15 things I consumed this week

Jeans I won't take off, citrus pops, kitchen sink theories

Hey! I’m back!

1. “I Really Didn’t Want to Go,” by Lauren Oyler for Harper’s, a genius addition and subversion to the writer-stuck-on-a-cruise subgenre, which you might think is played out, but not in this case.

2. Say Anything, for the first time (somehow). The perfect low-stakes, low-stress romcom.

3. A Domestic Partnership certificate from the city of New York—cost $35 and now Avi can visit me in prison!

4. “No Good Alone,” by Rayne Fisher-Quann for her newsletter internet princess, on the flawed romanticization of “focusing on yourself.”

5. These citrus pop-ups from Whole Foods. I can’t express the joy these give me…I think it might be childhood nostalgia but they’re also genuinely delicious.

6. A pair of Agolde jeans, which I’m afraid are as good as people say.

7. The ceremonial mounting of the huge neon sign outside Ghost Note Tattoo in South Slope, the shop Avi’s been helping his friend Ron open (and is now apprenticing at). I’ve barely seen him for months he’s been working so hard, so this was a big moment.

8. “What Was Twitter, Anyway?” by Willy Staley for NYT Mag. Obviously so much has been written about this topic but Staley is one of my favorite editors and Twitter follows so I had to read his take.

9. A new preference for grape storage, inspired by my sister: Remove all grapes from stem, then wash and place in Tupperware with a folder paper towel on the bottom. Civilized!

10. Chungking Express, the famous, beloved-by-directors 1994 Wong Kar-wai film that’s been on my list forever. Extremely strange movie. Worth watching just for the breath-taking shots.

11. “Here’s Why You’re Seeing Gross Viral Recipes on Your Subway Commute,” by Willa Glickman for Hellgate. The closest I’ve come to understanding the bottomless well of non-sensical food and life-hack content in the vein of Chef’s Club and 5-Minute Crafts (which isn’t to say I understand it).

12. Various efforts in kitchen-sink optimization (also inspired by my sister): Getting a rack that fits the bottom of my sink so that dishes/pans never sit in filth or block the drain (I bought one but I think it’s too small….needs to be as big/snug as possible!!), and moving the dish and hand soap to sit inside the sink (this is experimental but I’m kind of liking it?? less water flying everywhere). Btw two things I’ve used and loved for a while in this regard are my sponge basket (a la this) that suctions to the inside of my sink and this squeegee thing. Another thing I’ve been enjoying is storing a flexible dough scraper in my sponge basket for scraping down pots and pans.

13. The term “familect,” which describes the strange dialects we create and use exclusively at home with loved ones. I thought a lot of the examples were corny but I love the person who uses the term “hog” to describe a smaller cup of coffee than an average mug. (Weirdly no mention of compulsive Australian accents.)

14. The freight train of a realization that I’ve lost my taste for Love Island. A switch has been flipped! Guess I’ve served my 500 hours.

15. The annual April evolution of the tree on my block, from bare to pink to white to green.

Rec of the week: Other kitchen sink and storage revelations?

I’ve been attacked by the delusion that storing things properly in the fridge and optimizing my sink will elevate me to an unrecognizable plane of existence.

I’ll see you on Sunday for Maybe Baby #144! It’s about celebrity gossip.

Hope you have a nice weekend,
Haley

p.s. Sending this to all my subscribers as a one-off. If you want access to my 15 things every Friday you can sign up below! You’ll also gain access to my podcast and advice column, plus the full archive of everything.