Friendmendations 7.12.21

Oh, hi. Remember this?

Since December, I've been working for a startup that's slowly taken up all my time and energy. I've tried to adapt my schedule and the newsletter around it, but it wasn't working out. It was a cool job for a cool company, but I don't think it was right for me right now. So I quit!

A lot of stuff has happened recently that I'd like to write about — explosive #FreeBritney developments, a New York Times profile of Dan Schneider, Olivia Rodrigo in general – and I haven't had the time to do so. I'm gonna try to get back to it, and I'm going back to the old format and posting schedule too. (Well, possibly a modified version of the old format. Do recs posts need as much writeup as I give them? Maybe those can be streamlined.)

I'm sorry my updates have been so sporadic. Making a living is hard. I'm going to try to do writing and other creative stuff full-time, and I'm genuinely terrified. We'll see how it goes!!!

Writing about the internet

• "The Internet Is Rotting" by Jonathan Zittrain – a fascinating long read about the infrastructure of the internet itself: mainly how links (and pieces of information) get preserved or lost
• "How Twitter can ruin a life" by Emily VanDerWerff – an upsetting microcosm about the mob mentality of Twitter culture
• "Black TikTokers Stand Against Dance Theft in Refusal to Choreo 'Thot Shit'” by Stitch – I am once again recommending Lauren Michele Jackson's White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation

Writing about TV, on the internet

• "The story behind the iconic Vietnam episode of Hey Arnold!" by Kimmy Yam – an interview with series creator Craig Bartlett
• “Sex/Life Is The Worst Show I Have Ever Seen, And I Have Watched All Of Television" by Scaachi Koul – this made me cackle
• "The Prescient Power of The Rosie O’Donnell Show" by Ashley Spencer – I used to watch this with my mom after school! (I love the detail about Rosie staunchly refusing to ever interview Donald Trump.)

Chill summer bops

That's it for this week. Thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate you all so much.

This week last year:

Friendmendations 7.13.20

it takes patience and fear and despair to change

FriendmendationsAllison Driskill

Watching “Hamilton” as America burns

Just like my country: innovative, complicated, and problematic.

FriendmendationsAllison Driskill

24 times I was disoriented or upset by the 2012 arena tour revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Now let’s talk about BAD musicals!

FriendmendationsAllison Driskill