The Feel Good Toolkit is a new series giving Grinnellians a chance to share what’s bringing them much-needed good vibes during the time of COVID-19. Today, our co-Editor in Chief Zoe Fruchter ’21 tells us about three things she’s been reading, watching and listening to these days.
- The song, “Nuestra Canción” by Monsieur Periné ft. Vicente García
I first heard this song on a Wini Austin’s Spotify playlist and I’ve had it on repeat ever since. This song makes me feel both joyful and calm at the same time. I can put it on in the mornings to propel me out of bed and into the kitchen to make coffee; it’s the soundtrack to a 10pm dance break from editing articles. The track features clear, playful vocals, cheerful horns and chill yet upbeat percussion. My middle-school level Spanish is just enough to get the vibe of the lyrics. While I’m still exploring the rest of Monsieur Periné’s discography, Wini recommends you checkout their NPR Tiny Desk performance.
- The essay, “A Non-Euclidean View of California As a Cold Place to Be” by Ursula K. LeGuin
You might say, “Zoe. We all have a lot of work to do for class and reading an academic essay to “feel good” sounds like the most counter-intuitive activity in the world.” To you I say:
- This essay is paradigm-altering.
- Sometimes it’s nice to remind yourself that academic writing isn’t confined to the role of making students suffer, but can actually serve you as a thinking, loving, socially-isolating human being.
I don’t want to spoil the essay, but LeGuin’s writing is eerily relevant to these strange and difficult times. She talks about reconceptualizing utopia not as an idealized future but a creative present, a mindset which helps me find purpose and pleasure in occupying the same rooms one day after another. Maybe it will alter some paradigms for you too.
- “Feel Good” on Netflix starring Mae Martin
This show has double qualifications because it sparks joy in my life and has the same name as this series! A British import by a Canadian comedian, “Feel Good” explores a romantic relationship that is actually dysfunctional with actual humor, British idiosyncrasies and crying-onto-your-keyboard pathos. Mae Martin, who co-wrote the show based on her life, manages to be hilarious and charismatic even at the most intense moments of the show, of which there are many. Also, Lisa Kudrow is in this. “Feel Good” is only six 20-minute episodes, but it’s the best thing I’ve watched in social isolation.
Editor’s Note: If you want to submit your own Feel Good Toolkit, email me at austinwi@grinnell.edu. Any and all submissions are welcome! All we need are 1-3 things (poems, songs, movies, quotes, games, you name it) that are making you feel good and around 150 words explaining why.
