The Grand Canyon tried to kill me
My new sworn enemy is a giant hole in the ground
Well, I’m back from vacation. I almost didn’t make it. It turns out that hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then back to the top on the same day with a heavy backpack is a recipe for disaster. Between the horses and mules that forced us to leap against the canyon walls and my inability to walk for three days I learned my lesson. Next time, I’m taking one of those hummer tours.
Miraculously, I made it home in one piece, with only faint memories of the comrades I left behind. I hope they made it out alive.
Back in LA I’ve been getting used to the fact that being back in the world means that I don’t have time to binge an entire TV series in a day anymore. It’s an unfortunate consequence of being vaxxed. But, I finally watched Mare of Easttown and it is exactly as good as everyone says. Highly recommend. I also watched Hacks and I love Jean Smart (she’s also in Mare of Easttown and should be in everything) but the Gen Z character is so painful to watch that I honestly just had to mute her a few times. So I don’t know if I recommend it or not. She’s really the worst.
Things that are not the worst: Project ID Action Fund had some big wins in Virginia last night. Irene Shin, Elizabeth Guzman, and Lashrecse Aird all won their primaries! Huge congrats to these incredible women.
In book news, my friend Evan’s very fun organization, Warm Cookies of the Revolution, has a really cool board book for adults called We Trust Our Wings that you can preorder now! They are doing this very communist thing where they let you name your own price so I’m recommending at least $100 and half a kidney.
Also I was on my friend’s podcast, Femme Noir Files which you can enjoy the sounds of here.
I was doing this thing for a while where I was reading the comments on TikTok videos because they can be really funny and interesting but then I remembered that I don’t like people and a lot of the comments made me look out my window and pray for the meteor to come so I don’t recommend that. But I do recommend TikTok. I am learning a LOT. I actually learned something about my own health that my doctors agreed with, have discovered the catfishing power of makeup, and discovered Black Witch TikTok which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a strange and wonderful world and I can’t stop sending videos to people who probably hate me now.
And here they are, this week’s recommendations:
Watch:
Alone, Season 7 (Netflix)- Have we talked about the best show on the History Channel? Alone is basically the fantasy of who I wish I was (if I wasn’t, you know, like a skinny rich heiress with red hair and an indecipherable accent who is actually a really good person who uses her billions to save the world but also has a closet full of custom Birkins but doesn’t really, like, care about any of it). BUT IF I CAN’T BE THAT I want to be a survivalist who lives in the woods and cooks fish that I catch on fires that I make in a shelter that I built. It’s amazing watching people get dropped into the middle of the wilderness and have to make their own way and season 7 includes one of the most epic things that has ever happened in the history of Alone. Trust me, you will love this show even if you hate being outside. Because it’s on TV, so you can watch it indoors.
Mare of Easttown (HBO)- I know I already mentioned it but it really is worth watching if you haven’t yet.
Murder House Flip (Roku Channel)- THIS IS A SHOW WHERE THEY FLIP ACTUAL MURDER HOUSES. This is not a drill. This is a real show. It’s HGTV meets Deadline. It’s glorious but also not nearly as good as it could be. I’ve never been happier.
Listen:
70 over 70 (podcast)- I will never understand people who don’t want to spend hours talking to senior citizens. Any time anyone starts a sentence with “during the war” I’m pulling up a chair and settling in for a good while. No one born after 1940 has any good stories. This podcast interviews incredible seniors about their lives and their biggest lessons and it is really one of the best podcasts I have ever heard.
Dark Air (podcast)- Rainn Wilson plays a narcissistic AM radio host and conspiracy theorist. This one was fun on a road trip.
Read:
The Snitch- The twists and turns in this story! Today’s example of why no one should ever get married or speak to other people or engage in society at all.
I just got my Outside Magazine summer buyer’s guide issue and it is as glorious of ever. I now have a stand up paddleboard, kayak, camp stove, day pack, backpacking pack, head lamp, tent, and multiple pairs of hiking shoes for a variety of types of hikes on my “Desperately Needs” list. If you’re going outside this summer and/or you enjoy buying things, this is the list for you.