Tom McTague in The Atlantic ($):

There can be something a little distasteful about Western onlookers (myself included) cheering on Ukrainians for a cause that our countries are not willing to join, a stance that risks raising the price of a peace that will be paid only with Ukrainian blood. Nevertheless, it is possible to recognize this, to be inspired by what Zelensky represents, and then to be shamed by his example.

(Going forward, a ($) will designate sources as subscription sites. I have four main go-to sites that are subscription-based: The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and the Los Angeles Times.)

Say what you will about Twitter; it can be invaluable for breaking news, if it’s curated well.

My Ukraine list on Twitter is now open to public followers after keeping it (like I keep all my curated Twitter lists) private.

And as C keeps reminding me, I used to have a page listing news sources and other publications many blogs ago, as a reference point during my Holy Weblog days. He still misses it. I’ll be creating a new one and posting it here sometime this week.

(Update: Here’s a new iteration of my old page of go-to news sites and blogs, which you’ll also find in the site navigation above.)

Power of elimination rules.

Wordle 254 3/6

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Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post:

If we have been looking for something that might unify polarized, divided democracies, defending Ukraine (and by extension, freedom) from Russian shock troops might fit the bill. …

If Ukrainians are willing to assemble molotov cocktails and die for their country, maybe Americans can bestir themselves to vote — and insist that every legal voter gets access to the polls and every ballot gets counted. American voters might even rethink their priorities, putting defense of democracy at the top.

Perhaps appropriate for a Sunday.

Wordle 253 4/6

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Late posting yesterday’s Wordle. Felt like it could have been another strikeout.

Wordle 252 4/6

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I honestly thought I was going to have another 6/6 game.

Wordle 251 4/6

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Been steeped in Ukraine coverage and World War III-related insomnia and anxiety for the past day. After several years of studiously avoiding news for my mental health, I feel like I’ve reverted to my old newspaper wire editor days.

So, it’s time for a break.

Phew, indeed.

Wordle 250 6/6

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Forgot to post this one from yesterday.

Wordle 249 5/6

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I find I spend a lot more time between rows of letters. Honestly worried that this was going to be my first x/6 strikeout.

Wordle 248 3/6

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Not even Ivy Leaguers are immune to the anxiety plaguing today’s college students. Yale’s “happiness professor” has a front-row seat to it all:

“There’s an enormous culture around us of capitalism that’s telling us to buy things and a hustle-achievement culture that destroys my students in terms of anxiety. We’re also fighting cultural forces that are telling us, ‘You’re not happy enough; happiness could just be around the corner.’ Part of it’s all the information out there about happiness, which can be hard to sift through, but a lot of it is a deeper thing in our culture that seems to be leading us astray.”

Surprised nowadays when I can get it in three.

Wordle 247 3/6

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Few things lift my spirits like the first daffodils of the year — followed by the second, third, etc.

Definitely seems more challenging since the NYT takeover.

Wordle 246 3/6

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Currently reading: Aggressively Happy by Joy Marie Clarkson 📚

Looking to start logging my book reading (and audiobook listening) more often – largely to encourage myself to keep going rather than set books aside to doomscroll or feed dragons or send Pikmin to fight mushrooms.

“A blog is just a journal: a web log of what you’re thinking and doing. You can keep a log about anything you like; it doesn’t have to be professional or money-making. In fact, in my opinion, the best blogs are personal. There’s no such thing as writing too much: your voice is important, your perspective is different, and you should put it out there.” (Ben Werdmuller, “Everyone Should Blog")

“The priest said she spent more time in the adoration chapel than Jesus.”

This tweet made me smile. And yes, let’s all pray for Danda.

It’s been more than 10 years since I left the news business, and I’m still not used to the idea of having holidays off.

Could have gone a zillion different ways on the second letter.

Wordle 245 4/6

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The road to hell is paved with spangles, stuffed toys, and PEDs

It’s been years since I viewed a women’s Olympic figure skating final as closely as I did last night’s train wreck. And I still wasn’t quite sure I knew what I had seen well after it was all over.

Chris said afterward that it’d be like the JFK assassination, with the NBC Sports coverage examined for years like Zapruder footage.

This Slate piece, “I Hope to Never See a Figure Skating Event Like That Again,” gave me the explanation I needed to parse what exactly happened, and why I felt like I needed a shower after watching all that drama. Chris Schleicher provides words for why I pray for those Russian kids — and that’s what they are: mere kids — that their shattered lives will heal from the despair of this whole dismal experience. And why I hope for justice for the adults who exploit them, who chew them up and spit them out like so much tendered meat in satin and spangles.

This one felt like a close call.

Wordle 244 4/6

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A work of mercy, spoiled

Always go to the funeral.

As I searched in Google for a recent piece I liked that said as much, I found multiple articles to that effect.

This bit of wisdom aligns with the corporal work of mercy of burying the dead. Being at the funeral, regardless of whether you have perfect words of consolation (which you probably won’t), is simply the right thing to do. Sometimes, presence is the best gift you can offer.

Took most of the day off today so I could head to Libertyville for a funeral, with hopes for a detour to Marytown on the way home. It would have been my second funeral this year. But my paralyzing, perhaps irrational fear of ice-slicked roads on this blustery Midwestern winter day got the best of me. I already regret this.

I am grateful for my friend’s pre-emptive dispensation yesterday to pivot to the Zoom feed of the services for her dad. She is one of my dearest friends and one of the most gracious people I know, and I really wanted to be there for her.

Instead, I’m in my home office, viewing services 20 miles away and offering prayers for God’s mercy. For once, the Internet does not suck, and even with my regrets, I can only give thanks.