Weekend Reads #311
Sorry I went MIA the past two Saturdays! Life has been lifing and I didn't have time to read, let alone share what I did read, see, think! But I am back and I have some goodies for you to enjoy with a favorite beverage as you take a break from the holiday chaos!
Weekend Reads
11 horror stories about perimenopause. (The Cut)
How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert. (The Atlantic – gift link)
How Honeycrisp apples went from marvel to mediocre. (Serious Eats)
Nutrafol is linked with liver injury. (The Vajenda)
I am working on an upcoming capsule wardrobe and came across this gorgeous Art Deco-inspired belted cardigan on sale. And here is the link to the same cardigan in plus sizes. It's one of those statement pieces that ends up being hella versatile and fun to wear.
Another piece I found but didn't use in my upcoming capsule wardrobe is this 36″ square silk scarf, also on sale. I couldn't decide which I liked better, that one linked, or this colorway.
And speaking of scarves, here's one for your friend who is a lover of the Big Apple, and here are some for your college freshman or passionate alum, and here is one for us states around the Chesapeake Bay.
Studies have shown that a doctor who is similar to you ensures better success rates. Race, gender, age, and more and that's why I'm glad to see and share the tool, Find a Black Doctor.
Speaking of resources to help with healthcare, check out ProPublica's Claim File Helper. It can help you customize a letter requesting the notes and documents your insurer used when deciding to deny you coverage. Get your claim file before submitting an appeal.
Sex in my 50s is better than ever—but how naked do I want to be? (Jenny Magazine)
America’s hidden racial divide: A mysterious gap in psychosis rates. (New York Times Magazine – gift link)
The devil and Luigi Mangione. (She's a Beast)
Decivilization may already be underway. (The Atlantic – gift link)
Threads of connection: Holding on through grief. (Bee Yoga Fusion)
Claims that 15 restaurant chains donated to Trump are false. (The Dispatch)
Older women are changing the face of the U.S. labor force. (Washington Post – gift link)
What to do if your phone is stolen. (My Travelling Circus)
The National Labor Relations Board’s case against the Netflix hit ‘Love Is Blind’ could have ripple effects across the reality TV industry. (New York Times – gift link)
I've always hated the look of flannel shirts on me, they always hang in a way that makes me look like a Roblox character. But this flannel? It's soft and warm and stretchy and looks really good on me open, closed, even tucked in! I usually am 16petite in jackets and went with XS. Photos soon!
Women leaders face 30 types of workplace bias — and it's not just about appearance or age. (CBS News)
A firsthand account of homelessness in America. (Esquire)
See/Hear/Read
A Man on the Inside is a new series on Netflix starring 76-year-old Ted Danson. A widow and retired engineering professor, his life has become very small. His daughter encourages him to find a project and he sees an ad in the newspaper looking for a senior gentleman with phone skills.
This ad is placed by a private investigator who is working on a case about stolen jewelry in an assisted living facility. Danson's character, Charles gets the gig and moves for a month to to be a spy and “man on the inside.” With this gig, he finds friendship, romance, and a purpose in this season of his life.
This show started, and I found it corny AF. But as it continued, I found it endearing. It's refreshing to see older individuals get starring roles where they're not evil, infirmed, or the butt of a joke. A Mike Schur creation, you will see familiar faces from his other shows, such as The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The only issue I have with the show is how awesome the retirement home is! I've had relatives in such facilities, and a dear friend recently went through the process of finding one for her relative. Unless you're a kazillionaire, most homes don't hold a candle to this fictional San Francisco assisted living facility!
For Your Entertainment
Kendrick Lamar is so talented. Lyrical genius, unique sound, finger on the pulse of our current society… and some serious earworms! The current Kendrick Lamar song that cannot get out of my head is “squabble up,” and it's not just for the Debbie Deb sample. Once I saw the video, I couldn't get it out of my head, either.
The video has so much symbolism, some I recognized, some that took me down a rabbit hole to find what was being referenced. I was sharing this with my husband and he shared that he obsessed over Lamar's album, DAMN. but the more he listened, the more he felt the album wasn't for him, a middle-aged white man. And how he didn't really want to get into his new album, GNX for that reason.
As white folks who grew up and still live in a primarily Black part of this country, I get it. It is a fine line to walk, and as white folks, we need to realize not everything is for us, though we have lived centuries believing and acting otherwise. But Lamar's album GNX feels like a lyrical history lesson, and for those of us who are Gen X and Boomer, it may provide the lessons to that which we may have co-opted in the 90s and early 2000's.
