Saturday Morning Cartoons #108
Not-So-Master Debaters
Good morning, fam!
Hope you all had a good week.
By this point, I’m sure you either witnessed Thursday night’s shit show first hand or have heard the endless breakdowns and recaps all alluding to the same sad truth: the US of A is being fought over by two geriatrics who would rather argue over who has the bigger “golf club.”
While I go rethink my whole “staying sober” thing, check out this week’s recs.
Pause your Google search for “cheap flights to Canada,” stop scrolling debate memes on Instagram, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
Time travel romance. Espionage. Workplace comedy. After reading The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, I realized this book really did have a little bit of everything. I really enjoyed her tone and dialogue between the main two characters but the end did feel a teeny bit rushed. (★★★••)
While enjoying a night in, I finally watched Problemista on Hulu and in true A24 fashion, it was weird, quirky, and surreal. An aspiring toy designer from El Salvador is is forced to rely on a very problematic art critic (Tilda Swinton) to renew his work visa. Definitely worth a watch! (★★★★•)
We saw Inside Out 2 at Alamo and it was glorious. This time around, Riley is going through puberty and she faces a new set of emotions. After seeing how Pixar personified anxiety and showing how it can take over someone’s life, I silent sobbed my eyes out. Ya’ll, mental health is important. (★★★★★)
For movie night we made the questionable decision to watch the entire Presidential Debate. After watching Biden and Trump stumble back and forth for 90 minutes, I think it’s clear that not only did neither of them win — we all lost. Max age limit, anyone? Check out this brutally honest recap from Pod Save America.(★••••)
Thanks to some peer pressure on Insta, I downloaded Animal Well and I’m hooked. It’s a dark, vibey 8-bit side scroller with puzzles that are deeply maddening. We’ll see if I feel any different next week. (★★★★•)
After hearing a lot of hype, we tried Akar for date night and it was…underwhelming. I really don’t complain often but the service was meh, the vibes felt a little chaotic, and the food left a lot to be desired (the Short Ribs and Duck and both tasted like something you could get anywhere). Probably won’t be going back anytime soon. (★★•••)
Time for #coffeetalk: While doing some writing last weekend at Sump Coffee, I tried their Oranges & Spice and it was downright delightful. It has espresso, orange, cinnamon, chai, and oat milk over ice. I then got their Arbegona Pourover from Ethiopia and it was real tasty. Sump doesn’t miss. (★★★★•)
In attempt to get better sleep and stave off an inevitable nose job, I started using these Intake Breathing Strips and this SnoreRx Mouthguard. I think both are helping but there’s been a lot of trial and error. There are hella scams online, so if you’re also looking for sleep apnea fixes, make sure to do some homework. (★★★••)
Abby and I split this Honey Mama’s Lavender Rose Cocoa Truffle Bar and it was scrumtrulescent. Bonus! It’s paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and has no refined sugar, which sounds sus but makes it that much better. (★★★★•)
Yesterday, I wrapped up a call with my editor (Thanks, Jason!) and for my newest book update, I wanted to share some of the lessons I learned.
You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.
Cheers,
Billy