Rec. #801: The Party

What: Allie Brosh's "The Party" is one of my favorite pieces of comedic writing ... ever. Many years later, just the word "parp" is enough to send me into a fit of giggles.

Representative quote: "... And that's how I got to go to a birthday party while very heavily sedated."

How to get it: This is from the book Hyperbole and a Half, but you can also read the whole thing on the original blog.

Connections to previous Wreckage: We've now covered five excerpts from the book Hyperbole and a Half - The Hot Sauce Debacle (Rec. #797), Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving (Rec. #798), Depression (Rec. #799), Dogs' Guide to Understanding Basic Concepts (Rec. #800), and The Party (this one). 

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day -- what a good time to track down this book to enjoy all those stories and more!

Rec. #800: Dogs' Guide to Understanding Basic Concepts

What: Having already introduced the idea that dogs do not have an understanding of basic concepts (like moving) (Rec. #798), Allie Brosh tries to help them out. She firmly debunks several misconceptions perhaps held by dogs in general, but certainly held by her Simple Dog and Helper Dog in particular.

Representative quote: "Misconception #4: I should eat bees."

How to get it: Like "The Hot Sauce Debacle" (Rec. #797), this story/chapter is only available from the book Hyperbole and a Half, although you can find its near relation ("Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving") on the blog.

Rec. #799: Depression, parts 1 and 2

What: It's not all dogs and childhood anecdotes. Hyperbole and a Half also covers author Allie Brosh's history of depression. The particular tone of both her words and images is ruthlessly effective in capturing her specific thought processes and also her feelings --- even during the points she can't feel them herself.

Also, not for nothing, "Depression, part 2" is an excellent primer in things that are not helpful to say to someone who is experiencing depression.

Representative quote: "It would be like having a bunch of dead fish, but no one around you will acknowledge that the fish are dead. Instead, they offer to help you look for the fish or try to help you figure out why they disappeared."

How to get it: Both posts/chapters on Depression are available in the book Hyperbole and a Half and also on the original blog (part 1, part 2).

Rec. #798: Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving

It's easy to forget how legs work when you've got booties on your feet

What: Allie Brosh's two dogs, referred to as "Simple Dog" and "Helper Dog," are recurring characters in Hyperbole and a Half. The story/post/chapter "Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving" details their struggles moving across state lines.

They don't handle it well, but their existential crises are our joy. This story/post/chapter is also a prime example of how Brosh's drawings in Paint somehow more accurately capture the essence of dogs than most photographs.

Representative quote: "When we started packing, the helper dog knew immediately that something was going on ... She started following me everywhere, pausing every so often to flop to the ground in an exaggeratedly morose fashion - because maybe that would make me realize how selfish I was being by continuing to pack despite her obvious emotional discomfort."

How to get it: This is from the book Hyperbole and a Half, but you can also read the whole thing on the original blog.

Rec. #797: The Hot Sauce Debacle

What: Allie Brosh uses the medium of her comic memoir Hyperbole and a Half to reveal a long-held secret to her family and loved ones --- she does not now have, and in fact has never had, a special affinity for hot sauce.

What began as a welcome opportunity for attention and praise soon spiraled past a party trick and became her most recognized (if inaccurate) childhood characteristic.

Representative quote: "Things escalated quickly, and before the end of the day, my dad had inadvertently volunteered his eight-year-old to face off against a forty-five-year-old man in a hot-sauce-eating challenge."

How to get it: "The Hot Sauce Debacle" is one of the stories you'll only find in the book of Hyperbole and a Half and not in the original web comic blog (Rec. #7).

Next Week: Spotlight on Hyperbole and a Half

Although I have mentioned the work of Allie Brosh many times, I have never dedicated a full post to her 2013 book, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened.

This is alarming, as I love this comic/memoir very much. As in, "I would save this book in a fire." As in, "if we were friends in December 2013, you received a copy of this book as a gift."

Next week, the remedy --- with nearly 400 pages of content to work with, I'll be highlighting a different snippet each day. 

Get ready for dogs, absurdist hilarity, and almost tangible devastation!

Rec. #796: Black Panthers in the 1960s

What: The Guardian highlights works from a 1968 photo essay by Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones. The photo essay captures community activism, political education, and overt resistance.

How to get it: The exhibit at the San Francisco Art Institute has closed, but you can still see a curated photoset on The Guardian. 

Rec. #795: Nobody Panic

What: The weekly podcast Nobody Panic is hosted by Tessa Coates and Stevie Martin, two-thirds of the brilliant sketch group Massive Dad. The podcast's tagline is "Your guidebook to being a fully functional adult without screaming all the time."

