Limerick Friday #579: "Bad Batch" Offsets A Dismal Week -- Day 1,112

"Bad Batch" answers all calls

Breaking down "Star Wars" walls

Just a middle-aged man

Sitting on his can

Crying as Tech falls

They were on title alert

Then everyone got hurt

Seven pitchers down

Before we took the mound

Can the Mets fade this injury spurt?

"Mandalorian" ups the decibel

A bit more bass than treble

Wait a minute

Holy shiznit

Was that fucking Zeb from "Rebels"?!

Hypocrisy continues unabated

You wonder why your company's jaded

Frauds abound

What's that sound?

Just my resume being updated

Downright sinister

And emotional, mister

"Bad Batch" had all the feels

And a number of reveals

Wait, that's Omega's sister?!

Last time ...

Day 1,111, Quasi-Quarantine: Cable Ties Is Coming Back As Boisterous As Ever

This week brought the news that one of my favorite bands is returning with a new album produced by one of my favorite record companies.

Cable Ties are releasing "All Her Plans" on Merge Records on June 23, the third album from the aggressive Australian trio. If the already-released "Time for You" and "Perfect Client" are any indication, the garage punk band is back with as much angst as ever.

While I hold out hope that Cable Ties eventually make their way across the oceans for a tour spot in the Triangle, I'll bide my time accompanied by the latest from this incredible band.

Day 1,110, Quasi-Quarantine: Vulnerability And Introspection Propel "A Heart That Works"

 

"I suppose I think we have a rainbow of emotions. I don't know which color corresponds to which emotion; perhaps blue is sadness, red is passion, and so on. That doesn't so much matter. I still have all the colors in my rainbow after Henry's death. Name an emotion: I can still feel it, and often do. Leah and our boys and I laugh every day. But now there's a band of black in my rainbow, too, that wasn't there before. Or if it was there, I couldn't see it before Henry died."

Knowing of Rob Delaney as an aggressively hysterical comedian with a robust Twitter feed, I approached "A Heart That Works" with an open mind, knowing a little bit about the tragic illness of Delaney's son, Henry.

Delaney deftly balances comedy and tragedy in a way that evokes Patton Oswalt's "Annihilation," creating a beautiful, empathetic tribute to his lost son. Delaney's stark vulnerability is run through with staggeringly insightful sentiments and a brave willingness to accept each emotion on its own terms.

And yes, sometimes those terms involve hilarious outbursts against red tape.

"The growing number of politicians and newspaper owners who aim to privatize the NHS need to fuck off ten times, then gargle a big bowl of diarrhea. I pray that Vishnu purifies your heart in a dream tonight, or, failing that, that you fall down a deep well in February."

"A Heart That Works" will have most readers alternating between crying and laughing, and some will leave the book thanking Delaney and his family for their willingness to share their experience and help us get to know Henry in some small but vital way.

"Rather, I suspect I am a glass of water, and when I die, the contents of my glass will be poured into the same vast ocean that Henry's glass was poured into, and we will mingle together forever. We won't know who's who. And you'll get poured in there one day, too."

Day 1,109, Quasi-Quarantine: Priority Is Up For Grabs. Send Noodles.

 

Live look at current work approaches in every meeting I'm part of.

It'll be fine, I'm sure. Panic is usually an ideal strategy in the long run.

Carry on.

Day 1,108, Quasi-Quarantine: Rodney Terry And Giancarlo Esposito Could Pass For Los Pollos Hermanos

 

Watching the NCAA Tournament, it was hard not to do double-takes when seeing Rodney Terry on the sidelines for Texas. The interim-turned-permanent coach for the Longhorns is a dead ringer for actor Giancarlo Esposito, who has held down iconic roles as both Gustavo Fring ("Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul") and Moff Gideon ("The Mandalorian").

There were moments during Texas's loss to Miami in the Elite Eight when Terry/Gideon looked like he might want to wield a dark saber in the direction of the officials.

Everyone loses now that we won't get an opportunity to see Gus Fring stalking the sidelines in the Final Four.

Alas.

Limerick Friday #578: Pain At A Mile High Still Hurts -- Day 1,105

When it's tourney time

You need your stars to shine

But too many no-shows

That's just how it goes

How State makes losing easy to rhyme

Stop acting like a knob

With a forced sob

So over-wrought

Were you never taught?

