Links #5
In tree news: one family's long tradition of saving pieces of their Christmas trees, and burning a little piece of each every Christmas, while telling a story about the year the piece was. I love the idea of making your own family rituals, all the more so when they help you to hold one another more deeply.
In tree crime news: the trial of the Sycamore Gap tree murderers, a story you are entirely unprepared for: "He seemed contemptuous of everything: trees, other people, the concept of truth." (via longreads)
Somehow, also tree related: woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software. (via)
"As long as we are talking about what things cost, I will say this: the basic ethical good of divorce—the right to terminate for any reason a relationship that does not suit you—comes with a high outlay, both literally, because getting a divorce is often expensive, and figuratively, because the pain of being open to the world once more is exorbitant. I would pay it a million times over." Some wonderful writing, This interview with the author is also great, and talks about the way the structure of the essay reflects an ambivalence. (via)
See also: some great parting lines.
The Dream of Finishing One's To-do List is a short film I found highly relatable, as I recently organized 10 years worth of coding projects and jettisoned a foot high stack of old taxes and college papers.
Finally, a couple of excellent diversions for the holiday break: Clues by Sam (bonus: AI gives it a go), a fantastic daily logic puzzle; and Prerolled , think Balatro meets Dicey Dungeons.