The tone is somehow both firmly tongue-in-cheek and reassuringly sincere. Plus, they're British! Everything sounds better coming from them.

Representative episodes:

"How to Stop Losing Things"

"How to Move to a New City"

"How to Act When Your Friend's Boyfriend Is Trash"

Representative quote:

"What's your adult thing [that you did this week]?"

"I'm beginning to explore the idea of wearing a silken turban to bed."

Connections to previous Wreckage: I saw Tessa Coates at Edinburgh last summer (Rec. #749) and she was so great. She's also gotten a development deal with Greg Daniels (executive producer of the US version of The Office). So, catch her now.

Rec. #794: Emily's Cartoons - On Writing an Email

What: That cartoon right up there. That's it. Probably feels familiar, doesn't it?

Comparable to: This cartoon is veering straight into the gut-punch-of-human-fragility humor territory of genius Allie Brosh and her masterpiece, Hyperbole and a Half.

How to get it: See more on Emily's Cartoons with Rec. #413.

Rec. #793: Spoiler-Free Recap of Every Episode of Queer Eye

What: Captain Awkward is so, so great --- hilarious and smart and also wise in the ways of the world. "Spoiler-Free Recap of Every Episode of Queer Eye" is a very funny thing that she wrote.

Representative quote:
Tan: "Ok, let's back up. Could you NAME a color. Literally, any color, just say the word out loud."

How to get it: Read it on Captain Awkward's Patreon. This piece is free by now, but while you're there, buy her a cup of coffee.

Connections to previous Wreckage: See more about Captain Awkward on Rec. #487 and Rec. #705.

Rec. #792: The Mystery of Shipwrecked Garfield Phones - Solved

What: Novelty Garfield telephones have been washing up on beaches in Brittany for more than 30 years.

This is true, and now we know why.

How to get it: At the end of March, this story was covered in many, many places, including the BBC, The Guardian, The AV Club, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Vulture.

It's worth clicking through each source to see the images they chose. Some are extra creepy!

Rec. #791: The Romance in Disappearing

What: Side Saddle's "The Romance in Disappearing" is from a concept album idea about running away to join the circus. Seems about right!

Representative lyrics:
There's romance in disappearing
it's so appealing now
And if I break my old plans and flee the scene
I could have mystery, I could be anything

How to get it: Stream/download on Bandcamp. Watch the video on YouTube.

Rec. #790: Talia Lavin's Philosophers Online

"wittgenstein: posts long, incomprehensible threads without knowing how to use the thread function. big time trust fund energy. has a cartoon avi to obscure that he looks like this (mega hot)"

What: Talia Lavin, writer and former fact-checker for The New Yorker, made a Twitter thread imagining famous philosophers existing in an online world. It is both hilarious and accurate.

Representative tweets:
"sartre: your posts make him nauseous. he retreats from Online but always comes back to the discourse. cafe selfies. sees through media cycle bullshit but it drives him insane. big polyamory guy. mad that simon de beauvoir has more followers than him"

"kafka: still on facebook, so heartachingly sincere you make a dummy profile after deactivating just to read his posts. wins flash fiction contests. deeply neurotic and posts about his health problems from time to time. strong needs a hug vibe."

Connections to previous Wreckage: Talia Lavin was previously featured as part of List #66: Public Voices to Pay Attention To. Hungry for more philosopher talk? List #68 has a whole lot of content about The Good Place.

How to get it: Jump into the Twitter thread here. Find Lavin on Twitter @chick_in_kiev.

Rec. #789: Heaven or High Water

What: In the article "Heaven or High Water," author Sarah Miller dives into the cognitive dissonance necessary for the luxury real estate market in Miami to even exist, much less be doing well.

The reporting itself is fascinating, but Miller also gives us sharp vignettes of the real estate agents who, one after another, make the case (apparently sincerely) that rising water levels are nothing to worry about.

Representative quote: "The Zen-like bedrooms all looked like ideal places for thinking about not looking at screens at night, while looking at a screen."

How to get it: "Heaven or High Water" was published this week on Popula.

Rec. #788: Strand Tote Bags

What: Of course, the Strand is a major NYC bookseller, with its taglined "18 miles of books." You may not have realized, though, that it's also a great place to purchase bags for carrying your new books (or whatever).

The bags come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and designs. Crucially for me, many of the totes now have zippered main pockets and interior pockets, making them ideal for travel. 

Comparable to: Tempted by Baggu? Do this instead and support an independent bookseller.

How to get it: If you're in NYC, la-di-da, good for you, go in person. If you're not, you can also browse and buy on the Strand website.

While you're there, you might also check out their current petition.