Before we dive in, let’s catch up on what you might have missed:
It's been a week since I finished House of Stassi and I still can't stop thinking about the show. It is so earnest in a way we rarely see on reality television. Stassi repeatedly talked about how badly she wanted to earn this show and how hard she worked to get it green lit and cast to be successful. There was Beau’s vulnerability on pausing his career to prioritize family life (to quote Neha Ruch), and how that affected his identity and his happiness. Taylor Strecker grappled with pending motherhood and choosing to stay in L.A. to see her commitment through for filming the first season (instead of returning to New York with her wife in advance of their child’s birth), and how the show and her merged podcast with Stassi is the result of the previous two decades of hard work and a lot of setbacks. Everyone on this show wants to be there, even Katie Maloney. It was their reasons that differed, but all are rooted in personal ambition - and it’s refreshing to see people care openly and vulnerably.
The deliberate breaking of the fourth wall is becoming Hulu's trademark in their reality programming, and it works very well in this show. The intervention in the final episode was difficult to watch and had me looking up every cast member after I watched it to see if they're all still friendly (and in the case of Stassi and Beau, still together). I'm personally very excited for season two. Even though I'm trying to watch less reality TV, this is one I will tune in for.
Another takeaway from the show is how badly I want to go to an emo night (thanks to Katie). Emo and pop punk music is my favorite genre, and there's something so cathartic about screaming Fall Out Boy and Paramore in your car on a sunny day with the windows open. Emo Night Brooklyn, however, starts at 11:00 p.m. Rude.
Now, a family friendly emo night starting at a respectable 5 pm is far more my speed. I would be there with bells on (and so would my kids). Manifesting this to become a reality (and that I can guest DJ it).
In the meantime, I will just have to get in my fill with pop punk workouts on the Peloton app (because they’re actually great for your mental health). Some recent favorites: Selena’s 30-minute run, Camila's 20-minute run, and this Run + Flow bootcamp by Mariana. I’ll also be listening to my playlist for the foreseeable future:
I never once paid attention to the Lion's Gate Portal (which was yesterday on 8/8), but I did this year. This Lion's Gate workshop and the Total Life Reset from the Activations app forced me to reflect honestly and ask myself what's in my way from being who I want to be.
It's me. I'm the problem, it's me.
I needed this reflection to help me release this old version of myself to make space for who I want to be next, and that resulted in a pretty intense emotional crash on Thursday.
I cried. I lost it with the kids. I asked Claude to tell me what the hell happened in the solar system that made the past two years so hard, and what was in store for me astrologically for the rest of the year.
It wasn't all me (screw you, Neptune and Uranus and Pluto), and things are set to start easing up this month. The replies were so assuring that I quickly had it complete a similar forecast for my husband and kids, rooted in my own anxiety about the rest of the year.
Needless to say, we're taking it very, very easy on August 28th, re-establishing our family routines and setting new contributions for the kids in our home, and tiptoeing into fall.
What’s on your mind? Let me know!
Y’all are loving my favorite new bag, the moody light that makes my evening routine better, and my pill case (because, midlife). They’re cheap thrills that make my life better.
We will be living at the library when camp wraps up. I’ll be borrowing these books and reading them with the boys.
Books I’ve read and loved lately: Slipstream (felt very seen by the neurodivergent FMC), The Kennedys and the Windsors (SO good), and this sweet cozy fantasy story. I’m currently listening to Stassi’s latest book (it’s good) and reading The Paddock Club (jury’s out, but hasn’t hooked me the way Slipstream did).
Do I need a garlic grating plate and a berry washing bowl? No. Do I want them? Yes. Especially since I have Caroline Chambers’ latest book in my hands, as well as Serena’s You Do You.
I’ve been mulling over Madeleine Dore’s essay on contradiction, and it’s sparked Monday’s check-in. Stay tuned for that.
tapping the ❤️ below (all engagement helps!)
tapping the 💬 and tell me something. anything!
sharing this with someone who might need it right now
Take care of yourself, the best you can.
xo,
HPN
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