A request and a reward
From me to you.
Hey there,
Good morning! This week’s newsletter is a little different than usual. I’m hoping you’ll spend a few minutes giving me feedback on Amateur Hours, and to sweeten the deal, I’m including some quick-ish hits of things I’ve consumed this week. But first, a little context.
Despite my proclivity for writing about growing mushrooms and reading books, I’m a pretty out-in-the-world person. (Okay, maybe my sad girl ode to the club gave that away.) This newsletter started in the pandemic, but for those of us privileged to receive a vaccine and live in a place where caseloads are going down, the way we spend our time is changing. So I want this newsletter to change too.
I’m excited to write more about hosting picnic parties and other group activities, and I want to know what you’d like to read about too. So please take this survey. It’s anonymous, less than 10 questions, and very helpful for me in deciding what to write about next. Thanks for being here with me.
Reward: Grab Bag!
Protest: Brooklyn Liberation, an action for trans youth is happening today at 12 p.m. outside the Brooklyn Museum. Read the organizers’ community notes here before attending and learn more about last year’s march here.
Playlist: BYO-Air Conditioner. The newest installment of my annual summer playlist tradition, revamped to fit 2021’s primping, pregaming, and partying needs.
Comfort Watch: Midnight Diner shoots serotonin straight to my brain. Each 30 minute episode is a tender ode to the regulars at a Japanese diner that’s only open from midnight to 7 a.m. It’s on Netflix and I don’t want to ruin it by saying more. Give it a try the next time you’re trying to fall asleep bathed in blue light.
Heatwave Cooking Endorsement: Stash a bag of frozen fresh udon in your freezer now, make chilled noodles all summer long. All you need is a simple sauce to make a meal—make a grapefruit ponzu/ginger-scallion oil/peanut sauce or let jarred chile oil do the heavy lifting—but sliced cucumbers, scallions, crispy tofu, and leftover roast chicken are all welcome additions. You can definitely do this with dried udon, soba, or ramen, but I find that a tangle of pudgy, slippery fresh udon is extra cooling.
NYC Mayoral Discourse: New York Magazine asked notable New Yorkers about their ranked choice voting strategy, from Cynthia Nixon and Fran Lebowitz to Chelsea Manning and Cat Marnell. It’s fascinating to read about their different approaches but I’m still trying to navigate this shit show, so I’m eagerly awaiting my partner Michael’s upcoming newsletter on strategic ranked choice voting for the left. You can subscribe to that here.
Top Shelf TikToks: Couple goals. Metamorphosis inspo. A better suburb. Queer club kid tales from the ‘80s. The only Sex and the City reboot I care about.
That’s all for this week. Here’s a link to that survey again.
Talk soon,
Aliza