Hi, it’s been eons since my last confession. I was waiting until things didn’t feel like they were wilting. But in case that never comes, I’m writing from the wilt.
I keep asking people if they remember a time when the news felt this grim.
I finally wrote something personal, but now doesn’t feel like the time to share it. Then again, there’s never been a right time to publicly process my feelings, yet I do it because… well, it’s the only topic I can write about. I know my range. I don’t know how to write about the news or global crises—just about what I’m feeling and learning.
So I stick to what I know: I have a lot to learn. Just because I write a Substack about something doesn’t mean I’ve cured it—it just means I’m aware. And self-awareness is merely the first step to change, which implies there are… (annoyingly) more steps.
It’s too daunting to think about how far I have to go and how fast time is passing, so instead, I'm just trying to keep moving—even if it’s in the wrong direction.
This summer, I’m skipping steps. Starting mid-sentence. Playing emotional hopscotch.
So before we get back to emotional processing, let’s ease in with something lighter: our annual summer break list.
→ What I’ve read 📚
→ What I’ve learned 🧠
→ What I’ve listened to 🎧
→ What I’ve watched 📺
→ What I’ve eaten 🍽️
Would love to know what you’ve been into—tell me in the comments.
READ:
There’s so much good stuff on Substack lately—and also can’t keep up with any.
I’ve never related so much to a now obsolete mascot.“He became a strange artifact from a strange time. A symbol of Sony’s internal conflict as the world moved faster than the company could adapt. And yet, there’s something likable about Plato. He wasn’t flashy or attention-seeking. He drifted through the noise without trying to stand out…”
Free Nancy Esting - I bought a copy of this book after the author was at Vidiots introducing a screening of My Dinner with Andre. The author was there not only because he, too, loved the film that was about to play, but because he wrote a book with a similar plot: two people talking. I bought it that night, but just finally got around to it.
*Note: If you want book recs from someone much more equipped than I, may I direct you once again to
publication, ‘Wait have you read this…’ A recent issue covered, My Best Friend’s Wedding!
Yasi’s Oasis reportage - I’ve been kinda glued to this whole thing. I guess I just like the fact that the stranger sitting next to me on the plane is reading about Noel and Liam on his phone, and I just overheard someone on the subway talking about going this summer, just nice to have some collective fascination around something mostly good that brings a lot of people joy and doesn’t cause much harm. I listened to a total of 8 hours of Oasis history (part 1 and part 2) on the masterpiece of a podcast I’m a longtime superfan of, Bandsplain. And of its host
in general, including .
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