Weekend Reading: The Too Exhausted to Find a Theme Edition

I am completely wiped out for some reason. The beer I had with dinner didn't help. I am now less stressed-exhausted but more sleepy.

But I won't let that stop me from giving you some good things to read! I just won't try to find the unifying theme. To be fair, perhaps there isn't one.

First of all, Tragic Sandwich interviewed me about some of the ideas in my Taming the Work Weekbook.  She asked good questions. I'll let you judge whether I gave good answers!

I really liked this blog post from Shawn Lent about being a dancer whose dreams grew to include more than dance. I think there is wisdom in it for people in a lot of different fields. We can get so caught up in proving we can succeed in exactly the field in which we trained that we can lose sight of the chance to bring the insights and tools we gained in our training to other fields. She argues persuasively that doing so isn't giving up on the dream, it is growing the dream.

George Saunders gave a rather nice version of the traditional graduation speech. I like his reminder that the actions we regret are often the times when we could have been more kind than we were.

This a really nice post about how to stay friends with people who have kids. The only thing I'd add is that lunch times during the work week can be an excellent way to keep in touch, since I already have child care sorted during that time! Mr. Snarky and I have several friends who do not have kids, and we do make an effort to invite people over, but not nearly as much as we should. I found it via Blue Milk.

Tressiemc posted a really interesting article about the marriage of Hip Hop and country music. Getting to read random thoughtful analyses like this is one of the joys of the internet.

I loved this essay from Roxane Gay about how women journalists should get to write about topics other than women. (You'll notice I am not linking to any articles about the "women's topic" du jour, the opt out article- I have seen some good articles and posts about the article, but I am resolved to stay away from that topic, so you'll have to go find them on your own. I just don't have the emotional bandwidth to deal with that topic right now.)

I found this book excerpt about the starvation required to be a model infuriating. I do not buy fashion magazines and I do not buy designer clothes. But I suspect I am still complicit in this in some way. It is disgusting. If your clothes only look good on someone who has starved herself to emaciation, then you are not a good designer. Full stop.

I've recently discovered eShakti, and they seem to have a better approach. I am, however, really annoyed that the act of clothing myself requires so many ethical considerations. It is ridiculous that I have to think about whether the people who made my clothes were paid fairly and provided safe working conditions, but at least that is a consideration that men have to make, too. It is extra ridiculous that I have to think about whether my clothing purchases are supporting a system that encourages young women to starve themselves. Why do we still have to fight to have an industry that our money supports make products for us, not someone's impossible and unhealthy image of what they wish we were?

Ahem. Let's end on a happy note. This story about My Little Pony Dungeons and Dragons delights me. I particularly love the picture of the little girl ready for battle.