Quick Spin: Brain Fog, Bikes, IUDs & Things I Didn't Know I Needed
Just your standard mix of wellness scams, gear recs, and hormonal rage.
Whew, it’s been a minute. I’ve been traveling, deadlines piled up, the news won’t stop spiraling—and yet somehow, nothing feels worth talking about? Maybe that’s just called burnout… Anyway, here’s a chaotic brain dump:
In happy news (for me): I finally landed a piece about nicotine and brain fog, so I can stop cornering friends and newsletter readers with my obsession. There’s a surprising amount of research on how nicotine affects cognition, and I’m sure I’m about to learn some side effects I don’t want to know. So I’m enjoying these last few days in my nice, ignorant little bubble, pretending nicotine is the solution to all my woes. I’ll be interviewing experts this week, and I’ll file at the end of the month.
When I logged onto Instagram today, I saw a wellness influencer breaking down the benefits of “okra water” for your health and skin. Why do we need to turn everything into water? My hunch: because it’s slimy, like snail mucin (popular in Korean skincare), people assume it’ll hydrate their skin better. But realistically, what vegetable has ever become more nutritious after sitting in a glass of water overnight? Can we just agree to eat okra instead?
Another thing I’ve been wanting to write about: IUDs. I pitched a story about how a lot of women don’t know that IUDs can cause serious emotional volatility. I personally have felt 10x angrier when I’m PMSing that I used to (so have some friends) and many women report their IUDs are the cause of relationship breakups. One editor passed on it because she said she didn’t want to “fearmonger about IUDs”. Girl, I don’t either! But those hormones are not just hanging out in our uteruses like we were told, and it shouldn’t be fearmongering to give women all the info they need to decide what form of birth control works best for their bodies. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so send me a message if you have strong opinions (or agree with that editor.)
This WSJ article about a girls trip that never got past the group chat got torn apart in the IG comments, likely because the headline was “Six Friends Tried to Plan a Girls’ Trip in a Group Chat. Things Went Sideways.” I plugged it into archive.is to get past the paywall, hoping it was just a bad headline and caption. I assumed it might say something insightful about how group chats shape our friendships. Instead, it was just six suburban moms squabbling about dates. I’m horrified that someone thought this painfully beige group chat drama counted as journalism.
Things I’ve Liked Lately:
🚲 I spent a lovely week in Vermont cycling through the rolling hills and farmlands. We were testing big-time Euro outdoor retailer Decathlon’s first gravel bike: Van Rysel GRVL AF, which just launched in REI. I write about gear for normal people, not elite cyclists, and this one nails the balance: comfy geometry, responsive handling, carbon fork, and a price that doesn’t make you cry. (Although I rode the model with 45mm tires and found them to be a tad overkill if you’re tryna rip on some pavement and well-graded dirt roads.)
🍺 We also visited Hill Farmstead, a bucket list brewery in Greensboro, Vermont that people line up for. I didn’t think I was into farmhouse ales, but now I think it’s because I never had a good one…. YUM. Highly recommend if you ever visit the green mountain state.
🧴 Testing Vitamin C serums for a roundup right now, and my fav has been Indie Lee’s vitamin daily serum. It feels juicy and hydrating, and makes my skin glow for hours. I’d recommend it for dry or regular skin—it’s pretty oily (in a good way), but maybe too much if you’re prone to shine.
👟 The Hoka Restore Chukka TS are dangerously comfortable. They make me like three inches taller?? Honestly I’m in love, but they might be too warm for peak summer. It looks like they’re out of stock on Hoka’s website but available through retailers like Farfetch.
👕 This On x PLEASURES x The Loop collab tank top is so breezy and the perfect length. And it didn’t even stink after a full ass day of biking in 75-degree sun.
🍸 I finally went to Dead Letter No. 9 in Brooklyn—a weird immersive cocktail bar designed by a Sleep No More set gal—and I left with a level of childhood nostalgia that I didn’t expect. 10/10 recommend.
📖 I saw the New Yorker’s silly lil piece about going to the bar and ordering whiskey neat reposted all over the place. We need more fun writing like this to cut through all from never-ending despair.
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K, love you, bye! 🍓