In The Clouds 001: Tacos, flowers, chores, and the bog
Plus Claire de Lune and the Zombie Internet.
Welcome to In the Clouds, where I share what I've been consuming and what I find inspiring.
If you were expecting a graphic design related newsletter, you’re looking for Asset Library, which comes out on the first Monday of the month.
Starting off with the most wistful banger of all time, Claire de Lune. This song made me stop what I was doing and look at the window in melancholy on a rainy day. It doesn’t get better than that. I would love to know scientifically why it is the most beautiful song of all time.
This article by Haley Nahman about chores and changing your attitude and perspective towards them. I try to read this every once in a while and I felt like I was dragging my feet too much washing dishes recently so it's that time again.
Esse Tacos on Bedford. Maybe you’ve seen the tiktoks, but I’m a real person so listen to me.
Just opened by Chef Enrique Olvera of Pujol, Cosme, and Atla fame. Went on the opening day and had delicious tacos, caught a glimpse of the king Enrique Olvera, and took in the good vibes. Really great place, everyone who worked there seemed really proud to be there, which made it feel more special.
We got the rib-eye (corn and flour), chicken poc chuc, and al pastor. Beautiful and emotive, I could look at them forever. This is a nice writeup about them.
How to De-Bog Yourself
A really great read about feeling stuck and how to get unstuck. Beware the bog.About half of my friends kind of hate their jobs, so they're moderately unhappy most of the time, but never unhappy enough to leave. This is the mediocrity trap: situations that are bad-but-not-too-bad keep you forever in their orbit because they never inspire the frustration it takes to achieve escape velocity.
The mediocrity trap is a nasty way to end up in the bog. Terrible situations, once exited, often become funny stories or proud memories. Mediocre situations, long languished in, simply become Lost Years—boring to both live through and talk about, like you're sitting in a waiting room with no cell reception, no wifi, and no good magazines, waiting for someone to come in and tell you it's time to start living.
This is what the internet looks like now
An observational piece about the weird “zombie-internet” vibes coming out of all the AI generated content.The question I have, which I wrote above, is what is the end goal with all of this? It’s clear that, for creators, this is just another engagement hack. Something you can quickly spit out to enrage old people and mesmerize iPad babies. But I’m less clear how anyone at Meta, or Youtube, or TikTok can look at this and think that it’s good. To say nothing of those platforms’ advertisers.
Linen pillow covers
I have a couple pillow cases from this Etsy seller and I really like them!! Really affordable, tons of options, and they also have bedding, curtains, tablecloths, aprons, etc.
The Valid Horseshoe Theory of Consumables via Tyler from PI.FYI
A jolting read about wellness being annoying and some actual tips
Take it with a grain of salt but I found the guidelines helpful! In general I think people try to overengineer wellness and love the promise of an elixir that will make us skinny, healthy, and whatever else we might desire.
My seasonal playlist for spring/summer 2024. This is my 23rd one, isn’t that nice. I have an archive of my taste and emotional state dating back to my junior year of college. Pretty cool.
Bye, see you on the first of the month for the next Asset Library xoxo
See you next time. On the first Monday of the month, you can expect Asset Library and on the third Monday of the month you can expect In the Clouds in your inboxes.
