27 Comments
May 16, 2022Liked by Rob Walker

If I were a vending machine I would dispense art and first aid supplies like band aids and mini Advil bottles. Hand made art (business card size) feeds the soul and unfortunately there isn’t a pharmacy on every corner and if you have a headache, the piece of art or the advil will feed your soul n restore you.

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I'm not saying that teal (or its adjacent tones, a highly concentrated array that I can't quite distinguish between — I’m probably mistakenly including a solid band of cyan in my personal definition) is my new favorite color. I will say, though, that I disliked teal vehemently for the longest time, associating it to a degree with a certain aspect of Floridian kitsch (redundant?), and that I had a near-lifelong near-visceral negative reaction to teal — and yet recently something changed. And quite suddenly. I came to appreciate teal as a highlight color, an accent color, and then I came to appreciate teal all on its own. It's sort of a relief that this occurred (I say "this occurred" because I can't take any credit for the taste transformation — it just sort of happened to me), because there's a heck of a lot of teal in the world, and now it's no longer for me like an aesthetic dagger upon visual impact. I will say that at almost the exact same time I came to find that I (gadzooks) might even like the color teal, I also found that I no longer disliked sweet(ish) fruits in entrees. I used to hate cherries and raisins and figs in particular, but also oranges and pineapple, in dishes that were otherwise intended to be savory. I liked all of these fruits on their own (well, maybe not pineapple), but not when they’re mixed in with spices and meats and vegetables and beans. And yet, having wended a path through Indian food and come to really enjoy chutney in particular, and also recognizing just how wonderful a sweet piece of orange is after a spicy Szechuan meal, I realized I kinda dig entrees that contain fruit (yeah yeah avocados and tomatoes and peppers are fruits, but that's really not the kinda fruit I'm describing). I believe there's a connection between teal as an accent color and fruit as an ingredient — they're both useful as highlights, I suppose. They lend context through their presence, and also gain meaning in that context. Anyhow, that's my very recent #colorcodestory story.

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May 24, 2022Liked by Rob Walker

My favorite color is inconsistent as it is an approximation of a chemical process. It is "Zinc Chromate." As a child, built many aircraft models and was fascinated with the muddy yellow/green primer used on aluminum. Testors still produces a yellowish version of this color. I spent many years in the Air National Guard working on F-16 Falcons. When I unbuttoned a primer gray panel and opened it up for maintenance, I would take a moment to enjoy the industrial design with nearly every bracket, line, tube, and fitting all in that muddy green. I found that this color provides confidence in all things mechanical. It shows the time, the craftsmanship, the accuracy of an object designed for a special purpose. It reminds me of my grandfather who was a master craftsman. I remember all of the industrial tooling in his shop and the quality products that he created.

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I never liked the color mustard yellow, and then I learned how much my little sister loves it, and started to associate it with her, and I love my little sister so much that I really love it now too, and feel so happy when I see it bc I know it makes her happy. It’s really weird!

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May 17, 2022Liked by Rob Walker

The other day I used the "spot a color" noticing simply turning in a circle while waiting for my husband outside the hardware store, which happened to be a bright blue building. So much blue I had to create a thread with the images (https://twitter.com/BarbChamberlain/status/1523001095995371520?s=20&t=tS5R6MR7aZpgaxNfA0e9pQ). Reading the book and then this newsletter has definitely attuned my mind to notice more in so many ways. And today on gratefulness.org the question of the day is "What happens when I look with fresh eyes?" (https://gratefulness.org/question-for-the-day/what-happens-when-i-look-with-fresh-eyes/)

Right after reading this piece I spotted this missing words book https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Dictionary-of-Obscure-Sorrows/John-Koenig/9781501153648 thanks to the Emerging Form newsletter https://emergingform.substack.com/p/walking-your-muses-ace-in-the-hole.

Samples of two more writers on walking: Alex T. Wolfe https://pedestrian.substack.com/p/pedestrian-27-sun-song-10-cities?s=r and Antonia Malchik https://antonia.substack.com/p/walks-and-music.

Now I'm off to read Chris Arnade. Thanks as always for the writing and the links you highlight. I follow the generous writers like you who point out the works of others.

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The yellow green box is the color of my 22 year old car. I love it but sadly it's on it's last few months.

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May 17, 2022Liked by Rob Walker

My answer to your second segment is I would dispense with formality.

Regarding the first segment regarding color I have a vivid memory of an old boyfriend and some very interesting tan lines.

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May 17, 2022Liked by Rob Walker

It was probably fifteen years ago when I became concerned about how much of my time was spent on autopilot. You know, leave the house and then wonder if you'd closed the door. By lunchtime have no idea what you'd had for breakfast. Get to work and realize you have no memory of the commute. Anyway, I decided I needed to make some little changes that brought me back to the present moment. I changed which direction I threaded my belt through the loops of my pants, which felt very awkward but I had to be present in order to do it. I also changed which pocket I used for my wallet. Those two things brought me back to the present moment multiple times a day, which, it turns out, is all you need. Look for one or two little things to change, and you disrupt the autopilot mechanism.

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What a great rabbit hole. I have been on a bit of search through the sub stacks for color.

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