Super Gay Gnomes, the Queer Liberation Library, and Couple to Throuple
May 2024 Round-Up
Welcome to your May 2024 Bi-Monthly Round-Up! And thank you for your patience while The Queer Agenda has been quiet these last few weeks. I’d normally get my round-up published at the beginning of the month, but I’ve been in the middle of moving rental houses (more on that here), and everything has been extremely chaotic.
We spent 10 days running back and forth between the two houses moving as much stuff in the car as we could, rented a U-Haul for a day to bring over larger and heavier stuff, and followed that up the next day with professional movers to tackle the rest. I sure miss the college days of only moving a tiny studio apartment’s worth of stuff instead of a whole house!
We’ve been in the new place for a week, and we’re deep in the worst part of moving where there’s stuff everywhere, multiple unfinished projects in each room, and we just want everything to be put away and cleaned up already. I know we’ll be settled in time, though, and I’m grateful to finally be out of our old house and neighborhood.
So let’s get into this round-up! For those who are new here, every two months I put together a list of all of my favorites across a handful of categories, including what I’ve been listening to, watching, purchasing, and more (note that any affiliate links will be clearly marked with an asterisk). Even with spending March and April preparing to move, I’ve still got plenty of goodies to share with y’all.
Music I’ve Been Vibing With
As far as full albums go, I’ve been enjoying FLETCHER’s latest, In Search of the Antidote, quite a bit. Stand-out tracks for me are “Maybe I Am,” “Two Things Can Be True,” and “Pretending.”
Some of the individual songs I’ve had on rotation include:
“Blame Brett” - The Beaches feat. Royal & the Serpent
More Chappell Roan fangirling coming your way—I’ve been loving “Good Luck, Babe!” and also, have you seen her NPR Tiny Desk Concert? Chef’s kiss!
I’m honestly not that into THE TORTURED POET’S DEPARTMENT as a full album, but I’d be lying if I said that Taylor Swift’s “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” hasn’t been earworming its way through my brain since it was released.
“The Architect” - Kacey Musgraves
“One of the Guys” - JESSIA
“LUNCH” - Billie Eilish (I’m living for sapphic Billie)
This one has been all over TikTok, but it’s just so damn catchy—“Austin” - Dasha
What I’ve Been Watching
On account of the mad dash of moving, we’ve been watching a lot less TV than usual, and much of our TV time these last two months was spent on Arrested Development because Jessie had never seen it. It was one of my favorite shows in my late teens/early twenties, and despite seeing every episode numerous times, I’m still catching new jokes. My friend Heidi and I used to voraciously quote the show back and forth to each other in college.
Notable favorites:
“I’ve made a huge mistake.”
“Army had a half day.”
“No touching!”
“There’s always money in the banana stand.”
“Steve Holt!”
“I’m afraid I just blue myself.”
“I mean, it’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?”
“And that’s why you always leave a note.”
“This will shield me from the hot, Mexican sun.”
“I’m a monster!”
“I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.”
Plus all the chicken dances/calls.
Our recent messy reality TV binge was Couple to Throuple on Peacock. As the title implies, the show is about established couples dating singles to see how polyamory might work for them. If you practice ethical non-monogamy, this show isn’t exactly what I would call positive representation. But if you’re into ridiculous reality TV dating shows, especially when they have a lot of queer folks in the cast, give it a try.
We also watched the Pray Away documentary about conversion therapy on Netflix (big content warning for that one!) and Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda comedy special featuring a variety of genderqueer comedians.
For My Book Nerds
I’m so far behind on my 2024 reading goal thanks to the busyness of this year thus far, but there’s a thriller I read in March, Rock Paper Scissors* by Alice Feeney, that had some great twists and turns. Highly recommend!
Right now, I’m in the middle of Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir. I’m not usually much of a sci-fi person, but Jessie really wanted me to read this one. The narrator is excellent (I’m listening to the audiobook), and there’s a surprising amount of humor and heart in the story given the intense subject matter. My only problem with it is that the narrative sometimes gets a little too bogged down in the science weeds (to my non-science-oriented brain, at least).
