If You're Feeling Aimless

Hi friend,
Has anyone figured out a way to escape the long arm of election anxiety? It’s honestly all we can think about. We’re in good company, though; even glamorous media doyenne Tina Brown (previously of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Daily Beast) is stressed. 

As she wrote this week in her new diary-like newsletter, “I am so nerve-wracked by the tightening of the race in swing states that even my nocturnal calming mechanism of watching videos of my daughter’s snorting English bulldog does nothing to allay my mounting panic.”

New York Magazine’s Choire Sicha calls this “madness fatigue” or “extreme inertia caused by all-day exposure to things that seem outlandish,” which rings true. It’s overwhelming.

If all of this pre-election suffering brings you back to the troubled days of Bush v. Gore and the hanging-chad debacle of 2000, well…good news? Leon Neyfakh, the journalist behind the Slate podcast Slow Burn, has just decided to release the formerly paywalled season of his Fiasco: Bush v. Gore podcast for free. That election presaged our currently extremely polarized, and almost too-close-to-call, voting reality; as the executive director of MoveOn said to the New York Times, Harris v. Trump “could very well come down to a few thousand votes in a handful of states.” Cool, love this for all of us.

This week, in Gloria: A show about not having your shit together in midlife, plus more recommendations for what to watch and listen to this weekend. See you here on Tuesday!

Bye,
Your friends at Gloria

“I’m a little weird,” I told a friend recently. She told me that I shouldn’t say that about myself. Later, I would refer to myself as a late-bloomer, only to be admonished again. A weird and quirky late bloomer, to be precise.

All I could do was shrug. I’m Black, I am chubby — fat, whatever — and I am weird. Socially awkward. I do cringe-worthy things. I pursued a career in public policy because, throughout middle school, all I watched was C-SPAN. When I met the President of the United States of America, I only wanted to discuss his dog. I’m quickly nearing 41 and at this point, I know myself well enough to know that I am weird. Might as well embrace it.  

I recalled this conversation one evening as I scrolled through Hulu to watch actress and writer Natasha Rothwell’s latest series How to Die Alone. Rothwell, of Insecure and White Lotus fame, has created a masterpiece of storytelling that centers on a Black woman named Melissa ‘Mel’ Jackson who works at New York City’s JFK airport. The series starts on her 35th birthday when, after being ditched by her best friend/coworker, Mel has an unfortunate accident involving crab rangoon and IKEA furniture that leads to the titular death. The series follows Melissa as she reckons with her accident and the impact it has on her relationships and current, unsuccessful, approach to life.

I, much like Mel, am a woman of a certain age and adrift. In a transition period, I suppose. While it seems that everyone around me has reached the trifecta of adult societal achievements — job, homeownership, relationship — on an age-appropriate timeline, I am just out here wondering where I’m headed and uncertain of what I want out of my life. Just…floating. Then, there is also the aforementioned social awkwardness. Let’s just say that this show feels serendipitous. As I meander through life, I watched a character who looked exactly like me (we even have the same arms and the same sweater coat!) clumsily maneuver her way through her late 30s. And while that’s not exactly middle age, by 35, it’s all gas, no brakes, hurdling toward 40.

Exactly one minute and 40 seconds into the premiere, it felt like I was looking at a mirror — minus the flying part, as I love to fly. Later in the season, when Melissa’s mom praises her successful brother while treating her like an afterthought, I felt like the writers had been peering over my shoulder as I recently journaled similar sentiments. Call it authentic or human or cringey, Natasha’s Mel is an encapsulation of the messy female millennial experience. She is scared, yet tries to find her way.

There is no shortage of aspirational television (featuring wealthy and mostly white characters), but sometimes I just want to watch regular people doing regular-people stuff. I love the escape that television provides, but sometimes I want relatable. I want to see me. It’s the reason that I and millions of other young millennial women watched Hannah Horvath & Co inelegantly traverse their 20s and praised Issa Rae’s ‘Awkward Black Girl’ turn into Insecure. The thing is, some of that cringey shit goes away with age, but for the most part, it never really dissipates. We just learn to embrace it, along with our grays. 

These dishwasher pods are a massive time saver. There’s no need to pre-rinse, as they’re perfect for tackling tough stuff like baked-on food or dried-up sauce. Even better: They’re plant-based, cruelty-free, and environmentally safe. Get yours here, and use code PURGLORIA20 for 20 percent off. #partner

TO LISTEN Bon Iver’s first album in five years, Sable (out today) is just three tracks amounting to about 12 minutes of music. But it’s a beautiful 12 minutes – a bit melancholic, honest, and per the New Yorker, “gorgeously tender…revelatory, expansive and raw.” You can listen to one of the tracks, “Speyside,” here.

TO WATCH Rumours, a dark comedy-horror set at the G7 summit in Germany, asks what would happen if the leaders of the free world were stalked by mummy-like bog people. Cate Blanchett plays the German chancellor, and Charles Dance is the US president.

TO DOWNLOAD Eater’s uploaded all of its curated restaurant lists, as well as more food recommendations, into a new app. Now you can see nearby recommendations on a map while you are out and about; it also helps you book reservations.

TO STREAM The Netflix thriller Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut (which she also stars in), is based on a snippet of history. A woman goes on The Dating Game, and one of her suitors is an actual serial killer. There’s also the documentary Still Working 9 to 5 (available on Apple TV and Prime Video) where Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton talk about what’s changed for women in the workplace in the 40 years since their original feminist comedy was released.

The older you get, the more likely you are to obsess over one specific tree. • We like this idea (in the intro) of making museum trips with kids more enjoyable. • “Trump, Harris, and the end of Roe all collide in closely divided battle for white women.” • Evidence-based information about menopause – free for World Menopause Day.

_{*Gloria may receive an affiliate commission on purchases made through our newsletter.}