Furloughed Newsletter No. 29
Hot air balloons, The Moon in a room, and the power of storytelling
Hi team,
Welcome to the twenty-ninth installment of Furloughed. Maybe it’s a newsletter about things I’m doing while furloughed, things you can do, or both.
I live in Bristol now! I’ve been out looking at The Moon in the cathedral with my Mum. And chasing balloons. And seeing beautiful friends. And my baby sis and… and... there is SO MUCH SPACE where I am. I cook better. I work so much better.
Everyone should have enough space to live like this. There’s even a public swimming pool round the corner!
I’ve been having such a lovely time actually seeing people that I’m writing this on a Sunday morning. Imagine! I even have a deadline. Because I’m seeing a friend (who also escaped Oxford) this afternoon.
Things to watch
Short things
I made a film!
Series
Mainstay recommendations are City of Ghosts and Waffles + Mochi. And We Are Lady Parts. I’ve been watching more Sleepy Hollow on Disney+ this week. And Parks and Rec.
Comedy
This week, because I’m alone in a big house at night, I have watched quite a lot of comedy. I watched Tiffany Haddish Black Mitzvah, then London Hughes To Catch A D*ck then Tiffany Haddish She Ready. Recommend all.
Films
I actually didn’t watch a movie this week! Imagine that.
Things to read
Pointing out racism in books is not an ‘attack’ – it’s a call for industry reform
“Readers are not a homogeneous white, middle-class, able-bodied group of people, and nor are writers. We come from all areas of life, and for books to represent that, publishing has to do so first.” — Monisha Rajesh
I wasn’t sure whether to include an article that gives any attention to the man who murdered several people, including a child, with a gun in Plymouth this week. But I think it’s important that we acknowledge what male violence looks like. Then root it out.
Plymouth gunman Jake Davison said 'I am a terminator' in final YouTube video before rampage
"I'm socially isolated have no social circle and don't know any girls. Been in male dominated environments most my life. Last girl I spoke to was when i was 18 years old unless you count cashiers and supermarkets." — white English incel terrorist, Jake Davidson, who murdered people, including a three-year-old girl and his own mother.
What happened when I met my Islamophobic troll
‘True Brit immediately shook my hand and welcomed me into his home, warning me not to take off my shoes in case I accidentally stepped in cat poo. He introduced himself as Phil. He was short, with broad shoulders that rolled forward as he moved into his default slouch. In harsh light, a slight paunch was visible. He had thin wisps of light brown hair that barely covered his receding hairline and uneven stubble covering his face.
Phil lived on his own. On his kitchen walls were drawings by his young daughter and photographs of them together at theme parks, restaurants and outside Cardiff Castle. Since Phil’s divorce a year earlier, his daughter had moved to a different area of Birmingham with her mother. Phil said that the end of his marriage “broke me emotionally”’. — Hussein Kesvani
Books
And you should read Monisha Rajesh’s Around India in 80 Trains.
Feel good
Australia to pay reparations to ‘Stolen Generations’
Things to listen to
Podcasts
Mainstay recommendation is this Blindboy podcast with Emma Dabiri. And more Blindboy - How to Solve the Housing Crisis. And a podcast about doughnut economics.
I have listened to A LOT of The Moth this week. As with all the comedy, I think this is because when I’m alone in the evenings it’s nice to hear people’s stories.
This story, A New Home, by Dori Samadzai Bonner was incredibly moving.
And the KGB story in this one is incredible…
And I listened to this episode of Science Vs about the delta variant…
Music
The morning of the great move I woke up with this in my head. I may have included it before. What a happy treat to have it again if I have.
Join a union and find your local mutual aid
You can join a union to help protect yourself and others. And your local Mutual Aid group.
UK government ‘failed to consider gender’ in its response to Covid pandemic
Sustainable Suppression
Avoid the three Cs - Confined. Crowded. Close-contact settings. Mask up.
Here’s Independent Sage’s vaccinations FAQ, if you or people you know have vaccine questions. They have also put out a document about the continuing need for support measures.
A video on how to ventilate a room
After two million deaths, we must have redress for mishandling the pandemic
People to listen to
I interviewed Monisha Rajesh years and years ago about her experiences travelling India by train.
“What message have you taken away from the experience?”
“Live a life without expectation and you can never be disappointed. Keep an open mind, listen more than you speak, and remember that everyone has a story to tell.” — Monisha Rajesh
Things to do
Radio Garden has an app! On iPhone I’ve been listening to radio from Peru a lot this week and today I’m in Seattle. I remember being in Seattle for about five minutes. The cab I was in was playing local radio and I love, love, loved it
Sign this petition: Ban urban and garden pesticides to protect bees, other wildlife and human health
Make a Corsi cube to filter a room/ set up a crowdfund to make them for classrooms
Send me any fun things to do or look at you see so I can include them!