This is what happens when I get overwhelmed, Thomas -- all the synapses fire at once and then I can’t say anything. Let me try to work my way out of it by saying, first, thanks so much for the callouts -- especially to my elephant essay but also to that essay about Betty Thompkins. There’s something about the way she talks about art that sounds so free to me -- “I've been told that on a scale from conservative to way out, I'm past away out. Which is a surprise to me because all I do is get up every morning and do what I want!” Hot damn. I hope I sound just like that one day.
I think, if that’s your goal, it’s super important to be open, to be surprised, and to be supported. And that’s what I’ve found on this substack. I’ve long ago given up trying to keep up with your reading or writing or -- no doubt -- hiking pace, but I love learning from you, and trying at least a few of your recommendations, and being surprised, and I love how you weave in all kinds of disparate elements & are very open to discussion & new voices. In this particular case, I like that you’re trying to encourage more of an online community or conversation -- that’s so important, and I mean -- whomst amongst us hasn’t ever fantasized about being at a Salon? I’ll be the one with a long crocheted skirt, dramatically sweeping the dust off the floor as I go. Like Linus, but with more to say.
Per your requests for comments...I am enjoying your wonderful stories about NJ. I grew up there and have since moved out of state. You have a great sense of him our and I really appreciate that! I don’t think it would be to my advantage to steer you in any particular direction related to my interests because my favorite thing is the surprise of learning about new things (books, ideas, etc.) that I never heard of. You have lots of interesting material for me to think about. So just keep on keepin’ on! 👍🏻
I think I subscribed to your newsletter after clicking a link in the Badreads newsletter. I thought the story about Coco was heartbreaking, but beautifully written. I didn't know then that I would now have a little dog. My mom passed away last month and my sisters and I didn't know how to find someone to take him. We decided to put him on a plane and fly him from NM to CA to live with me and my husband and sons. I had a complicated relationship with my mom (she numbed pain with alcohol and I took on adult roles), which has made the grieving process easier, but maybe also harder. My sister said there was no medical reason for her to hold on as long as she did in the ICU. She said my mom was just waiting for me to get there. I don't really believe that. What I feel desperate to believe is that she knew, even when she was in that deep coma, that I would take her little dog. I worry that she doesn't know, which is ridiculous because she's gone, but the thought is still there. For some strange reason I need to know that in her final moments she knew I would take her sweet little dog and that I would try to take care of him the same way I tried to take care of her. Anyway, that was probably too much information. I never leave comments, but it felt good to write that down. I love the book recommendations in your newsletter- thank you for the Braiding Sweetgrass recommendation, and I loved "The Elephant's Tiptoe" (I just subscribed to WanderFinder). I've enjoyed reading everything in your newsletter- it's fun to see places I've never been, and read about myths etc. I know almost nothing about. And I highly recommend adopting a dog. We already can't imagine our family without him.
Love you, Pluckenheimer! I dip my toe in and ”catch up with you” every couple-few posts. I am similarly weaning myself from social media again. Just drifting and maintaining. Be well.
My wife read "Braiding Sweetgrass" and raved about it. I haven't gotten to it yet. You might like "Deep" by James Nestor for another hot mix of science, culture, and philosophy.
Aug 31, 2022·edited Aug 31, 2022Liked by Thomas Pluck
We're so used to narratives of redemption and reconciliation that sometimes it's worth the reminder that some people just don't ever earn those things. (The movie "Inside Llewyn Davis," which I just watched again this week, makes this point as well.) Of course I had to look up Heathcote Williams myself. Now I feel no need to explore his work, though the description of him as "an ardent fire-eater" is a pretty good epitaph.
I truly dig everything you post, Tommy. Just keep keepin' on.
I wrote a piece for Smithsonian Magazine on the history of rodeo earlier this year. I never shared it because by the time it went to print I felt it was barely mine anymore. It reminded me why I don't dig working with the big pubs very much. Changes don't make things better, IMO, just different.
Finally, Braiding Sweetgrass is proof of what can happen when publishers give a book more than three weeks of post-publication support. It landed on the NYT bestseller list FIVE YEARS after it came out in PAPERBACK. That's unheard of. I was just visiting the Milkweed HQ a couple weeks ago and they told me they are still printing 50K copies every two months, and it is well over a million copies in sales, not even counting international sales. Some of those editions are so lovely too! The book is a phenomenon.
This is what happens when I get overwhelmed, Thomas -- all the synapses fire at once and then I can’t say anything. Let me try to work my way out of it by saying, first, thanks so much for the callouts -- especially to my elephant essay but also to that essay about Betty Thompkins. There’s something about the way she talks about art that sounds so free to me -- “I've been told that on a scale from conservative to way out, I'm past away out. Which is a surprise to me because all I do is get up every morning and do what I want!” Hot damn. I hope I sound just like that one day.
