I took a longer break between posts than I intended to but listen, August chewed me up and spat me back out and when it ended, I felt like I needed a couple of weeks to stitch myself back together. It was not a month that I enjoyed. As discussed, this is something that happens on an annual basis. I've collaborated with friends and colleagues on the last few Five Things editions, but I was too distracted by the doldrums of the eighth month to arrange a collaborator for this, our tenth edition. 

But. I started this column (ha!) as a "what didn't make me lose my mind" sort of exercise, and there is no time I needed that more than I did the last month, so let's get on with it. 

1. I have a deep-seated¹ suspicion of Tom Cruise (Scientology), but thanks in large part to his enduring love of film as a medium and as an art form, for the life of me I cannot let go of my last dredges of sympathy — dare I even say tenderness? — for him. Like, put him and Nicole Kidman in a burning house and I'd save Nic and her unflappable Australian accent twice but this is a man who understands that if nobody got him, films do. I've found that disturbingly relatable recently, so let me tell you that I rewatched The Emperor's New Groove (2000) a couple of weeks ago and felt reborn (you must read the film's oral history), and watched His Three Daughters (2023) this past weekend and was destroyed (complimentary). The latter will be out on Netflix later this month, but if you can, grab a friend you don’t mind crying beside (this friend can be yourself) and go watch it in theaters! It's a sparse, relatively short movie with a stellar script and even better performances from its three leads. (After watching it, read this Vanity Fair interview with Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne.)

2. I was back in New York for a few days last week² and as a girl who's been in South Florida for three months, my little trip made me absolutely feral for autumn. And sure, I may have worn sweaters that have no business being worn until at least mid-October, but no one can say I did not commit to the theme, the theme being A Chill in the Air. A crisp early morning walk, second coffee of the day in hand, Hozier singing through my headphones? You don't understand, I was l-i-v-i-n. My annual Practical Magic (1998) rewatch may have moved up to September.

3. Speaking of Hozier, his Unreal Unearth will most likely be my most listened-to album this year (as it was in 2023), which is something I'll need to unpack at a later, less mentally fraught period of my life, but last week I went on a million little walks and listened to Paris Paloma’s new album Cacophony and had myself A Time!!! I love my little playlists, but one of my most boomer-like complaints is that we no longer listen to albums the way they're meant to be listened to — in the order presented to us by the artist, in full, to appreciate their intended themes in their entirety. None of this shuffle business, not on a first or second or even third listen. I've been a fan of Paris's since 2022's "fruits;" then last year "labour" came to dominate my walk-centric playlists, but this entire album, released last week, delivers from top to bottom. My new favorite is "drywall." Best for those of us who had a slight obsession with Florence’s Dance Fever, listen to this album when you're feeling moody and slightly violent, which is about to be all the time (autumn).

4. My fellow newsletter-havers have also delivered recently! Be advised for some soft listicles and diary entries ahead. :) As someone who spends a lot of time on the Internet, I very much appreciated Elle's "we have forgotten how to be kind;" as femicide continues its devastation in the United States and around the world³, I appreciated eve's "they still hate us" and Mona Eltahawy's "Home is Where the Hurt is;" as my frustration with this election cycle has risen, I devoured P.E. Moskowitz's "Vibeocracy;" as someone entrenched in 2010s YouTuber culture, I was fascinated by Madison Huizinga's "Influencer Migration;" and as the election brews, this country wreaks havoc upon the world, and there are still Americans who bafflingly say things like "if you don't live here, you have no right to speak on U.S. politics or culture," I nodded along totwenty-first century demoniac 's "soft power americana."

5. I've been reading a lot of fiction (more on this later, I'm sure I'm due a books issue soon), but am also in my poetry era. The last month or so, I've been working my way through "You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World," an anthology edited by Ada Limón. It's lovely to have a thin book of poems to carry with you for a bit — especially in periods of relative tumult, it's a way to establish a bit of constancy to a season, to bookend the busy moments with some quiet. 

I hope September has been kind to all of you thus far. I love this season so much but it always feels too short — so take time for yourselves. Go on a long walk and listen to a whole album; find a book you love and lend it to a friend; wait for a rainy Saturday afternoon and slip into a movie theater. Grab a fancy pen and buy a couple of postcards before knowing who you’ll write them to. Have yourself a time!

Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me on twitter, instagram, and tiktok. This newsletter is my pride and joy, with issues on topics like the celebrity apology industrial complex, Barbie’s Oscar noms, debriefing the Bezos’ fake normalcy, the media literacy crisis, and Stanley cups and hyperconsumerism. If you find yourself frequently enjoying these essays, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

P.S. Liking posts apparently makes a big difference for the ~algorithm~, so if you’ve enjoyed this issue and you’re inclined to hit the little heart, it wouldn’t be remiss! And if you share the post or a snippet on social media (thank you!), please tag me (I love to see it!), and include a link when possible (it does break my heart to make so many requests of you, my apologies). x