constellations #84: things i consumed this week

Aug 24, 2023

Hi again.

In the early days of constellations I used to take inspiration from and/or rip off other newsletters’ formats with some frequency. (For example: I did a list of thank-you notes in the style of the newsletter thank you notes by Justin Wolfe; I did a list of 19 thoughts about a beloved album in the style of Larry Fitzmaurice’s newsletter Last Donut Of The Night.)

So in this installation I am returning to that practice and cribbing an idea from Haley Nahman’s Maybe Baby newsletter. On Fridays, Haley sends out a list to paying subscribers of “15 things I consumed this week.” It’s usually a nice mix of reading/eating/watching/etc. So in that spirit, and without further ado:

Fifteen things I consumed this week:

“American Sajaegi” by Jaime Brooks in The New Inquiry — an article about country music, K-pop, and buying your way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
“Your Beautiful Self,” the new song by Land of Talk.
A chunk of The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing — I can tell this book is going to take me a while but I like a lot so far!
The poem “won’t you celebrate with me” by Lucille Clifton
A chocolate chip cookie from Clementine Bakery in Clinton Hill — very good
The first few episodes of Sex and the City — I’ve never watched the show before but have decided that now is the moment to watch it all.
The Falmouth Road Race, an annual seven-mile race on Cape Cod that I’ve done about a dozen times and is always my favorite day of the year. This year was the 51st time the race has been held! The day before, my friend Elle (writer of constellations #36) and I spent a bunch of time at the pre-race number pickup expo reading about the race’s history. The first race, in 1973, was essentially a birthday party; it had 98 runners and cost $2 to enter. They served beer, bologna sandwiches, and clam chowder at the finish line. (This year’s race had about 10,000 runners; no bologna in sight.) Another fun fact: In 1993, a bunch of secret service members ran the race because the president was visiting Martha’s Vineyard that week. Elle and I also wound up meeting one of the original co-directors of the race at the expo (she and her husband and another couple directed it for something like 38 years!) and we told her it felt like meeting a celebrity!
Vegan ice cream from Somerset Creamery in Cataumet, Mass., immediately following the race — the best ice cream on Cape Cod and maybe in the world.
An email alerting me that an ebook I requested that the DC Public Library purchase years ago, when I still lived in DC, had indeed been purchased and was ready for me to check out. Let this be a reminder that a) you can get ebooks from your local public library and b) you can request that your library acquire books you want to read!
Carly Rae Jepsen’s album The Loveliest Time on repeat
The OPI nail polish shade Taurus-t Me, from the company’s zodiac collection — a very fitting and thoughtful gift from my friend Lyndsey
A lozenge from the brand Fisherman's Friend — the strongest, most menthol-y lozenge I’ve ever tasted. Not sure I recommend.
A video of runner Sha’Carri Richardson winning the 100m at the world track and field championships in Budapest. The fastest woman in the world! Extremely cool.
A really nice interview between Karly Hartzman, from the band Wednesday, and writer Emma Bowers on The Creative Independent.
So many RSVPs to my wedding, which is coming up really soon :)

This time last year I was: crying; and before that I was appreciating ambivalence

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Thanks for reading. Hope you read and hear and eat something great this week. See you next twenty-fourth.

xo,
M