Just do your fucking job

An  uncommon grace in his style

So much conveyed in a smile

He lit up "The Wire"

And made "Fringe" soar higher

Lance Reddick, enjoy your last mile

Make it up as you go

Then pretend you didn't know

Scramble to explain

Pretend you're in pain

Leadership has reached a new low

No role too small to shirk

Academia with a smirk

"Lucky Hank" is the latest

For maybe the greatest

Comedic actor in Bob Odenkirk

Last time ...

Day 1,104, Quasi-Quarantine: "Bullshit Jobs" Takes On The Unhealthy Dynamic Between What We Do And Who We Are

 

"Bullshit jobs regularly induce feelings of hopelessness, depression, and self-loathing. They are forms of spiritual violence directed at the essence of what it means to be a human being."

A fascinating, painstaking, and thought-provoking effort, "Bullshit Jobs" explores the political, religious, and controlling components that drive the creation of unnecessary roles. David Graeber expands on a previous essay, leaning hard on real-world examples from largely anonymous workers who share their tales with him.

"Hell is a collection of individuals who are spending the bulk of their time working on a task they don't like and are not especially good at."

The political role in creating bullshit jobs -- and how we view employment generally -- is extremely compelling.

"Hence, the otherwise inexplicable alliance in the Republican Party between the free market libertarians and the 'values voters' of the Christian Right. What this comes down to in practice has usually been the political equivalent of a strategy of good-cop-bad-cop: first unleash the chaos of the market to destabilize lives and all existing verities alike; then, offer yourself up as the last bastion of the authority of church and fatherhood against the barbarians they have themselves unleashed."

Hitting closer to home, the discussion of relentless team-building and activities designed to boost morale was a bit on the nose. Drink if you've been involved in a department-wide day set aside to "build culture" and "elicit camaraderie."

" ... There are workers whose entire careers are based on dressing up in costumes or otherwise designing silly games to create rapport in office environments where everyone would probably be happier just being left alone."

"The mindfulness seminars were even worse. They attempted to reproduce the unfathomable beauty and stupefying sadness of the human experience into the raw physicality of breathing, eating, and shitting. Breathe mindfully. Eat mindfully. Shit mindfully, and you can be successful in business."

"It's as if they first forbid you to acknowledge you are engaging in empty ritual, then force you to attend seminars where hired gurus tell you, 'In the final analysis, isn't everything we do just empty ritual?'"

The author is upfront about his identity as an anarchist, and goes to great lengths to avoid proposing solutions or policy change. However, his conclusion makes a compelling case for Universal Basic Income as a way to level the playing field and address power-domination dynamics that enter into play in the work world.

"It is as if we have collectively acquiesced to our own enslavement."

Nearly a hundred years ago, John Maynard Keynes predicted that the 15-hour work week would be a reality by the year 2000. On top of that, automation would make a number of roles redundant and transition talent to other areas.

So how come neither of those things have happened at scale?

"The conclusions reached by this body of research -- and what follows appears to hold true, with only minor variations, for both blue- and white-collar workers virtually anywhere in the world -- might be summarized as follows:

1. Most people's sense of dignity and self-worth is caught up in working for a living.

2. Most people hate their jobs."

"Automation did, in fact, lead to mass unemployment. We have simply stopped the gap by adding dummy jobs that are effectively made up."

"Bullshit Jobs" rises about its title -- which may make it easy to dismiss for casual observers -- to create an unflinching look at the corporate landscape and the variables at play that have made bullshit jobs a default of the modern economy.

" ... In our society, there seems to be a general rule that, the more obviously one's work benefits other people, the less one is likely to be paid for it."

Day 1,103, Quasi-Quarantine: Going In Hard On "Teenie Weenie Beanies"

I absolutely should not have enjoyed this as much as I did, but working in tech marketing, the ubiquity of "teenie weenie beanies" struck a very real chord.

Legitimate slow clap from over here on my side of the table.

Day 1,102, Quasi-Quarantine: A Demoralizing Wreck Of A St. Pack-Trick's Day

St. Patrick's Day 2023 proved the belief that NC State has somehow angered the athletics gods -- or leprachauns -- as the Pack endured another in a storied line of frustrating and heartbreaking days.

