The DM | Issue Forty Nine
Or the one where we leave Colorado because it's too cold, bye
Inspiring news this a.m. Devon and I are both living la vida Instagram and reporting live from Mexico. And for once, in a foreign country we are in at the same time (which happens more often than you would think), we will actually see each other.
If you’ve been following Devon’s stories then you know she’s been eating tacos and living the dream for nearly two weeks now, and I can’t wait to see her new lifestyle ala rica y famosa in Ciudad de Mexico in five short days. In the meantime, you can find me in the neat surfing town of Puerto Escondido. I do not surf but I look cute drinking a margarita and that is all I need.
For everyone in the north, we’ve got some hot recs to keep you toasty. This week’s DM goes well with a warm tortilla, this muy caliente scene from Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and a tropical outlook on life. What’s that look like you may ask? Well, the visuals vary but it sounds a little something like this…
From Meg
Out: afterschool specials, In: afterschool specials
Last year, I rec’ed that if you weren’t watching Ginny and Georgia, you are simply doing Netflix wrong. Pleased to share the second season came out last week, and my rec still stands. Here’s why: So many teen high school dramas follow the same boring afterschool special story arc in the tired flames of love, lust, drinking, and drugs. But not G+G! There is no omg mom caught us with alcohol/share our first kiss/bad grade plot.
Instead, we get some solid story building around learning your own body/female pleasure, cliche-breaking stereotypes (not one cheerleader in sight, and the best-dressed girl on the show is lesbian– why doesn’t this happen more?), an insightful take on depression, a 2023 approach to therapy and boundaries, and my favorite peach this side of the Mississippi. If you watch it, let me know so we can CHAT.
Out: mouth breathing, In: mouth tape
In fairness, mouth breathing has never been cool. However, since I read the book Breath, I have been on the bandwagon of taping my mouth shut at night (Tiktokers love this, so you know it’s true). I might look like a weirdo but the benefits of breathing just with your nose have been proven to reduce snoring (even remove it entirely), help with stress and anxiety, increase energy and reduce inflammation. Some might say I already looked like a weirdo anyway, so for these side effects, it’s worth it to give it a try.
Out: going out, In: going out tops (upsetting content ahead)
I have some bad news friends and that is this: “Gen-Zers are thrifting on DePop for “vintage” going out tops from 2005”. Not much to say here but: Good luck freezing your asses outside of your college bars in your silly, stupid spaghetti straps, you feral fetuses.
Honorable mentions:
In:
Talking about sex
Talking about tape
Letting your sex tape do the talking (he he)
Out:
Being cold (in temperature or in conversation)
Being needy
Being dumb (learn a new word today!)
From Devon
Hola desde la Ciudad de México, amigos!
I am here to report that everything we know to be true is a lie because Disneyland is not the happiest place on Earth, Mexico City is.
As per Meg’s intro and my Instagram, sí, es verdad - I am currently living, working, eating, and drinking with mi amiga Laura in CDMX, and it is every.single.bit as maravilloso it looks.
We’ve been here for two weeks and have two left to go. There are less than one thousand things to tell you about already, but, for the sake of time and Substack word counts, I’ll leave you with this:
We’ve had tacos for dinner almost every night, even a bad taco here is a good one, and there are no plans of slowing down on this trend. I’ve also become a big time jugo de verde girlie, so there’s some #balance in the mix.
Cute dogs are EVERYWHERE. In parks, in cafes, in fancy spin studios, perros are always there, smiling, being adorable, making your life instantly better.
We’ve been spending most of our time in the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods, and I want to move into a least five homes on every block, particularly the blue ones. Accepting donations for a CDMX house fund effectively immediately, and yes, Venmo is fine!
Because everything can’t be tacos and puppies
Since nothing I share today will be as exciting as the above, I’m gonna lean in and give you some (relatively) practical things that you can *add to cart* if January is bringing ya down:
A portable monitor. Admittedly, I’ve been sitting on this one for months and naturally, pulled the trigger while already here in Mexico - but upon my US return, I know this will bring a nerd-ish amount of joy to my very long work days spent staring at my Macbook.
I’ve shared it before and will share it a thousand times, but I cannot recommend JCrew’s black slip dress enough.
Once upon a time, Everlane’s Performance Leggings were an impulse buy that turned into a wardrobe mainstay, and they now are on sale, so you have no excuse not to buy them, you can thank me later! (I have them in Black, Pine + Atlantic).
I haven’t decided if I need this yet but - allow me to present these ethereal cord covers for the aesthetic techies amongst us.
Resolutions, schmesolutions
I rarely do do resolutions, mostly cause I, like many, am bad at keeping them. That said, mine this year is to make time to read, without distraction, a few of the infinity+ newsletters I receive (ironic, I know) each morning.
I’m also a sucker for other's people's lists of intentions. This year’s front-runner is Tina's, and tldr, here are my faves:
Notice when the universe is cheering me on.
Embrace and trust standing on collaborative shoulders.
Everything is figureoutable.