WHY IS IT RAINING AGAIN?!
I MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND I DO NOT DESERVE THIS.
I’m not the one who fired 12,000 people! No karma should be directed at me! Put a single raincloud over Sundar Pichai’s house and leave me out of it!!
Last week I got to lay by the pool, this week I got a resurgence of seasonal affective disorder. I’ve never seen it put more succinctly than by
in this week’s edition of That’s Marvelous:When the sun is shining and it’s 65 degrees out, I want to visit museums and wander through a park holding a city rat in my hand like Cinderella. But when it’s raining and 50 degrees, I only want to go outside if it’s to track down and kill Batman.
(To be fair, I would hold a city rat any day, rain or shine.) He’s referencing NYC here, but even on the west coast I am SO OVER it right now. It’s been a full week of this shit! It’s May1! You make CLOUDS over MIETTE?? Jail for weather for One Thousand Years!!
I have literally been lurking around the apartment like a slug all week. Every time I try to sit down and work on something I’m overcome with the urge to nap, which is basically all I did when I wasn’t binging Season 36 of Survivor — and if I’m honest, I also slept through some of that, because it was probably the most boring season of all time. I’m here for the drama and the blindsides, not for the two most powerful players in the game having immunity idols. Snoozefest.
Actually, I did do one singular thing this week — I tried to buy a piece of furniture on Facebook Marketplace. And honestly, the 8 messages I’ve sent back and forth with the seller are enough emotional labor for a 40-hour workweek. That’s probably why I’m so tired. They’ve agreed to deliver it tonight and said they’d contact me by 4PM, but I’m not holding my breath. I want a solid wood dresser that doesn’t cost $300 and I don’t want to go to a stranger’s house! Why can’t we just create like a giant sushi restaurant conveyor belt where everyone puts the stuff they don’t want any more and it just rolls by every person’s house all day and you can just tap your credit card and grab stuff? I shouldn’t have to come up with the schematics, that’s what engineers are for. Ugh.
I’ve been on the internet a lot this week while lounging (I’m fully aware I’m going to lose it when I see the rise in percentage on the screen time alert on Sunday), so I’ve got some goods for you. Firstly, the main thing I’ve been following is the:
WGA Writers’ Strike
Look, I know I watch my fair share of reality TV (see: my weeklong Survivor binge referenced earlier) but above all, I am a Writer™. I love watching and reading a well-written story almost as much as I love writing and other writers! The work is hard, often thankless, and only sometimes rewarding. But we’re out here doing the thing, mostly because we can’t help ourselves!!
Yes, writers write because they love to do it. But when your work is making millions for a giant studio, you should be able to afford to live! This is not hard!
The last time the WGA had to go on strike was in 2007 — but media and media consumption has drastically changed, yet again, and (surprise!) artists are getting the shaft. This tweet from Adam Conover shows the point-by-point negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA, and it’s just gross. The AMPTP just doesn’t even seem to be offering anything, really. People can’t live with 6-8 week gigs with 2 years of downtime waiting for the next one, the inability to progress and gain experience in their field, or under the constant threat of their job being taken by a computer (one that literally only regurgitates existing content, I might add!).
It feels like this strike is the last stand between being able to make a living as an artist and the takeover of AI and the gig economy (thanks, tech companies!). And the WGA writers here are in an awful position, because they’re having to be on the front line and forgo their income to take a stand. As a person who one day hopes to join the WGA, I’m so very appreciative of these folks that are out there putting their livelihoods on the line to protect the industry.
Please support the people who make your favorite shows and movies!! They work really hard and do not get paid nearly enough!
Donate to the Entertainment Community Fund (choose “Film and Television” in the drop down box). If you’re local to LA or NYC, swing by with water, coffee, or snacks. Or if you can’t stop, honk! It reminds the people in the buildings that there’s support out there (and also annoys them, which they deserve).
And check out some of my favorite picket signs:



(And here’s a thread of even more on Twitter.) No one will ever top a WGA picket sign, sorry.
Rat Snacks
I can’t believe it, but I’m like a month late to the party on what seems to be a fad tailor-made for yours truly!! This article by Mia Mercado for The Cut explains the TikTok trend of “Rat Snacks” — freaky little afternoon treats that you probably wouldn’t share with a friend because you don’t tell anyone you eat this weird thing.
When I was a kid, it was absolutely a rolled up piece of Oscar Mayer bologna with a Kraft single inside. Which is sort of like a keto sandwich, I guess. Healthy if you don’t wash it down with 2 packs of of Gushers and a glass of Schwan’s Blue Raspberry Drink.
Nowadays — I’m not sure! Maybe it’s the weird leftover meal I eat sometimes that’s just rice with shredded cheese and ranch dressing? Or when I have a can of refried beans with shredded cheese and sour cream on top as “dip”2 with tortilla chips?
What’s your favorite rat snack?? I want to try some weird combos!!
Substack Suggestions
This week, my recommendation is
by my buddy . I've known Sean for many years and have always enjoyed his TV recaps! I hadn't watched Survivor in years but when Sean started this newsletter, I knew I had to get back into it. Aaaand…I’m pretty sure I’ve watched like 6 or 7 seasons now in the last 6ish weeks?? I’m obsessed (it’s his fault)!Sean’s TV recaps are always excellent, but I love the way he structures these — especially the weekly Carolyn features (my new fave after my main squeeze was unfortunately eliminated this week). So: if you’re a Survivor fan, check it out!!
Randomly Selected Animal Cutie
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The grunting. The smacking. The chopsticks. And the puppy is so patient!! I have never seen a more perfect video of a dog eating.
That’s it from me this week! I’ll be keeping myself going through the weekend by looking at next week’s weather, which has some little yellow suns on it. Wish me luck with my Facebook Marketplace purchase!!
K
I can’t bring myself to add it, but fellow millennials can feel free to imagine the Classic Millennial Meme™ justin_timberlake_ramen_hair_itsgonnabe.jpg.
It’s like a homemade bean dip, as opposed to the Bean Dip that comes in a can that I also eat, but that one’s for Fritos and only requires taking off the lid. Damn, I haven’t had it in a while and now that I looked at the packaging I’m dying to get some! One time I sliced my finger open running it around the inside of the can to get all the bean dip inside. I FUCKING LOVE BEAN DIP AND I’M NOT SORRY!!
I did not discover Lay’s onion dip until I was well into my 20s and I mourn each day I did not know about it. Also— now that we are Cat Parents, my partner references that Patricia Lockhart tweet weekly. She’s SO UPSET that we want to exist as autonomous beings outside her will!!!