Welcome to the 97th edition of Content Nausea. You can read No. 96 right here. Please let me know what you think. Thank you for being here. Here is the welcome blog.
Well, it finally happened: After nearly three years of running, I finally tested positive for the novel coronavirus virus this week. It sucks! I don’t really have anything novel — get it — to add about The State Of Things In The Context Of My Own Sickness, but it’s another reminder of How Things Are. The timing was fine. The season is over, Christmas & bowl travel is still a couple weeks away. I’m missing a trip to Philadelphia for a birthday party today. I felt good enough today to have coffee for the first time since Tuesday. I have my desk set up in front of the television for the conference championship games. It’s fine. But COVID-19 also slowed things down enough for me to finally put together a newsletter for you all!
After I popped my positive test, I was going to keep a sort of running isolation diary, but then I realized that nothing interesting was really going on and my day-to-day wasn’t changing too much because my work is mostly sitting on the computer and reading things. I just couldn’t do that for as long as I usually do. Maybe the only thing that was different that happened is that I got groceries delivered for the first time in more than two years or something. But a couple stray thoughts from watching football and basketball this week:
- I’m not sure whether Mac Jones will be a quality NFL quarterback, but I’m not sure having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge be the top offensive assistants for him is the best recipe for success.
- I think Maryland basketball is back? Friday night’s win over Illinois was fun. Xfinity Center looked like it did back in 2010 when I was deciding whether I wanted to go there or not.
- Man, Utah really laid waste to USC down the stretch last night. Caleb Williams is so good & it’s an obvious shame that he got hurt, but the Utes really imposed their will. It reminded me of Michigan against Ohio State. A USC-Ohio State game would be super fun.
- Not sure why, but I’ve always had an affinity for Kansas State, and it’s funny to me that the Wildcats quarterback is from the Philly suburbs.
- Anfernee Simons might be the truth.
- The grammar conventions of international soccer never cease to be grating.
Some content I wrote this week
It’s been a while since I’ve used this format, but here are a couple highlights that I think I’m actually proud of:
On Ji’Ayir Brown’s final game at Beaver Stadium (and how he felt leading into it).
On Sean Clifford’s final game at Beaver Stadium (and how he felt leading into it).
Fun story on why Penn State’s long snapper called every coin toss this season.
Why a freshman crossed a key threshold at Rutgers.
Maryland transfer Chop Robinson relished playing his former team.
Some content I listened to this week
I’m three months behind on my monthly playlists, and that’s something that I’m trying to rectify this week. I did spent some time with 112k19, 122k20 & 042k21, though. But a couple albums that I’ve been listening to a lot:
I Walked A Way With You by Plains: “Line of Sight”
House Without a View by Lande Hekt
Alpha Zulu by Phoenix
OUTOFBODY by Dazy
Our House on the Hill by The Babies
I indulged in some really darkly regressive behavior by listening to Teen Suicide’s i will be my own hell… while driving through Harford County late at night on my way home for Thanksgiving, which is not something I’m the most proud of doing. But it still holds up in a couple areas, especially “the way we were with people” and “the same things happening to me all the time, even in my dreams.” Man, 2012 was so weird.
I also revisited one of my favorite playlists, 130103 [2013], on the drive. I wrote about that playlist here. It’s one of my favorites, and I think it captures the essence of 2012.
Some content I read this week
My Pocket queue is an absolute wreck, and I think I have too many things in it because it won’t really load, so…
David Ubben revisiting the end of Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas tenure in The Athletic.
The New York Times on “How Colleges and Sports-Betting Companies ‘Caesarized’ Campus Life” & “Desperate for Growth, Aging Casino Company Embraced ‘Degenerate Gambler’” last month.
Andrea Adelson on “How Virginia mourned and then celebrated its fallen teammates” in ESPN.
Sophie Haigney “At the Joan Didion Estate Sale” in The Paris Review.
Van Smith on the rebranding of a Baltimore neighborhood in Popula.
David Roth on how “Everything Is Silicon Valley Now” in Defector.
Larry Fitzmaurice and Chris Richards in conversation in Last Donut of the Night.
Sam Hockley-Smith on taking the wock to Poland in Gross Life.
Michael Rosenberg on a school shooting survivor in Sports Illustrated.
There’s so many Phillies World Series run bookmarks that will never be shared. Alas!
Some other content I saw or thought about this week
When I drove to Indiana last month, I saw a car in Ohio with the license plate “MR BOCCE” and then in Indiana, I saw a car with the license plate “HUSKIES” and the trailer hitch had a cover with a husky on it.
Fleetwood Mac playing “Don’t Stop” with the USC marching band in 1997 (h/t Marty on Twitter):
Built to Spill playing “Car” in 2007 (h/t Bob Odenkirk on Twitter):
Thank you for reading the 97th edition of Content Nausea. It will get better. Thank you, and see you soon.
We kept waiting, but still nothing changes
It's a shame
—D.G.