Isn’t it strange that when we seem to have… a lot of time on our hands, we can’t find anything to do?
It’s a stormy evening here in Kansas–so stormy, in fact, they closed my school at noon. Whoa! On any given day, I’m not home until at least 6PM, so if you give me five hours of unexpected free time.. I’m not really sure what to do with them? Ironic, considering I’ve got lists upon lists of uncompleted tasks and things to get done.
Sometimes, the only thing to do is take a cue from the universe and chill. So here I am! Chilling.
I’m using a little bit of this free evening to go through the things I’ve “saved to read later” on Facebook and Pocket. What have I been digging on the Internet lately? Here’s my second edition (almost a year later, haha) of Midweek Reads:
This interview with Renée Elise Goldsberry (from one of my new favorite websites, The Interval) has a lot of sage advice for performers, but I think it’s applicable to people in almost every industry. “I like preparation because it’s the only thing you can control,” says the lauded actress currently starring in Hamilton on Broadway. (Side note: if you’re wondering “what’s Hamilton?”, I’m wondering where you’ve been. Get on that.)
The Toast has an irreverent take on Sondheim (and completely hits a bulls-eye).
I really enjoyed reading Wajahat Ali’s piece in the New York Times on why “Inshallah Is Good for Everyone.”
Tomorrow, my paper for music history is due (Surprise! I’ve written it already [In advance! What sorcery!]). I chose to write about Public Enemy and “Fight the Power.” Really, the song never gets old, and if you’re not familiar with it… do yourself a favor and listen to the entirety of Fear of a Black Planet. If you don’t have time for that, I’ll settle for you watching one of the greatest opening credit sequences in cinematic history–the opening credits to Do the Right Thing.
I made this tater tot casserole a couple of weeks ago and… I’m craving it again.
And.. this goes without saying, but have you seen Beyoncé’s Lemonade yet? It’s pretty much a masterpiece and I’m grateful to be living in a time where music like this is eagerly consumed.