This is the Sunday edition of Culture Study — the newsletter from Anne Helen Petersen, which you can read about here. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing. Was your Sunday as weird as mine? I got the election news on Saturday morning after a night of still bad-sleep, spent the day only kinda believing, did a bit of crying and a bit of celebrating during the speeches, then woke up to a massive emotional and physical hangover on Sunday morning.
I am Peggy. I haven't allowed myself to really be emotional over any of this for so long, it caught me by surprise when I cried through most of Kamala's speech. My husband had an urge to watch some specific part of Hamilton on Disney+. I never found out which part though, because we ended up watching the whole thing, and he cried through most of it. That's never happened before, even though he's seen it live and on Disney multiple times now. We are all a mess. And yet we are not turning away from so much that needs to be done. Thanks for putting words to it. My goal for this week is to stop glaring at my laptop - home to so many dreaded and untended emails - from across the room. We'll see how that goes.
YESSSS. Giving my exhausted brain permission to focus on something other than he who shall not be named. He no longer determines my future. He is over.
I've been reading, scrolling past the doom (for now), and hopescrolling. And I set up a cozy space in my loft, with hanging lights, and I'm going to get comfy pillows and I can read here and block out the noise of the little people some (they aren't that little ... they're okay). And I got a new vacuum--and why did no one tell me that spending money on a better vacuum (instead of the cheapest one) is TOTALLY worth it, because really, really clean carpets are so soothing.
“laying on the floor with your dog and petting them until you kinda forget you’re a person and they’re a dog” - thank you for letting me know I’m not he only one doing this!
Top of my list: find people who can translate Stacey Abrams's example to Montana and then figure out how to help enact that. Forward Montana does amazing work, but it's clear we need to do more and with a broader demographic. I was born and raised here and I've never seen it vote in so many Republicans. (Also wish I could stop the DNC's infighting about moderate vs. left Democrats. This country is stuck with two parties and a massive variety of viewpoints within each. Unfortunately, the Dems could never mention the word socialism again for three generations and the Rs in a state like this will still use its specter for very effective fear messaging.)
ANYA! TAYLOR! -JOY’S! FACE!
Please, PLEASE tell me you are really going to write an entire newsletter on Anya Taylor-Joy’s face.
I am Peggy. I haven't allowed myself to really be emotional over any of this for so long, it caught me by surprise when I cried through most of Kamala's speech. My husband had an urge to watch some specific part of Hamilton on Disney+. I never found out which part though, because we ended up watching the whole thing, and he cried through most of it. That's never happened before, even though he's seen it live and on Disney multiple times now. We are all a mess. And yet we are not turning away from so much that needs to be done. Thanks for putting words to it. My goal for this week is to stop glaring at my laptop - home to so many dreaded and untended emails - from across the room. We'll see how that goes.
YESSSS. Giving my exhausted brain permission to focus on something other than he who shall not be named. He no longer determines my future. He is over.
I've been reading, scrolling past the doom (for now), and hopescrolling. And I set up a cozy space in my loft, with hanging lights, and I'm going to get comfy pillows and I can read here and block out the noise of the little people some (they aren't that little ... they're okay). And I got a new vacuum--and why did no one tell me that spending money on a better vacuum (instead of the cheapest one) is TOTALLY worth it, because really, really clean carpets are so soothing.
I am tired. I am so tired. Emotional hangover is the perfect phrase
“laying on the floor with your dog and petting them until you kinda forget you’re a person and they’re a dog” - thank you for letting me know I’m not he only one doing this!
The title immediately put this song in my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itduWvZDKH4
It doesn't have much in the way of lyrics, but they do feel appropriate for the moment:
"Your attention please: please yell if you are paying attention."
Top of my list: find people who can translate Stacey Abrams's example to Montana and then figure out how to help enact that. Forward Montana does amazing work, but it's clear we need to do more and with a broader demographic. I was born and raised here and I've never seen it vote in so many Republicans. (Also wish I could stop the DNC's infighting about moderate vs. left Democrats. This country is stuck with two parties and a massive variety of viewpoints within each. Unfortunately, the Dems could never mention the word socialism again for three generations and the Rs in a state like this will still use its specter for very effective fear messaging.)