It's The Freaking Weekend, And I Have Crazy* Plans (*Long Walk In The Presidio, Friend's Kid's Socially-Distanced Bar Mitzvah, Making Creme Brûlée)
Good morning, my doves! It’s Friday the 13th (ooooooh, spooky!) so if you can’t find me, it’s because I’ve wrapped myself in bubble wrap and am sitting in my couch cushion fort. And if you’re asking why, I’ll respond a) pillow forts are cool as heck and b) seven years ago I horribly broke my leg on a Friday the 13th, so while I didn’t used to be superstitious, I am not taking any chances. Thank goodness mercury isn’t in retrograde.
Also, I regret to inform all of the millennial readers of this here Missive that Olivia Rodrigo is wearing a low-rise skirt on the cover of Variety this month and low-rise pants in the subsequent 90s-nostalgic photo shoot. So to the young subscribers to this newsletter, let me say this: a low-rise is the patriarchy preventing us from running away from bears or, you know, sitting or standing or existing comfortably. And as I rant about this, I just now realized that my relationship to low-rise pants is the same relationship my Mum had with bell bottoms when they came back in the 90s, in that 20 years have passed, and the fashion circle of life continues. TL;DR, you can take my high-waisted wide legs pants off my cold, dead body. VIVA TUMMY COVERAGE.
Oh yea, and there’s stuff to read this weekend, so let’s get right to it.
TO THE LONGREADS
Rob Tannebaum, The Most Upbeat Death Song Ever: The Oral History of “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” (GQ) - Speaking of nostalgia for 90s nostalgia for 70s nostalgia, MORE COWBELL please.
Lizzie Widdicombe, Press Secretary Jen Psaki is Good At Mending Fences. Just Don’t Call Her Nice. (Vogue) - I want to be Jen Psaki. Full stop. She’s amazing.
Jennifer Senior, What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind (The Atlantic) - This one is super hard, and sticks out in this long read list amongst pop culture and silliness, but I wanted to share it. We’re coming up on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks so there will be remembrances and think pieces and reflection, and this examination of the devastating impact on one family who lost a son and the subsequent trauma that rippled out from them, is hard but beautiful to read.
Rory Carroll, ‘People think you’re an idiot’: death metal Irish baron rewilds his estate (The Guardian) - Love this story of a member of the new generation of landed gentry in Ireland saying “eff this” and ceding castle lands to nature, even if it may have also been a great setting for the owner to film his spooooooky movie.
Kate Dries, The Creator of ‘FBoy Island’ Explains How to Make a Self-Aware Dating Show (Vice) - I don’t typically watch reality dating shows (alas, I am often left blinking at my screen if conversations about The Bachelor come up as people are joining a large video call) but I am a huge Elan Gale fan, a producer who is also sober I’ve followed for years on Twitter, and who was kind enough to respond to a tearful DM I sent on the first anniversary of my quitting drinking, thanking him for being a creative, funny, dynamic individual who also doesn’t drink, as it gave me an example of what I had to look forward to. Anyhoo, I read he made a dating show on HBO Max and, um, HBO does dating shows? So yea, I had to watch, and I admit I was hooked.
That’s it, that’s all my lovelies! Schedule those brain breaks in your day, don’t forget to hydrate, remember that (if you are able) even 20 minutes of walking has amazing mental and physical benefits, and be kind to yourself!
xoxo Amy