And Everything Else (9/28/20)
Life updates you didn't ask for.
Hi, friends! Hope you all had a good weekend—I spent mine (safely) hanging out with some family and friends, and going to an apple orchard for some fall festivities. If you’re in the NY area, highly recommend checking out Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard in North Salem! Even with some of its standard activities closed this year, it still had plenty to offer, from apple picking to pumpkin patches to delicious cider and donuts I’ll be munching on for days.
That’s not all that happened this past week, though. Read on for the latest edition of And Everything Else to see what else I’ve been up to:
#1. I wrote about the long-lasting impact of Lorde’s Pure Heroine on the way we view teen girls
This weekend marked seven years (!) since Lorde released her debut album, Pure Heroine when she was just 16 years old. Even if you’re not a huge fan, it’s hard to deny just how big an impact this record had—not only did it turn Lorde into a Grammy-winning superstar and introduced the type of “whisperpop” singing used by artists like Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers, but it changed the way our culture treats and respects teen girls with big ideas.
I wrote about this concept in an essay for Shondaland, which you can read here!
#2. I discovered I’ve been wearing kid-sized masks—and wrote about them
In an, uh, unexpected turn of events, I learned last week that the Nordstrom Rack face masks I’ve been wearing most days are actually made for children (ages 5-10, specifically). Guess my face is the same size as a second-grader’s?? A wee bit embarrassing, but on the bright side, the masks fit great. I wrote about them for HelloGiggles here, in case you also have a tiny face and are tired of having to constantly re-adjust your regular-size masks.
#3. I went on the subway for the first time in six months
I had the day off on Friday, and so my mom and I decided to spend the day in Manhattan doing tourist-y things like exploring Hudson Yards and taking the ferry to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was a big day all around (we walked more than I’d walked in the entire two weeks prior, it felt like) but especially when I took the subway for the first time since March. Times are weird, y’all.
If you haven’t done it yet, it was fine! Honestly! The trains were clean, most people wore masks, and everything was pretty much on time. I’d definitely do it again without hesitation.
#4. I hosted a Gotham Writers Workshop Open House
Every season, Gotham hosts an open house night where people interested in taking a class but not yet ready to commit can get a free, one-hour preview. I hosted a Creative Nonfiction overview last week, but if you missed it, there’s still time to sign up for a spot in my 6-week course starting October 19!
That’s it for this week — until next time, folks.
Love,
Rachel