Friday Roundup

Bear with me. I sliced the pad of my thumb apart on Wednesday in some inexplicable kitchen-related way (I have no idea what I did; I was just in the middle of cooking, then suddenly noticed I was bleeding), and typing is a bit of an ordeal.

I finished the first draft of my forthcoming Duranalysis book today, only three days behind schedule. Which, considering that January threw all the hurdles it could in front of me, isn’t too shabby. The book consists of fifteen essays on the Duran Duran experience, short-ish and sweet. I’m still aiming for a mid-April publication date. I’ll let you know more details as things fall in place.

Rough couple of weeks in the U.S., right? How’s everyone’s mental health? Here’s a recent piece on Medium that I found both useful and comforting: How to #StayOutraged Without Losing Your Mind: Self-Care Lessons for the Resistance.

Also, if you’re appalled and upset by the immigration band (and you should be, oh, you should be), Slate has a list of immigrant/refugee aid organizations in need of donations. 

My aunt gave me a cheese-making kit for Christmas. I finally got around to making a biggish glob of mozzarella last weekend. It turned out pretty well! Slightly worse in quality than store-bought, slightly more expensive than store-bought due to the vast amount of milk that went into it, but it was fun to try it anyway. Here’s the list of ingredients and necessary equipment that came along with the kit. Clearly, there is something TERRIBLY WRONG with that equipment list.

I did not happen to have a microwavable owl on hand (all of our owls are decidedly non-microwave-safe), but it turned out okay nonetheless. I just used a bowl instead. Easy substitution.

Occasional Preppies commenter mousie mouse has the first issue of her graphic novel Stylish Squadron Duranger up at her Tumblr, available to either read online or download as a .pdf. Duranger is a clever Sailor Moon-inspired manga featuring the members of Duran Duran as super-powered fighters, so, y’know, there’s every chance frequent visitors to this site will find it relevant to their interests. Check it out here. 

Thus far, I’m enjoying Riverdale, the CW’s noir-inflected series featuring the Archie Comics characters. All of the obvious inspirations—Twin Peaks, Heathers, Brick—are longtime favorites of mine, and it’s got an appealing young cast and clever writing. There’s plenty of time to screw it all up, but I’m optimistic thus far. We’ll see where it goes from here.

Duranalysis comics you may have missed: two "Night Boat" and one "Reflex":

Friday video: Flock of Seagulls’ “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)”:

Hang in there, and be kind to your neighbors. The world is sometimes awful, but we don't have to be.