Tonight I sent a note to the indictment.fyi mailing list that I was not going to be continuing to send updates on the ongoing criminal trials of Donald Trump. For those of you that have followed my work for a while, you know that I don't end things easily. I tend to just pile on the work like some kind of ever-escalating tower always on the verge of toppling over. My podcast Says Who is a great example: It was supposed to last for eight episodes. Maureen and I just released our 328th. But, with Donald Trump's first trail (finally) getting underway in the morning, I felt like I needed to let folks know that that particular tower of work has toppled.

Yes, it's good to know your limits and to know when they're being stretched and yes, taking on a huge unpaid thing right now is inadvisable for a whole host of reasons. But still, I feel like I flinched.

And so as penance, maybe, or out of a feeling that if I've taken something out of the world today maybe I should also put something back in, here's three things I've been particularly excited about lately. Here's three for flinching:

Extraordinary. I feel like I haven't heard enough folks talking about this absolute delight of a show, out in the US on Hulu and elsewhere on, of all places, Disney Plus. It's the story of a world where everyone gets superpowers when they turn 18, except the main character Jen, who is 25 and still waiting. While "superpower comedy" isn't high on my list of things I'd usually check out, it's hilarious and poignant and has perhaps the best soundtrack of any TV show I've ever heard. But more than that, what it's really about is being in your 20s and lost and hoping that you and your friends can maybe figure your shit out together. Who can't relate to that?

There's Always This Year. Author Hanif Abdurraqib's last book, A Little Devil In America, was so good and hit me so hard that I named it one of my favorite pieces of culture two years in a row. His new one There's Always This Year came out last month and I'm reading it slowly and deliberately, trying to soak every last moment out of each sentence. I think that Hanif is the best living writer out there, period. Nobody writes a sentence like him. Ostensibly about basketball, it's really about growing up and about grief and about loving a place and leaving a place, and so many other things. It is beautiful and sad and wonderful and you will not forget it anytime soon. (Note: the book title links to an affiliate link for Bookshop.org)

Sonnenzimmer's Sunraiser. Chicago printmaking duo Nick Butcher and Nadine Nakanishi are two of my favorite humans on the whole planet. They also are incredibly talented and have put so many beautiful things out into the world. Of course, being experimental printmakers isn't exactly an easy path and they're currently in the process of fundraising to rebuild their print shop after being hit with a ton of unexpected costs. If you've got a few bucks, hit them up and help them to continue to put great things into the world.

OK, my guilt is lifted a little, I'm happy to have given some shine to these projects, and you'll hear more from me soon.