Just Good Shit: 08.29.21

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

It’s been a strange few days around these parts — if you haven’t heard, VICE did a round of layoffs on Thursday morning without any real warning. There was no all-staff morning email announcing what would be happening or anything like that; we just came online and heard through the grapevine, while many of us were still making our coffee, that our coworkers were being picked off. We had no idea how many people were being laid off or when it would be over. (It was over, apparently, when management sent out a 1,000-word email that led with congratulating several people on their promotions.)

My manager was one of the people who was let go, as were several people on a neighboring team. While I was one of the lucky ones this time, it was the third round of layoffs I’ve been through in as many years; it’s unsettling and upsetting to watch it happen over and over again. Every single time I am aghast at how poorly this process is executed, though I don’t think I will be next time because I’ll be used to it.

Anyway. Here’s what else I had going on this week…

Writing

• I'm Vaxxed, I'm Socializing, Things Are Better... So Why Do I Feel Shitty?

I published this as the layoffs were happening because it was meant to go live on Thursday, and I was worried I was going to get laid off/lose access to the CMS before I had a chance to hit publish, and I had spent a lot of time working on it and also didn’t want to waste my sources’ time.

Reading

Ultra-Vaxxed Israel’s Crisis Is a Dire Warning to America, The Daily Beast.

The Vaccine-Booster Mistake, The Atlantic.

Georgia School Official Responds to COVID Crisis With ‘Tone Deaf’ Blue Jeans Proposal, The Daily Beast.
Every line of this article is somehow more outrageous than the one before it. Like…Jesus Christ.

The SAME DAMN lesson again., Nadia Bolz-Weber.

How to Work with Someone Who Creates Unnecessary Conflict, HBR.

Femme Fatale, Harper’s Bazaar.
“The straight women who want to be femmes—are they speaking out against homophobia, racism, transmisogyny, and violence against sex workers in their lives, or are they just happy to have a word that makes fashion and aesthetic choices political and less superficial?”

The Cotton Tote Crisis, NYT.

Knitting for Victory — World War II, HistoryLink.org.

Have a good one. 💛

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Just Good Shit: 08.22.21

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Good evening! I’ve been hunkered down literally all day thanks to Henri. We put on records and I did crosswords and made beans on toast while my girlfriend knit. It felt a bit like a preview of this coming fall/winter, given how bad Delta is. But it was a really nice day (and weekend!), and I was so happy to be offline all day.

Here’s what else I had going on this week…

Reading

Don’t Panic, But Breakthrough Cases May Be a Bigger Problem Than You’ve Been Told, NY Mag.

Seven People Tell Us What It's Like to Have Breakthrough COVID, VICE.

A New Variant of COVID Denialism Has Emerged, NY Mag.

My Kids’ School Won’t Reinstate Masks Despite a Recent Surge in COVID Cases. Here’s What I Chose to Do., ProPublica.

If Only We’d Listened to Representative Barbara Lee, The Cut.

The US Carefully Documented Its Total Failure in Afghanistan for 12 Years, VICE.

Before a 4-year-old boy’s killing, authorities wavered on rescuing him, LA Times.

What Happens When All of Your Co-workers Quit?, The Cut.
This is so fucking bleak.

I'm a Frito-Lay Factory Worker. I Work 12-Hour Days, 7 Days a Week, VICE.

“A Smile With Sharp Teeth”: Mike Richards’s Rise to ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Sparks Questions About His Past, The Ringer.

The White Lotus Was Always Going to End This Way, Vanity Fair.

The White Lotus is as clueless about Native Hawaiians as its characters, Vox.

Are You Watching the New Gossip Girl?, GoFugYourself.

Why Doesn’t the New Gossip Girl Feel Fun?, Vanity Fair.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Recap: Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like Silky, Vulture.
This week’s episode was one of the best ever imo — so joyful, and worth a watch even if you aren’t watching this season.

Strange Lessons in Sex and Power from ‘Saved By the Bell’, Catapult.

