Week 10 (2023)
of boys & men, hungering & searching for solace, women in higher ed & unruffled people, neighborhood ideals & playgrounds, public shaming & rules for the bookish life
(click title to open in browser)
reading: books
Of Boys And Men, Richard V. Reeves — audio — Some thoughts of mine.
reading: essays, articles, newsletters
A Century-Old Neighborhood Provides A Model For The Present Day — Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns — “This place shouldn’t be the rarity it is. It’s a demonstrated huge success: there should be a dozen neighborhoods like it…
There aren’t. In fact, it’s illegal to make any other neighborhood here more like Laurel Park. Virtually every lot in Laurel Park violates some combination of the density, parking, and setback restrictions that apply to every other neighborhood in the city. (In fact, many of them violate the restrictions that apply to Laurel Park, itself—they just had the good fortune to have been developed before the modern zoning code was in place.)”
Undisturbed — Gina Loehr, Hearth & Field (audio version available) — “Nothing seemed to ruffle him. Now, thirteen years into my life as his wife, I remain convinced that he and his brother are the most unruffled people I have ever met. I have a theory about why.”
12 Rules For The Bookish Life — Doug Sikkema, Comment — An important aspect of the good life, for sure. Cheers to aiming towards it.
Can Fatherhood Cure The Modern Male Malaise? A Conversation With Richard Reeves — Serena Sigillito, The Public Discourse — I have to say, Serena’s gentle pushback on family planning/formation was perfect. This quote of Richard’s, if true, is a pretty lame and impoverished vision of marriage:
“As a social scientist, my basic view is the future of marriage, if it has one, is as a co-parenting contract. I think that’s what’s driving most upper-middle-class marriages.”
The Borough Playground — Anthony Esolen, Front Porch Republic — “We had a real neighborhood, then. It’s children that make the neighborhood… But we were on the edge of a change that no one suspected, the shift into an anti-society, made possible for the first time in human history by wealth, the abandonment of home life by both husbands and wives, child-poor marriages, and mass entertainment consumed almost entirely indoors.”
Why Does Higher Ed Throw Women Under The Bus? — Angela Franks, Church Life Journal — “Thus, a more woman-friendly approach would be the de-stigmatization of part-time academic work while mothers are raising young children. Teaching a class or two a year online or doing adjunct work before returning to apply for full-time work should be viewed as a respectable career path for female academics.”
In Search Of Solace — Randall Gauger, Plough (audio version available) — ‘These are words that each of us have to encounter in our own time. They can’t be lectured to us by a well-meaning counselor, or embossed onto a sympathy card that arrives while we’re struggling to take another breath, to make it through another hour.”
Ecstatic Hunger — Sharon Rose Christner, Ekstasis — “Perhaps all things belonging to a bread-keeper require some kneading, pressing, dividing, and re-forming. But for now, this means we don’t all eat together.”
Penance And Public Shaming — Leah Libresco Sargeant, The Bulwark — “What do we do with people who have committed a wrong that they themselves cannot put right? And is it possible for me to make full amends for the wrongs that I’ve done, whatever their size?”
watching/listening
How Churches Should Respond To The Boy Crisis — Dr. Anthony Bradley — In this house, we often talk about things Anthony Bradley is talking about. Always appreciate him sharing his experience with & scholarship in this area. (Also, does anyone have a few million dollars to save The Kings College and therefore, his teaching position?)
Continuing On:
Managing Your Fertility with Bridget Busacker — Episodes 44-45 — Pelvic floor and sacrificial love.
Verity with Phylicia Masonheimer — Episodes 46-47 — Understanding the Theotokos/Mariology and four views of baptism (also in booklet form). *Also happened to recently watch this explainer on Catholic baptism from Ascension Presents, shared by Tsh Oxenreider.
using: product, tip, resource
Robin Pieterse & Lore Pemberton paintings — Drool over these with me as they do what they do…. evoking magical feelings & cozy visuals of the good and beautiful.
remembering
One Year Ago:
Two Years Ago:
This Week:
Goodness. All those beautiful children.
The bread article reminded me of a Bake & Pray workshop, created by Kendall Vanderslice, which I got to participate in a while back. Hoping to read her new book By Bread Alone soon, too.