Is This So Shoutable?

I wanted to write something about this Shouts & Murmur's column from the January 5th New Yorker. I wanted to write something because the essay, called "Looking Your Best," is by a woman named Amy Ozols and I get that it's supposed to be funny. I understand that lines like this one are meant to be ironic and hence humorous: "Self-confidence is the most attractive trait a person can have. For this reason, strive to love yourself and accept yourself exactly as you are. This will be difficult if you are overweight, on account of your loathsome physical appearance and compromised value system, but do your best."

But it's not funny. It's kind of, what's the word? Smarmy?

Now, I know, I know the editors and the writer were trying to subvert the whole New-Year-New-You-let's-get thin-talk. I bet Ozols thought she was skewering how people talk about losing weight by pointing out the inherent contradictions and self-loathing that lace food/body writing, but it gets a knowing grimace and maybe a "yeah I'm in on that one" chuckle.... at best.

And you know what? It turns out it's unfunny to write a post about an unfunny piece. But I was so annoyed that in one of the few instances when a woman was actually writing the Shouts & Murmurs (not that I keep track of such things, but it's hard not to notice most of the column's writers are men) she's writing about how people talk about getting thin. I just wish if they were going there it had been, you know, funnier.

On Israel: The War with Iran

Robert Kaplan has an explanation. I don't know enough to comment, but if you're interested, it's worth reading.

The Baking Sebatacle

In the last two weeks, I've made banana bread, cookies and, last night, a marble loaf cake. I have to stop baking. All I want to do is bake. I also have to stop knitting. But, really, I love to knit. Still, the hand needs the rest and I guess the home arts do, too. In the meantime, I'll be reading more. Just today, I read a nearly perfect paragraph in Middlemarch. I also liked this story in the Times about Obama's wistfulness in moving; I appreciate how human it is. Really, I should send the Obamas some cookies to help their hotel room feel more like home.

My Hand & The Jury

Not to go all personal, but I'm having this thing with my right hand that's somewhat painful. Whatever it is, it makes typing uncomfortable. Plus, I have jury duty tomorrow. Which is to say the posts will be a little slim early this week. But I will add this personal note -- today we took our kids ice skating in Central Park (we all got new skates!) and then in the afternoon I took them to the Carousel for a ride. Sometimes, living in New York, in January, is magic.

More on Israel

This is worth reading and it gets at why I don't think Sullivan was all the way right yesterday. Because ultimately it doesn't matter whether the Israelis have the moral high ground or not (not that there really is one in war -- there's purposeful attacks and justifiable ones, but moral?). In any case, avoiding the thorny philosophical problems of war, I'll simply agree that because of how the news work and the trippy balancing acts of the middle east, it's impossible for Israel with it's established power to do anything with an attack but ultimately help Hamas and its rhetoric. It's all awful.

To Read, On Israel

I think Andrew Sullivan has something important to say about Gaza here. I don't agree with him - exactly, but I won't get into it. I just think his post should be read.

A Blog I Like

I like the blog Light Reading and the reason I like it is the same reason I like certain cookbooks: It gives me ideas about whom I might be should I be someone with lots of ideas about what to read (or cook) and what's good and what isn't. And even though my time is so limited now that ideas for what to read are about as helpful to me right now as ideas about what to listen to on audiobooks -- I mean, I'm not really going to be able to read or listen to nearly as much as I'd like to any time soon -- I still like to have them. I keep looking up the books that Sue Dickman recommended listening to and I have a little book of lists and I trust that some time or another I'll have more time and energy. Right now, I'll keep my lists, like little promises for new years to come. As long as there's no awful terrorist attack or anything. I just had to throw that in; I don't want to take anything for granted these days.