Snake eyes

The roller coaster of life pitched into a yaw this week. (That, my friends, is "a twisting or oscillation of a moving ship or aircraft around a vertical axis.") The company I work at, alongside many people I care deeply about, underwent its third round of layoffs in a year. I am safe for now, but multiple people that mean a lot to me lost their jobs. The economy is not working for the people who keep it running. It's not much more nuanced than that.

I have a dangerous independent streak that rears its head at times like this—"You should start your own thing you know you can you've done it before come onnnn jump off the cliff"—but those things I started inevitably broke apart, dumping me back on the doorstep of Other People's Ideas. I'm in a weird headspace and am headed to Vegas next weekend, which is a bad combination. If I make it back intact, y'all hit me up with business ideas. I'm feeling itchy.

🎥 Robot Dreams (in theaters)
This was exactly what I needed to see yesterday. It was nominated for an Oscar last year for Best Animated Feature, so I'm not sure why it's just now in theaters but no matter. You will not be able to get the grin off your face for the first half of the movie. An utterly charming story of a lonely dog and the robot friend he orders through the mail, it's set in an 80s-era New York populated entirely by animals. The attention to detail is extraordinary.

📖 Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches
Comedian John Hodgman is arguably an acquired taste, but this book of stories from his summer adventures in the Northeast was about 10 times more enjoyable than I assumed it would be. He seems to be a lovely person and I want to be friends with him. One of my favorite things in life is laughing out loud while you're reading a book—it's just such a surprise, to break into spontaneous laughter alone in a room—and that happened repeatedly while reading this.

🎥 To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (Prime)
How have I never see this? Has everyone else seen this and kept it a secret from me? That's so rude. Made in 1995, this movie is light years ahead of its time in some ways, with only a couple of moments that make you wince. The tale of 3 drag queens who get stuck in a backwards country town when their car breaks down, I was stunned at how much Patrick Swayze in particular commits to his role. He could have so easily made Vida a caricature but didn't, choosing to make her a real role he inhabited as an actor. (The nerve!) I can't imagine the blowback he got for it. Wesley Snipes and Jon Leguizamo are great too. And yes Ru Paul is in it because I think he's legally obligated to be.

Have a good week. xoxoxo