Odessa's Oddities & Curiosities | Week of 10/14/2024

Dear friends,

Surprise! My procrastination has fueled another timely edition of his newsletter. The looming mass of midterms has directed my productive attention toward less-than-productive media. Please enjoy the fruits of my procrastination.

For those observing Yom Kippur, I hope you were inscribed and sealed with flourish into the Book of Life. I was reflecting on why I do these rituals amidst my belief in a strict determinism that doesn’t really allow for concepts like atonement and absolution. But I do feel like Yom Kippur is about feeling acutely connected to the system of the Universe through bodily deprivation, and that, along with binge-watching Nobody Wants This with Ava, was thoroughly achieved.

On the topic of God’s grandeur, my Quizlets are my pride and joy. I am **ahem a top creator on Quizlet. In particular, my Quizlet for my Occult Science class, for which I utilized the newly released beta Google Notebook LM — an extraordinary tool for compiling all my notes and reading and sorting through them efficiently (Shout out Steven Johnson for helping create this tool!) Considering writing an essay on all the ways I’ve utilized large language models this semester…more to come!

Gina Pell recommended and sent me Yr Dead : a lyrical exploration of protest culture, embodiment, and historical memory. The writing is exquisite! Also, it’s Jewish! A little taste: “I don’t know why we always think of our old countries only in sepia tones, wine-dark, all our ancestors in muted and mourning colors when it isn’t true. My goodness, this deep burgundy petticoat, this pinafore in all that brutal saffron. It’s only when I see it, all of us at once, all living again and in vivid focus, that I realize I’m no longer breathing.”

I’ve also finally started reading A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. For so long, I think I was put off by the title — doesn’t it sound terribly boring? But the Kindle sample was delightful, so I ordered the paperback for my fall break. Fall break, by the way, starts in 3 short days (after 2 grueling midterms). I will be sojourning to Acadia, Maine with 7 dear friends to frolic and read and partake in the Festival of Booths (Sukkot). It will also be my first time in the state of Maine! Don’t get me started on the fall foliage…

One more book recommendation that was assigned in class (gasp!): Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t heard of this brilliant, angry Jewish woman before (the second Jewish woman to be educated at Cambridge). She writes this brilliant parody of a Victorian Romance centering Anglo-Jewry, best summarized by this line: “The Jews, the most clannish and exclusive of peoples, the most keen to resent outside criticism, can say hard things of one another within the walls of the ghetto.”

Music-wise, I’ve been re-entering my obsession with The Monkees. I actually heard a glimpse of “Last Train to Clarksville” on the radio, albeit extremely staticky, while driving the car for YCK. You can hear me humming “Daydream Believer” in the shower. This has also coincided with a lot of James Taylor listening. And the new Thee Sacred Souls album: Got a Story to Tell.

In regard to television, the new season of Love is Blind is delicious. These people speak nearly exclusively in cliches.

Some articles/essays for various purposes:

A brilliant dvar torah (sermon) from Rabbi Noa Kushner (who I studied with for my bat mitzvah)

Super fascinating research on the medicinal qualities of the placenta.

Seven Ways to Love Better (a reflection on the Modern Love column). A little preview: “you should strive to be honest, generous, open-minded, curious, funny and humble both in writing and in love.” On that note, this Tweet with the data visualization of the most common ways couples meet and how it has changed over time.

And some silly ones:

This conspiracy to create a giant sheep hybrid.

Delicious corporate gossip about a beloved brand: Boar’s Head.

A snarky dive into the Frieze art fair in London.

And this beautiful reflection on time and Impressionism.

Some YouTube videos! The logistics of Hawaii (you’ll learn a lot about the repercussions of the Jones Act)! The Secret to Good Airport Design from Architectural Digest.

And some morsels from my classes. We had this amazing lecture from a teaching fellow (TF) in my Hormones, Evolution & Behavior class who studies maternal behavior and the hormones in breast milk. She told us about this cutting-edge research where scientists have found that breast tissue absorbs the saliva from an infant, the information from which changes the composition of the breast milk to meet the nutritional and immune needs of the infants within the course of a SINGLE FEEDING. Absolutely mindblowing. This is how a woman could breastfeed a newborn and a 3-year-old (which is way more common in countries that are not America) and vary the nutritional components of the milk to meet their varied needs. I was gobsmacked.

And we were learning about al-Quazwini, cosmographer and geographer, who wrote about the jinn in Occult Sciences. I was particularly tickled by his explanation that poets could rival jinn through competitions of poetry. Women imprisoned by the jinn could be freed in poetry battles. And I much prefer the idea of poetry battles to modern warfare.

The past two weeks were filled with meaningful highs and lows. Gathering at the Women’s Table for vigils marking the yahrzeit of October 7th. The emotional catharsis of Nigun Circle post-vigil. Running outside to stare gape-mouthed at the Northern Lights — feeling small and human and infinitely connected. Breaking into the hora at the end of Yom Kippur. Learning to dance bachata at the New Haven Night Market and swing dancing in the Berkeley dining hall. Joyful clothing swaps and documentary screenings.

But I’m deeply craving some prolonged rest during Fall Break. Hoping you all find some rejuvenation in the coming week.

With love & curiosity,

Odessa