Strange attachments in the cellular store

Surprise Me

October 21, 2022

Two horizontal, curtain-covered windows in the corner of a purple-painted room show through a diffuse, bluish-purplish light.

Surprisingly eerie morning light

I come to you fresh from a visit to the cell phone store, where I accompanied my mother on a tech errand she's been putting off for approximately 3 years. The birthright of children is to one day become a bespoke IT department for their parents, right? Or maybe "tech doula" is a better way of putting it. Because this stuff is always surprisingly emotional. The particular frustrations of modern technology whip up strange attachments and insecurities. Today, standing under the fluorescent lights amidst a group of gray-haired pilgrims waiting for their turn at the kiosk, I wondered: Should we start thinking of tech troublehshooters and phone-setup experts as care workers?

Elsewhere, a request! Writing fellow Autumn Fourkiller is looking for dreamers to submit their dreams for interpretation by Sadboy Howdy, her nom de newsletter. She writes: "Hello, it's your favorite sad cowboy mystic, Howdy. I'm once again asking for your dreams! They can be about anything, but in these fall and winter months I'm especially interested in dreams including (but not limited to) — foliage and snow, spooky happenings and ghostly encounters, teeth and hair, food and drink. See you on the other side!"

You can submit your dream to sadboyhowdy@gmail.com. And I strongly recommend you subscribe to Dream Interpretation for Dummies while you're at it.

-AF

READ

Barbara Kruger: "I don’t make women’s art. I think those categories marginalize anyone’s work. I’m engaged with ideas of power and picturing, of pleasure and punishment, of lives and their beginnings and ends..."

Richa Kaul Padte on living for social media even when you're no longer on social media, "a grid I can’t seem to escape."

"There is no word for the pleasure of seeing yourself as you always imagined yourself to be." Naomi Gordon-Loebl on top surgery.

On the proliferation of anti-trans laws as part of a bigger trend of rights splintering by state: "The kind of health care someone can access and education they receive differs drastically depending on where they live," Anne Branigin and N. Kirkpatrick report.

Sarita Santoshini on the violent history of residential schools for indigenous people and how, in the Indian state of Odisha, the schools amount to mining companies "extracting children from their communities through education.”

The spookiest thing I read all week was Rachel E. Gross's report on how doctors know almost nothing about the clitoris. Is there a German word for simultaneously being totally shocked and completely unsurprised? Because I am both of those things.

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LOOK & LISTEN

The way that I laughed at this baby elephant that cannot control its trunk! For those who want something seasonal but don't need to hear "Monster Mash" ever again, Numero Group's Halloween playlist might fit the bill.

A MOMENT

Tweet by gracie perryman @qrracie: "Received this at my grandmas funeral. What an icon." The image is of a card, opened to show one side with a photo of an elderly white person in a blue t-shirt, flipping the bird and sticking their tongue out, along with the words 'Let's keep in touch!', and on the other side is an image of an Ouija board.

RIP Gracie Perryman's grandmother, who has just inspired me to create a moodboard for my own funeral just so I can add this image to it.

THE CLASSIFIEDS

Want to go from aspiring artist to full-time creative? Step 1: Shift your mindset. Subscribe to the Making Artists podcast and learn how.

Our negativity tries to keep us safe, but often gets us stuck. This ep of Mind Witchery helps you conjure up some much-needed hope for your future.

Go behind the scenes of how Ann puts together this newsletter in "The Art of Curation" podcast by Flipboard. Subscribe today! New episode every Tues.

Tyrannosaurus rex didn't have wimpy arms! In fact, the "tyrant lizard king" had arms that were much larger and stronger than ours. But did T. rex have feathers? Or lips? Learn all about T. rex, including its strengths and weaknesses, in this episode of I Know Dino. A dinosaur podcast for all ages.

Seeking writer with strong personality to interact with a conversational AI bot + write dialogue. Your work will be used to improve and train an AI.

A unique, eco-friendly gift for yourself and the candle lovers in your life. The Ziggurat Candle Kit gives you a chic & modern concrete vessel, 8 fragrance oils to blend & supplies for 2 candles. It’s aroma therapy bespoke to your nose; tailored to your taste. 10% off at Patrick Cain Designs w/ code: ANN10

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ENDORSEMENT

Two things you can do from the U.S. to support the revolution in Iran.

TESTIMONIALS

"Only just now discovering the "surprise me" link in the @annfriedman newsletter????? Life-affirming." -Steph Herold. To be fair, there is a LOT to click in this newsletter—it's easy to miss.

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Key phrases

Writing fellow Autumn Fourkiller favorite sad cowboy mystic cell phone store bespoke IT department Richa Kaul Padte Rachel E Gross health care someone N Kirkpatrick report

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