Can You Believe?💥

Thank you, thank you, thank you! xoxoxo

Hello, my beautiful Twenty-Somethings! Whether you found me via Twitter or know me IRL, I am beyond stoked to have you here.

First off, a little about this newsletter. Obviously, word to SZA, my queen, my angel, my everything—and still one of my top Spotify artists though her last album came out in 2017. But I digress…

Check out my flicks on Instagram here.

The twenties are a marvelously messy time, and between bad dates, lame roommates, ugly breakups, pivotal career moments, exploration of what you actually enjoy, etc.—there’s a whole lot going on. Further, many of us exist on the ever so interesting generational cusp. I was born in 1997, so I’m not exactly a ‘90s kid (AKA millennial) and I’m absolutely not in the TikTok generation (Gen Z). So, Zennials, let us rejoice at this lovely in-between we find ourselves in. To the Twenty-Somethings, who have lived through 9/11, three impeachments, two financial crises, the birth of social media, and *not* the idyllic 1990s, let’s truly indulge ourselves!

I’m here to reflect on my own revelations about life and the world, but also about how ugly Fila Disruptors are, how confused I am by Armie Hammer’s cannibalism allegations, and how delicious these edamame rice balls are. I’m happy you’re here and can’t wait to grow with you.

Here are a few picks to get you through the week:

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LISTEN:

• “Classic Portrait” by DIAL UP, Jemal Four - Full disclosure: This was my No. 1 song on Spotify in 2020. I’m not sure what that says about me or the song, but it really gets me goin’.

• “Good Days” by SZA - I mean, I had to. My lady’s supposed to be dropping an album this year that we’ve all been patiently waiting for. Any day now!

• “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS” by PawPaw Rod - Catchy doesn’t begin to describe it. This one really just makes me wanna boogie. As we say in the ~Bay Area~, it slaps!

READ:

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - I recommend this book to all of my friends who “can’t seem to get into reading.” It’s a quick, witty page-turner with a thrilling storyline that keeps you in a love-hate matrix. (Check out the author’s other books if you like gore. I don’t, but they’re great reads if you can stomach them!)

• The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian - A seemingly conventional story about a woman who works at a homeless shelter ends with a plot twist that makes it all worth it—and makes us question how we know what we know.

• Vulture: “Jamie Lynn Spears Implicates Elon Musk in the Death of Her Cats” - Sometimes, we just need a WTF moment to keep us grounded. This story did it for me this week. May 2021 start looking up soon…

• SELF: “8 Habits to Start If You’d Like to Live More Eco-Consciously” - I’m guessing these practices aren’t all that surprising to most of you, but it’s still nice to start somewhere. Start living a life parallel to your values, baby!

WATCH:

• HBO Max’s Search Party !!!!!!!!!! - I’m not ashamed to admit my roommate and I watched the first three seasons in only a few days (to be fair, the episodes are only like 20 minutes). It’s got all the laughs, the NYC character types, and the pitch-perfect plot twists a good thriller needs. Seriously, season four is coming out in installments now, so GO WATCH!

• HBO Max’s The Undoing - If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you doing reading this newsletter? No, but seriously. We really have no idea who committed the murder until the finale—and that, my friends, is *chef’s kiss*.

LOVE:

• Scalp Shampoo Brush - This little green doohickey honestly changed my life (OK, a little dramatic, but still). Treat yourself to a little scalp massage with the silicone scrubbers, while stimulating hair growth and promoting blood flow.

• RicherPoorer Cut Out Bralette - Comfy and BREATHABLE—the two things I want out of any piece of clothing. I ordered two on sale last week and will likely be living in them for the foreseeable future.

• Fogless Shower Mirror - I’m going to act like I bought this item for a specific reason. I really just love a good mirror—the perfect accessory for shower-singers.

COOK:

• Onigiri - Yep, the edamame rice balls I can’t stop talking about. I’m a pescatarian and edamame are both high in protein and stupidly delicious. Bon appétit!

• Sesame Noodles with Crispy Tofu - This became my go-to meal in 2020, and for good reason. I now use the sauce on everything, and the pickled ginger cucumbers used as a topping last for weeks in the fridge. To die for!

CONSIDER:

“Men always say that as the defining compliment, don’t they? She’s a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes and anal sex, and jams hot dogs and hamburgers into her mouth like she’s hosting the world’s biggest culinary gang bang while somehow maintaining a size 2, because Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl.

“Men actually think this girl exists. Maybe they’re fooled because so many women are willing to pretend to be this girl. For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men – friends, coworkers, strangers – giddy over these awful pretender women, and I’d want to sit these men down and calmly say: You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who’d like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them. I’d want to grab the poor guy by his lapels or messenger bag and say: The bitch doesn’t really love chili dogs that much – no one loves chili dogs that much! And the Cool Girls are even more pathetic: They’re not even pretending to be the woman they want to be, they’re pretending to be the woman a man wants them to be. Oh, and if you’re not a Cool Girl, I beg you not to believe that your man doesn’t want the Cool Girl. It may be a slightly different version – maybe he’s a vegetarian, so Cool Girl loves seitan and is great with dogs; or maybe he’s a hipster artist, so Cool Girl is a tattooed, bespectacled nerd who loves comics. There are variations to the window dressing, but believe me, he wants Cool Girl, who is basically the girl who likes every fucking thing he likes and doesn’t ever complain. (How do you know you’re not Cool Girl? Because he says things like: “I like strong women.” If he says that to you, he will at some point fuck someone else. Because “I like strong women” is code for “I hate strong women.”)” - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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Question of the week: If you could tell your 13-year-old self one thing, what would it be?

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Thank you once again for supporting me. I am always, always, always looking to improve my work and I would love if you could comment below or email me with any suggestions, thoughts, snack suggestions, or whatever your heart desires. Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads or online if you feel so inclined.

If you liked what you read, send this newsletter to a friend! Sending love and light to you, wherever you are. 🌟

Cheers & happy Wednesday! And happy Inauguration Day! See y’all next week.

xoxoxo, Quinnie <3