Weekly Report: July 22nd - July 28th 2024

The Week in Summary:

• This week was dominated by oppressive heat waves, wildfire smoke, and anxiety for many Albertans, myself included. I know that all of us are keeping Jasper on our minds and in our hearts during this dreadful time for the town. It is horrid to see the charred homes and know that there are folks who have lost everything due to this inferno.
• Given my worsening anxiety over the week and my chronic resentment of my smartphone, I switched from my Samsung 10+ to a flip phone that I got online a few years ago. It has been both liberating and infuriating. I feel like an addict.
• Friday evening, my friends, Taylor, and I went to Tibet Kitchen for dinner. Afterwards we went to Hexagon Board Game Cafe to play Hues and Cues. I won - thanks to Taylor - in spite of Alexis' attempts to unify the table against me. We later hung out at Seoul Cafe before coming home to enjoy a bottle of Californian red wine.
• The weekend was fairly relaxed. On Saturday and Sunday, Taylor and I went for lunch at Thai Tai on 8th Street. We have long been awaiting their reopening since they moved locations. We spent much of both days relaxing at home. On Sunday, I finished a book, learned how to play Go, and celebrated Taylor's grandfather's birthday in the evening.

Recommendations:

• Wildland: The Making of America's Fury by Evan Osnos (Book): From the September 11 Attacks to the January 6th Capitol Riots, Evan Osnos takes us on a journey towards today's political moment. Emphasis is placed on the domination of political anger in public life and the deep partisan divisions that have emerged over the past two decades. I wrote more about it here.
• Big Mall: Shopping for Meaning by Kate Black (Book): A place-based exploration of malls and what these spaces mean to the people interacting with them. Kate uses West Edmonton Mall (and her personal experiences with that mall) to anchor the book. As someone who grew up in Grande Prairie and occasionally visited Edmonton, I found the focus on WEM to be really interesting.
• American Fury by Adrienne LaFrance (Article): Explores the continued escalation of political violence in the United States and its end point (it's not good news for lovers of peaceful democracy).

The Week in Images