First serve Forecourt ability: slice/drop shots/volleys etc. Because both are natural counterpunchers, the rallies tend to extend when the free points on serve dry up.
Novak Djokovic exacted revenge on his round-robin loss to Jannik Sinner earlier in the week, defeating the young Italian 6/3 6/3 on Sunday to claim a record-breaking seventh ATP Tour Finals title. As I tweeted before the match, Sinner’s biggest improvements throughout the latter stages of the season have mirrored much of what Djokovic does so well. Greater shot tolerance, increased consistency in rally-ball change-of-direction, and a clear uptick in serve potency have resulted in landmark wins over Medvedev (x3 after being 0-6 in their H2H) in recent weeks, as well as Djokovic (after being 0-3), and Rune (0-2 prior) in the group stage of the tournament this week.
By now you’ve heard that Apple will soon open its first store in India at Mumbai’s Jio World Drive, a shopping mall in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). You’ve probably also heard that this won’t be just any old store. No, it’ll be a special store. The kind of store any city would be proud to have. It’ll be a flagship store that carries flagship status. That’s exciting! But there’s one problem.