Why, hello there. I'm so glad you signed up for this newsletter! Or you were gently forced into signing up. Tomato. Tomato. I suppose I can use this like a blog where people are forced *forced* to read my thoughts, but that would be pointless. 

In a similar manner to why I started a plantsta-booksta-gram (did you not know I had one? Well, aren't you in for a treat), I'm using this newsletter so I can stop mass spamming people with the same five links. It's exhausting. I'm exhausted!

Not gonna lie, as I first drafted this newsletter, things were less bleak. And by less bleak, it was only a week ago, so things were still pretty grim. Whether or not you believe in astrology, we are in Mercury Retrograde and at the same time, things are complete and utter garbage! What beauty.

But since you're here and I'm here and we're all here, might as well get something out of this right? Right. 

• Low-fi beats to write/zone into the abyss to: Back in the day -- and I do mean college and the hellscape that is the before times -- I used to spend my time in bookstores writing. Or, if I'm being honest, existing. Nothing better than staring at someone from across the cafe, holding your hot chocolate with a reckless abandon with an unbalanced pile of books and your laptop, trying to convince yourself and the patrons around you that you were working. On school work, on the next great American novel - who the hell knew. But! I discovered this video, a low fi beats to relax to, if you will, complete with cafe sounds, keyboards, and gives off a general bookish tone. It feels like I'm back in college -- with added back pain! It's like nothing has changed. 

• Many people know me as someone who hates all books (which is a weird vibe to be assigned to! I don't hate all books! I dislike bad ones!), but if you haven't read Gabrielle Union's two books, We're Going to Need More Wine and You Got Anything Stronger? You're going to want to check them out. A mix of serious topics and hilarious essays about being a Black woman, working in Hollywood, and just... UGH. I had been told these books were amazing, and yet they were.
• And on the topic of being someone who hates books, wow! Did I just finish another one! I won't name it for fear of the internet gods knowing everything about me, but, it's always a weird odd ducking feeling when I'm the only person who hates a book and everyone loves it! What is wrong with me and my taste?

• Finally, if you already know me, you know I have a weird taste in humor. Luckily, my weird taste is apparently quite common, so videos like this are created to amuse me. Happy fall, y'all. 

The world is garbage and all we can really do it laugh/cry/eat ice cream while making fun of old media I used to love (and still do). Keep your chin up and spirits high because good lord, it's a hard world out there. 

*Sora says he believes in you and you're doing your best.*