Also, have you heard about the digital Queer Liberation Library? It’s an accessible, online library of queer literature and resources across the United States. If you apply for a free library membership, you can then add the QLL as one of your libraries in Libby. So badass!
Products I Recommend
I finally got my hands on a Super Gay Gnome after admiring them for the last several years, and she lives happily in my office now (clearly judging me at all times).
I love how the gnomos come in different skin tones (mine’s a medium) and how dang sassy they are. This gnome has falsies, y’all!! The shop owner also recently started selling plain gnomes so you can decorate your own if you like, and Jessie and I are planning to do that together soon.
Let’s hit these other product recs fast and furious:
Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel - I’ve been on a journey with my eyebrows this past year to figure out how to make them look their best when I’m doing my makeup. I have naturally asymmetrical brows from two childhood eye surgeries, and they also aren’t thick thanks to the thin brows trend of the early aughts. I’ve tried a handful of different products to give them volume and shape that LASTS (other products would look good when I first put them on, only for my brows to fall after an hour or two), and Selena Gomez came throughhhh. I’m on my second tube of this gel, and I will keep buying it as long as she keeps making it.
Ohsnap! Snap 4 Luxe Phone Grip - I replaced my Popsocket with this grip after seeing a hilarious ad for it. I’ll admit that it’s pricey for what it is, but I haven’t regretted buying it. My phone can charge through the grip thanks to the MagSafe technology, it’s magnetic so I can stick my phone on magnetic mounts without taking off the grip, the kickstand works great, and there are a variety of different ways you can hold it. It’s also fun to play with.
Kitsch Satin-Lined Flexi Shower Cap - I was using a different brand of reusable shower cap for the last several years until I discovered this one, and I can say with confidence this is the best shower cap I’ve ever had. Once you get the hang of how to put it on and get your hair inside, it’s so easy to get situated and no hairs escape! Magic.
Royal Craft Wood Luxury Bathtub Caddy Tray* - I just sold the original one of these I purchased many years back (which was still in excellent condition) so I could get a pink one* to match the vibe I’m creating in my new bathroom sanctuary. If you’re a bath person, you need one of these.
Joyroom Magnetic Cable Clips* - I bought a six-pack of these cable clips to try at our new place, and I’ve already used them all to more neatly organize cables in a few places. It’s a little difficult to get the paper backing off, but once you do, they work great.
Bissell TurboClean PowerBrush Pet Carpet Cleaner* - If you have rugs in your house or carpet, this Bissell will be your best friend. Every six months I have “rug cleaning day” where I mix up a cleaning solution and tackle all the rugs. The disgustingness of the water the Bissell sucks up is enough to convince me it’s a necessity. For my homemade solution, I fill the tank with hot water up to the water line, then I add a 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons of dish soap, and 5 drops of an essential oil.
Miscellaneous
Anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories has a home here:
This feels like a million years ago now, but if you never saw the live Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken,” it’s worth a watch!
I’ve been using Honey* to find coupon codes and get cashback on my online purchases for a couple of years now, though it hasn’t been as good since PayPal bought them. My sister just turned me on to Rakuten* as another way to get cashback on purchases, and so far their cashback program has been great. Pro tip: Use Honey first to find coupon codes, and then use Rakuten for the cashback.
Another successful round-up complete! If you have questions or want to chat about anything I included, don’t hesitate to comment (if you’re a paid subscriber) or reach out via email. You can also find all of the past round-ups you may have missed here.
Queerly yours,
Shohreh
*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. If you purchase items using those links, I may be eligible for a small commission which helps support my writing and other content.
To get in touch, shoot me an email at hello@shohrehdavoodi.com. For more from me, follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.
If you'd like to support me outside of becoming a paid subscriber to The Queer Agenda, you're welcome to purchase a gift for me from my Amazon Wishlist or purchase an item for yourself from my Amazon Storefront, which contains all of my most-recommended products.