In the afternoon, the 11th-seeded Wolfpack tangled with the sixth-seeded Creighton Bluejays in Denver. While it was clear that the altitude in the Mile High City impacted State in a big way, there is no excuse for such a woeful shooting performance (37.5%) in a 72-63 loss.

In an eminently winnable game, Jarkel Joiner, Jack Clark, and D.J. Burns combined to miss 22 of 29 shots, including seven of eight three-pointers. The Pack went the entire first half with neither an assist nor a made three-pointer, making it an upset on a number of levels to only be trailing by two at that point.

It certainly helped that Creighton went just three of 20 from beyond the arc, and State won the rebounding battle, 35-34. However, the Wolfpack had absolutely no answer for 7-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner, who connected on 11 of 14 shots and benefited mightily from protection by the officials on both ends of the floor.

The lone bright spot for NC State was sophomore guard Terquavion Smith, who overcame early foul trouble and bad shot selection in the opening minutes to score 32 points. This was the "Baby T" that I hoped to see more of during the season -- less reliant on 25-foot three-pointers and focused on attacking the basket -- but he jacked up a staggering 27 shots and was unable to impact the game in other ways.

The nine-point setback cleared the stage for State baseball, who promptly followed a 2-1 loss to 14th-ranked Virginia the day before with a 7-0 whitewashing. The game dropped the Pack to 1-4 in conference games and three straight defeats to ruin a promising start to the campaign. 

However, none of that remotely touched the worst that the day would offer. Around midnight, the Wolfpack women's basketball team completed an almost unfathomable choke job by failing to score in the final nearly six minutes of action to turn an eight-point lead into a devastating 64-63 loss to Princeton.

A series of mind-numbing turnovers and play-calls that seemed designed to intentionally fail marked the final moments. Granted, at one point the Pack was down to seven healthy players and was missing its best player, but gift-wrapping a game to the opponent is beyond rationale or explanation.

Thus, a St. Paddy's Day that started with such high hopes ended with Wolfpack Nation seeing red -- and green.

Slainte mhaith, indeed.

Day 1,101, Quasi-Quarantine: Steve Forbes Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday For A Win Today

 

At some point this season, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes's mustache got a little out of hand, and he began reminding me in a big way of J. Wellington Wimpy.

The Demon Deacons are led by a dude who looks like Popeye's friend and spends 37 minutes of every 40-minute game yelling at the refs. And with a single ACC team in the Sweet Sixteen, these are the things we're reduced to thinking too hard about.

Limerick Friday #577: A St. Paddy's Day Setback Has Me Searching For Narcos -- Day 1,098

A Series run we were mappin'

With Sugar Diaz's game cappin'

From "Play the trumpets!"

To vodka with crumpets

The very Metsiest thing to happen

"Black gold" cold and tall

And a Black & Tan at last call

"Slainte" to you and yours

Wishing the best of pours

On St. Patrick's Day for one and all

The Pack in the Big Dance

Capitalizing on a chance

Expectations a mile high

Under the Denver sky

Embracing survive and advance

Rebecca will never learn

Nate tried a sick burn

Trust in Ted

He's rent-free in your head

A long-waited "Ted Lasso" return

Let's create new teams ephemeral

And hold a big agile funeral 

Decks that don't end

And spreadsheets you shouldn't send

I'd like to unsubscribe in general

Last time ...

Day 1,097, Quasi-Quarantine: Farmer Son Of Hated Vietnam Architect Gets Existential In "Because Our Fathers Lied"

 

"If any question why we died

Tell them, because our fathers lied"

~Rudyard Kipling

In this raw autobiography, Craig McNamara documents his search for an identity outside of and despite of being the son of a national pariah. His relationship to his father, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, propels "Because Our Fathers Lied" beyond discussion of the Vietnam War into a larger discussion of finding our own paths.

"He intended to say, 'Vietnam ten thousand years,' a phrase used to wish long life -- or in this case, 'Long live Vietnam.' However, his pronunciation was off, and to Vietnamese listeners it sounded like he said, 'Ruptured duck wants to lie down.'"

A man with no country and no truth, McNamara escapes to the literal ends of the earth as he overcomes myriad obstacles to traverse South America before living extensively in a cave on Easter Island. "Because Our Fathers Lied" at times has a bit of a "Forrest Gump" feel, but the author digs deep to find the vulnerability necessary to power such a story.

