5. Cleaning TikTok (“CleanTok”) I watch this when I go to bed, when I should be reading a book or something. It’s so soothing and relaxing to watch videos of people cleaning their bathrooms especially those from Japan because they have gadgets that click in and out of place. I watch and fall asleep, but I learned absolutely nothing from them. Actually, I realized how clean you can get things.
6. The ‘Contrapoints’ YouTube channel She is simply the queen of nuance. Her videos are such a weird, great combination of academia made really accessible, and comedy and dress up. They are only about an hour, but still so thorough, and she is so empathetic. Sure, she’ll mock people, but she ends up discussing the roots of what’s going on in society. She doesn’t put herself higher than anyone else.
7. @ZeeWhatIDid I think she’s some kind of influencer? She is a British Teen TikToker who is so charismatic and sweet. She does cosplay and makeup tutorials and Marvel stuff, which I don’t even feel like doing, but I’m just glad TikTok exists for her. She will put a highlighter on her face and talk about blinding your enemies; she is so beautiful and funny. I love that she is living her best life online.
8. Writing Numbers It’s a good way to relax without feeling like I’m wasting my life. I have no plans to do anything with it, and I often make small personal jokes. I just love the actual process of writing something just for myself, especially as someone who usually writes with other people, and always with a specific purpose. If I wrote with Toby, they’d say, “Oh no, that rhyme should be at the end of the line,” or something to actually improve it, but I don’t have to do that alone.
9. The Bush Theater in London Lynette Linton became Artistic Director a few years ago and I admire her immensely. She runs this building in such an incredible way; the way everyone in the building interacts with her and each other, it’s such a good vibe. And the actual space is great: the library is beautiful, there’s a nice little cafe, and the shows they put on are always champions, nurturing young, different voices that other theaters wouldn’t necessarily do. And it’s in West London, where I grew up. So it’s basically the only cool thing in West London.
10. A 2014 video of Russell Brand giving away a croissant
I used to watch his show, “The Trews,” where he discussed the news, and it got a little more serious. And then, in the middle of that, there’s a video of him trying to give away a luxury croissant on the highway. I look at it so many times and quote it all the time, which of course nobody knows. It makes me so happy, I just love the way he says “croissant” and sings that this segment is his “trafficky bit”. I’ve been obsessed with this video ever since and I don’t think it will go away anytime soon.