me yapping about marketing, sonny angels, mac and cheese, and iron flame
1) Witnessing the best and worst of 2024 marketing
I think the “Former Genius” ad that Samsung released through Spotify was brilliant. It was positioned like an ad for a new TV suspense series, and it seemed fun and unserious in a refreshingly serious way. Unlike the HPV vaccine advertisements I hear immediately afterwards. I swear, Spotify must think I’m a middle aged woman (fine, yes, I’m in a Stevie Wonder phase, I did not think of the repercussions) because no other person should be receiving this many HPV vaccine or kid’s eczema medicine commercials. And why are they all cheugy? I’ve heard enough about the far-off (school) drop-off to last me several lifetimes.
I do wonder if this era of cringe-unserious advertising (think, the Great Clips survey where I had to identify Gen Alpha vocab to get a haircut coupon) is here for a short trip or the long haul. Will classic, sophisticated marketing make a comeback? Will the Duolingo owl stop calling me pookie? Will Wendy ever stop bullying me?
I think it’s starting to happen. I used to associate Old Navy commercials, especially the holiday ones, with saccharine matching clothing and horrendously-catchy parody songs. The 2024 commercial, on the other hand, is actually normal. The bright colors and “Winter Wonderland” spoof wax nostalgic and almost catchy again. For me, this is revolutionary. We’ve come full-circle from the aspirational commercials of the early 2000s to the slang-heavy commercials of the late 2010s to this: a hybrid of the two that just might work.
But was it ever always serious? The McDonald’s “fishy fishy” Fish McBites ad comes to mind, and I do find myself wondering if we’ll always have some weird ads rolling around…
2) Looking for my Sonny Angel
I bought a Sonny Angel back in 2016 at Kinokuniya San Francisco before they were cool (it was a giraffe and one of my best purchases that year). Naturally, 8 years later, I have lost it, and am looking for it (along with my street cred). This isn’t the first time I’ve beaten a trend, and it won’t be the last. Does anyone remember Tsum Tsum mania? Hopefully people keep their Sonny Angel collections around a little longer this time before moving on to the next thing. Personally, I’m on a thrift store scavenger hunt for Littlest Pet Shop animals. I wouldn’t mind rebuilding a figurine collection to grace my work desk.
3) Learning Italian
A useful skill. Voglio mangiare la pasta in Italia e parlare l’italiano. I’ve been using the Pimsleur method (available free through Libby) combined with language immersion (watching “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix in Italian… because I’ve seen it in English three times now and can practically recite the script already). I’ll need to learn how to read and write at some point, and I’ll use whatever textbook they have at the library to get there. I also plan to start using iTalki to converse with native Italian speakers, although I’m not sure at what point in my Pimsleur self-study I’ll be ready for that, or what to even talk about.
My near-fluidez in Spanish has definitely been helpful in recognizing and retaining cognates quickly. “A que hora”, “tarde”, “come sta”, and “qualcosa” are a few that come to mind.
4) Playing Webkinz
Everyone needs a world of their own to escape to, whether it be Minecraft or Sims 4. Webkinz is mine.
5) Listening to Stevie Wonder
Forget Taylor Swift fall, I’m deep into Stevie Wonder autumn this year. I need to feel less depressed after this election and his music makes my heart and soul swell. Funk is healing! It’s not hard to believe that he was a child prodigy; his work is so layered and rich, and I’m enjoying recognizing the different cultural influences that appear throughout his discography. “Faith”, “I Wish”, and “As” are my favorites as of late.
6) Watching the DVDs I found at the thrift store
I’ve collected almost all of the DVDs I originally set out to buy when I decided to create a collection. This includes the Harry Potter movie collection (because they’re never on the streaming service when I need them), most of the 2000s CGI-animated Barbie movies (because they’re not streaming at all), and other non-streaming hits like When Harry Met Sally, Pride and Prejudice, and Baby Einstein. It feels nice to have less choice when it comes to entertaining myself these days. Most of my life fits in an IKEA Kallax, and there’s something freeing about that.
7) Cooking good food
I can say now with confidence that I can fix bad Instagram recipes, and boy are there some bad Instagram recipes out there. That glow bowl that you see might look golden and delicious, but it’s seriously lacking in flavor; do yourself a favor and add some soy sauce. When in doubt, I add taco seasoning and things usually turn out alright in the end… fusion Tex-Mex hasn’t failed me yet.
In all seriousness, I’ve come to the conclusion that teaching yourself how to cook takes about four years of utter failure (I just hit 5 years). I’ve had some questionable choices in my first five years (rainbow cake, broccoli-sauce pasta, and ratatouille make that list), but look at me now. I made sweet potato-chicken-brussel sprouts bowls (the “glow bowls” in question) earlier this week chicken mushroom udon noodle bowls yesterday with no issues. Cheers to more cooking successes!
8) Researching the science behind mac and cheese
I’m making mac and cheese for a Friendsgiving today and am feeling a little nervous. This is my fourth time making Thanksgiving-style homemade mac and cheese, and I’m set on making it creamy and distinctly not dry (wet, if you will). In the past, my mac and cheese dishes have served wonderfully the first day, but transformed into a butterball brick the next day in the fridge, only to be revived as an oily (yet tasty) mess in the microwave. I’m determined to make this year different.
After doing some Reddit research, I’ll be starting with a roux, then using whole milk and half and half, and using four cheeses (the recipe called for cheddar and gruyere but I’ll be substituting with cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gouda). I will also be adding sodium citrate per Reddit’s recommendation. According to my anonymous internet advisors, sodium citrate is the ingredient in Velveeta that gives it a velvety finish that keeps the noodles creamy and “fresh” the next day. I wouldn’t have minded just using Velveeta, but I was nervous because I’m already modifying the recipe I’m using. So, instead, I will be mixing my own sodium citrate using baking soda and citric acid (another Reddit revelation) and stirring my concoction into the recipe. Please pray for me.
9) Reading Iron Flame
I took myself on a self-date this weekend to bear down and finish the damned thing (world-building fatigue hit me hard), and I did it. The first book was a five-star knockout, but Iron Flame followed at a humble four stars. Simply stated, I got bored. I also don’t think it helped that I read a blog article about signets and spoiled a major reveal for myself. I thought I had spoiled the whole book for myself (and read most of the book thinking this way). Boy was I wrong. I will be taking the next two months to process what I just read in the last two hours. You can order a copy of Onyx Storm too at my affiliate link if you’re so inclined: https://amzn.to/4euBuAt. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
10) Watching the Nutcracker ballet on YouTube
I don’t need this on DVD because I’m counting on the YouTube gods to always have full ballet performances of my Tchaikovsky favorites (Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, and Swan Lake… so basically all of them). It’s nice to have on in the background as I complete my home tasks.
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