Though no revelations are to be found here, that's kind of the point. This book is a quick, wrenching, fascinating read and an important entry into the pantheon of writing about this moment in American history.

"So much of being my father's son has been contained in that feeling of a missed connection and the inability to mark certain tragedies, so they linger."

Day 1,096, Quasi-Quarantine: Expectations Are Hard To Quantify As State Arrives In The Mile High City

After earning an 11-seed as the No. 41 overall team in this year's NCAA Tournament, NC State arrived in Denver today to prepare for its matchup with sixth-seeded Creighton on Friday at 4 p.m.

What to expect? Bless your heart, you're adorable.

Look, the Pack could come out and out-athlete the Bluejays and then blitz third-seeded Baylor two days later to vault into the Sweet Sixteen. Or State could absolutely get pick-and-rolled to death by a more disciplined Creighton team and have its Big Dance appearance over in the blink of an eye.

Each scenario is entirely plausible. That's the Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic of the late-season Pack.

This was all on display last week, when you got the full NC State experience in the ACC Tournament: the Wolfpack looked like it could have run anyone out of the gym the way it roasted Virginia Tech by a pick-your-score 20 points, then looked like a squad that would have been pummeled by Louisville the very next day in getting crushed by Clemson by 26 points.

In my mind, the pertinent questions are:

• Will Terquavion Smith embrace maturity and find other ways to help the team that don't involve shooting the Pack out of contention?
• How will competent non-ACC refs officiate State big man D.J. Burns? Will they reward flopping and incessant hacking on one end while targeting him with touch fouls on the other?
• Will Jack Clark and Ernest Ross be able to emerge in the frontcourt with Duson Mahorcic and Greg Gantt out?

We'll start to get some answers on Friday afternoon on whether we'll get the chuck-and-Hyde version of Smith or the Jekyll Joiner Wolfpack that can be a nightmare out for anyone in the South region. All possible outcomes are on the table.

Get your popcorn ready.

Scooter & Hum's Top Five Books Of The Year 2022

 

I managed to hit my personal goal of 46 books in 2022, coming in under the New Year's Eve deadline with my final book of the year. In all, I read 13,962 pages, tackling a host of genres and lived experiences along the way.

For the 16th straight year (!!!), I've sought to rank these books and pinpoint the best books I read in 2022.

Without further ado ...

#1: "War with the Newts," by Karel Copek

What I Wrote Then

What I Say Now:

An allegorical tale with frightening insights into contemporary society despite being 85 years old, "War with the Newts" is a masterful mix of satire, humor, allegory, and apocalyptic fiction. Karel Capek wades in on a staggering number of weighty issues, unafraid to blend scientific classification with political theory, pulling no punches on his way to creating a truly stunning novel that feels way before its time.

Passages to Remember: 

"Sir, if in the whole of the damned tropics there was anything left worth a brass farthing, three agents would be trying to get something out of it and signal with dirty handkerchiefs to boats of seven nationalities to stop."

"And so on; the sea is big, and the ocean of time has no limits; spit into it, man, and it won't give; curse your fate, and you won't move it."

#2: "Liberation Day," by George Saunders

What I Wrote Then 

What I Say Now:

The author of the memorable "Lincoln in the Bardo" extends his oeuvre with nine short stories that comprise a vivid depiction of post-democratic, post-truth America. George Saunders takes on nihilism, guilt, and imprisonment, sketching unforgettable characters who carve out compromised existences. "Liberation Day" serves as a master class in the short story form, cementing Saunders as one of our most versatile writers.

Passages to Remember: 

"The world in which I have received a biting kiss from the beautiful Mrs. U. is a better world than the one in which I have not. I refuse -- or, rather, decline -- to act in such a way as to preclude further such biting kisses ..."

"For as long as world is shiny new    there is no death    and what lovely may I not yet do?"

"Those things were real. That is what (that is all) one gets. All this other stuff is real only to the extent that it interferes with those moments."

