This is Simon Says, Rachel Simon’s weekly newsletter that’s part life updates, part pop culture recs, and part whatever else is going on in her brain at the moment. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram for more, and subscribe here to get this in your inbox every Sunday night.
Happy May! The start of this month marks six months since we moved to Raleigh, which is absurd, seeing as our time here has felt like both two seconds and 10 years. Time is weird!
Here’s what else is up:
What I’m writing
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Bridesmaids, I wrote about the current state of female comedy movies for Shondaland which is… dismal, to say the least. But, as I wrote about, there is some hope! Read about it here.
I made some progress on my book this week—nothing huge, but more than I’d been doing this recently. Feeling good!
What I’m reading
I cannot say enough how much I liked David Hopen’s novel The Orchard. It’s smart and compelling and dark, kind of like The Secret History meets Gossip Girl meets an Orthodox Jewish high school (just go with me here). Highly recommend.
What I’m watching
Last night, I rewatched Kubo and the Two Strings, the beautiful 2016 animated film that flew wayyyy under the radar. Definitely check it out if you haven’t!
Otherwise, I’ve been happily continuing my journey through Felicity Season 1, Six Feet Under Season 4, and Veep Season 1 (for Kurt’s sake—I’ve seen it all, and am loving him discovering the joys of Jonah insults for the first time).
What I’m listening to
I adore Billie Eilish’s new single, “Your Power.” The lyrics are haunting, as is the music video (which Billie herself directed). I can’t wait for her new album, which comes out this summer!
Closing thoughts
You have a few more days to order your Mother’s Day custom crossword puzzle to get it in time! Let me know if you have any questions.
In other news, we took our engagement photos, and they’re perfect, if I do say so myself. I love love!!
This feature on the breakdown of Kim and Kanye’s marriage is excellent, and well worth the read.
As is this painful, essential story about sexual assault and predatory men. It reminded me of the fantastic, heartbreaking movie 2018 The Tale, which you can stream on HBO Max.
I wrote a short Twitter thread about body image and mental health, which you can read here.
Lastly, here’s a little glimpse at our weekend, which featured our first visitors to the house (!) and many dog photos:
Two very good girls.
Talk next week,
Rachel