In response to @mbkriegh’s In Praise of the Choir:

This post reminds me of Austin Kleon’s writing on Brian Eno’s concept of “scenius”:

• Scenius
• Further notes on scenius
• Maps of scenius

I myself feel the same way about choral music, as well as a variety of other forms of collaborative art (theatre, movies & TV, video games). I’ve been a choral singer and I’ve been a soloist, and for the longest time I thought my worth as a singer was to be measured by how often directors wanted to give me solos. But over time, I’ve come to realize that people don’t want a choir or chorus full of bad singers, that being a choral singer is a special skill, and that I tend to get chills more often listening to a good choral piece than a solo.

Finished reading: The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller 📚

This is a lovely romance set in Gilded Age New York, where a scandalous society widow and a famous inventor fall in love as they try to exorcise a ghost from the Gothic mansion she just bought. Content warning: spousal abuse, neglectful parents, bad treatment in a mental health facility.

💬📚 “Real life is people leaning on each other when things are hard. It’s loving each other so much there’s no question about facing things together. It’s fighting for each other and with each other and being damned grateful for every morning you wake up together.” The Widow of Rose House, Diana Biller

Halfway through the week of no school or camp and we’re not doing too badly, thanks to grandma time, the pool, and a moratorium on screen time limits…

📚💬 “Love isn’t naïve, Alva. It’s hope, and it’s faith, and it can outlast buildings and wars and empires.” The Widow of Rose House, Diana Biller

🔖📚💖 A couple of links about pleasure reading for your reading pleasure:

• What Romance Novels Taught Me About Taking Pleasure More Seriously by Stephanie Fallon (The Good Trade)
• Don’t Call Them Trash by Sophie Gilbert (The Atlantic)

There’s something really special about being a 90s comedy nerd married to another 90s comedy nerd.

I like how when I text someone and am a lot, knowing they’re a lot too means I know we’ll both be okay because we’re both a lot and they won’t be mad I a-lot-ed at them.

🎙🖖Listened to Our Opinions Are Correct, Episode 131: The State of Star Trek, with Mike McMahan. Spoilery still from the Strange New Worlds Season 2 trailer on that page.

This is a lovely episode, full of thoughts on what makes Trek Trek, when it’s at its best, and what Lower Decks does.

🔖 Read A LETTER FROM THE NEW CORPORATE OWNERS OF HOOPER’S STORE (McSweeney’s).

This is hilarious and ends with a perfect button.