PicoBlog

In my intermittent but ongoing efforts to become yolked, I have been eating a not-insignificant quantity of chicken breast. I promise this is not as depressing as it sounds—at some point I want to write something about gaining muscle without eating nasty foods—but it does require some effort and attention. Chicken breast can be dry and punitive, and I generally try to avoid feeling punished by my food. (As I write this I am eating a mug of McConnell’s s’mores ice cream.

I love many things about "Love Trip: Paris," the Freeform show following francophiles Rose Zilla-Ba, Josielyn Aguilera, Lacy Hartselle, and Caroline Renner, four American women trying to find love in Paris. The weekly show premiered on Valentine's Day, and its first four episodes are currently streaming on Hulu. The women live in a gorgeous apartment complex called le tronchet, along with their suitors. In every episode, they invite one of the women or men on a date throughout Paris, and we see the women go on scenic dates throughout the city.

A couple weeks ago NBC News ran an article by Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, a summer intern there, headlined “Inside the online world of people who think they can change their race.” Subheadline: “Practitioners of ‘race change to another,’ or RCTA, purport to be able to manifest physical changes in their appearance and even their genetics to truly become a different race.” It’s a very of-the-moment story, and it includes some fascinating details.

Tuesday, May 30, 2022 Good morning! One of the most frequently requests I get is for recipes that pack up well when you want to either help lighten someone else’s load or to stash away for an upcoming moment in your life, like a new baby, when you’ll be too busy to cook. For that, we have the freezer. I’ve learned so much from Ali Rosen’s Modern Freezer Meals, which came out last summer.

There are many a toxic drawback to TikTok, but I don’t want to get into them right now because this post is all about positive vibes only. That’s what Ross Harris, better known on the Tok as Teardrop Estates, has brought me, and what I want to share with all of you. I came across Ross’s page on my FYP in a video where he’s wrapped himself in a quilt.

Hello you! I first heard about Dimes Square on the internet, mostly from cultural influencers I follow, both micro and macro. Initially, I thought it was just a designated area for hot people in the Lower East Side, which like, color me intrigued! But upon a deep dive after seeing it pop up frequently in memes from @starterpacksofnyc and NYT articles alike, I learned that it’s a small area at the intersection of the Lower East Side and Chinatown made up of restaurants and galleries where intellectuals, skaters, NYC nepotism babies, podcasters (aren’t we all), playwrights, and celebrities collide.

Hi, welcome back to Mixed Messages! This week I’m speaking to actress and singer Yasmina El-Abd, who is of Turkish, Kurdish and Egyptian heritage. Yasmina’s latest shows include Finding Ola on Netflix and Theodosia on HBO Max. Yasmina is most definitely a force for change, using her platform to speak up about social issues and giving a voice to those who are bullied because of their heritage. Read Yasmina’s story below.

Happy holidays, dickholes! Here comes the new year. Thank God. It’s less that I’m necessarily looking forward to it and more that I need to look forward to something, otherwise I’ll go bananas. I realize that I’ve been curiously absent for a few weeks, but a small vacation from writing has been nice and necessary. Instead of sitting on my sweaty ass in the office chair, I moved that same sweaty ass to the couch, where I plowed through video games.

Remember a couple articles ago I said that La Ecovilla was the only village I could really see myself living in? Well, as of one week ago, I live here now. Actually, I was sort of headhunted to come down there to work, which I’ll tell you more about below. I will also tell you why I refused the same offer 2 years ago. I flew in from Oaxaca, Mexico just one week ago.