Alison Pollack’s Fungi

• In lieu of NaNoWriMo, CJ Chilvers committed to writing about one subject, anxiety, every single day of November. I have always kept a journal in some form or fashion. Though there may be a break of days or months between entries, I have always kept a log of thoughts and goings-on in my life. Often journals are started to document legacy—a behavior I’m guilty of too—but Chilvers recommends that you journal for what’s now. Twenty-two years sketchbook/journals by Christopher Butler are worth diving into. I love his collages and it is interesting to see how they change as his work and life change. If you need a journal for the new year, I cannot recommend this one, with its perfectly thin paper and Japanese details, enough. If you prefer something slightly more…mechanical, why not one of these beauties? Sadly, I think all of them are missing a this odd character ‘⋮’.

• To mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Der Spiegel interviewed German Chancellor Angela Merkel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

  Freedom of speech includes the freedom to be contradicted. I encourage everyone to express his or her opinion, but you must endure having it called into question. Sometimes, there may even be a so-called “shitstorm.” I’ve experienced this too. It is all part of democracy. I hope it’s okay I’ve included her in my tiny ümail.

• I have been traveling by plane more frequently—mostly for work—and though I lack the modern luxury of bluetooth headphones—I’ll keep my big studio grade monitors, thank you—I came across this nifty little adapter that will make airplane-movie-watching (with a friend!) much easier.

• Of late, I’ve been thinking a lot about tipping—when to tip, or not tip, how much work must be done to warrant a tip, how much is expected versus correct. I’ve come to the conclusion that American tipping makes no sense. When tips were introduced to Uber and Lyft a part of me felt compelled to tip my drivers when the service was at least average. Now, I’m not so sure that’s the right thing to do. Especially since an average Uber ride seems to be questionably safe driving and sexist comments about women, I feel far less inclined to tip. I’ve been left wondering, why does tipping still exist?

There is no fifth link this week. There are a lot of things to read above, but I wanted to use this space to say thank you. It is a privilege to be given this little space in your email inbox every few weeks. I have such a good time writing Bird Mail for you and getting to share all the internet ephemera that I have collected. I hope y’all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Your friend,
Bruce