How a Board Game About Birds Became a Surprise Blockbuster, Slate.
I’m excited to get into this game this fall/winter!

Watching

A few recent faves: This Is Paris, Malice at the Palace (SO GOOD), RHOBH, and Rajiv Surendra’s inCREDIBLE apartment tour. And this mesmerizing watch restoration.

Have a good one! 🌧

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Just Good Shit: 08.15.21

This week, I went to the beach twice, which felt decadent! On Friday, my girlfriend and I made a spontaneous evening trip to Riis, which absolutely rocked. We saw the sunset and the moon, ate burgers and truly the best grilled cheese, and got a much-needed break from the city heat and humidity. We’ve also started planning a fall trip to Acadia, which I’m so so excited about. And after spending all day today on the beach I’m feeling pretty mellow and happy.

Here’s what else I was up to this week…

My shit

• How to Deal With a Friend Who Constantly Puts Their Partner Down ‘as a Joke’

And this week on the podcast, Sally and I talked about poems and poetry!

Reading

What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind, The Atlantic.

Families of High-Risk Children Despair Over Covid Resurgence, NYT.

How the Pandemic Now Ends, The Atlantic.

The Pain Was Unbearable. So Why Did Doctors Turn Her Away?, Wired.

The True Crime Junkies and the Curious Case of a Missing Husband, VICE.

I Took A Delta-8 Gummy Before Going On A Run. Things Got Weird — Really Weird, Refinery 29.

The intern who took over an office, the dragon pajamas, and other stories to cringe over/revel in, Ask a Manager.

Have a great week! ⛱

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Just Good Shit: 08.09.21

Hello! This post is coming to you a little later than usual because I was celebrating my birthday this weekend! On Saturday (my actual bday), my girlfriend organized a very lovely and mellow park hang with friends, which was perfect. Sunday we had a lazy day at home — we set up Supercouch, did a bunch of crossword puzzles, watched Gossip Girl, and ordered sushi. And today we booked a fall trip to Acadia National Park, which I am so, so excited about!

Here’s what else I had going on…

Reading

‘It has to be known what was done to us’: Natick couple harassed by eBay tell their story for the first time, Boston Globe.
This is wild.

I Was Part of the July Fourth Provincetown “Breakthrough” COVID Cluster. It’s Been a Sobering Experience., Slate.
“If being at the center of this latest chapter of the COVID story had chipped away at my trust in the CDC’s ever-evolving guidelines, it had also offered us gay men a glimpse of an important facet of our history, exemplified most powerfully in the legendary self-advocacy of ACT UP: playing armchair scientist when institutional and social knowledge isn’t there for us, when it breaks down.”

I went to a party with 14 other vaccinated people; 11 of us got COVID, The Baltimore Sun.

The Case Against Sticking The Landing, Defector.

­­The Olympic Gymnastics Event Finals Are Unsatisfying and Unsafe, Slate.

Who Owns Amanda Knox?, The Atlantic.

The $5,000 quest for the perfect butt, Vox.

The Woman Who Captured ‘Jaws,’ Then Worked to Undo the Damage, NYT. (gift link)

Goal Tending: The NBA Dropped the Ball with Two of Its New Head Coaches, Bitch.

The Best Smart Home Devices to Help Seniors Age in Place, Wirecutter.

The Parallel-Parking Job That Ignited the Internet, Curbed.

Have a good week! 🥳

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Just Good Shit: 08.01.21

Hello and happy August! (And happy Leo season to those who observe!) Here’s what I had going on this week…

My shit

• If One Person's Annoying Behavior Is Destroying Your Friend Group, Unionize

And the newest ep of Oh, I Like That is up!

Reading

This week I read Make It Nice, Dorinda Medley’s upcoming memoir, and found it interesting/charming! Also:

Your Vaccinated Immune System Is Ready for Breakthroughs, The Atlantic.

If We Must Wear Masks Again, We Need a Smart Approach, NYT. (gift link)
I found this article reassuring/informative after the news about Delta last week.

