#juststuff10

Happy 10th, #juststuff! (I also call this the fun and yum part)

Oct 27, 2023

Every end of the month-ish, I wrap up the month with some #juststuff with no thoughts. These are all the things I read, watched and bought (or want) over the month that I fully endorse, because hey, what is a rec without a Megumi endorsement.

let it be known, I still have the shirt.

Welp, October fucking slipped away hey? There is just so much that I would like to write about but I’m having this thing where my thoughts are not catching up to my writing. I don’t know how to articulate it just yet, but there’s a lot going on in my tiny mind. For instance, I feel lucky these days but what is even luck and should I believe in it? There’s a feeling I just can’t escape, and that’s this feeling when someone eats my food or I eat their food. I really want to make food for someone and just share a bottle of wine and I want to visualize this feeling. Speaking of food, I randomly remembered that I actually don’t like my dad’s eating habits. We went to a diner in Hawaii once and I remember being so annoyed by him because he’s so hypersensitive about his weight - I know yes, I’m still speaking about my dad. Dad’s can also have a weird relationship with their bodies, of course, but I always get weirded out when I order STACKS of pancakes with lots of bacon dripped with syrup, but he just orders a …green salad. I also want to talk about my writer’s voice and these writing classes I’ve been attending and how that has been pretty transformational to say the least. I also have been reading a lot of memoirs so that has been helping me to understand what is a writers voice. All these memoirs are the same genre, but it can never be more different.

Yeah, so lot’s on my mind! Oh and I’m going to so that will be a fun one that I would love to report back here as well! In the meantime, let’s get into the fun and yum bits of it all!

Reads

-My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom This already was making some rounds out there, but the the writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner is notorious for celebrity profiles, which I didn’t know. It was like I was reading a poem.

-Mourning in Paris Then, I wanted to read a few more of Akner’s essay and wow, I am obsessed. I’m trying to lean in on my writing voice and I think she has one of those voices that is so easy to listen to and so comforting to read.

Paris reassures you that you are in a cycle of life that will end, and that everyone before you has felt just as important and just as crucial to the cycle, and yet, they ended, too.

-I’ve heard that this was happening, but restaurants are banning influencers! I mean, I’m sort of into it? It also relates to this whole gate keeping thing too. Some places I know is because of the help of influencers… I know a lot of Japanese bistros that are weird about this as well - thoughts?

-Zadie Smith fans have probably already been on the watch with all her appearances, but this excerpt from lithub from her talk easy episode was great on radical thinking.

-I was listening to this week’s Literary friction’s podcast, and the minisode was about Parenthood. Octavia brought a poem on it by Philip Larkin “This be the verse” and I thought it’s too good not to share. You can read the whole thing here.

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
    They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
    And add some extra, just for you.

lyz

has a great newsletter called

Men Yell at Me

and this one on Sophie Turner and her ‘bad mom’ press, was great. This says it all, “YOU ARE SANSA FUCKING STARK! QUEEN OF THE GODDAMN NORTH!”

Maggie Smith

also writes

For Dear Life with Maggie Smith

and this entry on what can poems do, and her collections of poems list is so nice to keep in your back pocket. “Advise to myself” by Louise Erdrich

Pursue the authentic—decide first what is authentic,
then go after it with all your heart.

-I love Substack Notes function, because it’s kind of like new Twitter but WAY BETTER! I always find new Stacks there,

Garance Doré

The High Light by Garance Doré

is short and sweet and informative. This one on her COS quest and yup, it’s confirmed - this fall/winter does need a little pop of red color somewhere in your outfit!!

-Bookish people! 13 Fall Books for Food Lovers to Devour Happy to announce that Heartburn by Nora Ephron was there.

-How Gen Z Women Athletes Are Writing Their Own Storylines

-I embarrassingly (??) don’t have a mentor. I kind of have someone in mind who I want to reach out to, so this was sort of a good push for me to do exactly that. Vestiaire Collective’s Samina Virk Says Women Mentors Are The Key To Success

-This is a doooozy read but

Both Are True

Alex Dobrenko`

Beautiful Disasters is such a brilliant essay! I love reading things and that reading voice reminds me of a certain person.

Podcasts/Listen

-A very interesting listen hosted by Twin Cities JACL Appreciation vs Appropriation #6: Ray Masaki. I don’t know him personally, but Ray Masaki is based in Tokyo now and I read his book probably in 2021? サラリーマンはなぜサーフボードを抱えるのか？ A lot of good discussion starter points. In America, it’s much more black and white - what’s good and bad. But when the context is in Japan…. it’s actually really hard to ‘police’ these culture wars because as I always say, the rules just don’t apply here so much.

-Work Appropriate was a

Downtime

rec, but I do enjoy it! Some solid advise I’ll say.

-A new British friend of mine recommended this to me, a celebrity interview pod that’s pretty well-done and I’m fully enjoying at the moment. Adam Buxton, a British comedian and actor brings in mainly British comedians and actors to the mike and chat! There’s so many good ones, but Sharon Horgan on writing as a team and comedy writing etc and the wonderfully FUNNY Tash Demetriou was fantastic.

-I’ve been listening to a lot of Modern Love again because I too! want to submit a story myself. I just can’t find a good angle yet, but this one…. my gosh. It’s sort of dark but also the beautiful part of writing where you can come back to it and be like, nope that’s not me anymore.

-Oh! Can’t forget the Talk Easy episode with Zadie Smith. and This one with Hua Hsu. Hits after hits for Talk Easy. One of the best conversations I’ve listened to this month.

TV Shows

Lessons In Chemistry (on Apple tv)

A TVshow based on a novel and oh boy, how I’m hooked! I’m never really into new tv shows unless I’m really really a fan of the actors but this one is good. Set in the 60s, and a chemist - who is a woman!!! turned to become one of the nations most famous cook! I’m only in one episode but the plot is indeed, chef’s kiss.

Ellie & Natasia (on BBC iplayer)

This is a fucking WILD recommendation, I must admit - but a necessary one. Tash Demetriou and Jamie Demetriou, two VERY funny siblings are both actors and writers. In Tash’s show Ellie & Natasia, there’s this bonker music video with Jamie about well….universal pussy. I will stop writing and you start watching.

Other things that I want/like

This PROENZA SCHOULER leather bag… gorgeous. What do I need to add to my newly refreshed wardrobe? A good leather bag and a couple of good shoes. (I had a very unfortunate thing with a pair of Manolo’s I got from TheRealReal, sizing issues but really… how off IT sizing can be??Pictured below :(( ) This Babba sweater. I made this bean soup from

Ethaney Lee

try a little tenderness

and I loved it! Really want some art or even posters around my house, and Natalia Bagniewska has some beautiful paintings and this one, I want! As IF! This doesn’t look fucking good. I just made it not cold, but it was a delicious coconut sauce. Also, fishnets?? I had no idea using them with some black cropped pants will be real cute, inspired by

5 Things You Should Buy

love or not to love

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