The Week In Recommendations 10.16.24
New York Prop 1, revisiting "Matilda," fan fic gossip, new pans and the GAP x Cult Gaia collab!
This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Our latest podcast was about “Love Is Blind” S7, Eps 7-9! An episode about the next “LIB” drop is coming soon. Rich Text is a reader-supported project.
Some election-related calls to action:
New Yorkers and readers with loved ones in New York! Pay attention to PROP 1, formerly known as the New York Equal Rights Amendment. If passed, this would enshrine non-discrimination on the basis of “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy,” into the New York state constitution. TLDR: Vote YES on Prop 1.
Related: There are also 5 other proposals on the ballot for New Yorkers in November. Here’s why the NYCLU says you should vote no on the rest of them.
If you have the time and energy, consider getting involved in the Harris campaign (and for other Democrats in local/state races!) by canvassing or postcarding or phone banking. You can find phone banking and canvassing events put together by Knock For Democracy here.
Need some non-presidential candidates to keep an eye on and support? These recommendations come by way of our buds at Girl And The Gov: Rep. Colin Allred (running against Ted Cruz in TX), Will Rollins (running to unseat a 30+ year GOP incumbent in CA), State Rep. Jaime Churches (running for re-election in Michigan), and Rep. Andy Kim (running for US Senate in NJ).
Claire has been reading… 📖
Roald Dahl’s “Matilda,” to my preschooler. I adored Dahl growing up, so I was delighted when Greg brought a copy home for bedtime reading – and now that we’re reading it, I’m having slightly more complicated feelings about a book that is, essentially, a list of creative ways for children to assault and terrify their parents. (I’m already terrified enough of my son! Who now constantly calls me a “disgusting little beast”! Thanks Roald!) His books are also, as recent reevaluations have found, packed with pretty gross fatphobia and other superficially judgmental attitudes. At the same time, after years of reading a lot of pretty uninspired books to him, it is pretty cool to see his enchantment with Dahl’s subversive ideas and vivid language. I didn’t expect it to take quite so long to get to the fun part of introducing my child to literature, but watching him fall in love with the musicality and possibility of language has been so satisfying.
Emma has been reading… 📖
I just got my copy of
’s “Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win.” I’m a few chapters in, and it’s as infuriating as it is informative. If you find yourself grasping for ways to describe the stakes of this election cycle, look no further. (Also highly recommend Jessica’s excellent newsletter, .)Claire has been watching… 📺
Aside from “Love Is Blind” and “Golden Bachelorette,” I’ve been working through “Industry” season 3 (with Greg) and “English Teacher) season 1 (solo).
“Industry” has a special blend of finance nuts-and-bolts and melodrama that I find almost pleasurably numbing; it’s about 30% people in suits saying the most inscrutable things to each other about maturing debt consolidation and stabilizing macro factors, and 70% sexual depravity, murder, and cocaine. The Rishi episode put me in an anxiety hole. I’ve seen things I’ll never unsee. But we continue!
“English Teacher” is just an impeccable comedy, and I admire its boldness in taking on the challenge of incorporating the pandemic’s effects on students and hot-button topics directly. Even more impressive, so far the show is succeeding at mining those topics for comedy without falling into afterschool-special sentimentality.
Emma has been watching… 📺
Mostly a whole lot of “Love Is Blind” episodes on repeat so we can discuss every detail of them??? Also keeping up with “Sister Wives,” “RHOSLC,” “Tell Me Lies” and “The Golden Bachelorette” (duh). I also decided to revisit one of my favorite shows from my early years in New York City: “Greek.” Turns out, this ahead-of-its-time comedy about college kids navigating the wild world of frats and sororities still holds up pretty well and remains deeply delightful!
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
The first Normal Gossip episode of the season, which happens to be about one of my pet interests: horny fanfiction! I read Harry Potter fanfiction in truly alarming quantities as a high schooler and, frankly, well into my college years as well, and I have such a fondness for that world – the community spirit, the niche tropes, the distinct aesthetics. But I never wrote any fanfiction, so I was particularly tickled that this episode takes us into the inner circle of a particular fandom’s top fic writers, which is obviously fraught with politics, desire, and deception. Ashley Reese is a knowledgeable and outstanding guest for this subject matter. 10/10 no notes.
