Paralysis
And how to find small wins among the chaos
Guys I won’t lie. These days are tough. I’ve been wrestling lately with the anxiety that comes with never knowing what is next. I’m worried about everything and everyone lately, all the way down to the direction I want to take my position as whatever it is I am as a lower case historian/public figure.
It feels almost impossible to focus on work, HATM, and everything else. Right now, I’m somehow doggedly focused on getting through each day. And folks, I think that if you’ve been feeling the same way I do, then that’s ok. Giving 100% does not mean being at 100%. You give what you can give. It’ll all come out in the aggregate.
And while I do always want to keep things as real as I can with everyone, I don’t want to be negative. So let’s see what we can talk about tonight.
Tuesday we saw the release of the new trailer for Sinners, a vampire movie set in the South during Prohibition. The film is directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station) and reunites him with Michael B. Jordan, who plays two roles in the film. The supporting cast includes Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O’Connell. I’ll let you watch the trailer to get a sense of who does what, but expect for us to address this movie in some form or fashion when it opens in April.
Wednesday night also sees me in the recording booth with two of my best friends, Thomas Lecaque and Sara Georgini, to talk about La La Land. I have an extremely complicated history with that film so it should be a lot of fun to talk about. Also: I think La La Land might be the third best film of the 21st century. I think it’s that good.
I’m also prepping for an episode of Reckoning by reading Matt Strassler’s new book, Waves in an Impossible Sea. Right now I have Reckoning episodes running on the HATM podcast feed but have a question for you- how do you feel about having both pods on the same feed? I’m trying to do different things with Reckoning vs HATM, but we get way more downloads on HATM. The end goal here is to generate enough downloads to get noticed by advertisers or someone who will fund this enterprise, but I don’t want to confuse our audience. So please, this is a situation where I really do want your feedback.
We also scheduled two other podcasts: Casualties of War with Geoff Wawro and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with Kate Sheppard, Julia Troche, and Leah Packard Grams (otherwise known as the Superchat Dream Team).1
Oh, in college basketball news, Kentucky beat Tennessee Tuesday night, so all is well in the world.2
Ok, tonight is a quick night. Remember that the new season of the Historians At The Movies Podcast drops on Thursday with a special guest that I still can’t believe came on the pod. Do me a favor and share the crap out of that episode. Maybe we’ll get noticed after all. Cannot wait for you to hear it. One more day. :)
Jason
Said Dream Team also gives me dating advice, because I am no good at this part of adulting.
At least in regards to basketball.
Both pods on the same feed is a bit easier. And I think it will help Reckoning to get out to a wider audience as well since HATM is already more established.