Dec 17

Dec 17 Weekly Roundup #53: 2018 Noms and trends

These past few weeks have been incredibly stressful. I’m constantly slammed at work, not getting enough sleep and, when I’m not at work, I’m talking about work. So needless to say, I’ll be glad for my holiday break, but, in the meantime, all these stories or videos or songs created little moments of much-needed brightness in my days and I hope they do the same for you.

On a happier note, how much do you love the holidays?? Personally, I’m kind of a fanatic (see the photo of my front door below). I truly enjoy getting gifts for friends and loved ones. I only wish my bank account matched my grandiose ideas…What are your favorite things about the season? I may celebrate Christmas, but I mean any of the holidays during this time! Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Winter Solstice, Festivus—whatever you celebrate, I’d love to hear about it!

Reading

The Incendiaries, R.O. Kwon.

100 Pinterest Trends for 2019, Pinterest. Y’all. Lilac hair is trending. I was actually ahead of the curve on this one! Just in time for me to likely switch it up next fall…also, good thing I just got that mustard sweater recently, right on time. Unfortunately, a lot of my wedding loves are starting to gain popularity so looks like I’ll have to find a substitute for colorful smoke bombs by the time I get married.

Year in Search 2018, Google. That list of actors is a real bummer. Does Logan Paul really count as an actor?

John Mulaney’s Take on Rock Hall of Fame Inductees Is the Only One You Need, Rolling Stone. If you’re at all interested in the Rock Hall of Fame, read this. If you just really like John Mulaney, it might be fun for you too.

2019 Grammy Nominations: Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Women Lead the Way, The New York Times. YAAASSSS, MY LADIES!!!

Game of Thrones: 18 Secrets, Easter Eggs, and Revelations Hiding in 7 Seasons of Scripts, Vanity Fair. Just trying to prep as much as possible for April. ❄️

Paul Klein, Wonderland. I met him at Gov Ball last June and he basically didn’t speak, so I was interested to see how he came off in an interview—SPOILER ALERT: I love him. Also, I DID NOT KNOW he and Dua Lipa dated….I am SHOOKETH. So, excuse me while I go listen to Malibu Nights again on repeat. Also also, if you haven’t listened to LANY yet, do ittttt!

Rediscovering My Daughter Through Instagram, The New York Times. Read this piece and tell me it doesn’t make you apologize to your parents and tell them how grateful you are for them and how much you love them, especially if you’re a female. This piece hurt my heart, but it also gave me a little relief in “allowing” my mom to follow me on social media.

Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex? The Atlantic. Read and then listen to the Betches’ U Up episode, where the hosts talk to the author.

How to Navigate the Slippery Slope Between “Me Time” and Isolation, Man Repeller. I desperately needed to read this because I like to equate “me time” to curling up in my home and watching “my” shows for hours on end. This was a good reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way and maybe I should look to old or forgotten hobbies and revisit them with like-minded people.

What’s Lurking in Your Stadium Food? ESPN. Check your stadiums, y’all! I’m going to MetLife (#39) for the Titans/Giants game Sunday so gotta be prepared! No shrimp for me! Not that I was going to anyway, nasty.

The Glamorous, Sexist History of the Women’s Restroom Lounge, CityLab. Basically, they were originally created, sans toilets, so women had a space to recuperate from public, social outings. One that reminded them of their homes…lovely.

End Your Shower With a Second Shower, The Cut. I actually kind of do this because I heard a cold rinse helps smooth the frizz, but I can’t actually say if it works, so good to know there are other possible benefits. After I finish showering, I turn the faucet all the way down to icy, get as much of my body as possible out of the way of the water, then dunk my head under and rinse from root to ends. It’s not super comfortable, but it’s the only way I consider my shower complete.

Netflix Shares First Look at Fyre Festival Documentary, Billboard. I cannot WAIT to see this.

When Priyanka Met Nick: A Love Story, Vogue. Daaww, I actually loved this. This was absolutely, over-the-top saccharine. ❤️

What’s All This About Journaling? The New York Times. I used to journal, in fact, I still keep a notebook in my everyday bag for those times when inspiration strikes. It’s how I sketched out my tattoo, the place I experimented with blog names (clearly I landed on the least creative one 🤷🏼‍♀️) and more. But I haven’t touched it in at least a year and now I’m wondering if that could be why I’m feeling so…irritated might be the best word? At the very least, it won’t hurt to try! Don’t think I’ll have time for morning pages though…it’s hard enough getting out of bed for my commute.

New study finds female-led films perform better at box office. Your move, Hollywood. Mashable. This 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 AWESOME!

As an Adult, I Have Two Close Friends — and That’s Enough, Man Repeller. Can we all just remind ourselves that TV relationships are NOT the ideal of real-life relationships? There’s no “should” in real-life, except that you should feel safe, happy and free to be yourself in your relationships, whether they’re romantic or friendly.

Why I’m Creating a Self-Care To-Do List This Holiday Season, Girls Night In. I like #2. Very in line with my goal to start journaling more in the new year.

Ellen DeGeneres Is Not as Nice as You Think, The New York Times. I’ve heard she’s not as nice in person and my response is, no shit. “In person, she is more blunt, introspective and interesting than she is on the show, willing to express mild irritation that might seem off-key in front of a national audience…And DeGeneres is appealingly open about the tensions in her career between providing a cultural safe space and delivering laughs, and says she has learned to care less about being liked.” You can’t expect someone to be “on” all the time. It’d be exhausting. Ellen’s a real human too with irritations and frustrations. Personally, I would be a terrible famous person because I death glare anyone caught staring at me in public and I would despise being asked for selfies while I’m out just trying to shop for groceries. I’ll probably always love Ellen and not just for the nostalgia factor (it reminds me of coming home from school and watching with my mom every day).

Deciem to Relaunch at Sephora, Women’s Wear Daily. I am actually super excited for this because now I can swing by and grab a $7 The Ordinary retinol on my way home. I am V. okay with that. I am also V. okay with the fact that Brandon Truaxe has been kicked to the curb.

Factory mishap paves street with chocolate in Germany, AP. Why wasn’t I there??

Irish woman who married ghost of 300-year-old pirate says they have split up, The Irish Post. My condolences.

Megan Fox Thought She Wouldn’t Be A “Sympathetic Victim” For #MeToo, Nylon. I assume she’s saying this because she’s always played the gorgeous, femme fatale and, thus, people see her that way and would never sympathize with her. And that right there is the base of victim shaming. We don’t truly know how anyone feels. We can’t project or assume. No woman should be afraid to report harassment or assault because they’re afraid they won’t be believed or they’ll be shamed.

18 Christmas Facts That You Didn't Know You Wanted To Know, Buzzfeed. I need to go watch this Grinch prequel.

Google CEO Had To Explain To Congress Why Googling ‘Idiot’ Shows Donald Trump, Huffington Post. Because, facts.

Listening

Malibu Nights, LANY. I listened to this album again after reading Paul Klein interview, and really heard the lyrics this time. It’s a beautiful album and his voice is just incandescent. I implore you all to go listen. Especially if you’ve endured any kind of heartbreak in your life.

Watching

Sarah Hyland on Her Two Kidney Transplants, Self. My partner’s dad had a lung transplant and there’s a lot of things he can’t do now or can’t eat or drink. Obviously he prefers this to having died four years ago, but it can be hard. I can’t imagine having to limit yourself like that, and know it’s for the rest of your life, at such a young age. Sarah Hyland, you’re a rock star.