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
A new, absolutely wild investigative podcast from Wondery and Novel! Kill List follows the years-long reporting journey of tech journalist Carl Miller, who kind of falls into a story about a murder-for-hire website on the dark web. The website itself ends up being a scam, but the knowledge Miller gleans leads him down a rabbithole of trying to warn all of the people who appear on the list that there is someone who wants them dead. Not only does this podcast feel like you’re watching a thriller, it also touches on some important themes: the incompetence of law enforcement agencies, the way that domestic violence is often still not taken seriously enough, and the power of good journalism.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
A couple of Prime Day splurges! I often wear my Airpods all day so I can watch and listen to a constant stream of content without disturbing my work-from-home colleague, Greg, so I was enticed by the Pro version of the Airpods, which have the cushy earpieces. (I routinely end up with an earache from wedging the hard molded plastic of the original Airpods into my ears. They are luxuriously comfortable and also boast a sound-canceling feature, which makes me slightly nauseous but could definitely come in handy. Maybe my inner ears will get used to those reverse sound waves thrumming against my eardrums.
I also got a 10-inch GreenPan, as I’m trying to slowly replace the complete Teflon-coated set of cookware I’ve had for over a decade with ceramic nonstick (I do not trust myself to cook on stainless steel.).
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
A few items from the GAP x Cult Gaia collaboration! (Which I actually shopped IN PERSON, which was kind of a thrill.) I’m absolutely obsessed with these Cargo Barrel Pants, which they restocked in both colors. They look so chic paired with a low heel or a bootie, and the barrel shape feels very on trend. I got them in black, but I also tried on and loved the green. I recommend sizing down 1-2 sizes from your normal size. I went down two sizes because I like my pants high-waisted, but I could have gone down just one size and worn the pants slightly slouchier/lower.
I also bought the cropped GAIA sweatshirt in gray, which is currently sold out. However, for my fellow petite friends, I recommend trying the kids version of the same sweatshirt in size L. (I bought the XXS adult version.) I got a kids denim jacket during GAP’s Doen collab, and it’s one of my most-worn items of clothing.
Other items that I loved but resisted purchasing: the asymmetric denim jacket, this very Brat-coded cropped cableknit sweater, and this backless white button-down.
Claire has been making… 🧶
Very little food this week! My family was in town to celebrate my niece’s birthday, so we had several dinners out during which the two four-year-olds (especially my four-year-old) got overexcited, couldn’t remember to stay in their chairs, and then started crying because the cheese in their quesadillas was the wrong color; and the two babies (especially my baby) fidgeted and threw food on the floor. I gained several gray hairs, but it was completely worth it. I did, I hope, make some serious leg and core muscle gains by baby-wearing my 14-month-old on the PATH train into Manhattan and throughout a sightseeing trip to the Empire State Building.
Emma has been making… 🧶
Brocc Your Body’s One Pan Rosemary Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Tomato Orzo. I swapped the half and half for coconut milk, and I didn’t have fresh rosemary so I used fresh dill instead and it turned out DELISH. The recipe made enough for two for dinner, plus I noshed on the leftovers for lunch over the next couple days since I work from home. An easy, filling, doesn’t-use-too-many-dishes meal. I was so excited to eat that I forgot to take a photo until we had demolished like two-thirds of the pan’s contents. So my photographic evidence is lacking, but this still gets my I’ll-make-it-again seal of approval.
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No the noise canceling nausea is real for me too. I think it’s bc our balance is in our ears, when we block things out, more sensitive bodies feel weird (I’m prone to air sickness, sea sickness). I usually use noise canceling when I’m in very loud places (airplanes, when sirens go off on my city walks, etc.). When there still are noises that come through, the noise canceling I don’t make me feel nauseated but if it’s already quiet I kind do?
Also there was an op Ed or other piece about revisiting Dahl/should we change Dahl in the NYT a bit ago that was a good read!