This Week in Grief and Media: 7/22/24
Picasso should be afraid, jackets, trusting the astrology girlies, BREAKING: I'll be watching the Olympics
Big announcement: I paint now.
I painted two lampshades since moving into our apartment a few months ago, an idea I got from my dad who was an artist and also painted the lampshades around our house. In my case, all it takes for a girl to feel like Van Gogh around here is a canvas and, like, eight bottles of 69-cent acrylic paints from Michael’s. I’m working on a painting now for my childhood best friend’s newborn daughter (one-month olds LOVE art, right?) and I’ve already got plans to make at least six more paintings, meaning I might tap out after this first one. To me, it’s the thought that counts.
I opened one of the boxes I’ve yet to unpack and rather just stuffed into a closet this week and found a hat that once belonged to my dad. I love this hat—it’s from his hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts, and I can perfectly picture him wearing it with his daily navy blue shirt and tan pant-combo. I don’t want to wear this hat too often to the point where I can no longer picture him wearing it and instead it’s just a memory of my own face, but I also want the little bit of magic that comes from a normal day, putting on a hat and conjuring up an image of my dad.
I’ve always enjoyed playing around with fashion. I’m extremely passionate about a simple, basic top and bottoms—maybe my dad’s daily outfit is reason for this—but I like mixing in interesting earrings or purses or shoes (my 40+ pairs can attest to this) or jackets. I’ve gotten very lucky in the jacket department; I have a few hand-me-downs from my parents that I’ll never part from. A vintage Padres varsity jacket; a black and white blazer with shoulder pads; a straight black leather jacket; a big, cozy red down coat; a Chargers nylon puffer; a bright, almost brat green leather bomber; a extravagant, long faux-fur.
I don’t know what came over me yesterday, but I started smelling each and every one of them. Each jacket smelled like my mom’s closet at our last apartment together, like my parent’s closet at my childhood house. I’m constantly thankful for what my parents have passed down to me, from art to personality traits to habits. But their taste in jackets and the jackets themselves are a cherry on top.
Love Island USA officially ended last night, and I’m sad it’s over. Luckily (unfortunately?) for me, I have plenty more content to consume with the Rob-going-on-Call-Her-Daddy of it all. I talked about my ~why~ behind these opinions in my media deep dive, but Ariana was an incredible host and the top three deserved.
In other news, Joe Biden stepped down from his campaign, information I dearly hope you weren’t coming to GRIEF AND MEDIA PROJECT for my thoughts on. I have nothing to say on the matter besides the fact that if I personally had Biden money, I would not work a day past 35. I will say, this was an event I saw coming, due to the fact that essentially every democrat besides AOC publicly said he should step down, but also because the astrology girlies said it would happen, and that it would happen on the day of the full moon. Like psychics, like religion, like Bigfoot, I’m as open to the idea that astrology is real as I am that it’s not. That being said, the astrology girlies also said Tr*mp will not be the nominee and that JD Vance does not have any indication of a rise to power in his chart and that America is about to go through its Pluto return, something that only happens every 248 years and could change the country as we know it. I can’t properly credit my sources because I store this information in my brain after my daily scrolls on Reddit; so source: trust me <3
Lastly, I regret to inform myself and also you that I am going to watch the Olympics this year. A few things have brought me to this dark place. One, I feel slightly empty and mostly bored knowing I won’t get to watch a new episode of Love Island USA tonight or ever again until next summer. Two, I’m chasing something. I watched the 2012 Olympics because I was a high schooler who was in weekly tumbling lessons and just completed her one and only season of track, not because I liked the sport but more because I wanted to be apart of socializing at track meets. I want to feel that sort of summer of 2012 thrill once again. Three, I’ve absolutely loved listening to Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’s Two Guys, Five Rings podcast, and I recommend it to anyone who is kinda interested in the Olympics but not really for any of the sports or the competition or-
I won’t be watching every sport, because going from zero sports consumption to all of them would be very overwhelming, I imagine. No, I’ll likely follow women’s gymnastics for the obvious star-power reasons (btw, it’s a short girl summer between Simone Biles and Sabrina Carpenter, though I’m not sure if I can claim this as a 5’3” girl with a 5’6” rising), and maybe swimming in case I can find a new Olympian crush to replace Nathan Adrian.
Honestly, if I never speak of this again, just know it’s because I grew bored immediately.
ICYMI, ahead of the Love Island USA finale, I dropped my deep dive on this season: I got a text: an exploration of reality TV as a backbone of our society and in grief. I loved working on this because I love obsessing over reality TV. In it, I discuss this season’s big three (JaNa, Serena, Leah), the impact of having Ariana Madix as host in a post-Scandoval world and more. This one is for paid subscribers, as all media deep dives will be. It’s $5 a month, but you can also get a comped subscription by sharing GRIEF AND MEDIA PROJECT with friends.
I also have a podcast episode coming this Thursday. I’ll drop an Easter egg: it’s with an author, and she was wonderful to talk to, and I can’t wait for you to listen. (That was an Easter egg, right?) And my latest podcast episode, Can AI be used as a tool in grieving?, is available wherever you get your podcasts by searching “GRIEF AND MEDIA.”
Highlighting the Miscellaneous section of the database today, with a particular article: Why this poet sees grief as its own kind of spiritual practice. (Shoutout to whichever one of you added this to the database submission form!) It’s an interview from NPR, featuring poet, author and music critic Hanif Abdurraqib about the loss of his mom and friends.
I especially loved this quote: “Well, I'm of the belief that one doesn't move past loss. Or at least in my life, I don't move past loss. Grief makes a home within us if we allow it to. I believe that, at that point, I was learning to be something that I'm committed to now, I believe that I should be a generous steward to my grief. If I tend generously to my grief then it treats me well in return.”
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.