let's pretend that never happened.
Hello!
News: 2021 is exactly like 2020 (so far).
(No this wasn’t planned, and sorry about my face.)
My BFF, an ER doc, just landed in New Zealand with her four small children and husband to do doctor stuff there sans Covid for the next year and watching the six of them navigate 15 days in a government quarantined hotel room is the most interesting reality TV show I’ve seen in ages. I AM LITERALLY UNABLE TO LOOK AWAY FROM HER POSTS. Of note: A 14-day quarantine is actually a 15 day quarantine because OF DAY ZERO! The soldiers deliver too much food 3 times a day, but there is no table in the hotel room to eat it on so it’s always a picnic! The family is allowed out in the parking lot every day to stand there! It’s the best summer vacation no one ever had.
In other summer news, it’s in the mid-nineties Fahrenheit every day in Buenos Aires this week and as Lucia, 6, says, “I’m so devastated to go in the pool.”
Aren’t we all?
Things:
If you’re a woman in tech, I’m doing a Q&A (it’s called “office hours”) at Elpha this week. See the thread and feel free to ask any question as it relates to writing books, investing in female founders, parenting in the hellscape, reading books because you lack other discernible hobbies, or anything else.
The awesome Adam Grant has a new book coming out that yee must pre-order. THINK AGAIN: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know is about rethinking our opinions and opening other people’s minds. To say it’s written by one of my fave authors is an accurate statement! The book is available February 1st in print, electronic, and audio. Pre-order now.
The best Christmas gift I gave this year was the coffee table book, Accidentally Wes Anderson. Also an Instagram account. Swoon.
I loved this article, A Brief History of Questionable Parenting Advice, by the NYT star Jessica Grose. The featured terrible advice of yesteryear includes, but is not limited to, such gems as:
The goofiest medical advice was offered in 1919, by Dr. Lambert Ott, who was speaking at a convention of the American Medical Association. “I have used red wine as a tonic for weak children with amazing results. However, I instructed the parents not to let the children know that I was giving them wine, but call it red tonic,” Dr. Ott said. The article does not describe what these “amazing” results entailed, although considering Dr. Ott also advocated for the use of whiskey in the sick room, we can only imagine it led to some extremely loopy toddlers.
I read 126 books last year, which was a wild, stationary, adventure. The first book of this year that I spent all day January 1st reading? FINDING FREEDOM: Harry and Meghan and the Making of the Modern Royal Family. Although I 100% cannot recommend this book to any other breathing human, I would offer that I DID come away still confused as to whether Megan is or is a gluten-free vegan or not. For more fascinating pop culture news, taking 20 minutes to understand everything that happened with Hilaria Baldwin is wise. So wise.
The rise of women-led VC funds as 2021 gets going is not to be missed. One great one? Cindy Bi at Capital X. Among other notable awards (being a kick-ass investor, investing in 3 unicorns in 3 years, etc., please note that Cindy is also the most best-est dressed person I have ever had a last-minute afternoon coffee with.)
And finally, the photographer who set out to watch herself age. I think I’m not gonna do that.
BYEEEEE,
Claire