Things That Made Me Less Cranky: July and August 2023 Double Trouble Edition
This summer has sucked so much, it's been cancelled
Welcome to my monthly list of recommended cultural consumption. This edition is focused on all that made me less of a raging, bitter, hag despite the dumpster fire that is our world. Enjoy!
Podcast: Listen to The Retrievals to stoke the fiery rages created by yet ANOTHER example of the medical establishment ignoring women’s pain and concerns and then listen to Who Shat on the Floor at My Wedding? to laugh all the ire away.
Newsletter: I didn’t know how much I missed flipping through the pages of a magazine looking at clothes I could never afford until I found 5 Things You Should Buy. Becky Malinksy’s style definitely skewers way more preppy than my own, but it always gives me good outfit ideas. Also going to give a shout out to the fantastic food writer Maggie Hennessy’s new substack, Little Stories.
Interwebs: Leaving this blank because I hate the internet right now. Nothing works anymore. Google is only useful if you’re trying to find answers from an AI-generated site in India. Bluesky does not have the numbers to make it interesting. All other traditional social media platforms feel obsolete as hell and totally incapable of actually helping you stay in touch with friends and contacts. I’m in the midst of dealing with at least six different bureaucratic processes and all government websites, anywhere in the world, look like something out of a 1998 Geocities. Burn it all to the ground.
Feel Good Org: No need to reiterate how absolutely devastating the Maui wildfires were but, if you’re still wondering where you should donate to, may I suggest the Maui Food Bank? I work a lot with non-profit organizations fighting against hunger, who are currently struggling with a rise in demand, government cutbacks and a decrease in donations. And that’s on a normal day, when you’re not dealing with the consequences of a catastrophic event. On a more personal note, a family friend is raising funds for her grandniece, who has suffered from complications and developmental delays since birth and needs to undergo an operation in order to walk. Health insurance in this country is absolute trash. If you want to make a direct impact, this is it.
Books for Fun: Good Boys: Poems by Megan Fernandes and Trust by Hernan Diaz. Just trust me.
Books for Writing: Slowly making my way through The Situation and The Story, one of those seminal nonfiction craft books everyone keeps recommending.
Activity: Going to the movies when you’re not at your job aka beach.
Purchase: I do not care if they cause cancer, because everything is going to give me cancer. The Thinx period panties and my Knix period swimwear have made me stop praying for early menopause.
Movie: If you want a movie about how your closest, most endearing and emotionally intimate youthful friendships can make all your dreams come true, watch Wham! Rarely have I ever seen such a beautiful depiction of the importance of friendship and I bawled like a baby at the end.
If you want a movie about how your closest, most endearing and emotionally intimate youthful friendships can stunt your growth and turn you into a toxic human, then watch Theater Camp. It was so funny and bittersweet and had just enough hint of silly cruelty and artistic whimsy to still make it joyful.
TV: Girls5Eva is here to remind you of why the lates 90s were the cringiest of times but also maybe the most fun of times. It’s so so funny, please just watch it so Netflix doesn’t get buyers remorse.
Last Call is one of the best murder docs I have seen because of how much it prioritizes the victims and the community affected in its narrative.
Song: I can probably link my absolute embrace of this Mexican regional revival trend to the exorbitant amount of time I spent in Chicago taquerías. The song “Frágil” by teen sibling Yahritza y Su Esencia and Gruop Frontera slaps. Can’t wait to get sloppy drunk and cry to it.
Is Selena Gomez the sleeper pop star of my heart?
Links that Made Me Happy (or Cranky)
We Can’t Afford to be Climate Doomers by Rebecca Solnit for The Guardian
Culture Study Meets Bama RushTok by Anne Helen Petersen for Culture Study
In Alabama, White Tide Rushes On by Tressie McMillan Cottom
“Girl” Trends and Repackaging of Womanhood by Rebecca Jennings for Vox
Glad I'm not the only one hating the internet right now. How do you like the Vivian Gornick book?