#3: "Fiskadoro," by Denis Johnson

What I Wrote Then

What I Say Now:

"What might survivors build their faiths on in a post-apocalyptic world?" This is the existential question posed -- and answered -- by Denis Johnson in his deeply realized novel, "Fiskadoro." The author portrays a society of outcasts adapting to nuclear fallout in a variety of ways, not shying away from such weighty topics as attachment, maturity, and dignity in constructing an underrated work worthy of closer examination.

Passages to Remember: 

"I don't wish to discuss these things with you because you seem to be made of porcelain."

"If she grew the tumors of pain until they held her down to the bed, a hundred kilos of tumors of fire, and she begged in a tiny voice to be killed, it wouldn't happen today. And today was a big place that held everything inside of it -- the Keys, the sea, the sky, and the outer space of stars. Today didn't close around her throat like all the other days."

"'It isn't sleeping under the moon that makes a crazy person. It's waking up and remembering the past and thinking it's real.'"

#4: "How High We Go in the Dark," by Sequoia Nagamatsu

What I Wrote Then 

What I Say Now:

A timely foray into the effects of plague and climate change on our society and world, "How High We Go in the Dark" is devastating in its emotional presentation. Sequoia Nagamatsu blends a number of vignettes to create a compelling vision that isn't bound by time, gender, galaxy, or even species. The result is an irresistible work that rewards the careful and compassionate reader with real emotion and deep insights at every turn.

Passages to Remember: 

"'For a scientist, she dreamed more like a poet or a philosopher.'"

"'But the odds of us finding some completely foreign runaway pathogen that we don't already know about are incredible small.'"

"Sometimes, long after Fitch had fallen asleep, I'd stay in his room and watch the stars from his toy planetarium shoot across the ceiling, a grown man making wishes on a sixty-watt light."

#5: "White Noise," by Don DeLillo

What I Wrote Then

What I Say Now:

An entry with necessary and all-too-rare humor, "White Noise" joins a line of Scooties contenders that put contemporary society in the crosshairs. Don DeLillo's scathing satire takes on consumerism and American exceptionalism without regard for convention. I completed the novel not long before hearing of a Netflix movie based on the book, and I can't wait to immerse myself in DeLillo's wit and prose on the small screen.

Passages to Remember: 

"We decided to eat in the car. The car was sufficient for our needs. We wanted to eat, not look around at other people. We wanted to fill our stomachs and get it over with. We didn't need light and space. We certainly didn't need to face each other across a table as we ate, building a subtle and complex cross-network of signals and codes."

"In a crisis the true facts are whatever other people say they are. No one's knowledge is less secure than your own."

"He asks me why the strongest family units exist in the least developed societies. Not to know is a weapon of survival, he says. Magic and superstition become entrenched as the powerful orthodoxy of the clan. The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted."

Narrow Misses (in 15 words or less):

"Under the Volcano," by Malcolm Lowry: Fever-dream quality peppers Mexican adventures of epic alcoholic unable to act on his love.

"Sea of Tranquility," by Emily St. John Mandel: Melancholy melange of time travel, pandemics, and simulation theory blends frantic pace with surprising emotion.

"Cloud Cuckoo Land," by Anthony Doerr: Vividly imagined clash of existences brings intensity and suspense to a fascinating, time-traveling read

"It Can't Happen Here," by Sincair Lewis: Steady creep of fascism unveiled in powerful book that transitions from satire to contemporary observation.

"Hamnet," by Maggie O'Farrell: Beautiful imagining of the family dynamics, grief, and pain that inspired creation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

“Men We Reaped,” by Jesmyn Ward: Devastating, emotional memoir describing the effects of loss, poverty, and racism adrift in American South.

"The Office of Historical Corrections," by Danielle Evans: A stellar collection of accessible tales that tackles racism, cancel culture, misogyny, and other issues.

"Darkness at Noon," by Arthur Koestler: Claustrophobic tale of accused revolutionary's linguistic battle with his torturers offers vivid Cold War portrait.

"Ragtime," by E.L. Doctorow: Dizzying series of connections, events, and celebrities comprise humorous, harsh look at patriotism in America.

Honorable Mention (in 10 words or less):

"Daisy Jones and the Six," by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Emotional oral history documents rise, fall of mercurial '70s band.

"If Beale Street Could Talk," by James Baldwin: Frantic pace, gutting emotion drive eloquent look at marginalized experience.

"The Employees," by Olga Ravn: Sterile environment lends claustrophobic feel to atmospheric outer space novel.

