The Fluff Stuff #79: Valentine's Day
❤️ A seasonal living recap, two earth-shattering things you must watch on TV this week, and a try not to cry reel
Welcome to the Seasonalist, a happy place to land, where you’ll find all things seasonal and seasonal-adjacent (books, movies, food, and fun) from Austin, Texas. If you’d like to subscribe, click below.
“Hi, ma’am. I’d like to buy a box of candy for a girl who doesn’t know I exist. Nothing too expensive — I’ll never have the nerve to give it to her anyway.”—Charlie Brown to the candy store cashier:
Happy Saturday y’all!
In a slight change to the Seasonalist, Fluff Stuff Friday has been renamed “The Fluff Stuff” and will arrive in your inbox Friday OR Saturday! The thrill of wondering which day. 🤣 Quelle surprise!
Each week, I recap how I lived seasonally this week, and I encourage you to do the same. Why? Your life can be so much better if you follow the formula. It’s about putting something on the calendar, experiencing joyful anticipation, and then some happy feelings emerge. Try it!
How I lived seasonally last week (pictured above)
Heart-shaped pizza from Papa John’s
Homemade Philly Cheesesteaks for the Super Bowl (which powered Philadelphia to a victory, you’re welcome)
My local coffee shop with the vibes
Candy Candy Candy
On tap this weekend: going to the University of Texas men’s basketball game and out-of-town family arriving for a weeklong visit. Wish me luck.
On to the Fluff Stuff.
📚 Book Stuff
I read “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano as one of my February reading selections. My 2025 reading goal is to read more slightly elevated fiction but not literary fiction. Dammit, this was literary fiction (the author has a MFA, check, and many weirdly detached characters, check). I enjoyed it, but I get as frustrated by the pretension and “sameness” of literary fiction as my beloved RomCom novels. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Keep in mind I’m a low-brow reader with zero taste. I realize many people loved this novel.
📝 PSA Stuff
My friend Heather alerted me to this major bit of news that we need now more than ever. This is REAL folks. Chili’s (the restaurant) and Lifetime Television teamed up for a major crossover event for National Margarita Day (Wednesday, February 19th). The Seasonalist is not one for made-up holidays, but I will be partaking. That’s right, “I’ll be Home for National Margarita Day” is coming to your television this week. Please don’t eat or drink anything while watching this preview. Choking warning.
If you’ve been here awhile, you know that I’m a huge Saturday Night Live fan. Don’t miss the big 3-hour 50th Anniversary Special Sunday Night on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
🎥 Movie Stuff
A tale of two very different films.
Kinda Pregnant with Amy Schumer on Netflix, in which our lonely heroine fakes a pregnancy to feel a part of something. The always charming Schumer carries this movie, and her two romantic interests are played by Will Forte and Damon Wayans Jr., both of whom can do no wrong in my book, and should be way bigger stars than they are. Unbelievable talents. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anora, nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture (and winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival), is about a Brooklyn “exotic dancer” who impulsively marries the son of Russian oligarchs, and the resulting aftermath. The movie is dark with comedic elements, and I would say it was an excellent film but I didn’t get Best Picture vibes. But the Oscar voters aren’t asking me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌎 Sustainable Stuff
Ginormous Substacker Leslie Stephens interviewed Jess Kirby this week over on Morning Person (you might need a subscription). A fantastic read if you’re trying to curtail your fast fashion purchases and embark on a No Spend or Low Spend year. Or stop by Jess Kirby’s Substack with her recent article The Joy of Wearing the Same Thing. She writes:
What I’ve found since no longer adding new things to my wardrobe all the time is that there’s actually a lot of joy in wearing the same thing. Sure it’s easier, but there’s also something particularly satisfying about knowing what you like, and letting that be enough.
As for my own shopping, I am on a quest for the perfect work pants (I ordered pants and promptly returned them this week). If I’m going to have a Low-Buy Year, the pants must be perfect. The quest continues.
💗 Touching Your Soul stuff
My younger son sent me this (he is a Highly Sensitive Person like me). Pre children, I was a lawyer, and I stayed home with my kids (no regrets, not for a moment) when my second son was born, but I feel a reawakening now for Me Time and returning to My Dreams. A few years ago, I hung my degrees and bar admissions on my office wall so my kids could notice that Mom is Someone and Highly Educated and Did Stuff back in the day. They noticed.
If you’re in the thick of parenting, don’t forget yourself and your dreams. Try not to cry.
💙 Wrap-Up
*Reminder: for 2025 most Tuesday posts will be for paid subscribers. Friday is always free to all. I’m keeping the price for an annual subscription at $35 for 2025.
May your weekend be fluffy!
From the Seasonalist’s archives:
From the Missouri Review: An Attempt at a Definition of a “MFA Story.” (Summary: strong prose, a static story, focus on a character’s interior thoughts, and opaque “what is the story really about?”)
One of my Substack besties has migrated to a new platform. I’m a Luddite, so I don’t know all the details, but stop by her new home and subscribe and say hi!
OMG yes - Hello Beautiful is totally lit fic and I actually got mad at it for being so moody when its inspiration (Little Women) is so heartfelt. In my current reading mood, lit fic has to be really weird or historically important to do much for me. Re pants - finally after 20 years of my body morphing on the daily, I have learned to hold on to pants of all sizes so I can just switch between them over the course of any day, week, month. Also, leggings when needed 😆 Thanks for the nod to my new home - much appreciated!
You got your heart shaped pizza, hurrah!! I did take a picture of my kids for you (I just divided one ball of dough into 4 and shaped them as hearts but yours was definitely more recognizable 😂). And I love what Jess is doing, her and I have been connected via Instagram for years and it's been so refreshing to witness her approach to de-influencing. She's also a fellow Vermonter and it's been an interesting thing to reflect on how our communities shape our values!