Letters, The Mandalorian and basketball
At this point, I’ve only seen my last letter in an Oregon newspaper. My next one will make the public-health case for increased funding for cultivated-meat research. If you’re interested in writing your own letters, check this out:
Anyway, it’s time for (Cell) Culture Talk. Here are some of things I’ve been watching and reading lately.
TV — The Mandalorian. It’s great to have Mando and Grogu back for another season. After Andor came out, a lot of people were calling it the best Star Wars show. I appreciate what Tony Gilroy was trying to do by examining fascism more seriously. But Jon Favreau’s swashbuckling adventure is closer to what I’m looking for from the franchise.
Book — Seeing with the Eyes of Love by Eknath Easwaran. This is a commentary on The Imitation of Christ. If you’ve read some of Easwaran’s books, he hits some familiar points here, but the repetition is welcome. There’s a difference between reading something a couple of times and truly absorbing it.
Book — The God Who Riots by Damon Garcia. I heard about the title while I was listening to old episodes of The Magnificast, a Christian leftist show. The text is an informal guide to discovering a more progressive spirituality, filled with personal anecdotes. I wish Christianity fit as naturally with animal rights as it does with socialism and other left-wing causes.
Sports — Knicks beat Celtics, 131-129. It was a pulse-pounding, double-overtime finish. Jalen Brunson was out due to injury, but Immanuel Quickley more than filled the gap with a career high in minutes and points. He’s not New York’s best player, but he’s probably the most fun to watch. He competes with so much joy.
Sports — Knicks lose to Hornets, 112-105. I did not expect New York’s nine-game-winning streak to be snapped by Charlotte! Oh well. The Knicks had to lose eventually and I think they were still tired from the Celtics match-up. RJ Barrett led the team with 27 points.
Sports — Knicks lose to Kings, 122-117. I don’t really follow the broader NBA, so I wasn’t aware how much Sacramento has improved. They’re a good squad. Brunson played the first half, but seemed to exacerbate his foot injury, and didn’t return in the second.