my ins and outs for 2024 and today's news
Hello.
Ins and outs for 2024. Are we doing these?
I’ll share mine below.
But before I do, I’ve been thinking a lot about the name of this newsletter and I’m trying to decide if I should change it or not. I like milktealibrary, it has a ring to it, but something doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s just my brain playing tricks on me. But I’m going back and fourth between a couple of options. I’m going to post a poll here. I’m curious to read your thoughts. It kind of feels like I’m naming a child…
Ins:
-intimate dinner partiesÂ
-playing more chessÂ
-having a vivid and vibrant vocabularyÂ
-intentionality with social mediaÂ
-classical musicÂ
-writing everydayÂ
-watching more criterion filmsÂ
-saying yes to things that excite youÂ
-eating when you’re hungryÂ
-when it comes to books: quality > quantityÂ
-having a signature scentÂ
-buying more print magazinesÂ
-jazz musicÂ
-investingÂ
-hedonismÂ
-burgundy nailsÂ
-learning a new languageÂ
-apps to make you smarterÂ
-burning the good candlesÂ
-whole milkÂ
-outfit repeatingÂ
Outs:
-instant gratificationÂ
-curse wordsÂ
-one sided friendshipsÂ
-oversharing
-podcasts with menÂ
-oat milkÂ
-eating bad foodÂ
-the male gazeÂ
-investing in relationships and goals that aren’t reciprocatedÂ
-boxing yourself in to one aestheticÂ
-overconsumptionÂ
News:
-An Exhausting Year in (and Out of) the Office
The evolution of the knowledge work sector over the past few years, notably marked by the Great Resignation and the Remote-Work Wars, reflects a deep-seated dissatisfaction and fatigue among workers. This discontent, exacerbated by a substantial increase in digital communication and its associated stresses, highlights a critical misalignment between the demands of modern work and the well-being of employees. The challenge moving forward is not merely to adjust to this new normal but to fundamentally rethink and reform the way we engage with work, especially in a digital context, to alleviate the pervasive sense of exhaustion and dissatisfaction.
The narrative from Arizona State University paints a stark picture of declining humanities enrollments, capturing a broader trend affecting universities nationwide. This decline, fueled by economic anxieties and a shifting focus towards STEM fields, reflects a deeper societal shift away from traditional liberal arts. Students, torn between passion and pragmatism, navigate a landscape where the perceived value of humanities diminishes despite its profound role in fostering critical thinking and cultural understanding. The crisis is not just about numbers but about how education aligns with our evolving conception of utility and value, challenging the very essence of what it means to be an educated person in the modern world.
Rachel Bespaloff's intellectual journey and tragic end illuminate the profound depths of existential thought during a tumultuous era. Her exploration of "the instant" as a life-altering, embodied moment reflects her unique approach to philosophy, intertwining music, rhythm, and corporeality. Despite her brilliance and recognition by contemporaries like Camus and Sartre, Bespaloff's work remains relatively obscure, overshadowed perhaps by her untimely death and the larger-than-life figures of her time. Her contributions, however, particularly her views on embodiment, time, and the transformative power of the instant, offer a poignant, deeply human perspective on existential philosophy.Â
-What I Learned From Eating Alone In PublicÂ
The narrative paints a vivid picture of a summer spent in Budapest, marked by a journey from discomfort with local foods to finding solace in the ritual of eating sushi alone by the Danube River. The narrator navigates a landscape of internal conflict and cultural dissonance, where the act of dining alone becomes a profound space for self-reflection and confronting existential despair.
-12 Of The World’s Most Expensive Fragrances
The world of luxury perfumes boasts extravagant scents like the discontinued Pleine Lune sur le Nil by Parfums De Burmann at $30,000 and the diamond-adorned J'adore L'or Prestige Edition by Dior for $75,000, reflecting the pinnacle of olfactory art and opulence.
-Now’s the Time to Start Watching a Really Long TV Show
Battling winter blues can be as simple as immersing yourself in the long, winding narratives of a lengthy TV series. During the dark, cold months, when self-improvement seems daunting and the world outside is less inviting, committing to a show with hundreds of episodes can provide a comforting routine and a mental escape. From the medical dramas of Shonda Rhimes to the teen angst of "Gossip Girl" or the supernatural allure of "Vampire Diaries," there's a Winter Project Show for everyone, offering not just entertainment but a light-hearted way to keep engaged until the sun returns.
I have a letterboxd (milktealibrary)
I’m going to start posting more books and film recs on here soon.
-How To Think Before You Speak, Online And OfflineÂ
Engaging in heated debates, especially online, often provokes impulsive reactions that can escalate quickly, leading to regrettable outcomes; experts suggest taking a step back to cool down, reflect, and approach the situation with empathy and understanding to avoid perpetuating a cycle of conflict and to foster more constructive and respectful dialogues.
-Latte Makeup, Strawberry Girl, Glazed Donut Skin: How Food Changed the Way We Think About Beauty
The beauty industry's latest craze for food-inspired makeup trends like "latte makeup" and "strawberry girl makeup," amplified by TikTok and social media, reflects a cyclical and relatable approach to beauty that simplifies complex makeup techniques into digestible, fun concepts, despite some fatigue and criticism from users seeking more originality.
In Sheila Liming's "Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time," the author explores the dwindling art of hanging out, emphasizing the importance of unstructured socializing for human connection and creativity, as the writer experiences firsthand in a day spent with Liming, filled with music, stories, and the intimacy of simply being together.
-Why You Stay Up So Late, Even When You Know You Shouldn’t
"Revenge bedtime procrastination," a term born from the struggle to claim personal time, manifests as a refusal to sleep despite no external hindrances. Initially identified in a 2014 Dutch study, it's especially prevalent among those feeling a loss of control over their time. This form of procrastination is often a mix of technology use and anxiety, where individuals delay sleep by engaging in activities like social media scrolling to combat fears of sleeplessness. Personality traits like impulsivity and distractibility, indicative of poor self-regulation, are also key contributors. Techniques like the "Power-Down Hour" propose a structured pre-sleep routine to combat this, emphasizing the importance of self-regulation and sleep hygiene in overcoming the urge to delay bedtime for personal time recovery.
Ah, I almost forgot.Â
Yesterday I went to McNally Jackson and picked up some books:
Still on the hunt for The Magus by John Fowles.
Love you, Bye <3