A Forlorn English Governess
Internet round-up for the week of December 19, 2022
Happy Festivus! Yes, Festivus has its own wikipedia page, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I had always assumed it had just originated with Seinfeld, but it turns out this was actually a holiday celebrated by the family of one of the writers long before it aired on TV. Fantastic.
I truly cannot believe it’s almost the end of the year!
This year has FLOWN by — for me, the last half of the year after moving and starting a new job was like a blink. Plus, it’s like…not cold here? I know half the US is dealing with a massive winter storm, and yet…it’s supposed to hit 61 here today.
If I’m honest, I’m jealous I’m not getting snow! It doesn’t even feel like it’s winter. We have our tree up, but it just feels like September to me, weather-wise. For years in Chicago I counted down the days until the winter solstice, because it meant the days were going to start getting longer again. In Cali, I’ve barely noticed so far. Yes, the days are shorter, but I’m not really in a situation where I’m at work before the sun comes up and off work after it goes down. In fact,
Living and working in the Bay Area feels like bizarro world. 🤷🏼♀️
Anyway, I’ve at least got a 4-day weekend for the holiday and I hope y’all are all getting good time off to rest and recover, too! Without further ado, here are the goods for this week:
Hot Topic
There’s been a lot of talk this week online about celebrities considered a “nepo baby” after this Vulture article came out. “Nepo” here is, yes—you guessed it—short for nepotism, and they’re basically just shining a spotlight on celebrities who had a leg up in the industry because their parents were somehow involved.
I find the whole discussion interesting and necessary — not that I don’t think many of these folks are talented in their own right, but I do think it’s worthwhile to ask what part of their success is due to their access/opportunities. Also, stuff like this:
He should acknowledge that his access to the force was directly provided by his father.
I’m Being Personally Attacked
🙃
What were we DOING without access to the internet at all times? Just sitting around? Listening to a CD player we had to keep perfectly horizontal? Reading books? Knitting? I guess in the late 90s you could still take knitting needles on a plane. Maybe I should be spending more time just staring longingly out a window like a forlorn English governess.
Wholesome Fun
If you haven’t seen this video (please tell me you’ve seen this video), here’s a quick link. This clip has been around since the age of Vine, and will never get old. I love a random reference to a classic internet video.
Oh, and speaking of films, we need to talk about this:
Luckily, it went viral on Twitter so Buzzfeed picked it up and explained just what the hell is going on. When I first saw the tweet I assumed it was some kind of mistake they would quickly take down, but it turned out to be a pretty rad, intentional choice. I love the idea of two separate movies with overlapping moments/characters! Just not enough to pay $5.99 for Hallmark channel streaming. 🤷🏼♀️
It’s giving none pizza with left beef. Click through to the thread to see how the order progressed (spoiler alert: it was successful).
Headline of the Year
This Twitter thread has compiled the year’s most ridiculous headlines far better than I could have. Definitely worth clicking through to read gems like this:
Randomly Selected Animal Cutie
Look, I know I’ve shared the Cincinnati Zoo hippos before, but that won’t stop me from doing it again.
LOOK AT THIS LITTLE 399 POUND BUG. I deserve to hug him.
Okay, that’s it from me for this week! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and get to eat good food and hang around with people you love. See you next week for the final newsletter of 2022!
K