*Favorites* of 2025 so far
Something light n' fluffy-ish for your Tuesday morning
Hiiiiii
It’s been a minute! I got sucked into the vortex of taxes for the last few weeks and that’s sucked up all my writing time *anguish face*. I’m still waiting for someone to spearhead the modern version of the Boston Tea Party + “We’re not paying taxes anymore” movement…BUT!!!! in the meantime -
I’ve been working on a piece for y’all on “when we fuck up, but don’t really know why we fuck up but also can’t seem to stop fucking up” (title is in progress, haha). It tells the story of when I got arrested for shoplifting at Target in my 30s (mass boycotts of Target weren’t happening in 2017, haha. I was ahead of my time!!!! A vigilante!!!!!!!! jkjkjkjkjkjkjk). The piece also touches on how victims of violence/trauma often become perpetrators in some way/shape/form. Anyway, it’s taking some time and it’s been pretty painful and tender to visit past versions of myself. I often forget who I used to be and revisiting the dark spaces I used to inhabit is A LOT. In the meantime, I wanted to connect over some stuff that’s *less intense* this week.
I love my little pleasures, and I love seeing everyone else’s little pleasures too. So here we go! My faves so far this year:
Books: The Priory of the Orange Tree
If you’re looking for an epic queer fantasy romance with a little spice, immersive world building, and Game of Thrones level political games, then FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. I have not been able to buy into the Sarah J. Mass universe of smut fantasy for whatever reason, could never get into Twilight, but have loved fantasy/romance with strong female leads. Priory of the Orange Tree HAS IT ALL: deep character development, good plot pacing, magic, fighting, dragons, and much needed escapism.
Activities: Writing at independent coffee shops or bars
A picture of me, writing this substack at a coffee shop, as you read my substack that I wrote at a coffee shop. Woahhhhhh metaaaaaaaaa. Perks of independent coffee shops:
2025 is the year of protesting big business by divesting from big business. So you’re not just some cliche hipster going to an indie coffee shop - you are a social justice warrior, a protestor against the machine!!!!!!! But in all seriousness, you really are!!!!! DO NOT DOWNPLAY THE POWER OF YOUR MONEY.
You feel really cool at a coffee shop, like you’re not JUST sitting in front of a stupid screen, ok?! At a coffee shop, you’re not just a sedentary cog in the machine tapping like a monkey on a keyboard. Indie coffee shop you is a part of culture. Indie coffee shop you is working, but like, people can see you working so you’re sort of performing too. Indie coffee shop you is giving main character energy.
Finally, if you go to the shop enough, everyone starts becoming a friendly face. Which isn’t great when you want to remain anonymous, but is cool when you want to feel like a real human who actually lives a life in the world. You get to know the owner of the shop, and you get to know their story. You’re more connected to the community in a real, face to face way, not just staring at somebody else’s life through a screen. The coffee shop I go to the most is owned by a sweet Lao family who’s struggling with an asshole of a landlord. They’ve asked me for both legal and business advice, which I wish I could give, but I’m not qualified. I like knowing my money is supporting them. I like knowing their problems. I like hearing them say, “OH HIIIIIIII JUNIPER!!!” every time I walk in the door.
Anyway, I try to take an hour or two a week away from my toddler and husband to tune into myself and the words spilling out of my soul at a coffee shop. And it’s been deeply satisfying. It’s true, what they say about having a kid - you make use of the time you have away from them much more effectively because you know the time is limited. When I used to be able to spend all weekend at a coffee, shop, I never SAVORED AND APPRECIATED IT the same way.
Shows: Severance, Platonic & Hacks
I am an LA girl through and through. Pop culture and media will always, always have a chokehold on me. I like being connected to the *pulse* of things. I still remember waiting for new episodes of TGIF to drop, for the next X-files or Lois & Clark on a Sunday night, of anxiously awaiting who might be the next American Idol. So here’s a BRIEF rundown of the shows I’ve been loving:
Severance: The premise is cool, the acting is legit, I love a good thriller/mystery, & Ben Stiller is the executive producer and director. Some of the lines make me crack up cuz I can just imagine Zoolander saying them. Season 1’s finale is one of the best finales I’ve EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION.
Platonic: Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne have amazing chemistry as funny + problematic platonic bffs. Rose Byrne is so hot and dorky. This is deep character development disguised as comedy, and I will always have a soft spot for shows that are filmed in Los Angeles.
Hacks: The humor bridges boomers + GenZ/millenial humor seamlessly. But it’s not just *sugary* funny - it’s like, *deep* funny, you know? There’s substance to the humor. And intelligence. I love a female lead, and in this show there’s two unconventional female leads which is *chef’s kiss*.
4. Things: Big, luxurious umbrellas from DAISO
On Friday, my husband and I walked through a hail storm to go to DAISO. Yes, DAISO has arrived to our little suburb, WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I got a 4 dollar umbrella with little turquoise polka dots, and he got a giant, clear plastic umbrella for 6 bucks.
I don’t know why, but the past few years, I’ve thought rain means… I can’t walk around outside. That’s so dumb. Literally one of the best feelings in the world is walking in the rain: hearing the sound of of pitter patter on the plastic, wearing shoes that splash confidently through puddles. Walking through a hail storm was probably stupid, but I also felt so…alive.
5. Snack: Full fat cottage cheese, reduced fat wheat thins, and perfectly firm green grapes
The best crackers for this snack are Reduced fat Wheat Thins or the Trader Joe’s version, Wheat Crisps. They just have the perfect light and airy, melty crunch. The full fat ones are not as good. I don’t know why, I don’t make the rules!!
