Just Some Stuff

*Ana invited a bunch of bloggers (including myself) to comment on The Lottery for Halloween. She put all our responses together and if you enjoy this short story, I think you'll enjoy reading the post!

*I've been enjoying The Good Wife this season (though I haven't watched this week's episode yet) and surprisingly one of the things I've really enjoyed is the score. I don't man, I can get into TV scores. Anyway, I was glad to see this piece with the composer.

*How is Borgen so amazing still in its third season? I love how much I feel for these characters, I even care a small bit for stupid Torbin. I find the political issues touched interesting and the way gender affects things so interesting. Also, lol Hello Mads Mikkelsen's brother! I looooved everything about Katrine's struggle over Kasper, too, it was so great and just resonated so much. It's strange to me how Borgen can feel so optimistic while also being so realistic.

*I really liked this piece in the New Yorker by a former baseball player and this quote in particular is stunning and explains what I tried to say far more clumsily to Jenny a few weeks ago about why I like baseball:

Baseball is visceral, tragic, and absurd, with only fleeting moments of happiness; it may be the best representation of life.

*I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately and how it can be hard once you sort of...stagnate? And like I feel like I'm the kind of person that generally fights to keep in touch but lately I've been wondering if it's really the right thing or worth it because I feel like I end up feeling hurt half the time. Which isn't anyone's fault but my own for having pride and being the more invested party. And I think the answer is that it's not always the right thing, that nothing in life has one right way to do things. You give it your best shot and if that doesn't work out...well you move on? Like maybe that just makes everyone feel better in the long run. It can be sad to hold on to something that is not what it used to be and keep hoping it will somehow be again. I think it's harder if you feel like you weren't ready for that to happen, and that's where my struggle has come from. I love this quote in Godric as well by Frederic Buechner: "When friends speak overmuch of times gone by, often it’s because they sense their present time is turning them from friends to strangers." :( It's sad, but you know I guess I just have to recognize that it's a part of life, and eventually it won't really hurt but I'll just feel joy over whatever contact I do have with old friends. (it's so weird, though, you know? How like sometimes you run into an old friend and it's just SO GOOD and you're left wishing things could be different like you had infinite time to spend with people. And then other times you barely have anything to talk about and unless you're constantly creating shared experiences, there's not much there)

*Speaking of the above, Ana's review of Doll Bones left me really wanting to read it. Yes, it's all related in my head!

*The best of lists are coming out and I've not read many of them. My reading really fell apart at the end of this year, but I'm hoping it will pick up again. For one thing, I'm watching a lot less TV, for some reason apart from a few shows, I'm just not really able to get into anything. But it's not unusual for me to have not read many on the lists there are just too many options!

*This tumblr is devoted to finding cultural uses of people trying to prove Thomas Wolfe wrong in his "You can't go home again" quote. And is amazing.