newsletter #20: on watching tv & stuff
don't judge.
Hello reader. How are you? I’ve been good. The snow and New York has given me a welcome excuse to stay inside bundled up in pillows and blankets. This newsletter is about all the mindless shit I did last week that made me happy-ish. (Imagine that!) Many of you workaholics or That Girls™ will consider these activities naughty, but I do not. These are the things I live for right now. Let me have this.
I did not leave the house for three days
I understand why my ability to remain inside for multiple days straight might be concerning to some. And I get it. But last week I felt drained by work: My eyes were glued to my computer screen during office hours trying to adequately meet my various deadlines, interview subjects for upcoming pieces, write things, etc. When I made plans to leave the house (to run, to grab coffee, to get Vitamin D) I felt like the cold weather and snow were simultaneously telling me those plans were stupid and that I would be better off indoors. So I stayed inside and let myself work even though my eyes hurt and I was probably starting to smell just a little bit from rotting in sweatpants. I am justifying the fact that I stayed inside for three days straight by telling myself I got a lot done and I bleached my bath tub. Anyways, my boyfriend lectured me today about how I stayed inside for too many days in a row this week and I promised him not to do it again. I was hoping he didn’t notice that I hadn’t left but it turns out that your partner with whom you cohabitate actually does note your habits and cares about your well-being. I’ll be “better” next week—I was starting to feel like shit by day three anyway.
I watched four seasons of TV shows
Yes, I consumed so much TV last week. I began this journey the previous Sunday, when I watched all of Insecure season five. (The newest and final one.) This is an activity I’d been looking forward to for a very long time. I love Insecure, but I’d been in kind of a TV-rut, not watching shows even though so many I’d been anticipating were coming out. It’s probably because our TV is a certified piece-of-shit and we don’t have cable or anything. The TV we have is basically just a large screen; you have to plug a laptop into it with an HDMI cord to watch anything, which is just inconvenient enough to dissuade us from using it most days. But that Sunday, I found the wherewithal to plug it in and the desire to consume a narrative by screen rather than book or article or Nintendo Switch. I watched my computer hum to life and opened HBO Max and let Issa Rae enter my mind for 10 episodes straight.
Later in the week, over the course of two post-work days of leisure (obviously the ones I spent inside, hah) I watched And Just Like That and The Sex Lives of College Girls, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have been avoiding watching The SATC reboot because I’m just so annoyed it was made in the first place (I’m over money-grab reboot culture) and my favorite part of the old show was Samantha. I feel vindicated in that the show is quite bad, but it was bad in a very addicting and intriguing way in that it’s actually extremely good. I love Che. The last episode airs this week, and I’m excited. Okay, that’s all I’ll say on that.
The Sex Lives of College Girls was also good, way better than I anticipated, despite the fact that several people who know me well said I would love it. (I’m not that insufferable, I promise.) The show was so funny—Bela’s goofy smile was the best and Pauline Chalamet actually made me laugh-cry. (Yes, she’s honestly better than Timmy.) The final show I watched was Hacks, on Friday night. This was *easily* the best one to me. I mean, it’s an incredible show that really moves you emotionally and is genuinely smart and funny. I watched this because my Friday plans were cancelled due to the snow and one of my favorite New York comedians, Pat Regan, is a writer on the show. The premise might seem weird (because it is), but just trust and watch it. Anyway, maybe to you watching four seasons of TV in one week is bad but I don’t care. It actually made me feel rested and creative. So fuck off :)
reading and tea
Lastly, I will tell you that I spent many nights reading and drinking tea last week. (In addition to my TV watching.) I drink tea because I often forget to drink water when I’m not training for some athletic activity, and tea helps me feel warm in my freezing apartment and has a calming taste to it. As for my book, I’m still reading A Prayer For Owen Meany. It is a physically large book but it’s really good. It’s a novel that lasts you a long time, if that makes sense. I fluctuate between reading books that you fly through and books that you deep dive into and stay with the characters for a while. I think both have merit and are lovely, in case you were wondering. I’m enjoying my time with Owen Meany, and I’m sure I’ll miss him once I’ve finished reading about him.
That’s what I have for you this week, reader. I hope you enjoyed learning about my happenings and if you have anything to say about them (perhaps they resonate), I always welcome emails and comments. I’ve been getting lots of responses from you all lately and it makes me smile. I love to read your thoughts. Other things of note are…
I caved and bought the EmRata memoir. Maybe I’ll have thoughts on that later.
I finally bought the new Gossamer issue.
I’ve been playing Super Mario Sunshine on the switch. LMK your tricks & tips.
read this in bed this morning. Super Mario Sunshine :’)