Today, it actually feels like summer outside. (As compared to, say, the surface of the sun. I keep telling people that it was 112 here last weekend, 118 in Phoenix, and invariably they rely: “That is the temperature of Hell. That’s Hell.” Well, I guess. I don’t know as such. Does Dante have an opinion on this?) It’s supposed to be nice for the whole weekend. Friends coming to town. Barbeques. Fireworks.

It seems like I was just listing cliches, right? But it’s also my life for the next four days! A fine time to be me in America.

But I wouldn’t leave you without a few links, now would I? Well, maybe. But not today. There are a few things on my mind, and what I lose in years off my life from internet surfing, you gain in your own years lost. (Do the math. It comes out fine, I swear.)

First of all, in tragic news, two publications I’ve been a part of are shutting their proverbial doors:

1. 300 Reviews, in which I published a review of misheard song lyrics, is closing up shop. They are actually taking the website down (which is pragmatic, but sad), and so if you want to take a look at neo-Žižekian reviews of such disparate topics as “Washing One’s Car” and “Anaphylaxis,” you only have until July 14th to do so. You are warned!

2. Cerise Press, in which I published a novella excerpt translated out of Russian. There is actually a new issue up right now – their last. If you aren’t familiar with Cerise Press, they have for years been simply one of classiest online journals around. A major focus is/was work in translation. Luckily, the archives are staying up, so you can still peruse. And I highly recommend doing so.

Thanks to both publications for the hard work you put in for so many years! It’s sad to see you go.

In other linking news, my friends Rachel and Sara are reviving their poetry blog Beak & Wave, which is certainly worth a look. Most recently, they both treated the topic of “life after the MFA,” from the respective positions of being a few weeks (Sara) and one year (Rachel) out. If you have ever woken up one morning and found yourself in possession of an arts degree, these are for you.

Finally, I’m reposting Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (previously referred to as “this horrifying video”) in case you didn’t watch it (or didn’t watch it all the way through) the first time. I’m sorry. This is just to punish everyone for the fact that the song has been running through my head on a loop for a whole week? I don’t know. Maybe by inflicting it on everyone else, its demonic nature will be sated and no longer need to sap my gentle spirit.

How’s that for a recommendation?