On Spring

It’s been a bit of a rainy, gloomy week here. The weather has been very back and forth—some days are warm and sunny, some days are cold again, some days can’t quite figure out what they want to be. But today I woke up to sun pouring into my apartment, and the cherry blossom trees are close to blooming, and I can already feel myself breaking out of a months-long winter slump. Sometimes I forget how much I need all this sun and warmth until I finally have it and I realize that I’m having the best day I’ve had in a long time. (Vitamin D gummies and a SAD lamp on my desk don’t quite cut it when the sun is setting at 4 pm every day.) Spring isn’t quite here in New York, but it’s coming, and I’m ready for it.

– Jillian

By contrast, it is very hot in California! The sun has been really nice, actually, and there’s a gentle breeze. I forget every time spring comes around that I’m someone with nasty seasonal allergies, though, so there’s always that adjustment. I’m doing my best to get outside more; the sun being out longer is definitely encouraging that. After winter, I honestly forget that it can be 6PM and still light out enough for a walk! I’ve been enjoying my after-work walks, and know it’s making me healthier; being crouched at my little job all and then transforming into my hermit persona at 5PM is definitely not sustainable, even if it is roughly my entire being from October-January. Welcome, Spring!

– Summer

We recommend

📺 Our Flag Means Death

So if you’ve talked to me any time in the last two weeks, you know this is the only thing I can think about. An HBOMax romantic-comedy series about pirates! My goodness. The main word I can use for this show is healing. So long I’ve felt insane by the way cis male showrunners talk about the desire on part of fans for queer romance between characters who fall so clearly in romantic beats; that insanity is not present in this show. Everything you think is true. It’s also very funny and joyful! What more do we deserve! (A SEASON 2!!!!!!!!)

– Summer

📺 The King’s Affection

I’ve been on a bit of a kdrama kick lately, and this one quickly became one of my favorites. All I will say about it is it’s a historical kdrama that explores gender and sexuality and complicated family dynamics, and it made me cry a lot.

– Jillian

📖 My Grief, the Sun by Sanna Wanni

I just moved and had been ordering books over the course of March to the new place, and this book was on top of the stack—it was also the one I was most excited for! I feel like I can recommend this book to everyone just because of how incredibly diverse it is; there are gorgeous, intricate lyrical sections, collage poems, erasures, and a great prose section to end it all—also, there’s a Princess Mononoke suite! What more do you need? I cried at a few of the poems and took pictures of a few others and immediately sent them to people I know. Sanna is so special.

– Summer

📺 Business Proposal

Okay, another kdrama for you. This one is new (the last two episodes just aired on Netflix a couple of weeks ago) and I had a really fun time watching it every week. It’s a classic fake dating romance, and it’s just very fun and adorable. Maybe not one of my all time favorites, but definitely a comfort show.

– Jillian