Things I Learned From Friends
These days, spending time with friends for extended periods comes sparingly and joyfully. An entire weekend allowed us to get beyond catch-ups and into the random and playful. Here are some things I learned about hanging out with friends recently.
JNKO jeans are back
These are apparently in fashion. We wore these. People will wear these again!
You can flirt with a social media algorithm
A friend of mine shared that after a particularly stressful week, he binged MMA fighting on Youtube. From this burst alone, social media decided that he was republican, perhaps even a zealot (he’s not) and started feeding him extreme pro-Trump videos . That’s crazy, we agreed. I had recently noticed that instagram was feeding me hair braiding videos and had narrowed in even further into bi-racial hairstyles for kids (a slight miss, but my daughter does have curly hair). I explained how I was actively self-curating my digital environment on instagram –less toddler parenting advice and more interior design/DIY. I don’t engage in an active way via likes or posts, instead I do an intentional linger. “You can’t flirt with your algorithm!” another friend argued. I disagree. Over the past few weeks I’ve successfully transitioned my feed to be a happy place of beautiful things.
Butt mouth
As if we need more silly things to worry about…now while being stressed about whether you’re hydrating enough, you should include stress about narrow straws. According to my friend’s dermatologist, repeatedly pursing your lips can lead to wrinkles around your mouth. In other words, “butt mouth.”
GPS is actually in your control
Ever in a situation where Google maps or DoorDash has the right address in the wrong location? It’s stupidly frustrating especially when the delivery person just leaves the food and you’re stuck chasing it down, ravaged with hanger. Turns out, making a change on google maps is super easy and user-friendly. After this happened at a friend’s place, I went on the google map app to request a change for my friend’s mislocation. It took less than 5 minutes. I still have a few questions about it though. Does every single request get reviewed? Does it take a threshold of inputs to get addressed? Does anyone mess with this in a nefarious way? Not suggesting that prank, just wondering.