Serial Hobbiest
Refused to decide, so I'm doing it all
The Anthropocene Reviewed – Buddy Read Write-Up Two (of Nine)
Well, it only took me two weeks more to get this one out than it was meant to, but despite full-time work, an assignment and some sort of stomach virus I’m yet to fully shake, the publication has landed in the month of April, so I’m counting it a success.
You may have noticed that Marie’s write-up came out, as required, shortly after our discussion. To be perfectly frank about it, Marie will always be the more reliable poster. Even at my most dedicated, I have overloaded myself to the point of absurdity and things sometimes fall through the cracks. I read self-help books all the time that tell me to stop trying to do it all and focus on just. one. thing. fortheloveofallthatisholy. and, I don’t know, I guess I’m not ready?
For all that, the next batch of essays we discussed resulted in another extravagant conversation. It seems Marie and I are hard-pressed to tackle a snippet out of Mr Green’s work without a lengthy exploration on our understanding of life and everything else that entails. But hey, I consider that an afternoon well spent.
This month’s batch included:
- ‘Lascaux Cave Paintings’ (and a documentary I have yet to watch)
- ‘Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Stickers’ (fake grape, anyone?)
- ‘Diet Dr Pepper’ (which is a beverage I think I’ve only ever tried once)
- ‘Velociraptors’ (partial to this one, ’cause, well, dinosaurs)
- ‘Canada Geese’ (Sully: Miracle on the Hudson was such a good movie)
They were short. Much shorter to read than the previous batch, and while that arguably makes it worse that I’m only now finishing the write-up, our discussion did end up going for longer. The essays were more evocative, I think. They connected to a lot of tactile elements that allowed for a more grounded relatability. I, too, have stencilled hands and occasionally stumble upon a starkly fading sticker that still smells faintly of fake raspberry.
Lascaux Cave Paintings
Similarly to last time, Marie and I both seemed to be drawn to the same essays over others. Listening to the audio recording of our discussion, it’s incredible to hear the avenues these essays led us to, and I’m seriously impressed with Marie’s focus on the themes between this batch and the pervious one. She managed to clump them together with clear topical efficiency, highlighting the delineation between natural (first batch) and unnatural (this batch). I’m telling you, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
I won’t be diving into each of the essays; I’m barely diving into this one, but I wanted to touch on one of the thoughts that came out of John’s writing. Mainly because it speaks to me in a way I can’t quite explain.
‘[A]rt isn’t optional for humans.’
~ ‘Lascaux Cave Paintings’, The Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green
Combined with a recent exposure to philosophical thought on the importance of creativity when it comes to intelligence and what makes us human (currently listening to Making Sense, by Sam Harris), I find our capacity for creativity fascinating. Everything we’ve been through as humans, from our foraging days alongside Neanderthals, to wars, poverty, famine, revolutions, scientific advancement, etc., the need to express our creativity, or the need to think creatively, has stood by us. It’s beautiful and, ultimately, something I am deeply grateful for. I also think it’s deeply honourable, the lengths humans went to to protect these glimpses into the past. For those of you who, like me, had never looked into this, there are video tours available that guide the viewer through parts of these caves. And, by George, they’re spectacular. As is the story of the men who discovered the treasure of the caves so that they could become a part of what is known about those ancient gone by days.
I also really appreciated that this essay had me googling this guy:
The other articles in short
‘Scratch ‘n’ Sniff’ is probably my second favourite, if the rating system is based on what we got out of it. Thereout came the concept of different smells of rain, and a lengthy discussion about how smell has failed Marie and I both as far as memory evocation is concerned. Memory itself is a slippery topic that we attempted to tackle but, as neither of us is an expert, the success of this attempt is somewhat subjective.
The idea of Dr Pepper, in turn, as a thorough exploration on the artifice we have come to expect and enjoy in life, was happily blended into the conversation with a swift sharp turn towards the dinosaurs and my intense need to watch Jurassic Park again. I will say this, though, if you’ve not yet listened to Behold the Mighty Dinosaur, previously available on Audio CD and rated by a solid 99 people (myself included) on Goodreads, then it’s well worth checking out. It will help to explain exactly why the ‘Canada Geese’ are in fact the dinosaurs of today.
All in all, I am beginning to better appreciate the steps laid out with these essays and how they’re all a part of the same journey. It continues to be a pleasure and I look forward to reading on. This batch rests comfortably at a 3.5.
That’s all from me for today. If you’re into books, I encourage you to check out Marie Reads Books. She reads ’em and writes about ’em on the regs.
We can also be found and followed at:
@serialhobbiest
@serial_readings
@mariereads_books
Serial Hobbiest 
You make a good observation that this batch of essays included more tangible elements that could be related to: smell, sound, etc. I feel like the first batch was more big picture stuff, which was good, but I think I (/we) enjoyed batch 2 as a whole more. Maybe that’s why. It was less about Green’s existentialist crises and more about things we can all relate to on some level.
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