Friendmendations 3.29.21

Hey! Guess what! I’m 30 today! I’ve completed my Saturn return. Here’s the insane-looking cake I made for the occasion (it was this strawberry cake with a cream cheese frosting.)

In case you missed it, last week I talked about my hatred of A Star Is Born and my delight in experiencing a garbage sci-fi movie from 2000.

I suppose I could reflect on entering a new decade, but I won’t! This whole last year has involved entirely too much reflection, and I’m ready to just live my life again. Not yet. But soon.

Hey here are some recs!

Society has moved past the need for low-rise jeans

Y2K was a goofy time for terrible sci-fi movies like Supernova, but it was also a cruel time of punishing body standards. In The Know has an overview of the fatphobia inherent in the Y2K fashion trends threatening to make a comeback.

Commercials ARE too loud, right?

If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why the HELL is this ad so much louder than the show I’m trying to watch?!,” Walt Hickey has the answer. He’s a great writer who explains things so clearly, and I learned a lot about how regulating television (and streaming, which is not classified as television!) works.

Qanonsense

A few of my conversations with friends recently have led to the topic of family members or friends turning into people you no longer recognize. I keep thinking about Albert Samaha’s essay on losing his mom to QAnon, which I suspect I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

(This next link was written long before JKR was a TERF btw)

Michelle Dean recently shared an old essay of hers about why the books you read in childhood resonate so hard, comparing her love of Anne of Green Gables to the Pottermania she was too old for. It’s very touching for anyone who was a childhood reader but has since “come to know [books] with your brain rather than your soul.”

Sweet Corn Memories

My friend Morgan sent me this and I watched it at least 25 times this weekend. I keep texting him lines from it randomly. I cannot pick my favorite part. It’s perfect.

Okay, that’s all, have a great Allison’s Birthday to all who celebrate. I leave you with this, because I heard the song this weekend and all I can picture is banging on a pot while kicking, and I love that for me.

This week last year:

“Friendmendations 3.30.20” —  an oral history of a top Office moment, tips on being creative, an excellent established artist and a fascinating up-and-comer, and an old boy band song that disgusts me

“I’m too weak for this” — on not being built for even a comfortable apocalypse

“Do not bother me! I’m taking a sick day!” — I hit my first breaking point two fucking weeks into self-isolation