The United States Postal Service is, second to the Department of Motor Vehicles, my favorite American institution. I'm a hoarder, I order a lot of things off eBay, so I'm always looking out for the mailman. Rain or shine! And I have so much reverence for those who work in the actual post office behind the counter. I'm always impressed by the intense emotions they can inspire in customers standing in line--panic, fatigue, stress, fury, ego-mania, depression, denial...I also really loved Post Office by Charles Bukowski when I read it in 2013. I wonder if it holds up.

Wearing Velcro-strap ankle weights around the house helps me feel grounded and productive. Beyond walking my dogs, I get zero exercise otherwise. I like wearing them when I work because they remind me not to get up from my desk every twenty seconds--those extra few pounds provide me with just the right amount of lag. And somehow I also feel more spiritually integrated on days I wear them. I guess my ankle weights are my "hair shirt."

If I were to recommend any of the Youtube channels I watch most frequently, I would feel irresponsible. It's a lot of crime scene clean-up, thrift-store vloggers, raw police interrogation footage, at-home cyst-lancing, segments of "The Oprah Show" home video-taped with a camcorder off the TV in the 80s, etcetera. Maybe less shameful--but just as dangerous?--is my affection for Eddie Vedder. He had just quit stage-diving, I think, when I saw Pearl Jam play Boston Garden on their "Vitalogy" tour in April, 1994, a few days after Kurt Cobain died.

My friend and collaborator, filmmaker Faraz Shariat, sent me a screener link to this new series he produced in Germany. No spoilers: it's about two 20-something best friends in Hamburg, and I think it captures something about contemporary culture that we haven't seen yet on screen. Very funny and entertaining, yes, but also bafflingly nuanced and troubling. Lamin Leroy Gibba created the show and plays the lead: he is amazing.

Like I said before about eBay, it's the best. My favorite search terms these days are "antique oddity lot junk drawer," "vintage courrèges," "vintage cacharel," "vintage ungaro," "vintage louis feraud," "antique medical bedpan urinal enamel," and "vintage enamel vase." Also fun to mis-spell things that should be very expensive and see if anyone has discovered them, e.g. "Gugci purse." (You can check out some of my recent eBay purchases here: https://ottessathisottessathat.substack.com/p/my-stuff)

As a perpetually cranky person in chronic pain, I have to give thanks for Dr. Markar at UCLA Pain Center who actually listened to me complain and understood that more nerve block injections  were pointless. Lyrica (Pregabalin) doesn't play. It goes straight to the control center and turns the volume down on my nerve pain. I take it every morning and every night.

Having a face covered in skin is kind of traumatizing to begin with, personally, and after a lifetime of doctors and aestheticians smirking at me in disgust--once a facialist in West Hollywood said she felt "sorry" for me and advised me to go on a "steamed spinach diet," Cheeks & Co. is a miracle. I've been going since I moved to Pasadena a few years ago. The culture of the spa is perfect for me: I always leave with my dignity and happy, glowing skin. Tina Uzzardi, the founder, has a line of skincare products that are inspired by and made of beautiful natural stuff that grows in California. I highly recommend this place. I have a monthly membership.