the double text #6
did u miss me?
It’s been a month! And it should surprise no one that my spontaneous minibreak turned into a full-fledged and much-needed longerbreak.
So — Hello and HI, and sorry for my delay.
We linger with mercury in retrograde for a little longer (~8 days from now, depending on when this reaches you), so things will continue to sharpen and dull accordingly. It’s not all drama and unwanted connects— this is a time to tap into anything curious or that needs tending. Hang new art. Donate unwanted and unloved items. Take to your drawers with a vengeance. Stack. Fold. Make it more accessible. Purge with joy. Clean up any corners of your morning/nightly routines and get a little strict on what you need for your energy expenditures and stores. Say the hard thing. Honesty and a couple of questions may square away uncertainty. Don’t be afraid to start again, you’ve done it before.
Dare???? I encourage you to let the door snap shut on your way out. It’s a strict time to let go or be dragged. Careful not to settle for the knockoff version. Take notice of what scurries and tries to hide in the night, and then give it hell, give it chase.
Tack on a few extra days of cushion for lingering clunkiness after April 25th, just as we added a few for the pre-shadow in March before Mercury started spinning backward. If you’re wondering when you signed up for this extra-long safari ride, hang in there.
We are close.
It begins with Beyoncé
No I shan’t be offering you a dissertation, think piece, or analysis of Cowboy Carter. I am no fool. I will say that it takes days and weeks to digest an album, and so all the frenzied opinions early on are hard to take seriously. Being first is not a cool sport, so I’m taking my sweet time with this one.
I have listened daily, ranging from at least a song (on repeat) to a full listening session since the album dropped, and every time I think I know the twists and turns, I am delighted to find even more nuance to the pitches and poetics that have been so carefully constructed here. This truly is a banger album.
Photo Credit: Blaire Caldwell
It’s filled with absolute bops, strong vibes, a Miley track I didn’t know I needed, and a surefire way to get me to move and think. She’s from my hometown, Houston—I catch myself saying anytime the album comes up and I can work it into the conversation. Sonically, I’ve never been happier.
I’m still mad at TV. Things are still bad. The industry is boring and quiet right now. Risks are not possible. We’re being rebooted into oblivion. But thank god for music. So, another one of my latest obsessions, Chappell Roan:
Plus:
And!
The People’s Movie Stars
Kirsten Dunst is Back in Action by Michelle Ruiz for Marie Claire. Let me know when we can discuss Civil War — it’s really hard to see Landry acting like this in the previews, so I am bracing myself.
Julia Stiles wanted to be just like Kat Stratford, too by Jessica M. Goldstein for The New York Times is worth your time. Did I decide to go to Sarah Lawrence based on this film alone… not no.
Also, I cannot wait for this:
If you need to hear it again:
Which is abs giving Mother Monster:
