The Weekly Wrap: August 20, 2023

I'm going to keep the intro short this week. First, I'm playing email, etc. catch up from our vacation. Second, I've been making the most of my time at home alone knocking out lots of chores. (So many loads of laundry!) Third, I've reserved today for pampering myself and I'm eager to get to all my home spa treatments. I'm also going to eat a fancy spread of charcuterie. Bring on the cheese!

Let's get to the links.

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• A tip for taking better pictures of animals. (These tips also work with small humans.) [PetaPixel]
• Are our digital footprints becoming "meaningless sludge"? [Embedded]
• Why so many cookbook recipes are the same. [Stained Pages News]
• The allure of the letter X. [Atlas Obscura]
• When you might want to bust out a big camera. [Lifehacker]
• What marinating does to your meat. [Serious Eats]
• You're not imagining it, PSL season is getting earlier and earlier. [WaPo - gift link]
• Keep an eye out for dark patterns. [sketchplanations]

• Math is a way of thinking. [The Indicator]
• Present You should think about Future You more often. [Hidden Brain]
• There still a chance for some student loan forgiveness. [Planet Money]
• Austen comes to Bollywood. [Hot and Bothered]
• I had no idea hiking trails were so manufactured. [99% Invisible]

• Jungle is the based on a true story about a man who gets lost in the jungle of Bolivia. Daniel Radcliffe plays the lead in this man versus wild narrative. He brings a stark energy to the role that requires him to move between determination, fear, and vulnerability. The film was intense and does a great job of showing his isolation. It's beautifully shot as well. The jungle is its own character.  [Amazon Prime]
• BJ Novak can write. The problem with his writing is that he is clearly trying to show off. Vengeance is farce/comedy/mystery (hard to pin down an exact genre) about content creation, storytelling, and community. The writing and narrative are superb and so is the acting. I just wish it tried to be less "look how smart I am." Also, I still don't think the ending was necessary. [Amazon Prime]
• With my alone time, I'm watching things that I don't think my husband will enjoy. That includes Cyrano. This Peter Dinklage led film is a remarkable piece of moviemaking. It's stunning to behold. The costume work is luscious, the setting is divine, the makeup is breathtaking, and the staging is gorgeous. Also, it's a musical! I had no idea. Dinklage is not the best vocalist but his gravellyness pairs wonderfully with the softness and richness of the actress who plays Roxanne. I may have to give this one a second viewing. [Amazon Prime]
• As a librarian, everyone assumes that I have seen Party Girl. That was not true until this week. This is a cult classic - particularly for those in the field of library science. I get it now. It's not a long movie nor a particularly high-budget one, but it is perfect. I love the storytelling. I love Parker Posey's character. I love the realistic look at subcultures. I LOVE the portrayal of library work. Yeah, the tech didn't age well, but the essence is there. [Amazon Prime]

• In my quest to free up time for chores and to do items, I focused on easy meals. Two nights in a row I ate an Asian flavored salad with pot stickers. Mix up the bag of salad and pan fry some frozen dumplings. Easy peasey. [Taylor Farms and Ling Ling]
• Another easy meal I fall back on is amped up bag salads. I took a Greek salad mix, tossed in some chopped cucumbers and threw in some kalamata olives. Nothing like a big bowl of veggies to balance out the leftover fries I had for lunch. [Dole]