Finishing up an academic paper about the unproductively vague affirmations of interdisciplinarity and the framework I’ve developed to help sharpen what’s happening in my work.

three yellow bars form a graphic on a black slide, the top of which says disposition of artist (poetics), then language of design (utility), then house of engineering (big tech)

With my youngest’s scout troop at the local city council meeting. (He’s seated, out of frame.) We were warmly welcomed. So good.

A scout speaks at the mic in a city council meeting, while council members look on.

Still over here astonished at the deep challenge (twofold, at least!) of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. It’s not just “hold your views with humility”: sarahendren.com/2024/05/2…

an unconditioned whole

“If more thinkers were willing, like William Egginton, to extend and elucidate the philosophical implications of physics in the actual physics classroom, we’d quickly realize much more of the so-called interdisciplinarity that so many of us claim to want. But the mastery of calculations is just easier in the end…” I wrote about Egginton’s new book on Borges, Heisenberg, and Kant: sarahendren.com/2024/05/2…

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Zadie Smith bringing the wisdom as usual: shorturl.at/qxIS2

So glad to see this call for “time to build” submissions from The New Atlantis. I have too many ideas! Due date June 17: www.thenewatlantis.com/publicati…

a black and white drawing of two funnel shapes holding up a banner that reads, in cursive, “who hath”

Upon meeting another wide-eyed and middle-aged pedestrian on the sidewalk, early spring burst of blossoming life, this half-conversation exchange: “Do you see—?” “I know, it’s—” “I just, green—.” (clutching heart) “Everywhere.”

Teaching takes a lot of energy; it also keeps a person disciplined and specific, resistant to sweeping generalizations about The Youth. Glad for it.

Reading aloud David Chang’s memoir, Eat a Peach, to 14 yr old Malcolm. He enjoys the sweary diatribes about running a restaurant. I was moved by the chapter with strikethroughs and revisions made plain.

A page from Chang’s book shows text that would flatter his self image struck through with a line, and in red type, the new text telling something more true.

Curious if folks have honest thoughts about new Buckley doc, out now on PBS and an archival beast to tame, thanks to my husband who was editor. No talking heads! But so important, useful in this election cycle, etc.

I never tire of design school detritus. World under construction!

Three shelves in a design studio laden with piles of foam core architectural models, all crowded and akimbo

not that kind of constraint: sarahendren.com/2024/05/0…

first goslings sighting along the River Charles!

Just bought this print for my office from the Sr. Corita Kent center store: store.corita.org/collectio…

The sisters of the immaculate heart community of nuns in a printmaking studio

“born of water”: sarahendren.com/2024/04/2…

Parenting is Mostly Restraint, edition 361: Teenagers will silently process your advice to them, even while leaving the room a little early or averting their eyes. And a few months later they’ll parrot back your words. You nod, you concur, you do NOT remind them that it came from you.

Q: How do I do things (3 kids, no default parent, 2 ft jobs, big project-driven deadlines)? A: I don’t drink alcohol or do social media. The former by necessity, the latter by choice. It’s other things too, but those are big. I look back and wonder, truly, how I *ever did those two things regularly.

the refuge of the Mass 💓💓💓

I love seeing this rationale and linked variations on “hello pages”: alastairjohnston.com/introduci…