It’s weird, funny, and hard to be your own editor all the time. I think I read this newsletter enough before publishing, I’ll re-read it a few times after publishing, and then without fail I’ll catch a small error in my writing. Substack gives me all sorts of statistics on readership, and some of you (Josie) read this newsletter more than I do, which I thought was impossible. Thank you for being here with me and welcome back to the Friday Five, a soothing roundup for our weary minds. You’re getting this a day earlier than normal, read through to find out why.
Small Task: I disabled push notifications for Instagram and Twitter on my phone, which makes me use those apps less and not feel compelled to respond to those annoying little pings that interrupt the day!
I’ve also now deleted the Twitter app from my phone as I finally start to realize how overwhelming it can be. I barely tweet and when I do it looks like this (see below) so I don’t think I’ll miss much — maybe this will get me to delete the app entirely! It might sound silly, but these tiny tasks have given me more relief than I expected.
Song: This week’s song is largely the reason you’re getting this email on a Thursday evening. It’s a moody song that’s better suited for nighttime (or a walk first thing in the AM if you’re reading this abroad — shout out to the international consumers, I love you!). Kelsey Lu’s haunting, transcendent cover of 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love” is so dreamlike, so ethereal, that I’m utterly consumed by it.
One listening suggestion, particularly if it’s your first time hearing it: put on headphones, turn on noise cancelling if you have that option, turn the sound up to a comfortably loud level, lay down in a comfy spot, and let the song wash over you (preferably in the evening!). I now want to listen to every cover of this song (Local Natives has a good one!), but nothing quite matches this. I’m desperate for a dreamy, acoustic guitar cover of this next, or a James Blake or Bon Iver version…
Movie: Please watch Everything Everywhere All At Once... in theatres, at your earliest convenience. I won’t share any commentary beyond that, don’t read up on it beforehand, just go with an open mind and savor every little detail you can.
Artist: Leanne Gan is a Brooklyn-based illustrator and designer who creates beautiful prints with a purpose, raising money for important causes, community groups, and charities in the process. And that’s her side hustle: she’s also a designer for the ACLU! I thoroughly enjoy following her and I’m excited to buy one of her stunning pieces.
Joyful Internet Content: Substack has figured out how to embed TikToks in posts now, so prepare to be sick of me. TikTok is the one social network that consistently gives me joy, so this week’s roundup will be exclusively from there.
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Leaving my retainer at home,
Roya