The Worst Holiday

Hello, friends!

I am here today to use my platform to protest my least favorite day in February. And no, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day. Obviously, I’ll observe any holiday dedicated to love and candy. Instead, I want to make a motion to remove Groundhog Day from our national calendar. It’s an ancient holiday dedicated to a literal rodent. Why are we celebrating this day when we could replace it with Rosa Parks’ birthday?

Anyway, below are some things I have actually been enjoying this month and have a fabulous weekend! Oh, and happy Usher (and most definitely Taylor) Bowl!

Xo,

Toby

•  I was at a dinner party last fall when a woman propositioned me to sleep with her husband, and I almost spit out my cornbread. But apparently polyamory is a big thing right now. I really missed the boat on that one! (The Atlantic)

•  Reading an article about stress is kinda … stressful. But I do like the endgame here and am trying to incorporate this simple phrase into my life. (goop)

•  The Oscars are my Super Bowl, and reading is my sport, so I love this rundown on 2024 Best Picture nominees back when they were books. (The Week)

•  Speaking of the Academy Awards, two movies I watched recently from 2023––Rye Lane and They Cloned Tyrone––were criminally overlooked for Best Screenplay. (Hulu and Netflix)

•  If I were the type to host a Super Bowl party, instead of ordering a heart-shaped pizza from Papa John’s, I’d make Joy’s Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sweet Rolls. Instead, I bookmarked those to make for dinner this week because they look delicious. (Joy the Baker)

•  I was subbing for an elementary school music class during the entire month of January, so I created this playlist to help kids get their jollies out. Grab some hand percussion instruments and scarves for the first half then settle in for some fun bits of film history. (YouTube)

•  If you want to lean into the dark days of February, Patrick Radden Keefe’s immaculately written and researched feature will do the trick. (New Yorker)

•  Something to look forward to later this month: A new Coen Brothers movie. (YouTube)

•  “I can be firm as cold turkey.” Jordan Kapono Nakamura (Poets.org)

•  Postal service PSA: I used the Love 2024 stamps for my Valentines this year and they’re stunning. (USPS)

• You need a LOL standup routine. You just do. The way Jacqueline Novak leaps around the stage and talks in one 90-minute run-on sentence without breaking a sweat is pure athleticism. (Netflix)

•  Is anyone else watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith? I can’t get enough of this action rom-com. Maya Erskine and Donald Glover have fantastic chemistry. Plus, he takes off his shirt in every episode, which makes me forget what I said above about polyamory. (Amazon)