“We Just Decided To”: On Rituals, Responsibility, and Rewatching The Newsroom

Every year, I return to the same rituals. I reread Dune. I clear out the clothes I haven’t worn, sometimes with relief, sometimes with regret. I change my shoe laces. I shave my face clean, only to remember halfway through it that I wear a short beard for a reason. I rewatch The Newsroom.

These aren’t just routines. They’re quiet acts of recalibration. A…