Give yourself a round of applause — we made it through the first week of April!
I hope the weather is getting nicer, if you’re based in the northern hemisphere. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, well, I hope it’s cooling off and you’re excited for fall! 🤗 I’m based in the Midwest and whew, we’ve had quite the wild week of severe weather. Tornados and storms have been moving through a pretty large portion of the United States and we’ve on high alert. I hope, wherever you are, that you are safe and sound as you are reading this.
Spring has definitely sprung, as they say! Where I am today, the sun is shining and the temp is on the rise. Daffodils and other spring flowers are popping up, the suburban lawns are green again, and the trees are blossoming. I have a little dove family that’s been hanging out in the mulch bed on the front of my house, which gives my 17-year-old cat, Mojo, endless entertainment.
A quick shout to my new subscribers — welcome to the party! 🥰 I am excited to have you here and I hope you enjoy the vibes I publish on this little ‘stack. Thanks for signing up and reading my work!
Some housekeeping:
Starting today, Chill Vibes is available to my paid subscribers. BUT WHY?! Well, it’s two-fold:
I consider this weekly piece of my Substack a bonus!
I don’t want to put most of my writing endeavors behind a paywall, because the whole point of this publication is to share my writing with the world.
Sure, in the future I might put some pieces behind the paywall. I am considering publishing some serialized fiction here, maybe some sneak peeks/a chapter or two of my novel, or essays I consider to be very personal. But for the most part, I do want my regular weekly posts to remain free for the masses.
From the beginning of this journey, I pledged to be transparent and open about my publishing decisions. I am thrilled you’re along for the ride, and if you enjoy these little internet finds, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. To make it easier, click this little button below (👇🏻) to manage your subscription and choose the best plan for you!
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Alright, enough of that! Let’s get into this issue of Chill Vibes and kick off the weekend, shall we? It has loads of reads, Reddit finds that made me smile, and of course some memes to make you giggle. Enjoy!
READS & OTHER FINDS
I dove into “Spare” (Prince Harry’s memoir) this week and it’s a great read. Very compelling, heartbreaking, and raw. I hope to finish it before the weekend is over! (Also… are you on Goodreads? I try to keep mine up to date, so you can always peep what I’m reading!)
Business Insider // Clearview AI scraped 30 billion images from Facebook and gave them to cops: it puts everyone into a 'perpetual police line-up'
NASA // Collision May Have Formed the Moon in Mere Hours, Simulations Reveal
Consequence // Robert Smith Says The Cure Have Canceled 7,000 Scalped Tickets to Their Upcoming Tour (Damn the man, save the empire! vibes)
Popular Mechanics // The James Webb Telescope Just Took a Truly Incredible Photo of Uranus
The New Yorker // What If You Could Do It All Over?
Lit Hub // Just leave Cruel Intentions alone.
Vanity Fair // Echos in the Dark (Idaho Murders)
Cosmopolitan // IVF, Ozempic, and Cutting Through My Cycle of Shame
The Atlantic // How Rural America Steals Girls’ Futures
Inverse // 50 Years Ago, NASA Sent an Ambitious Mission to Saturn — and To Interstellar Horizons
r/DamnThatsInteresting // Dairy farmer Max Yasgur, the man who agreed to host the 1969 Woodstock music festival on his farm, is seen here giving a speech to over 400,000 attendees.
r/popculturechat // In your opinion, what’s the pettiest thing a celebrity has ever done
r/BravoHousewives // Which Housewives’ outfit made an icon scene even more iconic?
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO & WATCHING
Podcasts:
I finished the latest season of Deep Cover in like, a week
I’m behind on everything else. AH! Do you have any recs for me? Always looking to expand my library!
Music:
My latest mixes:
Television:
SUCCESSION. I am all about Succession!! The fourth and final season is under way. I don’t want this ride to end, ever! ☹️
White Lotus. (I just started Season 2, so no spoilers please!)
Vanderpump Rules. Patiently awaiting the #Scandoval of it all to grace my television screen, but also, this season is one of the best its had in a few years! (Also, late breaking, see what Schwartz said regarding this situation on Watch What Happens Live — it was absolutely wild!)
Real Housewives of New Jersey. You will never convince me that Tre is a decent human being or that Melissa/Joe have ever actually wronged her. I said what I said. It’s insanely weird Luis decided to offer the information that he wears Tre and Joe’s fathers pajamas. I can’t get over it! Also, please give me more Jennifer Fessler, she’s an instant icon.
REWATCHES:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This is my second rewatch and boy, did we blow through it this time around. Great jokes and casting. Highly recommend if you’ve never seen it. Or, it’s great to watch again and again!
Parks & Rec. No notes, just laughs. Love this series and decided to start it again for a little nostalgic ride.
SUPERB SUBREDDITS
SUBSTACKS I’M ENJOYING
MEMES & MORE
Futurama as an 80s Dark Fantasy Film (never knew I needed it, but I do now!)
Turtle stretches is webbed feet while sunbathing 🐢🥹
r/ContagiousLaughter: Donkey Had Me
If Duolingo made a dating show
Check in on yourself, friends.
Ya ya ya I am Lorde (IYKYK)
Pendulum waves with an added note for each
Lighting striking the One World Trade in New York City during the storm ealier tonight (4/1/23)