HI! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT SUMMER! AND FALL! IT’S ALMOST THE WINTER SOLSTICE! SORRY FOR YELLING! I’M JUST TRYING TO DISTRACT YOU FROM THE FACT THAT THIS IS MY FIRST POST SINCE AUGUST. SRY ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
If you think about it, I’ve kinda been a real G, moving in silence, like lasagna. The biggest update is I am no longer the Carrie Bradshaw of North-West Brooklyn, but now the Carrie Bradshaw of North-East Philly!! (TBH this just makes me
on a ~6year delay, which is an honor.)I have some fun things cooking for 2025 BW&SJ, but in the meantime, let’s ease back into things with a good ol’ R.E.P.O.R.T., shall we? Thank you for being here.
R - reading
My latest read is Sociopath by Patric Gagne, “PhD”. I fear I was duped by this book. Despite finding the premise intriguing initially, the memoir’s sensationalist tone and lack of scholarly rigor are ultimately very offputting. The book alternates between anecdotes of Gagne’s transgressive behavior (breaking into homes, stealing random objects, and joyriding in frat-bro-mobiles) and her experiences in the music industry, all written with a mix of dark humor and detachment. I typically love memoirs, but her life story's overly vivid recollections and dramatic presentation had a similar tone to one my least favorite Reddit AMAs.
Despite Gagne’s attempts to destigmatize sociopathy as a misunderstood spectrum disorder, her arguments remain unsubstantiated, as evident by her dubious claims and casual library research in lieu of actual academic citations. The narrative, peppered with quippy dialogue and exaggerated situations, has been compared to a ’90s rom-com in tone. The memoir’s lack of consistency, reliance on dramatic flourishes, and forays into scholarly topics without any depth felt like getting stuck talking to the most self-important person at a party that I didn’t want to even be at in the first place but my friend was trying to meet up with this DJ she’s been fucking and now I’m stuck with a headache from rolling my eyes too much at an industry event.
Ultimately, Sociopath is more of a chaotic peek into one (insufferable) person’s mind than a meaningful conversation about sociopathy. It’s entertaining in places, but the further I read, the more it felt like an overly embellished script than a memoir with substance. It also did nothing in the way of destigmatizing this serious diagnosis and actually did… the opposite… lol
E - eating
Cooking at home has been a joy in my new apartment. I tripled my square footage overnight when we moved into this spot, and it’s afforded me generous cooking space. It’s a huge help in healing my relationship with food to have a kitchen I can actually cook in, a proper pantry to store ingredients, and a partner for/with whom I love to cook. Skillet gnocchi has been an easy go-to lately, specifically the one with Larry David on the package. I want to try my hand at making gnocchi from scratch soon.
P - playing
Virtual hikes, babyyyy! My bestie, ifit trainer Heather Jenson, has been taking me on a virtual tour of Canada’s glorious national park trails via the treadmill in my gym. I know an actual outdoor hike has all kinds of additional health benefits that I’m not getting when I’m busting my ass under artificial lights on a machine. Still, as my close, personal friend, ifit trainer Heather Jenson, says, we have the choice every day to make good, better, and best decisions. And maybe the “best” decision is doing my workout earlier in the day in a nearby park to beat the 430pm sunset, but I’d argue doing this workout at all is at least a good and maybe even better decision. My arms, core, and legs are sore from tackling these mountain trails, and I feel great.
O - obsessing
Playing Stardew! It’s all I want to dew! I started on a shared farm with my boyfriend on his Switch, then got the game for PC when it was on sale on Steam, and now I play it daily on my iPad. The secondary obsession here is my iPad. I am an unapologetic iPad baby. More on Stardew in the next R.E.P.O.R.T. when I start to venture into mods, but for now, please check out my cute little farm and the whole crew in my poultry barn. If I cannot milk my goats and forage for mushrooms daily in the Cindersap Forest, I will pass right away.
R - recommending
I recently subbed to Pam Grossman’s Patreon to support to her Witch Wave podcast— one of my absolute favorites.
This idea is nothing new, but I will continue to bang the drum regardless— support small(er) artists and creators!! If you like someone’s art, buy it! If you can’t afford a big purchase, subscribe to their Patreon/Substack/Podcast/Youtube Channel, etc. If you can’t toss any money their way, show up for their events and tell all your friends! All we have is each other.
T - treating
The secret ingredient in my holiday baking this year is… 🗣🗣 TAHINI. These recipes are relatively easy to make vegan/GF if you so desire— feel free to ask me if you want some tips.
Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie
Happy Monday, talk soon 🫶
xo mal