crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious
Are you watching the TikTok videos of all the people in New Orleans having fun in the snow? I’ve seen Mardi Gras snowmen, sledding on air mattresses, snowboarding on storage tub lids, even people salting their steps with Cajun seasoning. No one down there was prepared for this kind of weather, but they’re approaching it with joy, humor, and creativity. Maybe there’s a lesson in there for the rest of us.
I was gonna write this whole thing about a spin class I took a couple weeks ago at a certain company's NYC studio. It’s the big brand, the one with the bikes you buy and the online classes you take. I was gonna describe what it’s like to see the cult following up close, with their status-symbol coats and bags, lining up to take individual photos with the instructor after class, blah blah. How the brand sells you this idea that you, too, can morph into a ripped-and-sexy bodybuilder just by doing tricep kickbacks with 3-pound weights, as if the instructor isn’t also working out 5x a week with Megan Thee Stallion’s trainer.
But why talk a whole bunch of shit when everyone else seemed to love it? I should probably save my hostile energy for engaging with people who enjoy fascist salutes on live television.
Speaking of which: I managed to avoid almost everything inauguration-related. (The one exception: At a DuPont Circle consignment store this afternoon, there were a bunch of white Texans on their “first trip to Washington,” who read the room well enough to keep their mouths shut about the reason they were in town.)
All the political events happened 3 or 4 miles south of me. On MLK day, I was out in the suburbs, managing some of the 150 volunteers who had signed up for a day of service. Instead of hate-watching an inauguration of someone hell-bent on making people suffer, these volunteers showed up and helped out in an unheated warehouse in 20-degree weather. They kicked ass and enjoyed themselves.
In that same spirit, I want to focus on good things that happen, no matter how small, as a way to not get sucked into this vortex of doomscrolling and hate and violence. In no particular order, here are a few things that have brought me joy and/or satisfaction over the last couple weeks:
R2D2. I thought I was gonna have a hacking cough for the rest of my life. That humidifier fixed me in one night. I’m going to marry this thing.
Spending a weekend with friends in NYC.
Finally, finally deleting Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. TikTok forever, or at least until it, too, becomes a total cesspool.
Downloading the contents of Paddie’s page before deleting Facebook, checking to make sure the videos still worked, and smiling at how much fun she used to have on the beach.
Reaching into a donation bag at A Wider Circle and pulling out a brand-new pair of Prada loafers.
Related: Taking some nice donated handbags upstairs to the showroom floor, where a client was shopping for an interview outfit. “These just came in,” I told her as I put them all on the display. “There’s a good Michael Kors one, and a brand-new DKNY.” Her face lit up, and I’m pretty sure she went home with the MK one.
Deciding to bring my stationary bike back from my brother’s house, where it’s lived for the last three years. His neighbor has a big cargo van and helped us move it. His neighbor is also a Jamaican man in his 70s (maybe older) who, in his youth, played music with Bob Marley, and who used to be an art dealer, and who has a house overflowing with art from all over the world. I wanted to talk to him about music, but he was more interested in what was hanging on my walls. I cannot wait to hang out with him again.
Realizing that I can ride the stationary bike without the cult membership.
Making plans to go to the UK this spring.
Links
This interview with John Mills, the guy who started Watch Duty, the app that helps you track wildfires. I worked with John a million years ago at CNET, and love that he sounds just as smart and neurotic and no-bullshit now as he did then. (Wired)
Also related to the LA Fires: This site lets you zoom way in on a map to see where the fires are. Rather than text my friend in Pasadena “how is your house?” every few hours, I can check the map, see that it’s not in danger right now, and not be a total pain in her ass from 3000 miles away. (Genasys Protect)
I’m done “optimizing” my lifestyle. And not just because the writer has a funny aside about ska records. (GQ)
4 things Apple Maps does better than Google Maps. (Wired)
I love when huge voices come out of seemingly small people. Her cover is better than the original, too. (TikTok)
Cutest tree ornaments ever. (Etsy)
Walmart changed its logo, and this may be my new favorite headline. (Boing Boing)