a stream

Here are some of the things I’m working on and thinking about now…

• Just finishing up a ‘February Break’ with my kids, who had the week off from school. +

  We did a ‘staycation’: went sledding by Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon, rode the train downtown to the planetarium and the mall, and will probably go to the Natural History Museum of Utah later today. Also spent a lot of time just chilling at home, video games and what not.

• In my work, I’m hoping to renew a focus on creating, curating, and sharing resources with colleagues, and ultimately teachers, students, and parents. +

  I feel like this was a strength area of mine that I have let languish in the last couple of years, and I hope I can make a useful or valuable contribution with this type of work again.

• Reading Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James. +

  I’ve also started A Little Devil in America, but I’m so obsessed with Moon Witch that I’m picking it up every time I have a moment to read. Been a minute since I’ve been so engrossed by a book. I’ll probably re-read Black Leopard Red Wolf once I’ve finished, though I also have a lot of other books in the queue to read next.

• Not on a big listening project or obsession at the moment, but may take on a full artist discography soon.

• Playing Gris and Pokemon Legends: Arceus from time to time these days.

• Looking to buy a car soon. +

  Maybe this one? My idea of a midlife crisis car - possibly the most consumer-reports-friendly responsible purchase on the market, but lifted an extra inch with slightly chunkier styling and poorer gas mileage.

This page was last updated on February 27, 2022. See my prior ‘now’ updates here.

Credit for the ‘now’ page concept goes to Derek Sivers. I had envisioned a page of this sort for my new website, but my concept was vague and I didn’t have a clear way forward until I happened upon someone with a ‘now’ page and followed the trail back to the source. I think you should make one too.

Standalone post link: Now (February 27, 2022)

I’ve also been playing a bit of Pokémon Legends Arceus lately. Gave it to my son for his birthday recently and I guess I could say I started playing it at his urging, but truly I was just curious to try it anyway and I do kind of like it.

It’s not exactly Breath-of-the-Wild-levels of intricate open world, but I’m much more engaged by it than I was by Pokémon Shield. I probably will play some more of this game as well. (I think when my kids begged me to try Shield last year I stopped after 20-30 minutes, and I never went back to it.)

Standalone post link: Also Playing Pokémon Legends Arceus

Started playing Gris tonight. Stunning and mysterious game.

There were a couple of points where I wasn’t sure if I was ‘going the right way’ or not, but it was so beautiful that I didn’t really care. So far I’ve ‘brought back’ the color red and I’ve gained the ability to make my dress into a stone block, which is super useful. Will definitely be continuing with this game.

Standalone post link: Playing Gris

Running log of my favorite albums and musical works released in 2022. It will be updated throughout the year, and even after.

Big Thief: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Things I’ve posted about this album: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You by Big Thief
Things I’ve posted about this artist: Big Thief

Modern Nature: Island of Noise

Things I’ve posted about this album: Island of Noise by Modern Nature
Things I’ve posted about this artist: Modern Nature

Nilüfer Yanya: PAINLESS

Things I’ve posted about this album: PAINLESS by Nilüfer Yanya
Things I’ve posted about this artist: Nilüfer Yanya

bloopy bloop

Standalone post link: My Favorite Music of 2022

Quick note about this site (joshuaw.xyz / jdwhiting.com)

This site is in more flux than ever at the moment, as I continue to rethink and evolve in how I want to use not only this site but also interact with others via the internet beyond this site.

I’m in the midst of making significant updates to the organization, flow, and functionality, all towards the end that I can start posting regularly again. I have a detailed list of tasks and ideas, but I’ll spare you.

I hope to make a lot of headway this week, but in the meantime some existing pages/links do not work, or do not work in the way I ultimately want them to work.

Thanks for your patience? (whoever you might be)

Standalone post link: Quick note about this site

Also started reading today A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib.

I’ve had this, and, actually, all of Abdurraqib’s other books on my to-read list for a while now – I took the occasion of Black History Month to move this one to the top of my list and start reading.

Copy from the Holladay Branch of the Salt Lake County Library. And the blurb writers on the back are all on my have-read and/or to-read lists, too: Marlon James, Jacqueline Woodson, Clint Smith, Brit Bennett

Standalone post link: Reading A Little Devil in America

I started reading Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James the other night. I’m currently at 21% completion.

Pre-ordered copy that came in at King’s English, and ended up being signed.

