Over the weekend, I celebrated my birthday with a Bridgerton-themed bash and it felt so good to spend time in the company of people who really see and know me.
Everyone came to play with their costumes and leaned into the theme. People came in from out of town, driving hours and catching flights. I received the most thoughtful gifts that spoke to all the different sides of my personality and interests. One friend who couldn’t make it in person wrote and sent their own version of the Lady Whistledown Society Papers completely personalized for the party attendees.
I was so blown away and I am still just basking in the afterglow of all of the love. We laughed together. We cried together. We got way too competitive at Slap Cup together! My heart is just feeling so full and I feel so honored to know and to be loved and cherished by this community of people.
Something I have noticed writing this newsletter over the past year (almost 2!) is how much easier it can feel writing a piece when I’m complaining.
I seem to have no shortage of words to describe my frustrations with the American healthcare system, my terrible experiences with insurance, and the rollercoaster of chronic illness.
I find it much harder to find the words when I am trying to express my gratitude or when things are really going well.
In writing and often in life, I tend to perseverate on the negative rather than stepping back and seeing the fuller picture. There is much to interrogate here but it’s something I am taking notice of and working on.
As for today, I’ll just be trying to hold onto the warm fuzzies of the weekend for as long as I can.
This Week’s Recommendations
On My Shelf
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center - I finished this in one sitting because I loved it so much and I was extra grateful because it pushed me out of my reading slump this week. The conceit is familiar but Katherine Center manages to make such wonderful characters that you can't help but fall completely in love with them. I really enjoyed the way she played with both book and movie romance tropes, staying true to the genre but having fun. I also found myself pretty teary at the end as family dynamics were explored. A wonderful read!
On My Screen
Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 - The second half of the third season dropped this week and I’ve never raced to watch a show so quickly! I remain obsessed with Nicola Coughlan and she is so incredible and captivating on screen and off. The showrunners and the actors also really managed to strike the perfect balance between sexy and sweet.
In My Tabs
“It’s 2024 and everyone either thinks they’re a thought leader, or wants to be one. You know who the OG thought leaders were, though? Your small town ladies’ book club leaders.”
Big Brat Summer - “And yet, all this demonstrably bad news is freeing, too. Collectively, we have less to fear—not because the future isn’t a horror, but because it is, and we’ve already been living through it.”
I loved this piece full of tips and recs on making cooking more accessible physically.
A Criminal Justice Journalist Wrestles With Doubts in the Jury Box
“Humans have dealt with butt stuff for eons, yet the anus remains a kind of final frontier, a synecdoche of humor and anxiety, a root of homophobia. We still need jolly cartoon bears to sell us toilet paper. Everyone Poops was published for children nearly 50 years ago, but it still feels like a punchline for adults. Everyone has a butt, but not everyone wants to talk about it sincerely, frankly or in depth.”