Self Check-Out Line:

Reviewing what's in the cart.

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about information consumption. I wrote a draft for SCOL #1 a few weeks ago (I’ve been reading Haley Nahman’s consumption list for years) and ultimately chickened out (does anyone really want more shit to check out, especially right now when the internet is so GD loud) but alas, I got a bit re-inspired after a conversation with Harry where I was feeling like sometimes I spend all day consuming information in one way or another and then I want to relay all of it to him even though he likely doesn’t really care that the unhinged wife in the book I’m reading has become obsessed with a man at a gas station (IYKYK) or that I’m deeply moved by a Big Thief song that hasn’t been released but plays non-stop in TikTok clips.

Speaking of TikTok, there’s a new line that people comment (maybe it's not new, idk) where someone shares something that maybe is so niche or specific that a fellow invested person will just comment “I have no one to talk about this with.” And I think that really encompasses how I feel, but at an unfortunate frequency. So here it is, a dumping ground of reading material / links / ideas that I don’t necessarily have anyone to talk to about. 

Sounds Like a Cult: Gilmore Girls 

I’m trying to phase myself out of this podcast due to plagiarism allegations but I can’t resist a whole hour of Gilmore Girls commentary. Sorry not sorry. My friend Jess, (who endearingly called Jess, “Jesse”) watched for the very first time this season and when I jumped in with her mid-season 2, I couldn’t stop myself from continuing on the full re-watch. And if you’re a true GG fan, you’ll know this is not a unique phenomenon. Which is essentially what the entire basis of this podcast episode is. However - I did find a few points particularly interesting. 

• It was brought up that over the entire series, there were hundreds of maids cast that worked (and were always fired) at Emily and Richards. It is noted that one of the plot points of GG is being critical of high society, etc. and yet they heavily stereotyped these roles (mostly POC) while also creating storylines of their (unfair) firing that were supposed to be taken as humor. Ultimately - some classism commentary to be discussed here. 

• The distinction of “teams.” Viewers divide themselves into camps of who they identify with relationship-wise, mostly for Rory. This is not a new concept, we see it time and time again with the most noteworthy IMO, Team Edward vs Team Jacob. However, I liked the distinction they discuss of “is this the person you want RORY with? Or the person YOU want to be with? Or is this person objectively the best boyfriend?” because they all have different implications. 

• Lastly, I was shocked (and disturbed) that apparently in episodes where there is more dialogue about body image - there is a specific writer who is always on said episodes. Talk about gross. 

The new french fries at Mr. Aaron’s Bagels. The TLDR: I guess I’m a shoestring girly.

I’ve decided it's important for my brain to start ranking things again, probably some weird post-election coping mechanism, and we’re starting with Nashville french fries.

#3 The fries at the Restoration Hardware Cafe (do other RH’s in other cities have this?) I literally got food poisoning from an undercooked burger here and these fries are STILL making this list which should say something. (Maybe it just says something about me and not the actual fries, lol).

#2 The fries at Cafe Roze. I’m not really in the mood for fries at breakfast which is when I’m always there, but occasionally Harry orders a brunch item where fries come with it and WOW. I’m always impressed. Perfectly crisp, never too salty. 

#1 THE NEW FRIES AT MR. AARONS GOODS. Okay, these bad boys have no business being this good. Like I said, I don’t really do fries for breakfast (which is reasonable) but you betta believe I ordered them alongside my bagel this week. They have maybe an old bay situation going on which reminds me of these “beach fries” my friend Darcy and I always get at the Windrift Hotel in New Jersey. 

This article titled “A City Swept Clean” from a 2001 edition of the Nashville Scene. 

