40 obsessions
random hottie photographed by Arianna Jadé
I almost put “40 recommendations” but let’s be real, my two modes are obsessed or not even the power of 8,000 fiery hellspawn could compel me to care. so…here are things i’ve obsessed over at some point in my life but probably the past 365 days. (none of these are referral links because i may be the world’s most influential person according to my cat but i’m not an influencer.) ok let’s goooo!
Baldur’s Gate 3. yes, act 3 is buggy as hell, but it’s GAME OF THE FRICKIN YEAR for a reason, babyyyy! it’s silly, it’s heartwarming, it’s very gay, it’s for us D&D weirdos! played it for who knows how many hundreds of hours so far and i still have a lot of quests left. mooost of my free time is either playing it or thinking/reading/texting my friends about it.
noosa pumpkin yogurt. costs almost as much as a tesla but much more delicious and 100% less likely to self-destruct. tastes like pumpkin cheesecake but silky smooth.
Anna Sui. got into her after getting into whimsigoth. her vibe is romantic + punk/grunge + art nouveau. ‘20s meets late ‘60s meets ‘90s. black roses, lace, purple, jewel tones, butterflies, Twiggy-esque makeup, London mod, Courtney Love, high tea, etc. i’d say this is a classic anna sui look - flirty and sparkly but also dark. plus she just seems like a lovely sweet human (and she likes fluevogs!).
medieval tavern youtube videos (like this christmas one). use firefox + ublock origin, though, so it’s ad-free. youtube cracked down on adblockers earlier this year (don’t get me started) but so far, knock on wood, ublock origin still works on firefox. luv u mozilla!
grocery pickup. i don’t love Kroger having a record of every single thing i’ve bought (hashtag privacy amirite), but i DO love almost never having to go inside a grocery store. (if you’re neurodivergent or just get overwhelmed/overstimulated, you know what i mean.) you pick your groceries on the app, see exactly how much everything costs BEFORE you pay, choose some substitutes if something’s out, choose your pickup time slot, and go getcha food. it’s stupid easy. i started during the pandemic (shout out to heather) and am hooked.
stevie nicks, björk, and hayley williams were my musical obsessions this year. common themes: great personal style, creativity, talent, and badassery.
speaking of björk: the umlaut, always. ööööööööööö (look, it’s a surprised face!)
good dye young. speaking of hayley williams, her hair dye line is great. smells delicious (bergamot!) and supposedly moisturizes your hair. read the reviews, because some colors are better than others (apparently the purples aren’t great). i’ve used Ex-Girl (hot pink), Riot (her signature orange), and Steal My Sunshine (yellow) and want to try green.
resin DIYing. so far i’ve only made coasters and light switch/outlet covers, but resin is so dang fun. it’s basically liquid plastic that hardens, and you can put dried flower petals or leaves in there, or glitter, photos, mementos, whatever. (thanks to carlee, who got me a resin coaster kit last year!) just BE SAFE and wear gloves, do it outside, etc.
cats. do you have a cat? what, you’re “allergic”? PSHHH.
speaking of DIYing, other DIY/home improvement essentials: a cordless drill (ideally one with a little light and that is magnetic so screws stick to it), a level, a good boxcutter/utility knife and replacement blades, a stud finder (nyuk nyuk), and spray paint (especially key for transforming secondhand finds).
Craig Frames. i’ve gotten a lot of frames over the years and Craig Frames are reliably excellent (but not cheap 😬). Sturdier than Ikea frames, plus they come in, like, any dimensions.
dang did i really say 40? seems like a lot.
queer romance novels. recommended authors: Georgia Beers, E.J. Noyes, Melissa Brayden. also enjoyed Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel.
ridiculous christmas ornaments. i currently have a slice of pizza, bottle of ranch, burger, box of Cheese-Its, Cool Ranch Doritos, cupcake, and fries. instead of a star or angel on top, i have the Christmas octapus (obviously). when my sister was little, she made a dragon out of clay that instantly became known as The Christmas Dragon.
disposable gloves. a must for spray-painting (or hair-dyeing or resin crafting). i know i’m killing fish/trees/dolphins but i sleep soundly knowing i’m not an oil exec, a politician passing anti-climate legislation, or a pop star causing massive fossil fuel emissions with her private jet (iykyk).
for real i’m seriously only at fifteen? we gotta speed this up.Embrace Autism. excellent blog and much better than the evil organization that shall not be named.