The video for “squabble up,” and Lamar's entire album, GNX, is an homage to Los Angeles, West Coast culture, and legendary Black artists and media. I went down a rabbit hole researching the video symbolism and felt it important not only to share what I learned, but also where I found this knowledge.
- Noah A. McGee's piece on The Root was the first article I found breaking down the Easter eggs in the “squabble up” video. It's where I learned the green room in the video is reminiscent of The Roots' 1999 video for “The Next Movement” (video in article link)
- This article also refreshed my memory of where I recognized the kid on the Big Wheel, the woman in the thong with a shotgun, and “Black Moses.”
- This article explained that the poster about Jesus saving gangsters was a reference to this outreach ministry.
- This article on Vibe by Jessica Bennett gave more information about the scraper bikes/adult trikes, the meaning behind the freeway sign, and the Compton Christmas Parade banner.
- I then visited this article at the Los Angeles Sentinel to find that the Compton Christmas Parade has been going on since the 50's
- I went to the Kendrick Lamar subreddit and found this video from TikTokker AktiveTheFein sharing how dancers from the video didn't even know they were doing a Kendrick Lamar video and Lamar was photoshopped in later.
- This thread from the Kendrick Lamar subreddit shared that the little boy on the ground with a cord to the car (which is a Buick Regal GNX) may be a reference to this photo on IG of Lamar as a kid. From it, I also realized the Soul Train scramble board was actually spelling omina est aliquid, which in translated from Latin is, “everything is something.”
- And then thanks to Reddit, I found this YouTube video from New Rockstars that pretty much captures every single reference in the video down to the brushing of the chandelier at the beginning tying to a Tupac song. This video really did show that “everything is something” in this video.
- One thing I did not find but myself noticed is that Lamar's badass belt buckle, which is made from a bunch of enamel pins (most representing California) also has a Girl Scout World Trefoil pin in the mix!
Hip-hop is a form of poetry. Like some poetry, it may suck or lean too hard on rhyming or name recognition. But a lot is like songs from our various cultures' pasts: telling the history so we do not forget. Music videos can be quick visuals to get the song out to an additional audience or fulfill a contract… or they can be serious pieces of well-thought-out art that add depth to the song and the artist.
“squabble down” is an homage to West Coast Black culture, hip-hop icons, and, as a person born in 1987, the music, fashion, and people that likely inspired Lamar as he grew up in Compton, California.
As a white girl in Prince George's County, Maryland who was an adolescent at that time, blasting the music Lamar references as she drove over the speed limit in her daddy's Toyota Corolla with no fear of cops or the world around her, this video and the rabbit hole I fell down because of it was a much-needed lesson and reminder. No, this music isn't made for us, but we can still learn from it.
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thank you for posting the references on ‘squabble up’.
I’ve listened to GNX and felt profoundly touched by it – Kendrick Lamar is truly one of the stand-out artists of our time. As I type this, I feel I should say that I mean ARTIST in the true sense of the word- he has such a dynamic and creative mind, both creating culture and reflecting back insights about our culture.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Man on the Inside. Like you, in the beginning we found it CAF but, the overall theme and message(s) conveyed were heartwarming.
My ‘second’ Mom lives in an assisted care facility that mirrors the one on the show. Residents have their own little apartments, they can cook in their kitchens or take meals in the dining room, enjoy movies, activities, day trips. I was surprised at the reasonable cost with the ability to ‘ala carte’ services. I visited in October and it was wonderful…. I would move there!
The first hand account on homelessness resonated with me deeply. Here in the desert [Coachella Valley], conditions can be difficult with the terrain and weather. I am always humbled by their grace and appreciation when I give them hygiene products, food and water for them and their animals…. basic essentials that are taken for granted among the majority of us. They deserve dignity.
Weekend Reads is a highlight of my Saturday mornings. Thank you for putting the effort and time into your collection of good reads.
Based on the photos, the place in Man on the Inside looks more like a continuing care community where the residents are in the independent living part. People in assisted living are there because they have mobility issues or early dementia and need a low level of nursing care and aid in daily living tasks like bathing or getting in and out of bed. Those in independent living may have none of those issues or have milder mobility issues. Most are living there for the social interaction, for the lack of responsibilities like house maintenance and cooking, and for easing the transition to assisted living when that time comes. They are much more likely to be able to participate in activities like painting while standing. There are a lot of good continuing care communities – my father lived in one for 13 years after my mother died, and it made his last years so much richer.