#12: how basic are you
and my obsession with celebrities
hi hi hi sisters ♡ CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT IT IS DECEMBER?!??! because I can’t. my brain is having an incredibly hard time wrapping around that concept. like sir, when did that happen?
but with december starting means that there are SO many fun holiday things in the city to explore. christmas markets to go to, decorated store fronts and trees, lights everywhere, and so much more! I just have to get through finals to be able to enjoy it all. so until those are done, I will be honoring the holiday spirit through our cute living room decorations of lights and stockings and bows and candles, maybe with a simmering poupori pot as well.
nice long chats with friends. I got breakfast with my friend Kayla on thursday and my friend Rachel on sunday. and in both instances we just chatted for three hours, and truly the time flew bye. there is something so special in the moments where you can sit and gab with a friend and go from topic to topic to topic and still feel like you could have so much more to talk about that you end up planning another hang out within a couple of days.
movies: I somehow watched 4 movies this week, which I am kinda surprised about. I watched over the hedge, a 2006 classic that was really fun to watch as an adult. porco rosso, a studio ghibli film that I always overlooked because theres a pig in an airplane on the movie poster and that always deterred me, BUT i’m mad I never saw it until now because it is so good. I also just am falling so in love with all of Miyazaki’s films and I love everything he stands for. I watched charlie and the chocolate factory (the Johnny Depp one, not Gene Wilder). and its so kooky and colorful, but I love it. I want to watch willy wonka and the chocolate factory to get the full effect before Wonka (with Timothee Chalamet) comes out in a couple of weeks. alyssa and I went to see dream scenario that stars Nicholas Cage. its a movie where this very ordinary middle aged man starts appearing in people’s dreams, like complete strangers even, and he has to deal with virality and the repercussions that come along with that. it was kinda meh, but like not awful, just a little boring.
what a week for movies
music: in case you live under a rock, spotify wrapped came out (and apply music replay did as well- REPRESENTATION MATTERS) and surprise surprise Taylor Swift was my (and every other person on my instagram) top artist of the year. and its okay to be basic. taylor swift has SO MUCH MUSIC its nearly impossible to avoid having her be a top artist. even if you listen to each of her albums once, you will have over 10 hours of music to listen to. but my other top artists included Lizzy McAlpine, Alexandre Desplat (I love his scores for movies), Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter. apple music gave us the top 15 of each category- artist, song, album, which was a fun little change. i’m this close to using spotify in 2024 for my podcasts because I want to know how many minutes I listen to podcasts a year.
in my mind: i’m slowly getting bjørn on the “bluey is amazing and not just for children train” and its so working. we watched a couple of episodes the other night and he was crying hehe (the episode that made us cry was squash, and it talks about sibling relationships). I love bluey and I thought this article was really interesting because one episode of bluey is not allowed on disney+…
in my stomach: I had a delicious breakfast burrito/wrap this week up in washington heights. it had chorizo, scrambled egg, cheese, avocado, and a yummy spicy mayo. I also went to Rubirosa with my friend Maggie. its a restaurant that i’ve been wanting to try for forever, and i’m so glad I went. the pizza was delicious and the crust was so thin, honestly some of the thinnest crust ive had in a long time, but they made it perfectly. the sauces were vodka, red, and pesto and it was perfect combo.
for a lot of my adult life (which I have just under a decade of) i’ve always been very interested and intrigued by celebrity culture. and maybe that stems from watching TMZ in high school with my dad or maybe it comes from social media and the ability to observe celebrities in a somewhat micro level. nonetheless, I am fascinated with celebrities and sometimes without even trying, I am consuming lots of information of so many people and am somehow “in the know” with pop culture updates and news. and for some reason I have felt a lot of shame around this recently. pop culture and more “female-focused” interests, I feel like, are sometimes frowned upon for not being as “intellectual” or informative or involving geo-political issues and conflicts. I think this quote really drives the narrative that pop culture isnt important:
"great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." -eleanor roosevelt
like WHAT THE HECK, that makes me feel so so so crappy about being interested in pop culture
my thoughts behind this have really spiraled (not in a bad way, but I guess cumulated would be a better world) because I read the interview that jennifer lawrence did with kylie jenner (alyssa warning there is a snake photo that pops up). this interview was so fun to see two celebrities that are in very different social realms, in my mind, interact in a candid environment. and it reminded me of the interview that harry styles did with timothee chalamet ♡ I think its so fun to see these celebrities interact and to see a glimpse into their lives and conversations with one another.
I was discussing this insecurity of being interested in pop culture and almost feeling “dumb” because of it to a friend of mine this week and it was really nice to hear from her how being interested in pop culture doesnt mean i’m not smart (which like duh I know but still nice to hear) and that being interested in pop culture is actually very important because it drives and shapes the world around us. and I really enjoyed this quote from the lovely google
“pop culture brings positivity to our society by promoting diversity, raising awareness of important issues, inspiring individuals, fostering creativity, and contributing to economic growth. It has the power to unite people, encourage positive change, and provide enjoyment in our daily lives”
I think a lot of good can come from pop culture and being aware of “that world” around us as well. while yes it is so critically important to be aware of geo-political issues that are happening, I think it is also important to know what is going on in the pop culture world as it impacts the geo-political issues as well. I think that is why there are classes at big universities discussing taylor swift. she as a pop star, is making impacts and teaching valuable lessons that can be learned at a college level course, there’s even a law school teaching a legal class on taylor swift. its so fascinating how pop culture really does drive the world around us.
tiktok: anti-summer girls rise up; long live Kevin, and now he has a star; okay but why was this man dubbed in sound of music, his voice is so lovely it is making me tear up
pinterest: major mood
instagram: he’s starting to look grown up and its making me so emotional, also I wish I was at a premiere because his fits are incredible; Barbie is now on streaming, particularly on United; maybe one day
okay that was long, but I just love typing and sharing and writing and I am so happy that there are people like you that read what I write and create. I love you guys so so so much and am so grateful for you!! hope you all have a great week
xoxo,
your big sis, kaitlynn
ty for the snake warning<3