Morning,
This song is on repeat. It’s essentially about the decisions of older people affecting future generations. Did not make it to Spotify Wrapped. I feel like the novelty has waned.
I had to muster a lot of energy to get this newsletter out today. It’s been a very non-routine week and has thrown a wrench to my schedule and productivity.
Last week, I went to a gay bar in the village and I think I kind of liked it. However there are more caveats than one should have to like something as simple as going to a gay bar. I truly believe that every city needs to have some form of safe neighbourhood for the LGBTQ+ community. I often find it conflicting just how pedestrian it actually is.
Starting with the music, it’s just top 40. There’s nothing more to it. It makes the gays (and the straights) very happy. Dua Lipa for the masses. It’s easy and digestible and it’s for everyone. The drinks are fine. Your typical bar rail and domestic beers. At least they’re affordable. $40 gets you 4 drinks, with tip. An elderly man offered to pay for Daniel’s round but he declined not to take advantage of the lonely senior. He’s so kind. Finally, the people. They are pretty boring. You have the basic twink. The generic twunk. The muscle gay who’s shirt is too small and short sleeve sits right above the bicep. Everyone just displayed their personality on their sleeve.
About five to nine drinks in (I couldn’t keep track), I was having a great time. I was in a room full of queer people dancing away to said Australian singer singing Levitating. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Even the twink I saw who had to be carried out and somehow made it back in. While pedestrian, gay bars are also very camp. If you can embrace the camp, it’s a really good time for everyone. :)
Homosexual Agenda
Heavily contemplated cancelling New York Magazine (they sent out this really unappealing subscriber gift guide that felt more capitalistic than genuine), but ultimately renewed because there was a special for the annual subscription. $35USD converted to $48CAD. Ugh.
The Great Places Erased by Suburbia (the Third Place) at Not Just Bikes. I am interested in further exploring this topic in a future newsletter.
The French baguette has received a Unesco heritage status. Now sacrilegious to own a baguette lamp.
The anti-aging discourse is getting strong. Last week was Haley Nahman and now Mina Le’s the scam of anti-aging also discusses, you guessed it, botox.
While all the attention has been on billionaire Elon Musk, I did not forget about the atrocities of billionaire Jeff Bezos. Today, We Need to Make Amazon Pay at Jacobin. // Amazon made $33.3 billion in profit in 2021, but it won’t pay its workers a fair share. Amazon also undermines our governments’ capacities to fight the cost-of-living crisis. Amazon avoided $5.2 billion in US corporate federal income taxes in 2021.
Additional reading: Jeff Bezos’s Charitable Giving Is Another Billionaire Scam also at Jacobin. All philanthropy from rich people and corporations are a scam. I work in non-profit, I know. They just want a tax receipt (to ultimately pay less taxes!!) and recognition for their altruism.
The new rule of five at It’s Not Sustainable with Tiffanie Darke. Turns out my own 5 item, per season (spring/summer and fall/winter), rule is not even sustainable. Actually, though, the last thing I purchased was the Margiela sneakers in July. So, I am 99% positive I have only purchased like 3-4 pieces this year. I shop so little I should remember. Looks like next year it’s 5 items only which honestly I have already normalized.
Finally, this is what you really came for right? I object to this data (but will admit Japanese Breakfast was a big summer bop) because it didn’t account for the endless hours of listening to Lykke Li’s Eyeye album and the potential listening hours of Weyes Blood’s And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Two of my top albums of 2022.
Is this the last newsletter of the year? I hope you are on edge.
Perry