Ate It Up | 08
February roundup, stress cycles, books, new boot goofin.
AteItUp is a roundup of everything I’ve engaged with over the past month—books read, movies and shows watched, things I’ve bought, and anything else that caught my attention. It’s part reflection, part recommendation, and a way to document the media, objects, and ideas shaping my days.
Hey Y’all! This month was a short one, but a good one. Black History Month forever. It has been stressful, but I have been completing my stress cycle, so I’ve been okay. As my master’s program is ending, it feels like the work has only just begun. I have sat at my desk 10 hours a day for the past 28 days. Outside of this, we have officially reached over 100 subscribers to this newsletter. WHOOOOO!!! Thank you to those near and far for your support, response, and appreciation. It means so much to me.
Some updates: I have added a section where I talk about Substacks that I love. It has become a new favorite internet place of mine. I figured I would share the ones I frequent. I’ve told all my friends to get onto Substack. I don’t know if it is forever, but a sort of nostalgia fills me on this platform. One I haven’t had since Tumblr. Enjoy the rundown. :)
Shows
Paradise(Hulu)
I'm a big fan of what this show has going on. It is eery, action-filled, and well-written. Agent Xavier Collins leads the security service team as they navigate a world after disaster and try to rebuild. Sterling K Browns acting is immaculate, as always. James Marsden can get it always and forever. I also adore the tones and coloring of the show. Highly recommend!
Love is Blind(Netflix)
This is the whitest season I've seen in a while. And I grew up in Ohio! This season takes place in Minnesota. And it is still the type of thing that I am eating up. The conversations are capital-B boring. However, they follow a range of not voting, suppressed sexuality, lots of trauma bonds, blaccents(Meg, give it up), and a lack of knowledge about George Floyd. There is only one Black couple that made it through. As always, some families are more supportive than have no clue if anyone is gonna say yes, or how folks have made it this far. The show is maintaining its charm!
The Night Agent(Netflix)
This show is good. I watched all of the first season while taking my braids out. It follows Peter, a young night agent, as he navigates lies and secrecy in the FBI. In the first season, he is alongside Rose(omg, it’s me, lol), as he protects her. The show is classic: guns everywhere, gray skies, leather shoes. I’m in the second season I think it’s lost its touch a little bit for me. I’m not finished yet, so we will see if it gets its second win.
Severance(MAX)
We are so back, baby! Season 2 has me full of questions and absolutely no answers, and there are only two episodes left. This season is continuously eerie. Somehow, it has increased. Goats are here. Miss Huang, a little girl, somehow now works at this company as a manager. I have no clue where she came from or how. I like the character development of each one. The innies and outies seem to have come a long way. The set design and coloring are consistently breathtaking, and the acting is spectacular. You gotta watch it!
Movies
One of Them Days(In Theatres)
Keke Palmer doesn't have any right to have me giggling in the theatre like this. This film follows Dreux(Keke) and Alyssa(SZA) as they have less than 24 hours to pay their rent. It is full of twists and turns, love and hate. It had some truly funniest, raunchiest moments. Friendship was at the center of this film, and I truly felt that both the writing and acting paired together so well, and this felt like a new cult classic to me.
It Ends With Us(Netflix)
I watched this with my friends amidst the Justin and Blake drama. Now that I'm thinking about it, where are we at with that? It was not as bad as I thought it was. The acting made me feel so uncomfortable. I can’t tell if it was being too invested in the drama or just the movie, but either way, woof. Justin, amidst all things, did a good job acting. Blake had more flowers than I thought humanly possible to include. Atlas was cute, though! I was a fan of his character ;)
Music
Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos
This album has been on repeat! Bad Bunny is one of my favorites—he always tugs at my heartstrings while keeping my hips moving. This feels like one of his most personal projects yet, a love letter to his home, Puerto Rico. It’s beautiful, inspiring, and effortlessly versatile—an album I can throw on anytime.
Laufey - Everything I Know About Love
I’ve listened to a few Laufey songs but never a full album. I loved this one. It is sweet and moody. It makes me feel like I am at a Jazz club, and I can see the rain and night streets through the window. Laufey’s voice is so soothing and velvety.