Standalone post link: Reading Moon Witch Spider King

‘February Break’ Ideas and To-Dos

a longlist, unfiltered and unedited other than select hyperlinks added:

Write book reviews finally

Get my website going again

Set up new bed in bedroom

Hate everyone

Ignore the haters

Therefore, ignore myself

Keep a diary

Do laundry

Figure out something for the hellscape that is our backyard

Go outside in the early mornings and stay there rather than driving to work and sitting in my cubicle

Read some books

Play some video games

Play some records

Get some lamps

Low-key get some good work done, just the work that I want to do and never let myself do when I’m at work

Cook some food

Go in the wilderness

Go to the record store and the bookstore

Go to a museum or two, art gallery

Destroy someone’s scene - make snooty people in a gallery or hipster store deal with my kids and/or just my fat awkward self

Give some attention to my dog our dog their dog the dog named Luna that lives in our house with us

Trim beard and haircut

Heal the world, make it a better place

We are the world

/ IATA - WATA (I AM THE ASSHOLE / WE ARE THE ASSHOLES)

/ “Lord, is it I?”

/ god damn you god damn me god damn us god damn we god damn us all

Buy a car

Watch some movies

Get out my CDs and cassettes

I have wasted my life

Standalone post link: February Break Ideas and To-Dos

Below is a running list of books I’ve read in 2022, with my current reads listed at the top.

You can find a list of links to articles, essays, poems, and other shorter works I’m reading [here], and you can find all of my reading updates [here].

—–

Grow Now [73%]

by Emily Murphy

[currently reading - started on 2022.10.02]

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers [60%]

by Henry David Thoreau

[currently reading - started reading on 2022.06.01]

Poetry [July/August 2022] [35ish%]

Various Authors

[currently reading - started reading on 2022.10.09]

Poetry [October 2022]

Various Authors

[read from 2022.10.06 to 2022.10.08]

Successful Gardening in Utah

by Caleb Warnock

[read 2022.10.05]

The Words in My Hands

by Asphyxia

[read from 2022.10.01 to 2022.10.02]

Moonwalking

by Zetta Elliot and Lyn Miller-Lachmann

[read from 2022.09.09 to 2022.09.12]

Poetry [September 2022]

Various Authors

[read from 2022.09.03 to 2022.09.05]

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien

[read with my son from 2022.06.unknown to 2022.08.29]

Nightcrawling

by Leila Mottley

[read from 2022.08.18 to 2022.08.23]

ttyl

by Lauren Myracle

[read from 2022.08.17 to 2022.08.18]

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out

by Susan Kuklin

[read from 2022.08.15 to 2022.08.16]

—–

Impulse

by Ellen Hopkins

[read from 2022.08.12 to 2022.08.14]

—–

The Black Flamingo

by Dean Atta

[read from 2022.07.29 to 2022.07.31]

33⅓. 9, Unknown Pleasures

by Chris Ott

[read from 2022.07.10 to 2022.07.11]

ain’t burned all the bright

written by jason reynolds, artwork by jason griffin

[read on 2022.07.09]

Loveless

by Alice Oseman

[read from 2022.06.29 to 2022.07.09]

Heartstopper. Volume 4

written and illustrated by Alice Oseman

[read on 2022.07.07]

The Beatryce Prophecy

written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

[read the first half to both of my children, the second half to only my son after they got separate rooms - read from 2022.unknown - 2022.06.04]

Melissa (formerly published as George)

by Alex Gino

[read on 2022.05.22]

Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness

written and illustrated by Kristen Radtke

[read from 2022.05.12 - 2022.05.14]

Heartstopper. Volume 3

written and illustrated by Alice Oseman

[read on 2022.05.unknown]

Heartstopper. Volume 2

written and illustrated by Alice Oseman

[read on 2022.04.unknown]

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

by Malinda Lo

[read on 2022.03.28]

Heartstopper. Volume 1

written and illustrated by Alice Oseman

[read on 2022.03.28]

Moon Witch, Spider King

by Marlon James

[read from 2022.02.16 - 2022.03.05]

A Snake Falls to Earth

by Darcie Little Badger

[read from 2022.02.02 - 2022.02.11]

Beyond the Mapped Stars

by Rosalyn Eves

[read from 2021.12.27 - 2022.12.29]

Me (Moth)

by Amber McBride

[read from 2021.12.unknown - 2022.12.27]

[A gallery and history of stand-alone reading updates and notes follows.]

[I’m also going to start messing around with Goodreads again because I actually know people there.]

Standalone post link: My Reading in 2022 (reading updates)

I read A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger 📚

Standalone post link: Reading A Snake Falls to Earth