We are trying something new and that new thing is I saved up a bunch of EGO Recommends recommendations for one newsletter. I don’t even know if you guys want these or if you just skip over them to get to the recipe, but let’s try this out and see if it sticks!
What else do you all want recommendations from me about? Kitchen stuff? Baking stuff? God forbid someone asks me about all my cool clothes or skincare routine!
EGO Recommends
🎧 Music: Audrey Hobert, Who’s the Clown?
If you listen to the new album from Audrey Hobert and think, wow, sounds like Gracie Abrams (I’m going to block her) that’s because Hobert helped write a lot of Abrams’ hits. I feel like this comparison is already tired, but I like Gracie Abrams — and yet I’m glad Hobert saved a lot of the good stuff for her own debut. The music is bouncy, nostalgic for the early aughts, and almost hypnotizing with its repetitive melodies set to lyrics that sound like they’d be at home in someone’s Tweet drafts folder. I’d start with “Thirst Trap”, “Sex and the City”, and “Sue Me”.
📱Social Media: This Substack Note
📺 Youtube: Dr. Lori, PhD Antiques Appraiser
If I were a toddler, Dr. Lori V (I don’t know her last name, it’s never brought up.) would be my Cocomelon. I discovered Dr. Lori through a TikTok clip ripped from one of her in-person appraisal events, where people drive hours to have her look at their grandma’s old jar, or whatever. The crowd-work she engages in with these middle America senior citizens rivals the best comedians working today — she will roast you for not airing out your china cabinet! I have little interest in antiques and yet I have watched probably more than 100 of her videos at this point, and I don’t think I’m anywhere near the bottom of her feed. My favorite videos include her trips to thrift stores to show you “what to buy and what to pass by!” or her “Real Bargains” series, in which she takes you through past appraisals where people sometimes have $50,000 Picassos sitting in their basement! I am this close to booking a ticket to one of her live events.
📰 Article: “Low-Risk Flier” by John Paul Brammer
I started reading Brammer’s work when he wrote the ¡Hola, Papi! column for them. and I’ve been a fan since! In this piece he recounts his experiences being “additionally screened” at the airport and of an awkward Global Entry application appointment. It’s an unsettling look at the ways we all self-censor (especially those of us who have had to become very good at it) even in small ways, even without thinking about it, in world of creeping authoritarianism.
📱Social Media: This TikTok of a very bad-ass Kate Nash
📰 Article: “Slop Farmer Boasts About How He Uses AI to Flood Social Media With Garbage to Trick Older Women”
I feel like I’ve so far spared this community my diatribe on AI. (TLDR: I hate it!) For food bloggers like me, this article made it personal because, as you’ll read, an entire cottage industry is now comprised of fake food bloggers, with fake AI-generated profile pics and fake AI-generated food photos. One person can create a bunch of these websites out of thin air and immediately scrape the internet to copy other creator’s hard work, juice the algorithm with a firehose of content, shoot to the top of Google and Pinterest, and rake in thousands (millions?) in ad revenue. And to people who are still defending the casual use of AI in their work or day-to-day, I just have to ask: Are you really going to be able to out-optimize your workflows enough to beat AI that is simply…. already steps away from replacing you?
📱Social Media: Okay, one more Tweet about AI
📰 Article: Three pieces on phone addiction
Just like everyone else, I’m addicted to my phone and I want to be free! Of course, because a lot of my work comes from TikTok and Instagram (and Substack, of course) it’s hard to just go cold turkey. Mama’s gotta work! I have read a lot of writing on how people are succeeding, and failing, at taming their phone addictions, and here are three pieces (all from Substack!) that I felt were pretty illuminating.
🥛Product: Koia Plant-Based Protein Powder
Also like everyone else, I’m protein maxxxxxing. And by that I mean for the first time in my life I understand what protein is and why I might want just a little bit more of it. When I started this journey, I could not believe how gross most protein powders were, especially when blended into the smoothies I like for breakfast. Just gloppy, slimy, nasty work. Then a few months ago, Koia sent me some of their vanilla-flavored powder and, wow, it actually tastes good and doesn’t get slimy!! I think it has slightly less protein per serving compared to a whey-based powder, but that seems to be par for the course with plant-based powders. I’m also a fan of their shakes. I do have a little affiliate link (if you buy, I’ll get a commission) for 20 percent off or you can just use the code ERIC20 at checkout.
Okay that’s it for today, folks! I have to send this before my computer dies.
I have also found my protein powder enlightenment. It’s just so easy and convenient when I’m in a rush