Morning Brew - ☕️ '90s Kid

Happy Thursday! Hayden Field here, Morning Brew’s newest reporter as of last week. Most days you can find me over at Emerging Tech Brew. Likes (besides nerding out over AI): hummus, hiking, Harry Potter, and high-fives. Dislikes: black pepper and bad lighting. Nice to meet you!

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While cleaning out my mom’s basement a few weeks ago, I unearthed a rainbow of Crazy Bones, a box of Olsen Twins paraphernalia, and a pair of old Furbys (can you tell I was a ’90s kid?). 

The sweeping nostalgia offered a welcome escape from these…times without precedent. And there’s psychology behind the “why”: Since overwhelming stress can lead to yearning for the past, nostalgic behaviors can help us “self-soothe,” Dr. Valentina Stoycheva, a clinical psychologist, told the NYT. 

Quarantiners everywhere are leaning into that feeling: 

• More than half of consumers reported turning to familiar music and TV for comfort, according to a study on entertainment choices during COVID-19. 
• Nintendo profits were up over 400% last quarter. 
• Drive-in movie theatres (and pop-up versions) are seeing a widespread comeback.
• Tie-dye clothing has reached a “mass inflection point” during the pandemic, as both a craft and fashion trend. 

From Disney+ to VHS, let me know what you’ve been watching to soothe your soul. (And if you don’t hear from me, bring in the Furbys for questioning.) 

Level up: This week, LinkedIn published its annual list of the most popular courses on its Learning platform—and it’s offering all 20 of them for free until September 30. 

• Surprise, surprise: “Time Management: Working From Home” won top billing. 

Stay up to date: The CDC told state health officials to prepare to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers and other high-priority groups as soon as late October. Proponents hope it’ll save lives, but some scientists warn of the dangers of distributing a vaccine before the completion of clinical trials. 

Get lost in a hole: Former Fortune editor Polina Marinova’s weekly newsletter, The Profile, collects the best features on people and companies and highlights their tips for success. 

• It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole, so start with the most recent issue, which tackles why some of the world’s most influential figures create “alter egos” to tap into self-confidence. 

Maskne.

Examples of “maskne” in a sentence:

“Maskne was a problem until Hero Cosmetics came along with their maskne bundle, which combines Hero’s top blemish-fighting essentials into an all-in-one acne emergency kit.”

“Hero Cosmetics broke out their Micropoint for blemishes, Mighty Patch Variety Pack for whiteheads, and Rescue Balm for nourishment, and then by golly if they didn’t eradicate maskne forever.”

“Defeat your maskne with Hero Cosmetics, and get free shipping with the code ‘BREW’ until September 30th.”

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Eat: As stone fruit season wraps up, get one last batch of peaches from the grocery store and whip them up into a crumble, cobbler, or crisp. Here’s a five-star recipe for peach cobbler from scratch. 

Play: Nostalgia’s found its way into our offscreen activities, too: Sidewalk art and hopscotch are making a comeback. 

• Grab some chalk and get creative on your driveway (or, like me, the street outside your Brooklyn walkup). We found a 48-pack for $5 here. 

Move: LA-based choreographer Ryan Heffington’s Instagram Live dance classes have become the workout-du-jour for many—not to mention a joyful escape, with moves ranging from “angel wings” to “inflatable at the car lot.” 

• Check Heffington’s Instagram for the schedule, though sessions are typically Saturday afternoons. Special guests have ranged from Pink to Emma Stone. 

Watch: If you’re looking to get your culture fix (or pretend to while you’re really doomscrolling on Twitter), check out the Metropolitan Opera’s streamable performances. 

• Every night, a complete performance from the Met’s 14-year archive is available to stream for free, starting at 7:30pm ET. The Tempest is Sunday, Sept. 6. 

Listen: I’ve been having fun discovering the extremely niche Spotify playlists going viral on TikTok. Here’s a few highlights: 

• “Songs I’d Play for My Indie Girlfriend if We Were Vibing in Her Room” 
• “Literally Bawling My Eyes Out Till I Have No Tears Left:(” 
• “Holding Hands with Timothée Chalamet” 

Raise your hand if you’ve tried your hand at bread-baking since March. 

A handful of Morning Brew’s staff are right there with you. But if you’re looking for something else to fill the void, try home gardening. One of the most low-maintenance ways to get started? Growing sprouts in a jar. 

There’s no shortage of different types of sprouts you can grow—alfalfa, broccoli, radish, and wheatgrass, to name a few. They’re chock-full of nutrients, can help with digestion, and make for a healthy salad addition, soup topping, or even sandwich ingredient. 

All you really need is a mason jar. Here’s a how-to. 

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This is Cortona, Italy, a hilltop town in the Tuscan countryside. I studied abroad here in college, but these days, living above a wine bar is the closest I can get. Reply with an A+ wine rec. 

That’s all, folks! As always, thanks for reading. Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend—I’ll be trawling the internet for top-tier sidewalk chalk art. See you back here next week.