OMM – December 2025 – #5
~ a curated selection of discoveries ~
::: The Open :::
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoy this weekly newsletter (published on Sundays).
If you’re a subscriber, please consider reaching out to a friend you think may enjoy this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.
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Thank you for reading and for your time.
With Gratitude,
~ Mark
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::: Personal Notes :::
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A short interview with me appears in the new issue of Blue Mountain Review.
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::: ONE ART :::
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~ Upcoming Reading ~
Sunday, January 5 — 4pm (Eastern)
Featured Poets: Ona Gritz, Heather Swan, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Tickets available here (Free or Donation)
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::: Podcasts :::
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‘Optimize Heart Health and Reduce Stress with These Lifestyle Changes.’ (Untangle)
This was about much more than the title of the episode implies. It’s a thoughtful conversation that I found enjoyable even if aspects did not feel like they applied to me personally.
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Nora McInerny interviews Kendra Adachi (aka. The Lazy Genius) on TTFA.
Consider checking out The Lazy Genius podcast
Here’s Kendra’s new book – The Plan
In the episode, they talk about the majority of books about Time Management, and related categories related to “life hacking” are written by men.
See for yourself.
Amazon Best Sellers in Time Management
Amazon Best Sellers in Self Help
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Fun, educational listen. Good for low energy evenings.
Recommended in lieu of passively watching tv shows / movies.
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::: Music :::
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Trapped in an “on repeat” phase.
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::: The Literary Community & Beyond :::
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‘An 83-year-old short story by Borges portends a bleak future for the internet’ (The Conversation)
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::: Health & Wellness :::
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‘For young adults, caregiving isn't just hard. It can shape you for life’ (NPR)
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‘You’re being lied to about “ultra-processed” foods’ (Vox)
“It’s a concept prone to illogical free association, lumping together Cheetos with ultra-healthy fermented beans.”
“I wouldn’t eat Beyond burgers every day, much like it would not be a good idea to eat a beef burger every day. But there’s no reason to be afraid of them.”
“Vegans and the products associated with them make an easy punching bag — for everyone from RFK Jr. to universities chasing media coverage to news outlets seeking reader eyeballs — because they make people feel bad about eating meat. It’s easier to write off meat alternatives as weird and synthetic than it is to reckon with the environmental and ethical degradation of animal agriculture. But the vilification of these foods, as ever, is not based in well-founded fears about their health effects. It’s really just about the vibes.”
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Tempting fate.
‘Bird flu virus in Louisiana patient likely mutated to be more transmissible, CDC says’ (The Hill)
We don’t want The Onion to need a new variation on 'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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‘The Riddle of Luigi Mangione’ (Gurwinder)
This is the most intimate and granular view into Luigi Mangione that I have encountered.
I highly recommend reading.
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Only 35% of Americans say they have confidence in the country’s judicial system. (Gallup poll)
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I’m still thinking about this story. I first read it about a month ago. It’s fascinating—
Wild story. Quite a life. Notable— politicizing the kitchen. It's interesting that nowadays many often prefer to gather in kitchens so the newer designs are structured with that in mind.
‘How the Inventor of the Fitted Kitchen Came to See It as a Curse’ (Pocket)
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Robert Reich on why Dems should not move to the center.
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Seth Godin sets out to provide an alternative solution to the problematic history of gift cards.
Unneeded survey will inform you 100% of people prefer cash.
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The Job Market.
‘How long do Americans stay at their jobs?’ (USA Facts)
“Nearly half of American workers have been at their jobs either less than a year (22.2%) or more than 10 years (26.2%).”
“Average job tenure, as measured by the median, dropped 15% between 2014 and 2024, falling from 4.6 years to 3.9. The last time it was as low as 3.9 was in 2002.”
“From 1983 to 2002, the median job tenure was shorter than it is today. The BLS attributes the rise in the mid-2000s in part to an aging workforce — older workers tend to remain in their positions longer, bringing the median job tenure up. This underscores the drop since 2014, as the workforce has continued to age.”
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An issue with “cashless” societies…
“Sweden is a nearly cashless society, which is convenient and swift for most Swedes — but a few people are being left behind. A group of Swedish banks made a mobile payment app in 2012, and now 80% of citizens have an account. Public transport, stores, and banks typically do not accept cash anymore. But people with no bank account — often those on low incomes, homeless, or with mental health issues — “live in poverty-induced cash dependence,” an academic wrote in The Conversation. People in the cash economy can “buy necessities and go to no-frills cafes,” but “can’t pay for parking [or] pay bills.”” (Semafor)
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Note the category that is up since 2016.
Households that earn: $200,000+/year
Not a surprise.
Guess which group will continue to increase under a Trump presidency?
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“What it takes to run a household is only getting more expensive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average monthly household expenditure in 2023 was $6,440.” (Forbes/yahoo)
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And now, for your enjoyment, MAGA in-group fighting.
I know… “enjoyment” isn’t quite the word. The whole situation is far too disturbing.
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Scary: Musk in Die Welt
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‘60 Best New Year Resolution Ideas 2025’ (The Pioneer Woman)
Some of these are… kinda silly. Just ideas to get you started on thinking about goals.
I prefer the framing of “goals” over “resolutions”.
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Consistent Recommendations:
Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American – daily news with historical context
ONE ART: a journal of poetry – daily poems
Verse Daily – daily poems
Poetry Town – daily poems
Chill Subs – down to earth submissions resource
** Want to subscribe? Get a discount using this ONE ART exclusive affiliate link.
Becky Tuch’s LitMagNews – literary community news & essential resource
Trish Hopkinson – resource for the literary community
Erika Dreifus – resource for the literary community
C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers –weekly email newsletter contains invaluable short essays
Jane Friedman – blog, email newsletter, resource for the literary community
The Poetry Space_ with Katie Dozier & Timothy Green (podcast)
Commonplace: Conversations with Poets and Other People (podcast hosted by Rachel Zucker)
The Gray Area with Sean Illing (podcast)
Hidden Brain (podcast)
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I think about that cashless thing here in the Bay Area too and how many people that leaves out.