PicoBlog

March 12th was the fifth anniversary of my sister’s death. My life has changed more than I could have ever imagined over these last five years. She was 29 when she died. I turn 29 on Sunday, April 23rd. Grief, mortality, aging, and CF have been on my mind a lot lately. I hope that you take the time to read this essay on what I’ve learned over the years about grief, and even if you’ve not quite experienced grief, I think this essay will still resonate with you.

People love animals. Cute cat videos rule TikTok and YouTube, the Puppy Bowl clocks up 420M social media views, and Disney movies venerate animated creatures. Two thirds of Americans have at least one pet and 88% of them consider their pets to be family members, whom they lavish $137B on annually — more than the economic output of most nations. People also hate animal abuse. Hollywood movies proudly proclaim “no animals were harmed,” while social media platforms all claim to ban content involving cruelty to animals.

The Princess Bride is a masterpiece. It’s a perfect film full of romance, adventure, comedy, and a wonderful coming-of-age wrap-around narrative device. I love this movie. But sometimes a perfect film can have flaws. I know this sounds like a contradiction, and indeed, it is, but that’s beside the point. A perfect film doesn’t have to be flawless—it just has to be perfect enough for the viewer to overlook such flaws.

Note: Today’s issue includes a few spoilers for The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sometimes I forget to warn y’all, but this time I did not. But you’ve probably already seen this film. Carry on. Reader, when do “the holidays” start in your mind? This is something I think about, because my brain is weird. No matter what you celebrate or believe, December is obviously “the holidays.” And I think it would make sense to include the last week or two of November as well.

Thanks so much for reading! I’ve been blown away by the amount of support I’ve received since launching this newsletter, and I’m so excited to finally offer paid subscriber-exclusive content starting next week. Free subscribers, you’ll still receive our leading story of the week in your inbox, with an ability to unlock the rest of the newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber. No pressure—I wasn’t sure what to expect when launching this and I’m learning as I go—but I can’t wait to give our paid subscribers the exclusive content and scoop they deserve!

Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections. Become a free or paid subscriber and join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible. Enjoy daily posts, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. 2022-2025. Psalms #PSLAMS #Psalm4 #ספרתהילים #תהילים #BookofPsalms #כתובים #tehilim #Ketuvim #Hebrewbible  #Tanach #929  #labshul #belowthebiblebelt929 #bedtimeshma #bedtimeprayers #sleepanxiety #lullaby #DennistheMenace #Grzegorz Gorczycki #vespers #Shma #sweetdreams #endthewar #stoptheviolence #peace #prayforpeace #nomorewar #hope

This essay originally appeared on pocketobservatory.org, my independent official site! AtPocket Observatory, there are no shareholders, there are just stakeholders - you and me. I republish selected Pocket Observatory essays to Substack. If you’d like to keep up with my writing, come on over to my official site. Better yet! Let me bring the writing to your inbox! Subscribe for free right here. Subscribe to Pocket Observatory Want to read the essay on Pocket Observatory instead?

Hello, my beloved clowns! It’s not often we get ingredients brought to us from far-flung places, but this week, a dear friend of mine, Elizabeth, brought us a very special edible treat from Iceland. This is widely regarded as one of the most extreme foods on Earth, for its pungency, preparation, and its rarity. It has been featured on a lot of travel shows by the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, and Gordon Ramsay, each of whom had a challenging time eating it.

Last year, I saw this tweet… …and I have not stopped thinking about it. As Marshall McLuhan prophetically stated, “We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.” We used to say BRB, but now we just live here. I also recently read this: While the internet is no longer one physical place, I do think of it as an entity. The internet has an undeniable presence. It's a common and unsettling experience: you're trying to have a conversation, but the other person is more focused on their phone, making you feel like you're just talking to yourself or third-wheeling.