Table of Contents
Hi friends
I wrote this entry so strangely: small bits during the week so I’d barely write today, then forgetting to write — something I haven’t done yet. I’m prioritizing my deadline over length today. I have a few musings about tech today that I’m going to keep short.
Tech musings
Nothing is funnier than Strava Wrapped: It’s so fun to share each app’s year-end, we-have-your-data analytics. I happily shared my Spotify and Beli wrappeds because I like to share in the town square. I never thought any of it was a brag until seeing my new favorite way to flex on the Gram: Strava Year In Review. Strava, in case you don’t know, tracks your fitness and workouts, so your wrapped has nothing to do with consumption; it’s all about how active you are. There’s something more vulnerable and braggy about sharing your fitness for the world to see. I found myself remembering outlier data, something I assume Strava users do in a way that emotionally affects them. My self-esteem is lucky the app can’t really track lifting.
Even I’m getting Nazis on my Twitter timeline: Twitter has become more unusable the longer Elon’s had it, but I’ve been much closer to deleting it since the election. My algorithm now shows me conservative and alt-right stuff that I don’t want to see. I wonder if there are those purer than me than I still with purer algorithms. They’re probably seeing that because they’re on Bluesky.
When did video games start to feel like a smart activity? Uninformed take: I feel like watching film felt like a more intellectual activity as dumber ones emerged. Sometimes lately, playing video games has seemed smart. I’m not talking about CoD or Fortnite, but more puzzling, strategic games feel like more enriching pursuits because phone scrolling has kicked it further from the dumbness hierarchy.
Watching and listening to media at higher speeds makes you dumber: I recently started holding the fast-forward button as I watch TikToks, and sometimes I have a moment of Wow, this is frying my brain more than usual! Experiencing media at 1.5x or 2x speed feels like you’re not taking things in as God intended. You can’t really grab every moment. Some people even watch movies at 2x speed. Losers!
Students using AI in school make me not want to have kids: I did my fair share of bending academic rules in school, and I remember Sparknotes felt like one of the first rushes of that. The idea of GPT replacing Google as kids’ search engines, essay writers, and therapists makes me not want to have children because I’d rather watch them do dumb stuff I already know. By the time I theoretically have kids, there will probably be even dumber things than AI for kids to throw their minds away on. Just do it on video games like I did!
This week’s photo is from brunch yesterday at Egg Shop in Williamsburg, what used to be my favorite breakfast when I first moved here. I’m wearing globe earrings. My friends visiting from New England fueled up here before we did NYC Christmas stuff (Bryant Park winter market, 30 Rock tree, and searching for a place to eat).
Current fixations I want to mention
Food & Drink
Ridgewood is such an approachable neighborhood because although it feels like New York, it also could be a ton of other cities. It’s quieter and more family-oriented than its neighbor, Bushwick. I feel like I hear the same 5 restaurants recommended to me, and one of them is Plein Air, a cafe by day and restaurant by night. It’s finally Goose season again (wearing my ludicrously capacious Canada Goose sleeping bag of a coat), so I walked 45 minutes through biting winds to the restaurant. Although the Goose protects me from most strife, my nose can’t help from running. Thankfully, this restaurant is the ideal place to thaw. Against my usual patterns, I accidentally thought our reservation was 30 minutes later than I arrived. To pass the time, I listened to a podcast and drank the coziest drink of winter: a hot toddy in a cylindrical mug Kevin would get one, and we’d both get another later. We shared a bunch of stuff, and I expanded my palette: steak tartare (actually pretty good), French onion soup (my favorite thing we got), chicken liver mousse (was skeptical but this was so fire and tasted like a Dorito (complimentary)), ricotta dumplings (basically cheese blobs in a splash of broth), and chicken meatballs (mmm). This place felt like if a living room was refurbished for the public, and everything felt like a hug. I ended up succumbing to a slice of chocolate and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream — no changes yesterday. We ended up getting free limoncello shots from our server at the end. Great neighborhood spot for a great neighborhood.
Music
I’m months late to the glory of GLORIOUS by GloRilla, which is probably one of my favorite albums of this year. A no-skip. The only two songs I didn’t add to my library are the intro and the gospel one (but it’s still good, just not my jam). I’ve always liked Glo because of her unique voice and power, only having a few songs on my playlist but listening frequently. What a waste of months I’ve spent not listening to this project. Every song is a bop. All of the features are fun. I originally thought every song would be a surface-level, sexy-rich-and-better-than-you bop. We certainly get a lot of that, but hearing her more contemplative side in songs like “GLO’S PRAYER” was a welcome surprise (Is it me, Lord? What do I need to change, man? / Or is it my taste in men that I need to blamе? She’s so real). I am so excited to dive even further into this album. Right now, my favorite is “DON’T DESERVE” featuring Muni Long, because of the sound, catchiness, and message (Glo upset with her friend for dating a loser). I know that I don’t deserve this album.
Internet & Pop Culture
Want to watch a video that makes you feel stupid but also smart — and, above all, makes you laugh? You don’t need to know anything about drag queens to enjoy this scholarly discussion on the first episode of Kelly Mantle’s podcast. Her and Tammie Brown are so strange, so to see them together deep in thought is a pleasure. I want to watch the whole episode, but I think I need to ingest 20,000 substances before doing so.
Television & Maybe Movies
I’ve almost finished 30 Rock, and the last season is delicious. Every episode gets sillier and stupider. I think I am Jenna Maroney.
Journalism & Literature
I must peddle This American Life once again because everyone should listen to “The Call” about how a single call to an addiction hotline changed multiple lives. The entire episode covers a woman that works for Never Use Alone (org that encourages people to just call when they’re about to use and makes sure someone’s there listening so they don’t overdose), someone who called her, and a paramedic that came to help. Most addiction services are focused on recovery and rehab, but Never Use Alone’s simple mission is to keep people alive. It’s radical, and it saves lives. Jessie, the lady working the phones, has a fascinating story and perspective. Lots to chew on…just go listen!
Something I Saw in the Wild
I spend a considerable amount of time around the Bedford Avenue L stop, a place I enjoy but know for others the gentrification is too difficult to swallow. I never noticed that the mural next to Sweet Chick says Forever Forward in a swoop-y, gentrifier-y font. It’s just too on the nose. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Would be a great gentrification horror movie title.