LastPass or any password manager.
The Mary Sue for nerdy lady news.
Dana Scully. no explanation needed.
Speaking of iconic queer-coded redheads, Mrs. Frizzle. “Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!” Words to live by. PLUS Lily Tomlin voiced her! I mean!!!
YouTubers like Angelyca Violet (who talks about plus size fashion, whimsigoth, grunge, etc. as well as making jewelry), Moda Misfit (cozy living and dark-inspired small-space decor), and Phyrra (goth and cruelty-free beauty).
Ominous Positivity Memes on Instagram.
a stick vacuum. way easier than hauling out a big ole one.
Libby (the library app) - free ebooks and audiobooks! also apparently a lot of people don’t realize you can get DVDs from the library?!?!
fruit snacks. not just for kids!
the Fletcher/Shannon Beveridge/Becky drama, which lives rent-free in my head.
CREDIT UNIONS. banks are stupid. leave your bank!
Sin in Linen for gothy/dark romantic bedding. Expensive but sooo nice.
Instead of judging someone for liking/doing something I wouldn’t have, mentally reframing it by realizing they just have different priorities than I do (I mean, as long as it’s not something unethical or harming someone). Someone spends hours on their makeup or watching sports? It doesn’t mean they’re shallow or stupid (although they might be, of course), we just have different priorities. Still working on this, but it’s a game-changer. (Thanks, therapist!)
Lush’s Snow Fairy scent. It’s like bubblegum and vanilla and magic.
sitting and staring into space. doing nothing. (very anti-capitalism chic.) taking naps. looking out the window and taking deep breaths to see what nighttime smells like. it mostly smells cold.
definitely NOT deciding to make a super-long list and then taking all diggity dang day to finish your blog post about it because you did absolutely no planning for this in the previous 365 days even though that wouldn’t have taken much time but would’ve made this a whole lot faster and easier (32.5: complaining about self-imposed creativity)
searching for old homco shelves (plastic-but-fancy-lookin’!) on Etsy, eBay, poshmark, mercari, etc. and finding the cheapest one and then spray-painting it black so it looks goth or kinda victorian (do NOT search for “goth shelf” and then pay twice as much for one that someone already spray-painted black; you are a do-it-yourselfer!)
fakespot. i hate jeff bezos (he and elon musk can be slowly dismembered and eaten by a kraken) but when i MUST give him my money, fakespot is the only way to go, because you KNOW there are a bazillion bogus reviews on amazon.
does the dog die and unconsenting media, because it’s helpful to know in advance if a show/movie/book has triggering stuff.
fake candles + rechargeable batteries. an electric fireplace. help i’m at the point in the list where i’m literally just looking around my living room
tony’s chocolonely. that is some GOOD SHIT. i met some of their employees years ago and they seemed like absolutely lovely humans. great but not cheap (like several other things on this list because apparently i have expensive taste).
ex-evangelicals who are now happily doing their own thing. see: Qveen Herby (especially her songs Black Sheep and Gorgeous), Deconstruction Girl on the ’gram, and Nikole Mitchell, the pastor turned stripper (mostly because she makes the conservatives sooooo mad!).
Lindy West, always and forever. she started a podcast this year!!!! (on top of being a bestselling author, having a TV show, and making a movie with one of her partners. she’s basically conquered every form of media except polka music.) i’m not a podcast person so i only made it through (less than) one episode but i’m sure the rest are great LUV U LINDY
sleep