Friendmendations 8.16.21
Hey howdy hey, deputies.
I took two stabs at a bonus post last week and neither panned out for me. First I tried coming up with a take on some niche TikTok drama, but the whole thing bummed me out immensely. Then, I drafted some thoughts on how badly edited the new Lizzo video is, but that didn't feel great either, as Lizzo already gets enough shit for no reason. So! Bonus post is going out tomorrow, on a third, more reliable topic. Paying subscribers, you have my heart and my apologies for the delay.
In the meantime, please enjoy some recs.
Bye, bitch!
Andrew Cuomo has stepped down as governor, thank God. The City has an excellent breakdown of the story for anyone who hasn't been following it closely. I also recommend Miriam Pawel's delicious opinion piece for the Times, "This Is How a Political Dynasty Bites the Dust."
Other stuff around the internet
- "This company claims to help the world’s biggest corporations recycle. Activists say it’s greenwashing" by Alden Wicker
- "Wikipedia, Jeopardy! and the Fate of the Fact" by Louis Menand – the Hegel examples here are so hilariously pretentious, but it's a great piece otherwise
- "The Internet Sucks" by Joe McAdam – "I’m sure someday soon we’ll all read about the massive brain damage we received from the whiplash of watching a front facing sketch comedy video immediately followed by a Nazi rally outside the Wendy’s you grew up near."
- We've been long overdue for a scathing takedown of a restaurant for rich people, so I'm glad Jay Rayner stepped in here to make us all giggle
- "Jake Johnson Refuses To Admit He’s A Romantic" by Nick Miller superfan Bolu Babalola – swoon!!!
Other stuff
- I'm hideously late to the Scam Goddess podcast, but I jumped in on an episode on one of my favorite schadenfreude-inducing subjects, Alec Baldwin's fake Spaniard wife, Hilaria (née Hilary). Host Laci Mosley was joined by Ira Madison III, Oscar Montoya, and Siobhan Thompson for the chat, and it's a TRUE delight!
- It would be a slight exaggeration to say that a beautiful TikTok account cured my depression, but Fritz and Donnybrook have come very close. This mild-mannered Midwesterner offers soothing musings on lily pads, relaxing nights with comfort food and old video games or VHS tapes, and other views of his life in a cedar swamp. I love him. A buddy to all. ❤️
That's it for recs. I'll be back later this week with some writing on some nonsense, as per usual!