It is time, once again, for my favorite kind of newsletter! The five things/people/shows/movies/books/moments that didn't make me want to erase myself from the Internet! And it's the fifth installment, too — not my favorite number, but I won't deny the symmetry of it.
Happy Friday! Happy almost-end-of-March! I'll be soooo honest with you, this has not been a fun month for me. I've been tired, disappointed, and worst of all, my face has looked weird in a way I can't fully explain (you know what I mean). I have, however, read (and written! but that is neither here nor there) a great deal, eaten a lot of pasta, hung out with friends and by myself in bars and coffee shops, and seen good movies. A life is lived even when it's not fun! See below!
1. Speaking of good movies, I saw Perfect Days in theaters a few weeks ago. And boy, did it make me feel lonely for a brief moment! It was such a beautiful movie about the (very) solitary life of a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo. A film about the beauty of routine and simplicity, sure, but also one that gently pokes at the things we miss when we prioritize the pristineness of a simple life over the sometimes-messier (but often more rewarding) goals of community and companionship. A reminder to make more room for the unexpected in your life. Perfect Days is streaming now — take a couple of hours to watch it!
2. I think, in the next few years, we're going to start hearing a lot of uncomfortable stories from the children of influencer families who were made to work against their will and without compensation. To that effect, I found this Cosmopolitan piece from Fortesa Latifi illuminating; and of course, I've been listening to Wondery's The Rise and Fall of Ruby Franke, about a mega momfluencer I frankly did not know existed until she was arrested for child abuse last year. It's all a bit blood-curdling, to be completely honest, and being more aware of the phenomenon has made me re-examine my own social media consumption.
I won't write here about the books I've read recently because I just did a March round-up a couple of weeks ago, but check that out if you've a hankering for semi-existential books!
3. There've been so many cool and interesting and fun pieces from my fellow newsletter-havers. A few I've read and loved, by all means a non-exhaustive list: after this month, I kinda never want to talk about Kate Middleton ever again, but
's Kate Middleton exists to smile for us was a fascinating read; I watched Poor Things, Had Feelings about it, and then read 's marvelous piece on Bella Baxter's definition of beauty, We Are The Poor Things; took me back to my traumatic middle school reads (Caroline B. Cooney, anyone?) with I fell down a Google hole; at a time of semi-crippling doubt, inspired me with Pep Talk: Because I'm a Writer; and made me angry (righteously and in the best way) with The Weight of Dinner.4. Deeper! Well!!! I have singing along to Kacey Musgraves since I was a wee undergrad and she was going around singing same trailer diiiiffferent paark, and with each new album I become a bigger fan. People keep comparing this album to Golden Hour, just like they did with star-crossed, but! Deeper Well is a different concept, for a woman at a different point in her life. Sorry to be Vulnerable on Main, but with each new listen, I grow more hopeful. About what, I don't know! But it's lovely nevertheless. Honorable mention: the beautiful Bright Future from Adrianne Lenker (full disclosure: if you're not yet depressed, this album will get you there — with melodious efficiency!).
5. I've waxed poetic about the genius of Derry Girls many, many times, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I heard that its creator Lisa McGee has a new series, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, coming soon(ish) to Netflix. I may have squealed when I found out. In the meantime, I have been rewatching the Twilight movies — iconic in every way.
Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me on twitter, instagram, and tiktok. This newsletter is my pride and joy, with issues on topics like the celebrity apology industrial complex, Barbie’s Oscar noms, debriefing the Bezos’ fake normalcy, the week when everyone was deranged, and Stanley cups and hyperconsumerism. It is updated twice a week, and includes at least one post a week for paid subscribers. If you enjoyed and would like to support my work, please consider joining the community of paying subscribers for $5/month or $50/year.
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i saw a comment that said Deeper Well is like Golden Hour’s older sister who has two kids and a farmhouse sink in her kitchen, which is a mental image i really love lol
as a longtime Kacey fan, i’d love to know your thoughts on Starcrossed! i was really disappointed by it when it first dropped, then recently gave it another listen and came away thinking it’s got some high highs and some very low lows (looking at you, Simple Times!)
Deeper Well hit my soul in a way that has not happened in a while! Curious to know what your faves are. I’ve listened to “Heart of the Woods,” “The Architect,” and “Lonely Millionaire” so many times already! But the album as an album also just works so well