Harry and I were driving to Paducah and talking about the creation of Briley Parkway which led me down an hour long rabbit hole of reading this article that told me absolutely nothing about Briley Parkway. I’m still sitting on how I feel about this whole “urban renewal” concept. I’m obviously heartbroken thinking about the people who were essentially displaced overnight and homes that were torn down due to “living in squalor.” But it's extremely difficult for me to imagine Nashville in the 1950s/60s at all. Was it really that bad? Was the project too extreme? What would East Nashville look like had this not happened? There is no doubt some racist undertones (as most policy decisions, ahem), and I wish there had been more journalistic efforts to hear from those affected. 

“According to official documents, the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Project displaced 301 families and 196 single residents who previously lived in the area. Gerald Gimre, executive director of the Nashville Housing Authority, once wrote in a trade journal article that most of those residents were African American and “many went into low-rent public housing projects.” Because many of those projects had waiting lists, and because Nashville’s newspapers published few articles about the fate of poor blacks who were being moved, it’s almost impossible to obtain more details about what happened to them.”

All Fours by Miranda July. 

I honestly can’t even really talk about this book. But it's dominated my brain, and it's dominated two separate group chats. I will think about this book for a very long time and it will be cataloged into “Pure Chaos Reads.” 

I want to include my friend SK’s goodreads review because she said it best: 

“This book is deeply insane. It’s not even characters or plot. It’s commentary. Commentary on every shameful thing a woman thinks about but won’t say. Seriously I’ve never read anything like this in my life & don’t think I ever will again.” 

Kelsey Bernard Clark’s hot honey chicken. 

KBC can do no wrong in our household and we were so thrilled to finally meet her in person at The Freight House for the release of her newest book. Other insane things we ate included turkey and dressing that was topped with gumbo, and a biscuit with some kind of french onion pimento cheese? All of it was insane. But the hot honey chicken was truly something special. I’ll update y’all when I’m brave enough to attempt in my own kitchen. 

Noble. 

I had this podcast downloaded for traveling last year but once I started, I realized it was about literal death, and thought “hmm, maybe not the vibe for my honeymoon” LOL. But last week a friend told me that her uncle was one of the bodies related to this crime and I binged the series in one day. 

This follows the true story about a guy who runs a family crematorium and essentially stops cremated people’s bodies and just kinda leaves them, well, all around the property. You assume, wow, this guy is sick but I left the podcast feeling quite sympathetic for the man who, for one, didn’t really want to be involved in this business. Two - obviously got overwhelmed and had zero coping skills to get himself out of a bind. And three - was perhaps mentally impaired by the amount of heavy metal exposure, particularly mercury, that leached out of the faulty crematorium. 

Do I think it's okay to lie to families about their loved ones' remains and not do their wishes? Absolutely not. 

But tbh, I just don’t really obsess of dead peoples’ remains and hope my family doesn’t obsess over mine either. The South is particularly guilty of fixating on one’s gravesite, urn, etc and I just don’t get it. So while I understand people were upset for being deceived, I don’t necessarily understand the emotions behind every victim (there were around 300 bodies, I believe). And that in itself made me reflect on my own understanding of death and what feels important for me to acknowledge / celebrate and what does not. 

The Return of the Cricut 

Around this time of year, my feed is exploding with DIYs and holiday crafts that I convince myself I can (and should) do. We hosted a Friendsgiving / Golden Bachelorette combo dinner party and I convinced myself that I truly needed to hand make name placards that had poems written inside or I would die. These types of feelings invade my brain a lot when it comes to crafts, like just because I know I am capable of something - I should dedicate a chunk of time to do it because every “proper” table has name placards? And sometimes I have insane guilt if I previously decide to do a craft and then it either falls flat or I (inevitably) run out of time. I know this is toxic instagram culture but I somehow buy into it EVERY SINGLE YEAR during the holidays. 

Usually this results in me having a complete meltdown because while I own a Cricut, I don’t own the patience it requires to operate the thing. Not to mention my cats attack it constantly as it prints. HOWEVER, I am thrilled to report that this was the most peaceful of Cricut experiences and maybe after 4 years (I bought it with my Covid stimulus check, LOL) I’m starting to get good at the damn thing. 

Happy Sunday! 

-Haymo