Let’s round-up some news, newsletter-style!
- Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police hits a little too close to home. I’m glad I read it after China lifted Covid restrictions, otherwise any remaining embers of hope I’d have managed to hold on to would’ve been extinguished, leaving me to Google the best, most peaceful way to bid adieu to the world. Too harsh? Too dark? Blame the book and its sinister plot which, in fairness, is narrated in beautifully worded prose. On an island, people wake up to find that random objects — books, boats, flowers, etcetera — have disappeared. Objects continue disappearing as the years go by, their eradication enforced by the Memory Police, who get more and more aggressive. Sound familiar, Shanghai?
- Switched “offices” from Baker & Spice to Peet’s Coffee. It’s closer to home, much calmer, and there’s no shortage of electrical outlets here, that’s for sure. In contrast to the mostly expat/selfie-takers crowd of B&S, the clientele at Peet’s actually seem to be getting some work done.
- To totally contradict myself, I’ve been mulling over a co-working space membership because my productivity levels and dwindling attention span are at their worst when I’m working from home. As you can guess from this post, I’m not getting any work done.
- Is there a rule in Shanghai that all coffee shops must include Cigarettes After Sex’s Apocalypse on their playlist, otherwise the world implodes?
- Music-wise, I’ve been listening to The Smile’s A Light for Attracting Attention. Everything is * chef’s kiss *
- Best news ever is that we’re all finally on board about fostering a dog! Meaning, Jul will come home and will find a huge slobbering Golden Retriever and there’s nothing he’ll be able to do about it.
Currently listening to:
The Smile
A Light for Attracting Attention