consume with me! (pt. 1)
a log of my current-ish media consumptions & what i can't stop noodling about
it’s digital dinnertime…who’s hungry?
hello and welcome to my first compilation of some multimedia tidbits that i gobble up on a regular basis! i hope to make this list an ongoing thing where i can document what i’m cycling through—books, albums, pieces of writing, memes, images, podcasts, anything that’s findable online really—plus include my own anecdotes & takes along the way. think of it like a “what’s in my bag” feature but instead it’s “what’s in my media intake.” yummy!
read at your own risk; my taste and flavors have quite the wide range and some can be nsfw. (don’t say i didn’t tell ya)
1. just watch me by lior torenberg
now THIS book is truly one of modern times. just listen to what’s in here: the protagonist is really good at eating extremely hot peppers, really really good at livestreaming herself, and really really REALLY good at doing both of those things at the same time & making money off of it. she has a sister in a coma and uses her livestreaming platform to raise funds to bring her sister home, and let’s just say…hijinks ensue. read this if you like complex and hard-to-love main characters. i can’t stop thinking about the humor writing & character development in this story!!
2. half his age by jennette mccurdy
i’ll always loved a sexually tense book, and after reading jennette mccurdy’s first book, i needed more of her writing style. this one’s very out there in terms of the relationship dynamic—and the obvious age gap—but so much of the narrator’s perspective brought me back to being a crush-obsessed teenage girl, aching to be wanted and wanting. it was equal parts tender and heartbreaking to read secondhand. phewww! jennette mccurdy, thank you for being my favorite iCarly cast member and thank you for your nonfiction work and please write more.
3. rooty & remedy basement jaxx albums
i dunno why it took me so long to get on the basement jaxx train but wowza, i’m glad i finally caught on. special shoutout to my #1 fav pinkpantheress (always) and her literal perfect summertime sounds mix which got me hooked on basement jaxx (and which i’ve probably played from start to finish like 20+ times). i am endorsing both of these albums from 1999 and 2001 because they each tell their own story through sound, the layers and little hidden gems heard in the production is addicting to uncover, and quite frankly this is the kind of music i hope to make one day. *sigh* they just don’t make albums that take you on a journey like this anymore. at any given time of day, my brain is soundtracked by the earwormy melodies from both of these masterpieces—good sound is timeless!
4. la reina del flow 3
WHERE DO I BEGIN with this show. i’m squealing to talk about it. my god, i think about this telenovela on a daily basis. i don’t know what my life was like before la reina del flow but now i know what it’s like with it. my partner and his exquisite taste is who i have to thank for introducing me to tons of great south american shows like this one, and it is by far our house favorite. the drama, the chisme, the plot…eeee!!! every episode is jam packed with jaw-dropping moments and watching it all unfold is so satisfying. bonus points because it’s helping me get better at my spanish. oh and did i mention there’s like…endless seasons of this? somos la raza FLOW!!!
5. stephanie tyler’s “the quiet thrill of not being for everyone”
read this and immediately felt myself shift into place. the age of my 30s has not been for the weak and this essay on stephanie tyler’s substack really helped solidify & articulate something i’ve been growing into, learning about, and becoming. a quote to give you a taste: “…belonging to yourself feels different than belonging to everyone else. it tastes like morning air before the world wakes up—unfiltered, unperformed, startlingly real.” recovering people pleasers, this one’s a must. the author’s insight has brought me such brutal yet loving comfort and is a nice affirming hand on my back as i nevertheless persist through my own necessary growing pains.
6. cylovesfrogs youtube channel
I! LOVE! CY! i need to start by bragging about the fact that i was lucky enough to travel to Thailand with Cy as part of a TrovaTrip experience a few years back, and we’ve been cross-country friends ever since. i was already a fan of her content long before we traveled together, but her youtube vlogs have become my go-to comfort watches. her voice has always been so soothing to me and i just love following along as Cy and Cass (LOVE YOU TOO CASS!) live their Boston lives, eat delicious foods, share lovely moments with friends & with their trusty companion pup named Chicken. ok i gotta brag again because i’m featured in one of the vlogs when they visited Chicago last year!!! <3 <3 <3
7. maintenance phase’s russell brand episodes
*humongous trigger warnings on both of these episodes.* maintenance phase is such a well done & thoroughly researched podcast and this unexpected two-part Russell Brand deep dive was uhh…really something. i’m sure it was as painful to get these episodes researched and recorded as it was to listen to them, because jesus h. christ this guy’s a real life supervillain monstrosity scum of the earth person (which i knew partially already, but the DETAILS shook me to my core and disturbed me quite frankly). if jumping right into the lore of a disgusting male celebrity isn’t your thing, i highly recommend all other maintenance phase episodes, especially if you’re as jaded and skeptical of the “wellness” industry as i am!
~~unsolicited opinions~~
i love the stories on the Modern Love podcast, but i just cannot stand the interview style of the host. she interrupts the guests in the middle of their answers, and her questions just aren’t very thoughtful in my opinion (but they always sound like she’s trying to be thoughtful). maybe it’s the weirdly urgent tone i hear in her voice, maybe it’s just my overly critical journalistic ear, but they gotta swap in somebody new PLEASE.
AI is literally womb envy. think about it. just think about it. you’re welcome.
i haven’t seen Heated Rivalry and i don’t want to. the end!
before you go…look at this thing
this chicago magazine called gab! it’s fab!
this miki kim piece. i liiiive for some miki kim. she’s a jaw-dropping south korean artist, i have one of her books in my publication collection. i mean just look at her own website.
this profound and much-needed popcorn reminder from my girl @tricia_amillionblessings because duh. 🍿