A few things for mid-week joy
Hello, friends. I hope you are breathing deeply and taking it easy right now.
A few things to spark delight:
One of my favorite films of the year is Mayor, a documentary about the mayor of Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine. Does that sound exciting? Maybe not. But what if I told you it plays like a comedy? Some cross between Parks and Recreation and Veep, but also, with some real guts and meaning behind it? It’s coming out in December, but the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio is doing their annual “Unorthodocs” series right now (virtually, of course), and from today (Wednesday) till October 30 (Friday) you can stream the film at a pay-as-you-can price, followed by a 20 minute Q&A with director David Osit and, well, me. Honestly, it’s great. Get a ticket here.
Possibly the last thing you want to think about right now is the election, but I really quite enjoyed 537 Votes, streaming on HBO/HBO Max right now, which is a surprisingly peppy look at the local politics and events (most notably, the Elián González situation) that led to the contested 2000 election, aka Bush v Gore. Relevant! I included it on a list of streaming movies and shows that explain things about the US electoral system with a minimum of pain.
Entirely not related to politics, but in case you missed it: I wrote about a really good pizza on my other newsletter.
And I have been carefully purchasing some essential items for our home, as our housemate is moving out after four and a half years and so some stuff is moving around. But I splurged (for $14.99) and bought these doofy little guys, and they bring me a lot of joy, even before they’ve arrived.
Stay safe, be warm, and vote, please.