"The Water Dancer," by Ta-Nehisi Coates: The surreal and historical fights themselves, but result is powerful.

"Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America," by Kurt Andersen: Difficult exploration of social disparity, financial cronyism lends important context.

"Fairy Tale," by Stephen King: Whimsical escapism, heroism mark worthy entry into formidable King canon.

"Not Without Laughter," by Langston Hughes: Harlem Renaissance comes alive in travails of Midwestern Black family.

"Harlem Shuffle," by Colson Whitehead: Rhythmic tale of 1960s Harlem dissects double lives, racism, corruption.

"The Elements of User Experience," by Jesse James Garrett: Definitive UX playbook, as relevant and timely 20 years later.

Notable (in 7 words or less):

"Less is Lost," Andrew Sean Greer: Manic sequel mitigated by avoiding difficult topics.

"The Furrows," by Namwali Serpell: Grief meditation struggles with unreliable realities, narrators.

"Deep Work," by Cal Newport: Thoughtful, painstaking look at protecting workplace attention.

"Travels with Charley," by John Steinbeck: Rediscovery of country undermined by depressing findings.

"Anthem," by Noah Hawley: Dark revelation of what awaits next generation.

"Sundial," by Catriona Ward: Harrowing, eerie psychological thriller meets ghost story.

"Call Us What We Carry," by Amanda Gorman: Gutting poems make COVID and inequality accessible.

"Fox 8," by George Saunders: Modern-day parable cemented by charming illustrations.

"We Came We Saw We Left," by Charles Wheelan: Global family trip both endearing and annoying.

"The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books," edited by J. Peder Zane: Noteworthy authors build resource for stellar recommendations.

"A Visit from the Goon Squad," by Jennifer Egan: Off-putting structure features memorable characters, commentary.

"Permanent Record," by Edward Snowden: Self-deprecating style belies privacy, governmental lies.

"Snow Child," by Eowyn Ivey: Foreboding Alaska propels heart-rending fairy tale.

"Culture Code," by Daniel Coyle: Handy primer on building trust, safety, teams.

"Midnight Library," by Matt Haig: Regret and unlived lives undermined by treacle.

"From Solo to Scaled," by Natalie Marie Dunbar: Prescriptive punchlist for content strategists selling value.

The Rest (in 5 words or less):

"Good Trouble," by Joseph O'Neill: Overwrought short stories about ennui.

"I Heard You Paint Houses," by Charles Brandt: Hyperbole, reality battle in memoir.

"Gwendy's Final Task," by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar: Trilogy finale has little King.

"Raising Worry-Free Girls," by Sissy Goff: Faith focus undermines valuable discussion.

"The Traveler's Guide to Batuu," by Cole Horton: Black Spire Outpost! Go! Now!

"The Final Girl Support Group," by Grady Hendrix: Self-deprecation limits horror tale.

"Head On," by Larry Csonka: Dolphin legend shares rushed autobiography.

Day 1,094, Quasi-Quarantine: At Long Last, SNL Takes On Waffle House

I mean, no notes. This is small-screen magic.

Limerick Friday #576: The Wolfpack Has Put Themselves Back In The NCAA Crosshairs -- Day 1091

An ugly display in Greensboro

Another blowout quite thorough

Read their press clippings

Then lined up for their next rippings

What's next is hard to know

Egos and politics at play

How it ends is hard to say

Work is chaotic

And chaos is psychotic

So I needed a self-care day

After once more getting drubbed

They set themselves up to be snubbed

Put themselves back on the bubble

For State that always spells trouble

NCAA hands are now being rubbed

"Bad Batch" is an overlooked gem

Gritty and emotional in the Outer Rim

With Disney's Star Wars under fire

Of this show I'll never tire

Dave Filoni should always direct them

That bad feeling sinking in

Recognizable to Pack fans akin

They did it to themselves

So get that vodka off your shelves

It's all about to happen again

Last time ...

Day 1,090, Quasi-Quarantine: "Night Wherever We Go" Offers Searing Depiction Of 1850s Texas Plantation Life

 

"She made her mind blank as a sheet as she walked into the barn's dark maw, in much the same way her father had walked into the sea. She had never been told what body of water it was, only that he charged forward into the rising water, determined to walk back home. Mother Mary, why did you not bring me a great sea to walk into?" 

