Listening to: “Lies in the Eyes of Love” by Part Time.
Eating: General Tso’s and pork fried rice, baby. It’s been a very food-centered past few days that’ll stretch into this week via dinner plans with friends, and tonight’s spontaneous decision to order Chinese. I’m oddly not stressed about it. I’ve been doing a good job keeping the ED monkey off my back lately, making balanced decisions that keep us amicably distant. We’re basically a married couple sleeping in separate beds, which is probably as close to divorced as we’ll get.
Weekend Recap: I mentioned last week that my new job has me in a solid morning routine. In addition to feeling energized from sun up to sun down, being busy and having structure is making my weekends infinitely sweeter. It’s well-documented that I’m bad at relaxing. As writers, we tend to ruminate on everything we’re not reading or working on whilst engaging in restful activity, thus negating the whole “rest” thing. But this weekend I truly did nothing and savored every second. It felt like staying home sick from school without being sick, just gliding from couch to fridge in a healthy, smiley haze.
Maybe “nothing” is a stretch. I had a nice, long workout, picked up pastries from my favorite spot (read here), read 100 pages from my book, started a new show, cooked vodka rigatoni with chicken cutlets, cooked lemon ricotta pancakes, took Mousse to the dog park, etc. But it was all leisurely and pressureless and that’s how I qualify “nothing.”
I had too much freedom at my last job—too much time between projects to overthink and procrastinate and surf Indeed for something to untangle me from my own devices. Now that I’m busy learning and working at a fast pace, I’m much more present (Andrew even pointed it out). Relaxation requires true presence. Next time you find yourself unable to quiet your mind in a fundamentally relaxing situation, ask yourself if you’re truly grounded in the present. If you’re like me and that question made you shudder, maybe you just need a busier job!
Currently Watching: The White Lotus. My friend Morgan was the first of many to recommend this one. Another weird, satirical knock out of the park for HBO. If you’re looking for something to devour quickly, it’s only one 6-episode season.
Feeling: 1.) A bit whimsical. Tomorrow is 2/22/22. Check in on your Astrology Hoes… they’re probably levitating.
2.) Beyond grateful for your support on the first edition of my Ask BBM advice column. I got a number of hilarious DMs from readers invested in “The actual GF” story, so stay tuned for an update. As a reminder, get your questions in to brokebutmoisturized.com for a chance to be featured! March is fully open to all subjects—work, friendship, body image, you name it.
Thinking: This cultural moment is quietly retraining our brains for delayed gratification.
Have you jumped on the Wordle bandwagon? The word game/social media phenomenon, recently purchased by The New York Times, only releases one puzzle per day that players have six guesses to solve. I admit with my entire chest that my partner and I wake up giddy knowing we get our next crack at Wordle. It’s fostered playful competition that we can’t get from, say, the NYT crossword that we work on together. *cringing at myself* Anyway…
Euphoria is another driver of this new emphasis on delayed gratification. Who among us doesn’t spend Monday-Saturday sliding scenes under a microscope in the group chat, exchanging Reddit leaks and lamenting the impending finale? I’ve even mentioned it in two other Daily Drips since this season started. HBO did what they came to do with weekly episodes instead of bending to the full season release/binge model. This is the first time a SHOW has given me butterflies (like wut??) and with that being said, the time between seasons will be the longest molly comedown known to man.
I think we’ll see this delayed gratification pop up in other more individualized and nuanced ways, too. I mentioned before the speculation on an end to sex positivity. The less horny we are, the more patient we become in other areas of life, maybe? That doesn’t feel applicable to me personally, but I could see it catching on. Lasting connection does tend to uplift the soul more than bukkake.
Loving: There are two Instagram accounts that I’ve been recently following with some fervor…
@yungkombucha420: Curated by a faceless Aimee France, this is the most stunning food account ever. The photos are low saturation and minimally shot, making for a viewing experience both chic and delicious. Spoiler: it's mostly ornate cakes, so if that’s not your thing, maybe pass.
@CarnivoreAurelius: Again, our curator is faceless, but it’s essentially some jacked philosophy bro preaching an alternative approach to wellness: one centered on red meat (particularly beef liver), sunlight (particularly tanning your genitals), reading, eating fruit, sacred sex over casual sex and porn, anti-seed oils, owning Alpacas, lifting weights, and more. It’s a bit restrictive from an execution perspective, but enriching (and funny) nonetheless. It is worth noting that I am often in accord with people who openly love butter and don’t fear the sun. I may pay for that down the line, but at least I lived my truth.
Just read: This piece on the looming vibe shift from The Cut (think: the return to “indie sleaze”). Honestly, this felt dismal. I love taking the cultural temperature as much as the next e-girl (see above), but at what point do you, as an adult, decide your identity transcends this bizarre FOMO for the intangible?
Yay for Chinese food. A vegetable roll always hits the spot for me.
Speaking of spots… I think we’ll probably have more people buttoned up as more modest influencers gain large audiences. If you’re covered from head to toe, that’s a challenge to dress cute. Those were a lot of predictions on that post which… damn. I mean, seems like things are headed to shitsville, but I have so many things I can enjoy so I’ll burrow in those.