Recently Enjoyed Things | June 28, 2024

A few things I enjoyed recently that maybe you will too.

Earlier this week, I stumbled on a farewell post from someone who apparently shares the same feelings I do (we all do?): discouragement. She commented on her subscriber count and that it just doesn’t make sense to keep writing here. Fair enough. My eyes bugged out of my head when I saw how many subscribers this person has because wow…to me it looks like a lot. But everything is subjective, which got me thinking.

I find myself wallowing often in the “what’s the point of this” even as I diligently tap tap tap away on a newsletter every week. But then I think of the fervor I did it with when I had 2 subscribers, and 10 and so on. The point of this is that I enjoy it and so I carry on. I’m frankly grateful anyone wants to read what I write. But, there was something comforting about reading about someone else, with literal thousands of subscribers, feeling the same sense of ennui. I tend to think that if I had this success or that success, everything else would just fall in line, but it seems like actually we’re just emotional cucumbers no matter what our success level is. Still susceptible to feelings of inadequacy and despair. I don’t wish those feelings on anyone, but misery loves company, and it’s comforting to hear that for all of us, occasionally anxiety takes control of the console. Maybe we all wonder, what’s the point of all this?

So thank you for coming here and reading. Thank you for subscribing - I get a true jolt when a subscription notification lands in my inbox. “What’s the point of this” hasn’t taken my spark just yet and all those little hearts, and shares, and whatnot help stoke the fire. I appreciate you.

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But first, some housekeeping: there’s some affiliate links in here. But aren't they everywhere? Anyway, if you click on something and buy it, I might earn a commission at no cost to you.

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Recently Enjoyed

Reading

I’m passionate about reading and sharing books that are readily available at your library and don’t feature a waitlist 47 people long. So these are rarely new, hot releases, but if you’re intrigued, there’s a good chance for instant gratification at your library.

• ⭐ A Carnival of Snackery - David Sedaris // WHAT A DELIGHT! Last summer, I discovered Sedaris, promptly falling in literary love. I spent all of Q3 buying and reading his entire catalog, culminating in seeing him speak live at Interlochen in the fall. Since then, each time I go to our local thrift bookstore, I check to see if there’s anything I haven’t read, and no luck since last year. This weekend, I struck gold. Carnival of Snackery is a collection of David’s diary entries. Quick snippets, but a giant tome overall, and so delightfully hilarious.

• Mean Baby - Selma Blair // I started this a few days before Carnival, so I’m chugging through both. I’m not too far in, so I’ll hold my opinion until I finish, but I’ll say it’s going to have a tough time taking my attention away from David Sedaris. This one might wait on the bedside table for a few days.

• Make it Fancy - Brandon Skier // I love to peruse cookbooks and I picked this beauty up from the library this week. It is definitely fancy food, but I was surprised that it wasn’t entirely complicated. I’m probably not making any of the boujee recipes, but I sure did enjoy paging through it.

Watching

• Inside Out 2 // Joy is back at the wheel, guiding Riley’s emotions and things seem to being going fine, until an alarm marked “puberty” starts going off. With it comes new emotions, like ennui, envy, embarrassment, and of course, anxiety, who is a little power hungry. I loved it. My 7-year old loved it. It felt like a great illustration of how anxiety can sometimes take over.

• Remembering Gene Wilder - Netflix // Very good! I am most familiar with Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka, but really enjoyed learning more about his life. And commenting over and over, “that guy from The Bear really looks like him. Like really, really.”

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Shopping

• 🇺🇸 Fourth of July things with full summer longevity as we coast straight into summer Olympics later in the month. I like this hat, this crewneck sweatshirt, and duh, this Bubly flavor that I don’t shut up about.

  • Everything else: Fourth of July picks that will serve all summer long

• ⭐ Loop Engage Earplugs - Amazon // I left my AirPods at my sister’s house last weekend and we live 2 hours apart, so it may be a few weeks before I collect them back. I don’t want to buy another set, but Jesus, do I need some quiet. Enter the Loop earplugs, which are marketed to parents (!!!) to subtly take things down a notch. I’m going to admit the thing you’re not supposed to suggest about motherhood: sometimes kids voices are freaking annoying and they never stop talking and you’d just like to make dinner in peace. I’m not saying anyone should tune out their kids, but making those voices just a little quieter is a god-send.

• Real Simple Magazine Subscription // A little summer treat. 16 year old me always thought a magazine subscription was a rich person thing, and guys, it’s not. I paid $10 for a full year. But the luxury still feels rich and I love looking forward to mail day. PS I wound up ordering Travel + Leisure and Food and Wine as well.

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Recent Saves

Timely advice.

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3 Things

With no summer vacations lined up because I’m poor in PTO days, I’m searching for alternative ways to make summer feel special. Three things I’m doing to pretend I’m on vacation when I’m very definitely not.

1 // Eat as many meals outside as possible. Sitting outside just does something for my mood, and dinner-outside-season is a short one, so I’m going all in for as long as I can. I’ll be perched up at this bistro table on my front porch until further notice, and definitely asking for a table outside whenever I go out.

2 // Enjoy Summer Events. Movie nights with themed snacks at home (Parent Trap with peanut butter and Oreos, anyone?). Or going to local community events, like Music in the Park on Thursday. Trivia night at a dive bar on a weekend night.

⭐ 3 // 5pm Cut-off. I’m talking slam the laptop shut and run out the door. Grab a cooler of drinks and be on a beach by 5:15. I let my work creep past 5pm regularly in the winter, but in the summer, that time is mine.

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Sending You on Your Way

(Interesting things I found on the internet this week)

• ⭐ Bringing those vacation feelings home with you from

  amelia wilson

• Nobody takes fewer days off than Americans. If I may add my editorial opinion: we get the fewest days off too, and I’m frankly scared to waste mine (what if I need PTO for a sick kid?!) Having so few to begin with may be the root of the problem.

• Social Media Influencers Aren’t Getting Rich. Thoughts? I sure have a few.

• ⭐ The Best Olympic Outfits of All Time. Lol at the cowboy year.

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Last Week - In case you missed it:

Enjoying the small things (a Costco hotdog for instance), all the summer shoes I am allegiant to, and finally, a bold statement given how early it is in the season, but I am confident I have found the drink of summer.

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PS -

I’d love to see you over on Instagram. You can find me at recentlyenjoyedthings.

I’m also talking books, beauty, and style over at recentlyenjoyedthings.com

Here’s a few things I wrote about recently:

• Summer Weekend Must Haves

• ⭐ 🇺🇸 Fourth of July Must Haves - am I talking about that Bubly flavor again? You know it.

• Everything I liked and recommended, all in one place.

And if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, would you consider subscribing? I aim for one newsletter a week, and usually on Friday, so if I may be so bold, it’s a lovely treat for you inbox, just before the weekend.