This Week in Grief and Media: 9/23/24
This Week in Grief and Media: 9/23/24
being named Alex, cats as roommates, #MomTok is not going to survive this, Usher discovering Justin Bieber
I started a new job as a barista, which is crazy because I didn’t know what a flat white was this time last week, and the truth of the matter is I still don’t. I was 1,000 percent hired as a personality hire. This, though, is how life is supposed to be. When I’m not hired as a personality hire and rather for my merit, you know something is seriously wrong.
Standing for 21 hours per week in a cafe has proven to be not good for my back so far, but the benefits of it are both tips and looking at my phone significantly less. Seeing that, “Your screen time was down 29% last week,” is a badge I’ll wear as an honor.
The other thing this week has taught me is how many Alexes there are in this world. Three Alexes came in to get coffee all within an hour, and every time, I said, “Oh my god, that’s my name, too!” because what else can I say? “Change it?” I wish.
In the first place I lived without my mom, one of my roommates was a cat. Those who know me know I’m not a cat person (I don’t consider mascot of GRIEF AND MEDIA PROJECT to be a cat—she’s my daughter), so it was a shock to be both homesick and with a cat. This cat used to jump on the kitchen counter as I would make peanut butter toast, and as they rubbed against my legs, I wouldn’t know what to do or what this action meant or how to get them to stop. As any chronically online 22-year-old would, I would take a photo of the cat and put it on my Instagram story.
I was telling husband of GRIEF AND MEDIA PROJECT about this the other day, so we looked at my story archive to find the cat photos in question. But there, at the forefront, were a bunch of memories of my mom and how much apart of my daily life she was, even when I lived away from her for the first time. Call logs that said “Mom (10),” videos of her when she helped me move to Los Angeles, pictures of our poke bowls from the touristy place at Universal CityWalk. And a screenshot of a Jason Mraz song, one I had not listened to since 2018, that my mom said reminded her of me.
Of course, I immediately started bawling with the first line of, “May you have auspiciousness and causes of success,” and my bawling only continued with the, “Here's to the infinite possible ways to love you.” I’ve been missing her so bad, more than ever, something I’ve said almost everyday since she passed away. It meant so much to get this memory of her, this message from her.
And for those curious, this is the cat I lived with. I also lived with a dog, who my mom and I accidentally let out the front door when we moved me in. My mom and I went running out to get the dog, and luckily he was trapped in the lobby of the apartment building. Or else I would probably not have had a cat and certainly not a dog as roommates that summer.
I am still over here obsessing over #MomTok and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. After some thought, I realized this show is worthy of a deep dive, so I promise I’ll be writing about this more very soon. It’s to the point where I’m also writing about it in one of my class assignments. This show has infiltrated my brain and my ideas of what reality TV is. I’m genuinely rooting for most of them. Emphasis on most.
I finished the season yesterday, and one thing I will mention is I was speechless when I realized Whitney was the person who danced in a TikTok while her baby was in the hospital with RSV. For those unfamiliar:
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More to come here.
Lastly, Sabrina Carpenter’s tour starts today, a tour I was unable to get tickets to. Ticketmaster is so dead to me. But I want the record to show that I went to her emails I can’t send tour and I said in 2022 that I bet she will become a main pop girly in the next couple of years. I’m certain this feeling I have was shared by Usher when he discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube.
I am not promising anything this coming week, because I’m still adjusting to my schedule, but just know I have some things up my sleeve in the next few. 💌💌💌💌
Thank you for your continued support during this time! <3
Raise Your Voice
That’s it for This Week in Grief and Media. Please consider sharing the GRIEF AND MEDIA PROJECT with a friend. It would mean the world! <3
Don’t forget to join the conversation in the comments! How was your week in grief? What media are you consuming this week? Are you in an entertaining Facebook group a la BAGGU Enthusiasts? Tell me all about it.