Tracey Rose Peyton juggles a litany of characters and shifts in perspective from third person to an omniscient "we" to elegantly bring off the resonant "Night Wherever We Go."

Documenting life on a Texas plantation, the novel takes a number of terrifying turns. Peyton balances this horror with the complex origin stories and pasts of the characters who have developed unfathomable mechanisms to cope with what they're enduring. 

"She held on to him, wondering if she could be content with that difference. Wasn't that marriage -- to weather any shift in altitude, longitude, latitude?"

With points of view difficult to determine at times, some characters, like Lulu, get lost in the shuffle. Yet the author's prose -- subtle yet beautiful, understated but powerful -- frames the story in an accessible way, honoring the brutality without losing the ability to celebrate the individuals.

"Night Wherever You Go" is a staggering debut novel that is essential reading for those who seek a more complete picture of America's past and its implications on present conversations and future hopes for growth.

"When the pain thickens, Serah will summon the little girl by her bedside once more and tighten her swollen fingers around the child's tiny hand. And it'll be hard to say which one is the anchor affixing them to this new world, lest they be suddenly wrenched back into the old one."

Day 1,089, Quasi-Quarantine: Can The Pack Find Its Footing In Greensboro?

 

After referees played massive roles in deciding late-season games at Syracuse (75-72) and Duke (71-67), apparently NC State has played its way onto the bubble. The Pack can change that perception starting tonight, when it matches up with Virginia Tech at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro.

In the first matchup, the Wolfpack beat the Hokies by four (73-69) on the road on January 7. State outrebounded (38-29) VT, but shot just 41.4% (24-58) from the field and 23.8% (5-21) on three-pointers, while dishing out just seven assists as a team.

Slumping Terquavion Smith was off in that game as well, missing 13 of 19 field goals and 7 of 9 threes against the Hokies. Foul trouble limited D.J. Burns to just 16 minutes, and he had four turnovers to go with his four fouls and 10 points. However, Casey Morsell was a plus player in the game, scoring 15 on 5 of 8 shooting.

A major storyline in the first matchup centered around who wasn't playing: The Hokies were without one of their best players in physical guard Hunter Cattoor, and State did not have difference-making forward Jack Clark. With both players ready to go this time around, the dynamic will have a different feel.

What else can we expect to be different? Virginia Tech has won three straight, while the Wolfpack has struggled to find consistent production from anyone outside of Jarkel Joiner and Burns. The pressure will be on Smith and Morsell to find their stride in helping Joiner offset the Hokies' three-guard lineup of Cattoor, Sean Pedulla, and Michael Collins Jr.

Look, the Wolfpack got flat-out embarrassed on Senior Night, getting pummeled by Clemson by 25 points. Even though that feels like an aberration, they have put themselves in this position with inconsistent play down the stretch -- and if we're being honest, it's probably important to acknowledge that if the NCAA can find a way to screw State, it absolutely will.

A victory over Virginia Tech (a Quad 2 opponent, whatever the hell that means) would go a long way toward cementing the Pack's resume, but the Hokies are also more than capable of contributing to another potential Wolfpack heartbreak on Sunday evening.

Welcome to March.

Day 1,088, Quasi-Quarantine: Superchunk Released Just The Most Adorable Vinyl

 

Superchunk recently released a 7-inch vinyl that features two songs -- "Everything Hurts" and "Making a Break" -- that didn't make the cut on their "Wild Loneliness" album from last year.

The limited-edition 45-rpm record comes in cotton-candy pink, lending a springtime feeling to the spin. The jacket includes a picture of the New River in Virginia, where bassist Laura Ballance spends time, according to Merge Records.

The arrival of this vinyl yesterday, combined with the timely sentiment of the two song titles, was literally music to my ears.

Keep rockin', 'Chunk ... we need ya perhaps more than ever.

Day 1,087, Quasi-Quarantine: "Daisy Jones & The Six" Off To An Intriguing Start

Turning an interview-based into a TV show successfully perhaps relies more on casting than other types of productions. So when I heard that "Daisy Jones & The Six" was coming to Amazon as a show, I had my concerns.

