Good morning!
Welcome to Issue 35.5 of Digestable, your daily mouthful of real things happening in the world, minus alarmist pandemic news.
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Today’s news, fermented:
Hellooooo and goodbye!
After 35 weeks of Digesting every morning, I’m about to take a much-needed break. Doing a zillion things is something I like about myself, but this ‘endless capacity no rest’ vibe is also definitely related to the white supremacy culture we still must root out of our internal and external practices.
So, hold onto your hats, try to make responsible decisions about how much news you do or do not consume, and we’ll be back on November 23rd.
Here’s a pic of next-week me as a gator, the woods as a crosswalk, and the internet and everyone I usually talk to as the rest of the road. Till soon!
DJ M0RO’s low-key Music Show
Everything is a lot right now and I’ve just been trying to enjoy all the musical parody of t**mp’s “administration” the internet will allow.
But that can only go on for so long because even the mention of facsism makes me tired. So i’ve been filling my ears with aptly named duo THE ANXIETY and their debut album which explores mental health struggles while also providing some audio catharsis for those of us who struggle with our minds.
And how about this new single Wish You Were Gay by Bill Callahan, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Sean O’Hagan? So psychedelic and groovy and also strange but like in the best way. Fabulous title - more songs about this subject plz and thanks. Am I going to make this my alarm sound tomorrow morning? Probably yes.
And if ever I am to calm my anxiety or want to feel better, really all I need to do is turn on some Overcoats, and their new song is wonderful medicine. Ironically this one advocates for “no alarms and no surprises” so actually this one will be my bedtime song, making me dream of a future where alarms are abolished. I’d just like to sleep in forever okay?
And to end on a more serious note, though only as much as John’s infectious underhanded humor will allow, I’ll conclude with a conclusion that’s hard but real. We lost a great this year and I honor and cherish all that John Prine continues to teach me, as his music marches on in this remastering.
Caro's Advice Corner
Dear Caro,
What are some activities I can do to regulate my blood pressure after the last hell of a week?
Sincerely,
Still weirdly anxious
Dear Still weirdly anxious,
Well, let me start by saying that you have every right to still be slightly anxious. Joe Biden taking the presidency is not magically going to erase this white supremacist system that is currently fucntioning in the United States. On top of that we have a fascist that is refusing to leave office, and we have run off senate elections in Georgia that will determine who controls the senate (eek!!).
OK follow my lead here….take a deep breath in….another one out...and do this maybe five more times. Still weirdly anxious, in order to address all that I mentioned above, we must first care and give love and compassion to ourselves. Which is why I love your question. Movements do not grow without it’s folks deeply caring for themselves, which in turns helps them deeply care for others. So here are some self love tips to ease that anxiety:
Medidate: Yeah yeah, I know this is like the most annoying anxiety reducing advice of all time. Most of us hear it all the time, “meditate to reduce stress,” “meditate to reduce anxiety,” and as annoying as this advice might be, I have to admit, it works for some, including myself. I’m pretty sure I even gave this advice to our last submitter (whops). Anyways, check out this free spotify mediating playlist! These specifically focus on guided meditations with river noises as your background (I mean how relaxing is that!?).
Go for walks often! I really slipped on this for a while, especially once the weather started getting a little colder here in Boston. But I really will never underestimate the power of a good walk to calm my nerves. Getting your body up and moving can help release the tension it might have been holding while you’re sitting on your computer all day, doom scrolling through twitter.
Call someone you love: this is once I have recently been practicing myself. When I get anxious, I get really really in my head, and it can be difficult to leave that place sometimes. Reaching out to a close friend or family member is a great way to sort of get out of your own head. I call my mom, who usually has nothing but wonderful things to tell me, and always makes me feel really centered and balanced. For me, this is a really grounding exercise, I make sure to shower that person with extra love, which always truly fills my heart.
Turn off your phone and computer! this one is extremely important. If you have the ability to, log off for a half hour or an hour. I know that one of the biggest sources of my anxiety is being on the internet ALL DAY LONG. So shut it down. Pick up a book you know will take you out of your here and now mindset. Sometimes just taking a much needed break is all you need to start feeling a bit more yourself again.
Take a nice long, warm shower or bath: ahhh this is one of my favorites. When I am feeling ~extra~ worked up, which is like every other day at this point, I like to give myself a little spa treatment. Now sadly I don’t have a tub, but taking a nice long shower, getting some salt scrub to exfoliate my skin, really caring and holding my body, helps tremendously. When I say love yourself, I also mean touch and give yourself the love you deserve! I usually follow up with a facemask, I’ll use a foam roller and really massage my muscles to relax. To top it off, I usually make some herbal tea, kick back and either put on a mindless show or whip out a book again.
Still weirdly anxious, this world is rough. White supremacy is taxing on all of our bodies, and we must use radical self love and radical love for others to protect our precious energies and to be able to continue to participate in its dismantling. I hope you are able to use some of these tips to do just that!
With love,
Caro
*Hot Goss*
Brought to you by the superb Latifah Azlan.
If you've had any sort of contact with me this year, you know how much of a shitty start I got to 2020. I think i've even written about it in this column a few times, which, yes, I'm tired of talking about it too but I'll continue milking my trauma for the next month and a half because it's about the only thing of note that has happened to me this year. If Taylor Swift can write albums about her heartbreak, I can use mine for fodder for this column, mmkay?
I bring all of this up yet again now because Cazzie David, daughter of comedian Larry David and a talented creator in her own right, has been making headlines lately due to the release of her new book, No One Asked For This.To promote the book, Cazzie sat down for an interview with the LA Times and among other things, she talks about her dad, her essay collection, and her past relationship with comedian Pete Davidson. So I didn't know this but prior to his high-profile relationship with singer Ariana Grande, Pete and Cazzie actually dated for a long time. Like almost three years long. And by Cazzie's account, the relationship was an extremely passionate one, with the pair being absolutely infatuated with one another.
During their relationship, Pete got multiple tattoos that reminded him of Cazzie, including her initials on his ring finger (eye roll). But infatuation can be just as toxic as it is reaffirming, and Cazzie eventually built up the courage to leave Pete after months of pondering the option, although she immediately regretted the decision and called Pete to reconcile, which he rebuffed, telling her he was the "happiest he had ever been." And so it was, until two days later, when Pete officially ended things between the two of them with a text message, and Cazzie found out through Instagram that Pete had covered up his tattoos of her and was now seeing Ariana Grande.
Cazzie was distraught. But i won't let my words speak for her experience. Instead, I'm just going to present this ~*Hot Goss*~ without commentary:
Really, nothing I say will do justice to that vivid imagery of Cazzie and Larry David crying to and yelling at each other over Pete Davidson. And truthfully, if i had been a public wreck to my father earlier this year, he probably would have reacted similarly: exasperated and perplexed over the histrionics. I don't know how dads do it to be honest. They'll completely emotionally disengage with you when you need it most but will randomly come home from work one day with three boxes of mangosteens because "it's your favorite fruit, right?" It isn't, dad, but I appreciate the thought and care and effort that you've put into this gesture. Plus, mangosteens are delicious, so I'll take it.
Digestable will be away for an entire week while Lena gets in their much deserved rest and relaxation. I'll miss all of you and will be bursting at the seams to talk about all the goss that will (or not) happen in the next seven days! In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter for more dissociative thoughts, hot takes, and shitposts if you'd like. Take care of yourselves and we'll catch up on ~*Hot Goss*~ again soon!