No. 21: MD's Newsletter
I'm not a simple machine
If the opposite of love is indifference, the opposite of fear isn’t courage. It’s being afraid and doing it anyway.
A few months ago I wrote about the importance of building community in divisive times. This is certainly proving itself out. But I am, to my own embarrassment sometimes, a political Pollyanna, in that I still believe in the power of the people. I still believe our will and our vote and our rights matter, even though much of what we’ve seen unfold on the national stage suggests otherwise.
I believe it because I’ve spent hundreds of hours of my career documenting marches and protests and advocacy lobbies and listening sessions. I’ve watched public servants on the national stage in their early days, and documented how others fell from grace. I’ve seen others memorialized by thousands they never even met in person. In these settings, hope is palpable, and even people who do not agree on everything can stand beside each other and agree on something.
I’ve seen too much honest fighting for beliefs to think that just because some of what is unfolding feels so ugly and destructive that we are all going to fade out and give up.
But right now, we’re in the thick of it, and this feels like a storm to ride out. Forces far beyond our control are raging overhead. Time to batten down the hatches, and get everyone safely inside, and then when there’s a break in the clouds, we will — somehow — rebuild.
New twists on the retail beat
I’m doing my best to stay focused on writing about the topics that cross my beat that may not be getting attention from mainstream media. This is my “zig when others zag” strategy, and it serves me well even if it doesn’t drive the most traffic. But I’ll die on this hill — I didn’t become a full-time writer to copy the same thing everyone else is writing about. Lately, this approach has yielded pieces around:
California’s push to clean up ingredients in ultra-processed foods
Why a brand like Costco that holds to its DEI policies isnt’ likely to face blowback
On the brand side, I’ve had some great conversations lately iwth founders I admire. Andy Hunter at Bookshop.org spoke to me about its new e-book app that will funnel more money to indie bookstores as an antidote to Amazon’s dominance, and I also interviewed the inimitable Cassey Ho of Popflex about her Blogilates x Target line. Really regretting not scooping up a ballerina skort before they sold out!
Looking ahead, the tariff news that’s unfolding is likely going to dominate ea lot of conversations this week (and probably upend my schedule, but so it goes). Watch this space.
On the local front
This year, I’m grateful to have received support to continue my Civic Solutions column from the Inland Empire Journalism Hub + Fund. I’m going to be focusing more of this work on housing, and what is working to help develop affordable housing, address the needs of the unhoused population, and probe how the desert is balancing development and environmental needs.
We have a huge issue here with the skyrocketing costs of housing, and yet the barren desert doesn’t necessarily have the infrastructure to support new development. And who can most afford to build that infastucure? Private luxury developers, which adds inventory that’s relatively useless for most working class residents in need a of a safe place to raise their families.
If you are a desert resident and want to weigh in about what housing and cost of living issues you’re facing, please get in touch.
Eyes and ears
Lately my music diet has been full of new stuff from old bands, especially in the jam band/folksy indie vein. The new My Morning Jacket song is a daily listen, and going through their catalog has been a great way to relax, dance and shake off the stress. I really like the new songs from The Lumineers, a band I definitely absorbed and forgot about and re-absorbed again over the years. Other good listens lately are the new Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors album, and the absolutely brilliant “Beethoven Blues” from Jon Batiste.
I’m also crossing my fingers I”ll figure out a way to see Guster when they play in LA on February 15, but it will involve a lot of job-child care-travel time juggling to make work. I remember when I was a young person thinking “Why don’t people in their 30s go to concerts more?” and now I fully understand the challenge.
I’m back into TV, which sounds like a silly thing to say but I really unplugged in late 2024. But there’s no shame and plenty of enjoyment to be gained from the many productions out there to stream, and so I’ve been watching “The Pitt” in 20-30 minute snippets at the end of my work. Noah Wyle has put together something really special, and the many mentions of Pittsburgh landmarks and name drops like Altius and Rivers Casino brings back happy memories of a city I loved living in. There’s also a weird entertainment legal battle behind it to follow!
I’ll close by giving a book shout out to “In My Time of Dying” by Sebastian Junger. It was an extremely difficult read at first. I had to put it down after a few pages sometimes because it was so heavy, so visceral and so disturbing. I’ve long thought our society needs to become more comfortable talking about death. But first, I think we need to become more comfortable talking about life, and how precious our time here really is. What does it look like, to stretch each day to its limits, to probe this reality for the most extraordinary moments, or to find the wholeness in the most mundane? For me, it starts with cherishing and honoring my mind, body and spirit, because only when those are in good working order can I continue to care and uplift those around me. Onward.
Thank you for reading,