hiiiii~

I appreciate that, like radio/podcasts, blogging/newsletters are always around in one form or another. While I know it can typically be for more dystopian reasons (n*tflix and *ber to cable and taxis, respectively), I find the innate desire humans have for stories charming.

I remember the first time I ever made a blog. It was on WordPress, since that was the only one I knew from middle school the night of christmas in the 6th (?) grade. I know I could go back and check, but at this current point in time, I’m still in the stage where going back to read past posts is more cringe and pain-inducing than sweet. Maybe in a few more years I’ll muster enough courage! Maybe there will just come a day when I want to check in on 12-year old me.

To be fair, I used it a bit more as a journal in an intimate sense, and now thankfully I have DayOne for that (phew! I am not meant for reality tv, nor influencer). But lately, I’ve had these other additional thoughts I haven’t been able to place as well. Usually pesky questions in between hyperfixations of shoes I’m yearning for that I will send insultinigly low bids for (in the game of poshmark chicken, you are always both the winner & the loser), and I feel writing them out might be a bit cheaper more productive than pestering my fiancé about the cultural significance of bathwater. Bless him, but there is only so much he can offer on the subject, much to the relief of our wedding guests and friends who will come across this page lol.

So, while I do some more digging of intel, I thought I’d share some real gems of youtube vids I’ve come across recently. Whoever tweaked the algorithm recently deserves an ice cold beer and a kiss on the head. As a treat, I’ll even throw in some videos I think about on a regular basis pre-algo shift too, you’re welcome :3

a target data story

Just in time for pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️! Not that that means anything at Target anymore since they backpedaled all their DEI initiatives. Angela does a great job integrating her own personal millennial experience while taking a reflective mirror to target’s love of data right back at them, showing just how bad an idea dropping the façade has lost costumers and their trust. You’d think with Target’s emphasis on data and their scary accurate predictions like realizing this teenager was pregnant before she told her parents , they should’ve seen this coming like Angela’s laid out for us here.

I walked from Philadelphia to New York City

Now this is a hero’s journey. This man is walking alongside highways, sleeping in questionable locations, avoiding rabid animals (at least 1, potentially). He’s running on chocolate milk protein drink and Wawa’s chicken tenders, exclusively. He’s on a mission, damn it! He has to make his train in New York to Philadelphia after all!

the criminally underrated costume design of HAIRSPRAY

I love Hairspray, ever since I was a little girl. I had the album on my iPod nano (4th gen, purple) and she was consistently in my rotation on my 1-hour bus ride to school each morning. I’m incredibly grateful for this YouTuber for clearly having a love of both costume design and the film, and they really dug deep! One of the best parts of cinema is the layers of intention from an entire team of people, even down to color palettes and fabric! It was a privilege to discover new ways to appreciate a film I’ve loved, even after so many years.

How Japan Took Over Baseball

I don’t interact with men often, but when I do, I usually find a way to weave this into conversation, because it’s the only thing that’s riveted me about sports pretty much ever (this includes this latest run the Knicks have been, but I appreciate your enthusiasm for them). The cultural significance! The intensity! The insane training schedules! The highs and lows of high school baseball!