Simone Biles and the Weight of Perfection, NYT. (gift link)

Simone Biles and 'the twisties': How fear affects the mental health and physical safety of gymnasts, CNN.
“Gymnastics is obviously physically demanding with a high injury rate. But it is extremely difficult psychologically as well. Many of the skills could kill you.”

Was the Olympic Skateboarding Really as Unimpressive as It Seemed?, Slate.
The framing of this article is weirdly aggressive and annoying, BUT the info from the expert is genuinely interesting and useful if you watched skateboarding and had questions!

The Cursed Trick That Almost Cost Suni Lee a Gold Medal, Slate.

My Gender is Maximalism, Autostraddle.

The worst money we’ve ever spent, Vox.

How Berkeley Bowl cashiers memorize literally everything in their legendary produce department, SFGate.

‘Look at Me Like a Human Boy!’ An Oral History of Clifford, Vulture.
I loved this movie so so much as a kid and felt like no one else had ever even heard of it, so I was absolutely delighted to see this.

Watching

Along with the Olympics, I watched Zola and loved it. I followed it up with a profile about the woman behind the Twitter thread and a profile of the director (gift link).

Have a good week! 🌻

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Just Good Shit: 07.25.21

Hi! This week I made an incredible fruit crisp, got to see Sally in person for the first time since 2019, did my best to watch the Olympics (despite NBC’s seeming disinterest in me actually finding the stuff I want to watch????), and dyed my girlfriend’s armpit hair pink! Really good stuff all around. Here’s what else I had going on…

Reading

In line with my SATC rewatch, I read Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love, which is just a very fun/fascinating behind-the-scenes kind of book, with lots of things I didn’t know (and I know a decent amount because I owned Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell). This book was very, like, E! True Hollywood Story (and I mean that in a good way).

Also:

America Is Getting Unvaccinated People All Wrong, The Atlantic.

They Waited, They Worried, They Stalled. This Week, They Got the Shot., NYT. (gift link)

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Alabama doctor on treating unvaccinated, dying COVID patients, AL.com.

Meet the Young Adults Sneaking Behind Their Parents’ Backs to Get Vaccinated, Slate.

The Jessica Simulation: Love and loss in the age of A.I., San Francisco Chronicle.

“In 1934, My Life Snapped”, Slate.
Really tragic story of how a conservatorship was abused 90 years ago.

The Board Games That Ask You to Reenact Colonialism, The Atlantic.

If You Really Want A Dog, You Can Get A Damn Dog, Defector.

Among Mormon Women, Frank Talk About Sacred Underclothes, NYT. (gift link)

Alex Cooper Takes All, Bustle.

Welcome to the Queerest Olympics Ever, VICE.

I Will Explain This New Olympic Sport To You: Skateboarding, Defector.

First gay wedding day in N.Y., CBS News.
10 years ago today!

“Frog and Toad”: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love, The New Yorker.

Have a good week! 🥇

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Just Good Shit: 07.18.21

Hi! Another late one; this was a nice full weekend with a spontaneous beach trip, rooftop friend hang, and mah jongg tutorial from Terri. Here’s what else I had going on this week…

My shit

• Good summer hostess gifts (or, a mid-year just-because mini gift guide)

• How to Have a Great Summer if You Hate Summer

Reading

Flooding in Europe, in Pictures, NYT.

How Life Looks Through My ‘Whale Eyes’, NYT.

The Ethics of a Deepfake Anthony Bourdain Voice, The New Yorker.

How to Gracefully Turn Down Plans You Can’t Afford, The Cut.

Grossy's Guide to Being a Vacation House Mom, Grossy Pelosi.
I bought the smiley spoons and the juicer from this, and both are great. (The juicer works astonishingly well compared to our old one.)

How Coffin Flop’s Coffins Got Flopped, Vulture.

