De Guatemala a Guatepeor
Everything featuring Joel Kim Booster, Sea of Tranquility, a quirky critter, and more.
Hello there,
There’s an expression in Spanish that goes “de Guatemala de Guatapeor,” which roughly translates as things going from bad to worse. I struggled to think of how else to describe the last few weeks. Me and tens of millions of women lost our bodily autonomy overnight, the U.S. government’s ability to fight climate change has been hampered, and we are potentially headed for a full democratic collapse within the next two years. Plus, the pandemic is far from over, and anecdotally, I know more people who have gotten COVID in the past two months than any other time during the pandemic.
So it has taken some really compelling entertainment to distract me recently.
Watch
Joel Kim Booster is having a moment, and of all the things he’s in recently my favorite is his standup special Psychosexual (Netflix). It’s razor-sharp and hilarious, and I laughed through nearly the entire hour. He stars in Fire Island (Hulu), which was cute, as well as appearing in Loot (Apple TV) which so far is okay.
A show I previously recommended, Tuca and Bertie, now has Season 2 available on HBO, and the third season is arriving this month. It’s quirky, funny, and moving, and has incredible visuals.
Read
Emily St. John Mandel, who wrote Station Eleven, has a new book out called Sea of Tranquility. I actually haven’t read Station Eleven yet since the show has been so good I haven’t wanted to spoil it. Anyway, Sea of Tranquility takes place during different periods of time, including a future period where humans live on the moon, and ~spoiler alert~ involves a pandemic. It’s an excellent, fast read that I finished in a day. I just didn’t love the ending.
See all recommendations here.
Follow
I recently came across an Instagram account starring a chihuahua named Tina, and it’s most photos of her in mid-run or mid-air looking panicked or manic, and videos of her making funny sounds. Relatable.
Do
Please consider donating to an abortion fund (not Planned Parenthood, which is already well funded), especially in red states that have now criminalized abortion.
Until next time,
Rachel