What if…algorithm-free reco list, no. 7?
The Big D, The Little Depression, etc.!
Hello!
Here is my latest collection of “things (and not-quite-things) I will attempt to evangelize you on.” Please report back if you were iNfLuEnCeD!
The Big D
Everything about this show is transparently sleazy. The premise of bringing recently divorced couples into a Love Island-esque house and encouraging them to simultaneously “find closure” and “couple up to prove they have the healthiest new relationship?” Riddled with issues! The name and opening credits? Sensationalized camp! Every single man in the villa? The scariest person you’ve ever met! But if you can look past the roid rage energy and the fact that I’m at least 82% certain “Casey” is a producer plant, this is a solid entry to the “Dating Shows As Couples Therapy” canon.
Syllabus
An incredible project where each week, a different contributor publishes a syllabus on a topic of their choosing. I spent a solid four hours the other day perusing the archives, and barely scratched the surface. Current faves include “Notes on K Pop,” “Romantic Urbanism,” and “ART 500.”
Mobility by Lydia Kiesling
I finished reading this, went to the art book fair on a 90+ degree day, then spent the rest of the weekend in an existential crisis. I’m not entirely certain I’ve left said existential crisis. I’m no longer in PMS mode, so I blame this book (it’s a bildungsroman set against 60 years of the oil & gas industry) coupled with that specific insignificance you feel when on a day when you haven’t made any art, then you go see dozens of people earnestly and successfully selling their art, even if their art is nothing like your art. Do y’all know what I mean? Maybe this is actually just a recommendation for inducing an existential crisis of your own, the same way you’d maybe try and have a good cry. Consider it!
One Sec
This app is surely nefarious in some way, but it is the only thing I’ve tried that has kept me away from Instagram (I can’t get it to work with any other app). Basically, anytime you try and open Instagram or whatever problem apps you assign, it launches a screen that tells you to take a deep breath and then makes you look at how many times you’ve tried to open IG in the last 24 hours. The whole thing is very patronizing, but it’s re-training my brain to be more intentional about IG use, so I’d argue it’s a net positive.
Hilary’s “World’s Best Veggie Burgers”
These are not the world’s best veggie burgers, but I appreciate the delusion. I appreciate even more that they taste like couscous and don’t have that gummy soy protein texture.
Asking, “Do any of y’all know anyone who…”
It turns out people do indeed know people, and if you’re not an asshole, they are usually willing to help! Asking for help is just as important as offering help in the grand cycle of “people helping each other survive out there.” Trying to do stuff alone sucks, and I do not recommend it. I do, however, recommend this long read about the production of ALONE, which proves the above point.
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La Colombe bottled cold brew with the yellow stripe.
The CLICK CLACK of my partner’s new hand-milled magnet fidget, which induces just the right amount of mild rage-y unease to propel my writing forward. <3