#103 The Offcuts
Highs, lows, and pop culture standouts from the last two weeks
In the never-ending heat wave. A debrief on what’s hot, what’s not, and what’s meh.
Curtis Sittenfeld’s short story collection, Show Don’t Tell was an okay read for me. I found a lot of the stories quite repetitive, and so my interest waned the more I read.
I’ve begun to up my intake of short stories more generally to help with my own writing. Reading most definitely informs craft, as I’ve realised looking back. My favourites from the past couple of weeks are The Babysitter at Rest by Jen George, A Real Doll by A.M. Homes, Corruption by Penelope Lively, and Gravel by Alice Munro.
I’m currently reading Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively. It is a weaving of memories, flashbacks, and present day as protagonist Claudia seeks to ‘write a history of the world’.The novel chronicles the major milestones of Claudia’s life and explores her relationships with her brother, daughter, and lovers. It does (purposefully) jump around a bit but I find I am losing my place a little within the structure. I’ve only just discovered Lively’s writing. I’m particularly interested in reading more of her short stories.
Audiobooks are on the go, slowly. I still have The Tidal Year by Freya Bromley and Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson on the go. The only time I have momentum with audiobooks is when I’m on a solo trip. Need to get my next one in the works.
Other reads:
Joyce Carole Oates turned 88 in June and has just released her 50th short story collection
Hollywood is bending the knee to OpenAI
Workday is facing a lawsuit over AI bias in job screening tools
A new Katie Price documentary drops on Wednesday
Katherine May - Ghost portraits: caregiving & invisibility
shit you should care about - The worst things Trump has done to women
Oh, how I wish I was in New York on Wednesday so that I could join the Dream Baby Writing Club at the largest Burger King on the East Coast with none other than legendary TV host turned wellness guru Ricki Lake.
Google is investing ~$75 million in independent movie studio A24 as part of a ‘new artificial-intelligence research partnership’. Ew. Wtf, A24? As a champion of the indie film, it is a sell-out and a betrayal of epic proportions. AI is not inevitable. We do not need to bow down to the childish tantrums of a few greedy, mediocre men. It’s a shame to see A24 crumble. After immense backlash, the company has affirmed that the use of AI is intended to ‘ease the technical process of production and distribution’, not to generate content or replace human writers and artists. But how long will that last?
I’ve been making sure to practice what I preached in my Summer Minxxxing piece and have been ensuring I take ample hydration breaks like FIFA are enforcing on players in the World Cup. Working from a restaurant bar! Drinking Aperol! With friends!
I did an Ocado Zoom order this morning. Groceries (including M&S delights) ordered and delivered within the hour. I am so spontaneous. What I was most excited for in the order was a pot of Organic Houmous and a Bertinet Bakery White Sourdough Loaf. So far, I have had three slices of toast with said houmous, dressed in paprika, olive oil and Maldon sea salt flakes. I do not expect the houmous to last until sunset.
It’s almost like I timed the revamp of The Offcuts and the introduction of new subheadings to coincide with hosting dinner for my friends so that I could brag about it. Because yes, my own food was the best thing I’ve eaten in the last two weeks. The dinner party had been in the calendar for a while, but I only finalised main dishes the week before. Dessert was a different story. I knew the entire time that I was going to attempt to make the burnt honey tart from The Marksman. After a disappointing roast dinner (sorry), the dessert gave me whiplash. Luckily, it was a set two-course menu; else we wouldn’t have bothered.
For my version, I cheated and bought a tart pastry case from M&S. I made my own focaccia bites and a main course from scratch too. Corners needed to be cut somewhere. I got a recipe for the burnt honey custard tart filling from The Boy Who Bakes. It was phenomenal, a slice of pure sweet bliss. Collective “MmmMMms” ping-ponged around the table. A true crowd-pleasing taste of heaven.
I read Monica Heisey’s Substack about remembering to enjoy yourself when working as a writer. She links to an interview on Instagram by non-profit web TV channel, Louisiana Channel, with writer Ali Smith. The video begins with Ali Smith saying:
“I’m really lazy. I do almost nothing until I have to”.
Do not suffer needlessly, kids. Do what you have to and don’t force the rest if you don’t have the energy for it.
