Obsessions This Week: April 20–26, 2025
Chocolate chip banana pancakes, the late pope, and the Lebensborn program of the Fourth Reich over here.
Happy belated Easter, if you celebrate. I am the descendant of many generations of Catholics on my father’s side, so I am genuinely sorry that the only halfway decent pope of my lifetime so far is gone, especially since it makes room for another Nazi like the guy who came before Francis.
“The only problem with the Pope is that he thinks he’s the Pope.” - a Catholic my aunt and dad knew and quote often, whose name escapes me.
As usual, Twitter (and stunningly, BlueSky) had the best takes.
🥚 Speaking of eggs, the Trump regime is obsessed
Their constant fertility talk (which is really a white natalism obsession) is so stunningly familiar, I keep referencing the Nazi Lebensborn project in casual conversation as if everyone else knows what it is. (I learned about it when I was backpacking in Norway and saw an actual old Lebensborn home for teen moms—terrifying.) As usual,
gets it:
🎧 what I’m listening to
“Lights Light Up” (Fenne Lily)
I’m a sucker for women who sound like they’re trying to be Paul Simon. “Do you really want to be here?/Well that depends on the day.”
“Back to Friends” (sombr)
This kind of song brings me back to my youth. Simple, repetitive, tragic.
📖 what I’m reading rn
The Wedding People
My friend Eesha recommended this one, and it’s been on my TBR pile for months. I finally tucked in this week, and it’s terrific. I thought it was a romance novel, but it defies categorization. Worth it for the insights on heterosexual compromise and how women (in particular) suffer in the adjunct ghetto of university systems. The author overuses the word “maybe,” and the characters seem to be uniformly white, but within those shortcomings, one of the best books I’ve read this year. A friend’s wife, Helen Laser, reads the audiobook, and she’s superlative.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Everyone should read this book. I have never read a novel that captures girlhood (and one woman’s early middle age) like this. I can’t believe it was published 64 years ago. We as a species do not change overmuch between the decades, and I guess it feels good to remember that.
📺 things I watched that I liked this week
Altered Carbon
Sharlene introduced me to this TV series on Netflix, which feels like a cross between budget Blade Runner and a Canadian Terminator. I am four episodes in and overwhelmed.
Late Night with Seth Meyers
I am not always Tim Robinson’s intended audience (though I’ve dated many of his fans), but this bit really made me laugh. I love hearing him busting up Seth, too. It’s pure absurdity. The Spider League thing got me good.
🏙️ Have I mentioned that I love Chicago?
On Wednesday, Sharlene took me on a day date to The Sears Tower and the nearby Russian Tea Time (a Ukrainian restaurant, as the owners make clear). Both were spectacular. We recommend the Herring Under a Blanket and the tea service at Russian Tea Time.
My stunning inability to take a photo (or pose correctly for one) continues to torment me, but The Ledge at the SkyDeck (the thing where you hang over the city) absolutely bodied me. I was terrified, in a clammy sweat, and barely able to take it in. I don’t think I got both feet on it or looked down. But at least Sharlene got some hot selfies. The best part of the experience for me was the museum exhibit leading up to the 103rd floor, where you go through an extremely simplified history of the Chicago skyscraper, by which I was nonetheless wholly charmed.
Relatedly, I’ll be in Los Angeles in May! Hit me up if you’re there.
💭 Letting the intrusive thoughts win
On Friday, I woke up thinking about Nicole Kidman’s prosthetic nose in The Hours. Why? Who can say. I just think that movie did Woolf needlessly dirty. Great book, though. Can’t believe the movie came out when I was in middle school; why do I remember it hitting my tween friend group so hard?
Today, I woke up thinking about James McAvoy on British Bake Off, and I’m not alone in that.
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🍌 Speaking of baking
I made these chocolate chip banana pancakes on Friday, and lo, they were excellent. Dense, sweet. My bananas were overripe, so no syrup was needed, and I undercooked them in hot brown butter to compensate for the fact I’d run out of baking powder. For chips, if you can swing it, Ghirardelli dark > Toll House semisweet. 10/10 recommend!
✒️ A Rilke poem, translated by Franz Wright
Via Bianca Stone on Instagram and Twitter:
Easter mood, for real.
Tim Robinson busts me up. Rilke poem nice Easter tag. I agree, “The problem with the Pope is he thinks he’s the Pope.” Resonates with me. I can’t take people who wear funny hats seriously.