I’ve also been reading the OG Candace Bushnell Sex and the City essay book from 1996, because my girlfriend and I have been watching the HBO series. (She’s never seen it; I have, but I remember very little outside of Season 4, which I owned on DVD in college.) We’re currently in Season 3, and it’s all just…bleak! The book is similarly bleak. The writing is 25+ years old, so it makes sense that it feels really dated, but I was reading it at Riis yesterday and had this moment of, like, I can’t believe I’m reading this flatly homophobic text on the gay beach!!! Anyway, watching SATC, it’s helpful to me to remember that Candace Bushnell ran in the same circles as some of the women on Real Housewives of New York, and when you view them (and all these men) as part of the same universe, things start to make a lot more sense. Also, John Slattery as the piss politician was great and it’s so fucking funny that Carrie was so weird and dramatic about it!!!!!!!!

Have a good one! 🌃

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Good summer hostess gifts (or, a mid-year just-because mini gift guide)

Now that people in the U.S. are getting vaccinated and starting to see friends again, whether at dinner parties or for long weekends, I thought it might be a good time to share some nice little host/ess gifts to bring along for the ride.

To me, the best host gifts have an element of whimsy or play — i.e., they are things that people wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves (though you can/should buy these things for yourself), but will be delighted to have in their home. Below are some of my current favorite options, most of which are under $20.

Edible gifts

Pickles + a pickle fork.

I mentioned this elsewhere recently, but I’ve found that pickles make a great last-minute/unexpected addition to a buffet or snack spread, and a really good last-minute thing to bring to a party. I personally love the Claussen kosher dill pickles you can only find in the refrigerated section at grocery stores, but there’s also no shortage of fancy artisanal pickles on the market right now. In any case, this is one of the more casual items on the list, which is why the dedicated pickle fork is a nice addition. You could go with a classic silver ($9.45 for a set of two on Amazon) or one that can be strapped right on to the pickle jar ($8.99 on Amazon), which makes for an especially nice gift presentation. If you wanted to lean into the barbecue theme, you could do a pickle fork + dedicated potato chip tongs ($9.87 on Amazon) + a 12-pack of red plastic burger baskets ($10.97 on Amazon).

Triple cream brie + cheese vault.

Are you sensing a theme here? To me, food item + non-perishable food related gift is a golden combination! In this case, I was planning on just recommending the brie alone, but then I stumbled on this cheese vault ($34 from Food52), and, well, it felt like fate! Back to the brie for a second though: I first learned of it from my friend Emily Fleishaker, an excellent cook and host, who also happens to work for NYT Cooking. She served it to me once and I was immediately sold. Cheese shops should have at least one triple cream brie, as will Whole Foods, and it’s just so good and is genuinely gift-worthy. If you didn’t want to pair it with the cheese vault, some hot honey would also be nice.

Luxardo cherries.

Here’s how much I love these cherries: several years ago, I spent $99 on a 6-pound can of them, because that was the only way you could get them. Now, luckily, they’ve become a bit more mainstream, and you can get a jar that would fit on most bar carts for $24.99 on Amazon. I think the cherries stand alone quite well, but if you wanted to add a little something, search “vintage cocktail picks” on Etsy and find a set that matches your host’s interests/aesthetic.

Non-edible gifts

A little game you play with cards.

I’m very into little games you play with cards (as in, games you play with a unique deck and just that deck) right now, in part because they are easy to store and to bring along to a picnic or a house party or beach trip. Some options: The Bears and the Bees ($14.99 but currently on sale for $8.99), Sushi Go ($7.39), Strawberry Sunset ($12.95), and Anomia ($15.50) (+ review here). (Also, all of these aside from Anomia just require two players, which is nice!)

A good disposable camera.

Disposable cameras are a fun little treat that have been having a moment lately. I recently bought a bunch of LeBox 400 cameras for summer fun — apparently they take really good photos in general, but especially in very bright sunlight, which is ideal for the beach. (They also have a flash, so you can use them basically wherever.) Get one on Amazon for $15.79.

Some Dad Grass.

