Two weeks of rest and relaxation
Notes on rest, the best glazed ham recipe, and a few things to read before the Succession finale.
I’m tired, you’re tired, everyone’s tired (or so I assume).
Last week, I read this TED piece on the different kinds of rest we all need to survive, and have been thinking about it a lot in the lead up to my holiday break. In it, author and doctor Saundra Dalton-Smith claims there are seven types of rest: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, and spiritual.
Most nights, I get between nine and 10 hours of sleep, so while I find myself feeling sleepy at the end of each day, I’m rarely physically tired. That said, through lockdown this year, I found myself feeling new kinds of tired: too tired for a long phone call, too tired to think of anything vaguely funny/interesting/insightful to write, too tired to watch anything other than Love Island.
Looking forward to my upcoming two weeks off, I’ve been thinking of the seven types of rest as a kind of holiday bucket list. The same way someone who’s sleep deprived might look forward to a fortnight of sleeping in, I’m excited to find new ways to rest and unwind the tight coil inside my brain.
With that in mind, next week’s newsletter will be my last of the year! I’ll be publishing a round-up of my favourite things from 2021, then taking a few weeks off.
Until then, here’s what I’ve got for you this week.
A Few Good Things To Read Ahead Of Succession’s Season 3 Finale
It’s Succession finale day, so it’s time to cry because it’s over, smile because it happened, and spend the next couple of hours getting yourself in the mood to watch terrible people do terrible things. Here are a few reads to get you started.
This Gawker piece, ‘So Nicholas Braun Has Two Pfizer Jackets, Then?’, which features the flirting (?) tactics of New York’s certified most eligible bachelor.
The New Yorker’s Jeremy Strong profile if you somehow haven’t read it yet.
‘What’s Behind Our Thirst for Roman Roy?’ from The Cut, which explores not only Roman’s appeal, but the appeal of all short (goblin) kings.
Hunter Harris’ Succession Power Rankings, of course.
And if you’re considering throwing a themed Succession finale party, read this Vulture piece before you do (and, I don’t know, potentially reconsider).
Bonus tip: After reading this article on why movies are so damn hard to hear these days, and realising I’d missed half the lines posted on @nocontextsuccession, I decided to watch last week’s episode with subtitles. Let me tell you: it was revolutionary.
And My Go-To Glazed Christmas Ham Recipe
Consider this a very specific recommendation for people who a) swear by Christmas ham, like I do, and b) aren’t afraid of experimenting with a new recipe during the holidays. I don’t exactly know how, but baking a ham has become my personal Christmas tradition, whether I do it with family on Christmas or with friends beforehand. I came across this Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham recipe after a friend used it to make a ham for a friend’s December wedding (I highly endorse a wedding ham, by the way) and it’s never disappointed.
Have a lovely week!
Gyan x