(FYI, these crackers are also actually not healthy, according to the Yuka app. Many things that pretend to be healthy are toxic, etc. What else is new, brah.)
But trust me: this snack is delicious.
6. Tech: Cheap earbuds from Ross
How do people NOT lose their earbuds at least once a year? The one and only time I bought nice, fancy earbuds from Apple, it took me a grand total of 6 months to lose them on a plane. Since then, I’ve refused to spend more than fifteen bucks on earbuds.
Also, is it just me or are airpods not even that great? Let me tell you, I don’t know if it’s just the Ross by my house, but I’ve gotten kickass earbuds at Ross from uncool, random brands- Nautica, Carlos Santana (I lost those within a DAY. RIP), and now I’m using some no-name Altec Lansing brand. They fit my ear comfortably, great bass/sound, and no heartbreak if lost. Also way better than the $18 highly rated pair I found on Amazon. So thank you Ross Dress for Less, please don’t make me hate you. (Oh Ross, you’re gonna make me hate you, aren’t you. Sigh.)
7. Things: Tarot - Luna Sol Deck + Biddytarot.com
I’ve been dabbling in tarot for the last several years, and I love its open-endedness. Like lots of spiritual texts or systems (like the Enneagram), Tarot is not a “let me tell you what’s going to happen”, fortune telling system. It’s an intuitive system that invites your interpretation and the truth of the cards is often revealed through living your life. Also, it’s just plain fun. We did tarot on New Year’s Eve, and some of the cards that people drew were UNCANNILY accurate, leading to rich conversation we might not otherwise have.
For tarot n00bs like me, the Luna Sol Deck has felt like a warm, happy hug. I love its illustrations, and as one reviewer wrote: “With a muted color palette and timeless, ethereal quality to the art, this is a deck for meditation, self-reflection, inner child work, and daily wisdom…the Luna Sol Tarot says to me that those who gravitate toward this deck are compassionate, loving, soulful, and forward-thinking, with values rooted in pluralism, inclusiveness, and diversity of both culture and beliefs.”
Also for tarot n3wbs, biddytarot.com has amazing, comprehensive readings for both upright and reversed cards.
When I pull a card, my process is usually to:
Set an intention for the cards (something as simple as “What would you have me know today?” to something complex like “What does the future hold for me?” or “Should I stay in this relationship?”)
Then I draw a card by shuffling the deck and just feeling out what card “calls” to me. Sometimes a card falls out and clearly wants to be read, sometimes I just feel a little tingling in my fingertips when I feel the right card.
Then I look up the card on biddytarot and reflect.
8. Action: Doing things before you feel “good enough” or “ready”. Or my slogan, MAFA - MAKE ACTIVISM FUN AGAIN
Look, we need you to just fucking do something. Lots of activist spaces are joyless, serious endeavours filled with the same exclusionary, shame based rhetoric we’re trying to liberate ourselves from!!!! Lots of people who want to contribute to activism avoid it because they feel they need to be perfectly well-read, perfectly informed, and 100% certain they’ll never say the wrong thing to offend anyone ever.
Obviously, I’m not saying GO AND BE THE MOST IGNORANT, HURTFUL VERSION OF YOURSELF!!! But we have to accept people’s good intentions, even if they look rough around the edges. The same way I, and MANY people on the left accept our deeply flawed immigrant parents. We collectively acknowledge our parents may have hurt us deeply, but we see their hearts are in the right place. We continue to love and even find humor with our immigrant parents because we understand their context, culture and history. But when it comes to our peers, we’re quick to assume the worst and have zero grace for the context, culture + history.
AND THE TRUTH IS: IF WE’RE GONNA CREATE A MOVEMENT THAT PRODUCES ANY KIND OF MEANINGFUL CHANGE, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT WE ARE GONNA OFFEND EACH OTHER BECAUSE WE COME FROM A VERY WIDE ARRAY OF CONTEXT, CULTURE AND HISTORIES. And yes, my BIPOC friends, that includes the well-meaning white people that irritate us but at the end of the day, are still on our side. Large amounts of people together, in community, is inherently messy. But in 2025 and beyond, lots of people who are meant to “lead” in big or small ways, have to have the the space to learn through fucking up. Scarcity mindset says: there’s no room for that. It’s too late. We need to know what to do, and we need to do it the RIGHT WAY, NOW. But that’s some stupid ass colonialist/capitalist b.s.
Plus, the types of leaders who feel wildly confident that they’re never going to get anything wrong are USUALLY THE WORST TYPES OF LEADERS. We need to embrace leaders who come from humility, may not feel like they’re “enough”, but are willing to learn & put their time, energy and resources into the fight.
Liberation says: it’s fun to learn. We’re allowed to joyfully fuck up. Liberation says: there’s space to be incomplete, imperfect, and in process. Liberation says: when people are safe to show up as their authentic selves, there will be conflict. Liberation says: I’d rather have fights and conflict than inauthenticity, perfectionism and a fake “unity”.
Activism needs to be fun to be sustainable. I believe that down to the marrow of my toes. It needs to be exciting, belly laughter + tear filled, deeply connected, caring, and a place where we can be imperfect. like extremely imperfect.
9. Things: A bouquet of daffodils
They’re just so HAPPY. And CHEAP. And it’s so satisfying to buy them when they’re all tight and closed up…only to see them bloom over the next few days. Your mood can’t help but just lift a teeny tiny bit when you see their bright yellow lil faces.
What have been some of your favorite things getting you through 2025 so far?!