September was the month of California and contracting Covid-19 (in California–seems fitting).
I watched an entire season of Gilmore Girls in a week while I isolated in the basement level of our household, watching the rain fall on the little stretch of woods in our backyard, eating soup I couldn't taste and sipping tea that might as well have been hot water.
I chose Season 3–the season where Rory breaks up with Jess and starts dating him. The first time I watched this season, I must have been too enamored with Jess to realize how obnoxious he is when they actually start dating. I guess Rory was too, and that's kind of the point.
Anyways I can't think of a more comforting show than Gilmore Girls. I needed something entertaining and fun, but that also feels like coming home to a warm hug.
I finally finished reading what is purportedly the greatest spy novel of all time, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy by John Le Carré. I picked up my copy in London in 2019, started it back in June, and spent most of August digging in and trying to finish it, even if that meant only a few pages a night.
The plot finally picked up about around page three hundred, and the last hundred pages were a race to the finish. I do think it's brilliant and Le Carré is an exceptional writer (though I am partial to the British). Still, it's fun to check out the book on Goodreads and scroll through the reviews. Sprinkled amongst the 5-star rave ratings is the occasional "what the heck is going on?" comment.
I resonate with that, but in my opinion, you've got to have stamina and trust Le Carré that he's going to pull all the strings together. He's not going to make it easy on you, and you've really got to pay attention. But that's what makes it so rewarding in the end.
A dear friend sent me a debut album, Hold Still, by a new-to-the-scene Americana folk artist named Taylor Leonhardt. My friend's favorite song on the album is the final track, "Poetry." It is beautiful, and I understand why it feels defining for our moment.
I'm also partial to the opening track, "Happy or Whatever", because it's so relatable, and to "Someday You're Gonna Leave Me", which is about Taylor's dog, June. "Grandfather Mountain" makes me want to cry. All of the songs take their turns running through my head throughout the day. Taylor is doing a little backyard tour, and I hope to maybe catch her in Roanoke in November.
This conversation between Jordan Peterson and Rob Henderson, recommended to me by a coworker, explains why I'm a conscientious objector to dating apps. Their entire discussion is fascinating, starting out with Henderson explaining this term he's coined, "luxury beliefs", and ending with the cancel culture and pressure to be politically correct in academia. I found the end of their conversation about the climate on college campuses especially interesting after watching the new Netflix miniseries The Chair on my way to California.
Whatever your personal feelings about Peterson, give this one a try and think of it as a dialogue between two very brilliant people. If you're especially curious about why I object to dating apps, check out the twenty-minute segment between minutes 30 and 50, or thereabouts.
In a similar vein to dating app critiques, this article in The Atlantic is one of the best I've read calling out the dangers of social media by likening it to alcohol. It's addictive, and it's something we can easily abuse. The problem is–we have language like "we're cutting you off" and systems in place like AA to help people who are abusing alcohol. We don't have that yet for social media. Derek Thompson's op-ed makes a great case for what we can do about it.
I'm curious about how to heal my body fully from covid, so I've been doing some research. I found this episode of The Doctor's Farmacy helpful and informative. Mark Hyman, a functional medicine doctor, talks with Dr. William Li, about how functional medicine play a significant role in treating long-hauler syndrome. Spread the word! And take your high-quality Vitamin C , D, and Zinc!
After I caught covid, I stopped drinking coffee. I haven't had a cup of coffee since September 15. This is big for me, and feels like a loss. I missed my morning ritual and wanted to drink something hot in a cozy mug in the mornings. But it couldn't be tea since tea tasted like hot water. So when I still couldn't taste, I decided to try MUD / WTR. I heard about this stuff years ago when I followed Melissa Hartwig, founder of the Whole30, on Instagram.
My housemate encouraged me that I could drink and eat the most unappetizing-but-good-for-you stuff while I couldn't taste, and MUD / WTR is what came to mind. I ordered their starter kit, and man, they are killing it on the branding. Their whole website, every email, from my order confirmation to shipping notification, and even the delivery box itself are all entertaining and quite persuasive.
The jury is out on whether the stuff actually tastes any good, and I won't really know until my taste is completely normal again. I've been playing around with how I make it; so far blended in oat milk is the best. Will MUD / WTR fully replace my morning coffee ritual? I have a feeling it won't, but it does feel great to know I'm putting all these incredibly-good-for-me ingredients in my body. This might be the most crunchy thing I've done yet.