3 things I can’t stop thinking about this week (week 2)
One is an accident, two is a coincidence BUT ALSO the first step towards three. Welcome to the second installment of my attempt to get some things off my chest and avoid getting kicked out of group chats for talking about something too intensely.
#1 is the unfortunate lack of female YouTubers doing film reviews
After finishing A Promising Young Woman this Saturday (you should really watch it, skip the trailer), all I wanted to do was to dig deeper into this movie. What I didn’t want was predominantly male reviewer perspective on it, which seemed as my only option on YouTube. I watch enough of video essays on the art of filmmaking and listen to podcasts on the topic to be aware of this, but the lack of female perspective was particularly felt this time with a movie that demands it so loudly. Slate’s Spoiler Special hosted by Dana Stevens and Karen Han was basically my only option (didn’t always agree with them and didn’t really enjoy it). On one hand, this might be my chance to relieve everyone around me from having to endure my rambles about that thing I watched. On another, I alone won’t solve the supply problem.
If my concern got passed on to you, start buy following Vanity Fair film critic Joanna Robinson, who’s a prolific and very interesting writer and podcaster (Still Watching +and many other endeavors).
#2 is All these unread books
I had a moment with books. One year the amount of books I owned tripled thanks to moving into a bigger space to live solo. My actual desire to read all of them didn’t quite catch up. I used to be a passionate reader who’d devour books with speed and pleasure. I’m not less passionate about words or stories these days, more like unsure how to rekindle my relationship with reading. Does anyone want my copy of Gary Shteyngart’s Little Failure? I’m definitely not reading that one.
#3 is The elephant in NYC’s rooms
One of the greatest life’s pleasures is walking around (stay with me) and looking into every available apartment/house window. I don’t care for the actual inhabitants of those apartments and houses and frankly I never notice them. I see them through the design decisions they make, furniture, artwork, dirt/scary cleanliness and, most importantly, the temperature of lighting. By the way, if lights in your abode aren’t around 2700 Kelvin don’t bother inviting me unless you like when guests replace your lightbulbs.
I felt a bit deprived of my little hobby in Los Angeles because a) walking is frowned upon so they make it as difficult and dangerous as possible, and b) people demarcate the private and the public with obstructions like front lawns, fencing and mimosa bushes (trees?).
Now that I’m back in NYC I’m also 100% back on my bullshit. One thing that I have been unable to wrap my mind around is… how do New Yorkers live with their Pelotons? Two handlebars and the screen in between have become the signature feature peeking out of the windows on my daily walks. I have nothing against Peloton as a product and service, but I do have some beef with objects that command the space for no reason. How does one live with such beast of an object in the NYC apartment? Do people cover it with some dusen dusen throws? Mentally block it out of the view? Enjoy that they have one less corner to do pile stuff in? I need explanations and I’ve got none so far, so as always — tweet at me.
