I am over music!! Just kidding, I just haven’t been listening to anything lately and haven’t been interested. In anything. Here are some things I liked/remembered recently since the world is on fire and I am PISSED OFF!!!
Rita Ora’s rendition of Running Up That Hill — I can’t believe this is two years old. I was obsessed with this. I watched it every night on loop for like 30 minutes when it happened. Remembering it yesterday literally made me feel 200x better. Why did she do this? Why was THIS how she chose to capitalize on the Kate Bush moment? i am still haunted by these questions and also so grateful for the internet in this case. The Who Weekly people get me and i feel very seen by their Rita Ora segment. i love her idc. my other Rita Ora story is that i went to the stonewall once for my birthday and my friend who i think is very hot knew every word to a BRAND NEW Rita Ora song that was playing. incredible. She changes lives.
Reading without thinking about it — let me clarify. i like getting into the weeds of details SOMETIMES but lately something about trying to make a little quip or rate my shit on storygraph pissed me off too so I deleted my account (many such cases) (letterboxd better WATCH OUT). I tend to read like a freak weirdo and in bits and pieces so this has tremendously helped me. I am currently reading a bookclub pick that I’m undecided on, mostly because it’s in an era and region i don’t gravitate toward, but funnily enough the plot in some cases is very similar to paddington 2 in my twisted mind. can’t wait to drop that in the bookclub meeting.
Saturday Night Live — yes! it’s true. i didn’t grow up watching or caring about SNL so i am not a nerd about its history or anything and generally pretend to hate stand up comedy as an institution even though i am a Funny Woman. some of my favorite memories from when i lived in harlem briefly were staying up late to watch it with my roommates in our cozy apartment since one of them had an antennae. good times. last year i got back into it due to another friend who has excellent taste and now i’m a fiend. the truth is that i was always going to be an SNL truther i fear, since during the Rita Ora Running Up That Hill Summer my instagram (rip) algorithm also severely pivoted into stand up comedy reels, which is how i first learned of the loml Marcello Hernandez. and now look at us. the 50th anniversary special was also really funny imo and honestly in this current moment in time the only thing i am chasing is a good laugh.
Pop Culture Jeopardy — related because unfortunately Colin Jost is growing on me and thus weekend update becomes more interesting to me. That bit he did with the gun was hilarious. anyway it’s fun watching a show where i know a lot of the answers and the people competing are silly, something about the vibe is somehow less serious than regular jeopardy, which i stopped paying too close attention to post Trebek. I have unfortunately overdone it so now i can’t pay attention while it’s on but don’t worry it’ll always be there for me and my rat brain.
Severance — no comment it’s just so good. SO GOOD the same friend who got me into pop culture jeopardy got me into this and for that he must be punished.
Watching movies — this is so sad. now I am become film bro, the thing i swore i never would. generally i considered myself a sitcom girl with the occasional limited series but now i am paying for a movie subscription and criterion adjacent service. it’s kinda nice to go alone, it’s nice to go in the mornings, it’s nice to just leave my house. mostly i think it’s nice that i am not watching the same shows over and over again anymore, and don’t necessarily have the desire to these days. that being said i am waiting for the perfect time to possibly start smallville again. maybe after the highly anticipated (2 me) superman movie in July.
quiet music — okay there is a very specific thing when i say i have not been listening to anything, which is that i haven’t had that perfect fit experience lately because everything sucks. however when i get like this usually i want to listen to something quiet and lowkey and/or warm. Specifically right now I’m back in my Norah Jones era and I need to apologize for thinking her most recent album Visions was boring when it came out because it is not, it is awesome actually, especially Staring at the Wall. She seems kinda depressed and avoidant too and idk me fr. other albums in this category that are a little more upbeat that have been on rotation lately have been Open Wide by Inhaler, Horror by Bartees Strange, and When I Get Home by Solange. Honorable mention to Deeper’s two albums.
Funny lyrics — and in contrast to my last point I also chose 2025 to get into Lil Wayne and Southern Hardcore. My apologies for missing this train as a child. Specifically I have been into Tha Carter III, especially while at work. Yes everyone i talk to about this asks if i am a thirteen year old boy. i reserved a book from the library about the geographic styles of hip-hop and i’m really looking forward to reading it. In his hot ones interview Ludacris talked about using humor in his lyrics which i found really interesting, and listening to Lil Wayne the writing is entertaining and clever. love!
Animal videos — I watch youtube like a nutjob as well, in the browser on my phone sound OFF through the thumbnails. This way I do not have to deal with ads or bothersome noise. plus i get to strain my eyes a little more. wildlife cams have made me yearn to be a moose or some other sort of animal hanging out in the woods or in a stream. they do not have to do taxes to my knowledge. recently at a community event i was talking to people about this hobby and someone told me about a man who essentially involved crows in the economy by giving them bread when they brought him money, and giving them better bread when they brought him bigger bills. do you think they understand? i am also dipping my toes into some very odd capybara drama, and the more i actually share what i have watched i can hear myself sounding more and more like a lunatic.
rituals — and finally thank god SNL is back so i can also get back to my sunday morning routine of making a pour over and watching the previous evening’s episode. in my bitter heart i ridicule the romanticize your life girlies but i fear a nice quirky ritual can do so much for your brain. i’m trying to build more rituals/habits, like going to the gym and crafting but alas i am also trying to just turn my phone off, which is already hard enough. getting back into drawing has been very pleasant though, i remember why it was my emotional regulation hobby of choice for so long. it’s less of a ritual but i am trying to approach my health and nutrition (for mental health ONLY) more gently, adding some berries to things here and there and maybe a handful of nuts. for some reason getting enough protein feels more accessible and adds the math aspect to my life in a way that feels less threatening than, say, counting calories. Unfortunately walking my dog on a more regular schedule and for longer is also adding to my mental health points since it’s “warming up” and the sun has been out this week. touching grass always works. Sad!
that’s all. there isn’t really a point to this except screaming into the void and avoiding my chores. apparently harry styles ran the tokyo marathon and i hope a great unknown wins the oscar.