Podcasts
Lemme Say This
Hunter and Peyton are the duo I need—their humor is exactly my cup of tea. This podcast covers pop culture, TV, music, and everything happening for the gworls. They keep it real, always bringing sharp takes, hilarious commentary, and the kind of energy that makes you feel like you’re in the group chat with them. I truly love it—their dynamic is unmatched in every episode.
Sylly
This is a new podcast from Tembe and Mbiye. The title is Sylly, like Syllabus, fun and cute! These are two of my favorite girls whom I have followed across the internet in different ways. So far, there is only one episode out, and I am loving it! It is for the goofy girls, the bookish girls, the curious ones. I love their banter and am so excited for them to release more episodes.
Books I Read in: February
I started subscribing to many book and writing-based Substacks. Quite a few offered suggestions for book annotating and something called commonplace journaling, which I have never heard of. But since learning about it, I have started doing it for my current reads and loving it!
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
I found this story to be so beautiful, heartbreaking, and compelling. The story follows Celestial and Roy, recently married and navigating Roy suffering wrongful imprisonment. I found Jones’s writing stunning. It’s been a while since I felt such honesty from a book. I plan to write a more in-depth review, so stay tuned!
Currently Reading/Recent Pickups:
Thick and Other Essays by Tressie Mcmillan Cottom
I’m rereading this and decided to use it for my first commonplace journaling—and it’s even better than I remember. Tressie’s essays explore beauty, Blackness, culture, and so much more. She has a way of tapping into things I didn’t even know I needed, and as a Black woman, I feel it so deeply. Her writing is one of my favorites, and I tend to admire anything she puts her hands on. This book is yet another reminder that she ain’t nothing to play with! I love you, Tressie.
Recent Pickups
Certain People: America’s Black Elite(Little Free Library)
I know nothing about this book, lol. But it seems like it is right up my alley!
Disorientation By Elaine Hsieh Chou(Library Loan)
One of my friends said this is one of her favorite books, so of course, I had to get it. I will let you know how it is next month!
Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Library Loan)
I’ve had this book on my list for some time. I read The Late Americans last year and liked it. I started this one, and it's giving pretentiousness. So we will see, cause right now I am not in the mood for that lol.
Substack Favorites
I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled onto this Substack—probably through my feed—but I’m so glad I did. I love Petya’s writing and the way she shares insights about books and practice. She offers so much good, fun information, and I especially enjoy hearing about her life and work and how they shape her reading practice. Substack covers a wide range of topics, but platforms centered on reading are always my favorite.
On my mind this month: Notes
Long morning walks
I mentioned internet consumption in my last Ate It Up and logged off of TikTok soon after. I now only use the app on my iPad to watch if someone texts me a TikTok link. For now, Substack and Instagram have been serving my scrolling habit. It’s crazy that I do notice such a difference mentally. Maybe it’s made up? But I do feel like, mentally, I have the capacity. I can embrace news and information more at ease and not just immediately subjected to something that raises my blood pressure before I go to bed.
Substack notes
Underlining my books
Notes app
Funky looking websites
A nice crisp soda
Smoothies
Horseback riding
Fred took me for valentines day <3
Food/Recipes:
Anything Fred makes me…<3 or eating out! I have no energy or time to cook; it overwhelms me. To be honest, if it takes longer than 20 minutes to cook, it doesn’t feel worth it. Recently, it is been Chicken quesadillas, baked potatoes and veggies, smoothies, eggs, and white rice. Shoutout to my husband! and dominoes, lol.
Random but good things: wishlist/pickups
I ain’t got any money, lol, but I am always rich in spirit. This month, I didn’t do much shopping. In the beginning, I did buy some new things secondhand. These bomb cowboy boots, ugh, they are so good, and I CAN’T WAIT to style them. Two pairs of pants, two tops. Something about these items has me so excited to style and get dressed.
That’s it for now, folks! I will see you later this month with some more writings and updates.
Lots of love,
XOXO, Ya Little Mama <3
These boots! 😍 They look so good on my you, too! I’m also loving Paradise and we saw One of Them Days for Valentine’s Day and I don’t know when I’ve laughed that hard in a movie theater, it was so good! Definitely a soon-to-be classic, I agree. I’m loving The White Lotus Season Two, the Native body wash in the Dunkin’ Vanilla Sprinkle scent, visiting tide pools, and I’m getting excited for the new Shonda Rhimes show, The Residence!! It’s all I can think about and write about!