Friday Five: October 18, 2024

Hi friends! Writing to you from London where I’m doing a quick stint as a culinary apprentice here - maybe I’ll write more on that at some point but it’s been full on and an intense learning experience. Before we get into our Friday Five, you might notice a bit of a new look to Consumed! I’ve been working with the brilliant graphic designer Ghazal Foroutan on a new look and feel for this newsletter as well as my website and it’s been a joy working with her. I’m still getting the hang of how to use and share all of these images but there will be a cute lil reveal up on my IG soon. If you have graphic design needs, Ghazal is your girl! I only wish I had more projects to work with her on because I love her style so much.

Now, let’s get into five bits of joy and catharsis from across the digital universe:

Song: Going with a Brit pop throwback this week because a version of this song has been all over my For You page (more on that next). This song is giving me white Craig David vibes after the early 2000s, and I mean that as a compliment. I find myself singing the hook three times a day and you deserve to have this bop in your head too.

TikTok Series of the Moment: Thank you to Sadie, the Gen Zer on my team, I’ve become a stan of Brian Jordan Alvarez, who is a triple threat: actor, comedian, and overall lovely seeming human. His videos are silly yet addicting, which now include a series of him dancing to the aforementioned song. I’ve been watching these like a baby watching videos of dancing fruit. I want to be hooked up to an iPad playing them on a loop with massive headphones and no one in sight. I don’t know why they are so silly while also feeling very soothing? I love that they’re taken in broad daylight, in public, on the streets of New York, in the airport, driving in a car — there’s no limit to where this guy will buss down. I love it, tell me I’m not alone.

@brianjordanalvarezWow

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@brianjordanalvarez @brianjordanalvarez ♬ afilmbykirk - ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

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Show: I just finished up watching “The Other Two” and I regret being so late to the game. It’s three seasons of 20-some minute episodes that are easy to binge and hilarious. My favorite character of all is Shuli (played by icon Wanda Sykes), who plays an incredible publicist — she steals every scene she’s in and makes me cackle. For a lil taste of the show, here’s a preview:

Sticker Set I Wish I Had: In a new, unprecedented category for Consumed, I found this sticker sheet online and I’m in love. I think the overall theme Miss Piggy as academic superstar and as someone who was a ‘joy to have in class,’ I absolutely adore it. From her daydreaming of Kermit at her desk to cheerleading for herself to karate chopping some books, Miss Piggy can do it all. And she vaguely reminds me of young Hillary Clinton in the ‘Brains are Beautiful’ sticker??

Anyway, Madame Piggy’s range is something for all of us to marvel over. Were any of you consumers the sort of kid who saved up good stickers for something special or felt they were too precious to use? I was, and my anxiety diagnosis makes a lot more sense now. Use the good stickers if you’ve still got ‘em for some inner child healing. I have placed a few on a water bottle and it brings me a bit of joy.

Joyful Internet Content:

Ambiguous ending,

Roya