to be sorted later #24
in which I took the note
It is a truth universally acknowledged that any childless auntie thrives on a weekend visit with her nieces or nephews, before returning to her spinster abode with her cats.
In recent months I’ve had two such weekends — the first, at the start of March, where I had the absolute thrill of watching my nephew Drake star as that scoundrel Wickham in an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, with my oldest niece Polly in the audience next to me.
Here is actual footage of me every time Drake was on stage, and then again, in the car after, when Polly expressed interest in reading Pride & Prejudice:
I also felt just like that this past Sunday, as before I headed back to Chicago I had a little extra solo hangout time with Araceli, who showed me her soccer juggling skills shortly after jumping up and down their driveway on her pogo stick approximately 150 times and creating an entire island and home in sidewalk chalk. All while rocking her Easter dress.
Earlier in the afternoon, the girls’ Lola had joined us in the driveway, as Polly transformed the sidewalk into a stained glass window and Araceli started her top-secret island creation. We talked briefly about a recent visit with the girls’ teenage cousins, and I said, “Oh, Polly, I dread when you’re 15 and don’t want to hang out with me anymore.”
Polly half-turned from her art, shrugged, and said, “I’ll always want to hang out with you.”
On the drive back to Chicago later that afternoon, I thought about that and second-guessed if I’d already rewritten what Polly had said in my mind. Then I thought of Araceli’s grin when I guessed her clue in Catchphrase earlier that day, just in time before the buzzer went off. I thought of Drake coming to meet me as soon as I got out of the car the day of his high school open house, beaming, and saying “thanks for coming” as he hugged me. I thought of my oldest nephew Jackson, on that same day, hugging me for what I didn’t know would be the last time and saying “See you later, Auntie Al.”
When I left on Sunday, Araceli came in for a hug, not once, but twice. I tell you, that was something.
When I’m not bursting with auntie love and pride, what the hell am I even doing?
What I’m Sorting Through, Currently …
Taking the Note!
Notice anything different around here? ARH is now officially named “to be sorted later” — as this series, after all, is how I landed here on Substack in the first place. (Never forget, this is a quest.)
I have recently acknowledged that my initials, as much as I adore them, look fantastic monogrammed on my Clare V coin purse yet aren’t serving me quite as well as an actual publication name.
This switch is thanks to the fabulous Susanna, one of the hosts of The Blue Hour, the writing workshop I attended recently that I have no intention of shutting the fuck up about ever again. I waited until the end of my one-on-one feedback session with her to ask the question, as I had a feeling what the answer would be already. Yes.
I spent the next hour scribbling potential titles, most of which were either Susan Sontag quotes or Elvis Costello lyrics. You’ll never guess what Elvis Costello song!
Ultimately, I circled back here. It felt right. There’s always something to sort through, now, or later.
On Repeat
Tunde Adebimpe, everybody:
I was thinkin' 'bout my time in space
I was thinkin' 'bout the human race
In the age of tenderness and rage
This song rules and so does the entire album, but you already know that, right?
In Pursuit of … Whatever
Four more things that have my attention for at least the next 4 minutes:
Brian Tyree Henry looking so cool in this photo shoot, it should be illegal (also please watch Dope Thief)
This review of Sinners (don’t read it if you haven’t seen it yet & plan to! read it after & then text me!)
This absolutely correct take on When the Pawn … “It’s dynamically perfect from top to bottom” (correct)
This moment in Hot Milk by Deborah Levy:
We should probably watch this music video now. It’s the only thing to do.
“to be sorted later” is a series in which I attempt to have fun on the internet again, namely, by sharing the latest things I am watching, reading, listening to, hating, loving, discovering, and otherwise sorting through in any particular week or season. Enjoy! Or don’t!
previously:
tbsl#30 is definitely the middle school edition which is great because I just started back at my 8th Grade English teacher gig. I have a long-term wish to build a class library that has books my students would actually be excited to read, and that would include my own faves list, but it is daunting b/c so many of them are 3rd grade level readers and so many just despise reading. All this to say your Blume-stalgia and especially the Roll of Thunder description reminded me of how important continuing to try to cheerlead for reading with my students is.
🥹tears♥️