Friday, August 24, 2012

I'm in a New York state of mind...


I've been wanting to start this column for quite some time but I haven't been able to get my act together on Fridays. No more excuses. From now on Fridays will be devoted to "New York State of Mind", a new column where I will include a link and short synopsis for several of my favorite articles from the New York Times that week, along with interesting pieces from other sources like Time and The New Yorker thrown in for good measure. ccc

I don't mean to pigeonhole good journalism into being only from New York, but I'm an old school purist at heart. In my journalism classes we're constantly analyzing the pros and cons of legacy vs. new media outlets. While I enjoy new media sources technology has helped create, I still find intrinsic value in reading articles from reliable, trusted legacy organizations like The New York Times.

My goal with this blog is to provide smart, relevant experiences, stories, and content. I know it's difficult to find the time to read all of the blogs, newspapers, magazines, and books that are available. I hope this column provides an opportunity for readers to appreciate good writing and spark an interest in new topics and ideas.

Today's post will be a little longer than usual as I've been saving up articles for the past few weeks. Enjoy!

Love, Money and Other People's Children by Mona Simpson, The New York Times
An intimate look at the relationship between nannies and the children they care for in relation to the child's relationship with his or her parents. A moving photo essay accompanies the piece.

Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30? by Alex Williams, The New York Times
Three conditions sociologists consider essential to making close friends: "proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other."

Wash That Blog Out with Soap by Penelope Green, The New York Times
A 24-year-old's viral Tumblr blog demonstrates, rather indecently, the struggles of my generation: bad or no jobs, crappy dates, and moving back in with the parents.

The Positive Power of Negative Thinking by Oliver Burkeman, The New York Times
Believing that anything is possible doesn't necessarily set you up for success or happiness.

Learning How to Eat by Tamar Adler, The New Yorker
"Appetite grows by what it feeds on." Musings on "good" vs. "bad" food and the reasoning behind our food choices. Inspired by Julia Child's wisdom.

Movies from Books by Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"Many directors of moderate merit do well in capturing their own experience or that of others of modest and practical insight—when they lay hold of works of genius, they simply aren’t up to the material and reveal not the vastness of the author’s imagination but the limits of their own."

3 comments:

  1. I've read the first two articles before and they were great! Can't wait to read the rest :)

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  2. Ooh I love this idea! I am an intense, hard core fan of The New York Times, which I know some people may find shocking because usually I would prefer a magazine over a newspaper. During my sophomore year of college, I discovered one of my favorite weekend activities. If I didn't have too much homework, I would wake up early on Sunday morning, walk to Starbucks, buy a green tea latte and the Sunday Times and sit reading it for like four hours. And I LOVED it.

    Anyway, I hope you have a lovely weekend! And I (finally) started following your blog! Yay!

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  3. What a great post idea! I've read the first article and found it very interesting and the photos quite moving. Excited to take a look at the others as well!

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