I think, if that’s your goal, it’s super important to be open, to be surprised, and to be supported. And that’s what I’ve found on this substack. I’ve long ago given up trying to keep up with your reading or writing or -- no doubt -- hiking pace, but I love learning from you, and trying at least a few of your recommendations, and being surprised, and I love how you weave in all kinds of disparate elements & are very open to discussion & new voices. In this particular case, I like that you’re trying to encourage more of an online community or conversation -- that’s so important, and I mean -- whomst amongst us hasn’t ever fantasized about being at a Salon? I’ll be the one with a long crocheted skirt, dramatically sweeping the dust off the floor as I go. Like Linus, but with more to say.
Sense of humor - (damn spellcheck)
Per your requests for comments...I am enjoying your wonderful stories about NJ. I grew up there and have since moved out of state. You have a great sense of him our and I really appreciate that! I don’t think it would be to my advantage to steer you in any particular direction related to my interests because my favorite thing is the surprise of learning about new things (books, ideas, etc.) that I never heard of. You have lots of interesting material for me to think about. So just keep on keepin’ on! 👍🏻
I think I subscribed to your newsletter after clicking a link in the Badreads newsletter. I thought the story about Coco was heartbreaking, but beautifully written. I didn't know then that I would now have a little dog. My mom passed away last month and my sisters and I didn't know how to find someone to take him. We decided to put him on a plane and fly him from NM to CA to live with me and my husband and sons. I had a complicated relationship with my mom (she numbed pain with alcohol and I took on adult roles), which has made the grieving process easier, but maybe also harder. My sister said there was no medical reason for her to hold on as long as she did in the ICU. She said my mom was just waiting for me to get there. I don't really believe that. What I feel desperate to believe is that she knew, even when she was in that deep coma, that I would take her little dog. I worry that she doesn't know, which is ridiculous because she's gone, but the thought is still there. For some strange reason I need to know that in her final moments she knew I would take her sweet little dog and that I would try to take care of him the same way I tried to take care of her. Anyway, that was probably too much information. I never leave comments, but it felt good to write that down. I love the book recommendations in your newsletter- thank you for the Braiding Sweetgrass recommendation, and I loved "The Elephant's Tiptoe" (I just subscribed to WanderFinder). I've enjoyed reading everything in your newsletter- it's fun to see places I've never been, and read about myths etc. I know almost nothing about. And I highly recommend adopting a dog. We already can't imagine our family without him.
Love you, Pluckenheimer! I dip my toe in and ”catch up with you” every couple-few posts. I am similarly weaning myself from social media again. Just drifting and maintaining. Be well.
My wife read "Braiding Sweetgrass" and raved about it. I haven't gotten to it yet. You might like "Deep" by James Nestor for another hot mix of science, culture, and philosophy.
We're so used to narratives of redemption and reconciliation that sometimes it's worth the reminder that some people just don't ever earn those things. (The movie "Inside Llewyn Davis," which I just watched again this week, makes this point as well.) Of course I had to look up Heathcote Williams myself. Now I feel no need to explore his work, though the description of him as "an ardent fire-eater" is a pretty good epitaph.
Why are there no 3d printed muffler man replicas aside from the fact that I'd glue thousands of them to my living room ceiling like stalactites.
I have thoughtful discourse but it's buried under the septic porridge.
Since you mentioned ARPANET, I had this random thought yesterday:
Mikhail Gorbachev, rightfully, got a lot of praise for helping to end The Cold War.
But no Cold War means no DARPA.
No DARPA, no internet. No internet, no Worldwide Web.
No WWW, the whole planet would have no idea how much some random little kid enjoys corn🌽
So thanks for nothing, Misha! 😂
I truly dig everything you post, Tommy. Just keep keepin' on.
I wrote a piece for Smithsonian Magazine on the history of rodeo earlier this year. I never shared it because by the time it went to print I felt it was barely mine anymore. It reminded me why I don't dig working with the big pubs very much. Changes don't make things better, IMO, just different.
Finally, Braiding Sweetgrass is proof of what can happen when publishers give a book more than three weeks of post-publication support. It landed on the NYT bestseller list FIVE YEARS after it came out in PAPERBACK. That's unheard of. I was just visiting the Milkweed HQ a couple weeks ago and they told me they are still printing 50K copies every two months, and it is well over a million copies in sales, not even counting international sales. Some of those editions are so lovely too! The book is a phenomenon.