This is more of a gift you bring to share, imo, but you could also bring an extra pack to leave with your host at the end of the trip if they like it. It’s super mellow and not scary, which is exactly what I’m in the mood for these days. Get a pack of five joints from Dad Grass for $35. (BTW if you use this link, we’ll both get $10 off.) ☀️

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Just Good Shit: 07.11.21

Image: Kiyana Salkeld / Just Good Shit

Hello and happy July! I took last weekend off because my family was visiting and it was a holiday. Here’s what else I’ve got for you this week…

My shit

• Some of the Dumbest Things That Happened During Pride Month 2021

• A Few Small Tips for Throwing a Great Party This Summer

• Tomatoes!

And the latest ep of Oh, I Like That, “Queer Faves Grab Bag,” is live! (But FYI there will not be a new episode this upcoming week.)

Reading

I read Plain Bad Heroines on my Kindle and loved it so much that I immediately bought the hardcover version and am now re-reading it — that’s how much I enjoyed it! I also finished Something to Talk About, and now I’m reading We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers.

Also:

The Horror of Surfside, Slate.

Donald Rumsfeld, Killer of 400,000 People, Dies Peacefully, The Daily Beast.

How Twitter can ruin a life, Vox.

The Police Called It An Accident. She Turned to 1-800-Autopsy., NYT.

When Implicit Bias Training Antagonizes the Workers It’s Supposed to Help, VICE.

Where Jobless Benefits Were Cut, Jobs Are Still Hard to Fill, NYT.

‘I was drowning inside’: How the sports world failed when 3 Black women needed help, The 19th.

Is There a Right Way to Act Blind?, NYT Magazine.

How Vlogging Is Empowering a New Generation of Stutterers, Catapult.

Can I Sit Here? | Let's Chat About Seating for Fat Folks, Marielle Elizabeth.

What happens when we die, Sick Note.

This Moth’s Name Is a Slur. Scientists Won’t Use It Anymore., NYT.

The Subversive Joy of Lil Nas X’s Gay Pop Stardom, NYT.

The Lesbian Strippers Changing the Game of Male Exotic Dancing, Slate.

Note: All NYT links are “gift links,” which means they will not count against your 10-articles-a-month total.

Watching

I Think You Should Leave, the first episode of which had me fully crying laughing. The Coney Island episode of Defunctland, which was great, especially because we watched it right before going to Coney Island. And 9 to 5, which I’ve somehow never seen before and is… not a movie about unionizing (at least not in the traditional sense), as I’d always assumed!!!

Have a good one! 🍦

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Tomatoes!

I’ve had tomatoes on my mind since a friend shared this New Yorker cartoon that has the caption, “Summer’s here. Do you want to start talking incessantly about tomatoes or corn?”

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A post shared by The New Yorker (@newyorkermag)

While I don’t truly love tomatoes like some people do, I realized there’s a handful of tomato-centric recipes that I really like, and that I figured are worth re-upping as tomato season approaches!

First, there’s this Claire Lower/Lifehacker post that is nothing short of life-changing: Marinate Your Tomatoes for Extra Flavorful BLTs. I can’t say with 100% confidence that this will make even tomato-haters like tomatoes, but I do think if you’re not, like, actively repulsed by tomatoes, this marinade might be enough to get you to a place of real enjoyment. I made a batch of these last night and even though the tomatoes I got aren’t even that good, they were still great! (I’m extra thrilled because I just bought a bottle of the much-loved Kewpie mayo, making these BLTs even more special.)

Next, up: Nora Ephron’s tomato sauce, via Kelsey Miller/A Cup of Jo. After I read this for the first time, I went on a farmers market trek to find the perfect tomatoes, and when I finally secured them and made the recipe, it did not disappoint. I’m looking forward to making this one in August…it’s not time just yet.

Moving on to cherry tomatoes…I love the roasted tomato, feta, and chickpea mix in this recipe.

Finally, if you can’t choose between tomatoes or corn, I humbly suggest NYT Cooking’s summer shrimp scampi with tomatoes and corn. We use canned corn for this, and have made it without the shrimp on several occasions, and always get great results. 🍅

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