Thoughts
Most of these started with “wait, why…” and ended an hour later. Short pieces about small things, taken a little too seriously.
2
minutes of your attention
Picture this
I sat down with a taco, a notebook, and Marcus Aurelius in my ears to finally figure out why I am the way I am. Then the girl at the next table made an announcement to the entire room. And checked if everyone heard it.
What you’ll walk away with
A quiet attempt at self-reflection meets a stranger who needs an audience, and the Stoic in my headphones loses the argument.
1
minutes of your attention
Picture this
A man hops across a bridge with a bouquet. Three women clap their hands over their mouths. From too far away to hear a word, I got to watch one of the sweetest moments of the day, and then I watched what happened to it.
What you’ll walk away with
A small observation about a spontaneous moment that has to be performed again for the camera, and about who ends up with the unedited version.
3
minutes of your attention
Picture this
In French, Voldemort’s middle name is Elvis. That’s not a joke. It’s a decision, made by one translator at one desk, and millions of readers inherited it without ever knowing. Once you see one of those decisions, you start seeing them everywhere.
What you’ll walk away with
Every translated book carries invisible judgment calls, from Harry Potter to Freud, Anne Frank’s diary and the Bible. We’ve never read the author alone.
