10 things: New music, fun reads, a dressing recipe you must try
And our fat crushes on Irish heartthrobs.
It’s a bluebird day in D.C., so I’m sitting outside in a tank top and shorts, drinking mandarin-flavored sparkling water as I write this. The house sparrows in the area have created a sweet, white-noise chorus of chirps. It’s the only way to write. I just planted some Black-Eyed Susan seeds in two spots, and I’m hoping the mischievous neighborhood squirrels will let them alone long enough so the flowers will take root.
All around the city, cherry blossoms and pink magnolias are starting to do their thing.
Here are 10 things I want to share with you:
The Squatters of Beverly Hills. Love a con artist story, love the details about the neighborhood group chat that sprung to life after the squatter moved in. Nothing is more LA than people who live in another state (in their primary home) closely watching and reporting the activities of a party-loving neighbor.
Everything Carla Lalli Music eats in a day. Most of these videos are with thin and highly sponsored celebrities, which makes them boring. But Lalli Music, a cookbook author and obvious food lover, is a perfect fit for the format.
The “Rise of Dopamine Culture” infographic here. I don’t fully buy into the pseudoscientific conversations around dopamine “cleanses” and overloads. However, this chart summarized some of what I’ve been thinking through as I move through different modes of living, from the analog to tech-heavy. Like any infographic, pieces are overly simplified (like the row on relationships). But it helps illustrate why it’s been important for me to cultivate “slow traditional” routines to balance out all the time I spend on other side of the spectrum.
I’ve been having more conversations with women about “Poor Things,” which was rightfully awarded Oscars for costume and production design last weekend. Whenever I’m asked how I felt about the film, I grow quiet. “I don’t know..,” I say. I can’t truthfully say I liked it. I say I enjoyed the fantastical nature of it, the eye-candy and world-building. Emma Stone was captivating as Bella Baxter. But the story itself made me want to crawl out of my skin, especially because I had no idea what the plot was going in. And the conversation after the film’s release — specifically the praise for its “feminist” themes — left me perplexed. This review by Angelica Jade Bastién put much of my disappointment into words.
Tierra Whack dropped a new, more vulnerable album this week, and got a write-up in Vulture.
Ariana Grande also dropped a new album, eternal sunshine, which felt to me like an extension of Positions but with fewer earworms. Maybe that’s because I couldn’t get the face of her man, Mr. Spongebob, out of my head while listening. I do love the Madonna-style, Thespian-inspired single, “yes, and?”
It’s time for spring cleaning. Take inspiration from writer Zadie Smith.
Then roast some veggies, cook a pot of rice and make this super simple and absolutely delicious miso ginger dressing to spoon over top. (If you hit the Times’ paywall, try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which is similar but requires tahini and a blender.)
A perfect spring song by Michael Nau.
And, in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, a piece on our collective thirst for the Irish.
Have a great week,
Isa
Rummaging is written by Isa Cueto and edited by Annie Cappetta. To support our work, subscribe and share.
I also felt similarly confused about my feelings about poor things! when I read the letterboxd reviews after calling it a feminist masterpiece I was like....that was not my takeaway lol. also as an irish person I NEED non-irish people to actually meet regular Irish men—let's just say the dream would quickly be smashed into smithereens lolol