As a fan of the book, early returns indicate that the show nails it with the casting of Riley Keough in the Daisy role. However, casting Sam Claflin as Billy Dunne has been a bit more of a stretch. While the Daisy character comes off rather effortlessly, Dunne presents as an actor portraying a rock star. Which is exactly the case.

At any rate, the first three episodes showed enough to make me want to see it through -- which is a win in the current age of television.

Limerick Friday #575: An Empire Of Redneck Lawyers Falls In The Lowcountry -- Day 1,084

 

Netflix crushed the Murdaugh doc

Turned over every rock

Racist, classist, and gory

A very South Carolina story

A serial-killing family on the prison clock

Hiccups on the road to great

Going for four straight

A fresh start in Greensboro

You know the Pack will be thorough

This is Wes Moore's State

An obscure virtual-reality show

Grabs you and won't let go

Avoiding virtual death

Like "Ready Player One" on meth

This is the "Peripheral" flow

Environment, economy, and guns

The general hate stuns

Ignorance abounds

Idiocy astounds

Can we overcome problems in the tons?

An underwhelming premiere

Sparks "Mandalorian" fear

Has it taken on too much

Using "Book of Boba" as a crutch?

Trust Dave Filoni to help it find its gear

Last time ...

Day 1,083, Quasi-Quarantine: Horror And Anonymity In North Korea Drive Stunning "The Orphan Master's Son"

"This regime will come to an end, she said. I have studied every angle, and it cannot last. One day all the guards will run away -- they'll head that way, for the border. There will be disbelief, then confusion, then chaos, and finally a vacuum. You must have a plan ready. Act before the vacuum is filled."

With shifting perspectives and identities, Adam Johnson takes us inside the psyche and processes of oppressive North Korea. "The Orphan Master's Son" catalogs the various roles and personas worn by Jun Do (literally, John Doe), an orphan who must find his way through a society dedicated to honoring the Dear Leader and all that that might entail.

"The key to fighting in the dark was no different: you had to perceive your opponent, sense him, and never use your imagination. The darkness inside your head is something your imagination fills with stories that have nothing to do with the real darkness around you."

Johnson weaves a stellar tale that incorporates a host of genres, with the end result being the description of a political dystopia that sustains itself on the anonymity and grief of its citizens. 

"Still, her departure was a sad one, as she was returning to America and a life of illiteracy, canines, and multicolored condoms."

Sharing similarities with Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" (the runner-up in the 2019 Scooties), "The Orphan Master's Son" is a beyond-worthy Pulitzer Prize winner. This stunningly woven and realized tale represents all that is brave and true in the pursuit of novels that change worldviews.

"Before you relinquished yourself ... you let go of all the others, each person you'd once known. They became ideas and then notions and then impressions, and then they were as ghostly as projections against a prison infirmary."

Day 1,082, Quasi-Quarantine: Refs Have Put Their Foot (Locker) Down On State In Triangle Road Games

 

On the heels of another insanely frustrating road loss to a "blue blood," NC State has to be wondering what the path toward fair treatment looks like at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In a four-point loss to Duke, the Pack shot eight free throws -- to 29 for the Blue Devils. In a tight game, being outscored by 16 points from the charity stripe is nearly impossible to overcome.

The sentiment that Wolfpack D.J. Burns would be shooting a dozen free throws a game if he played for Duke or UNC is borderline inarguable. Yet the big man took 15 shots from the floor against the Devils and was awarded a single free throw, despite being hammered in the low post all game long. 

In a season where it could be easily argued that State has been the best of the Triangle basketball schools, the Pack has been dramatically impacted by the officials in matchups with those foes in a startling display of disrespect and bias.

In road games in Chapel Hill and Durham, UNC and Duke combined to shoot 68 free throws. NC State shot 20 free throws total in those contests. The Pack was outscored by 40 points (59-19) from the charity stripe while losing the two games by a combined 15 points, and the Wolfpack was whistled for 47 fouls in those contests, compared to 28 for the Heels and Devils.

The ACC clearly wants to protect the status quo while ensuring that blue bloods on the bubble get all the help they need to make the tourney. On the off chance you thought the worm was turning when it comes to the Triangle basketball pecking order, the league's insistence on refusing to hold referees accountable is proof positive that NC State is making no headway in getting a fair whistle in that effort.

Onward to Greensboro.