What to Do When You're Not on Watch Duty
by Kate Pop Culture
For the girls of SATC comfort content was a Yankee Game. Still from Season 2, Episode 1, Sex and the City // HBO
Life has been anything but normal in Los Angeles since 1/7. I’ve spent nearly every spare minute swapping between two apps: Instagram and Watch Duty.
I usually start my day with Watch Duty, checking how much each fire has spread and the latest containment percentage. Then I go to Instagram and scroll through stories of where to donate, where not to donate, what needs to be donated, what no longer needs to be donated, friends GoFundMe’s, friends of friends GoFundMe’s, where to volunteer, where there are too many volunteers, what firehouses need hot meals, incarcerated firefighter stories and how much they’re not getting paid, before and after photos of Altadena, which celebrity’s houses burned down, free services for fire victims, etc etc etc.
"...my brain is mush, and I feel like a helpless, little sad slug."
After that gets too repetitive, I head back to Watch Duty.
And that’s the cycle of my life one week into 2025. While I do oddly find comfort in that routine and love watching my fellow Angelenos come together in such a major way, my brain is mush, and I feel like a helpless, little sad slug.
I had a moment in my kitchen last week with my partner. We were somberly cooking dinner and had his Discover Weekly Spotify playlist going. “Five O’clock World” by The Vogues came on, and we stopped chopping and started dancing.
"It made me remember that there is art in this world that brings me joy..."
I closed my eyes and danced in a wild, psychedelic, silly way. We both laughed and felt normal for two minutes and 10 seconds. It made me remember that there is art in this world that brings me joy – that makes me forget for just a little bit how sad our reality is.
So, I’ve made a little list of content that actually makes me feel better. Maybe this is mostly for me, or perhaps we have similar taste and you’ll like this too. It’s comfort content – different media I turn to when I’m sad. We all have it, and it’s quite personal, but let me at least inspire some of you to turn to the things that give you a little respite.
What I’m Watching:
You’ve Got Mail Also streaming on Peacock
Swingers Also streaming on Paramount +
My So-Called Life Also streaming on Hulu
Sex and the City (seasons 1-3) Also streaming on Netflix and Max
Freaks and Geeks Also streaming on Hulu and Paramount +
Girls (season 1) Also streaming on Max
Broad City (seasons 1-3) Also streaming on Hulu and Paramount +
What I’m Listening to:
The Smiths by The Smiths
Sylvan Esso by Sylvan Esso
Santigold by Santigold
Call Me By Your Name Movie Soundtrack
Tim Gunn’s Fresh Air interview from 2014
What I’m Reading:
David Sedaris anything. Apologies, folks, I’m not a reader…
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