Con’s Consumptions (May 2026)
I’ve been watching:
Mom. I did something so goofy with this show. I accidentally made it a non-linear storyline because I started in Season 4, watched until Season 7. Then decided I should probably watch from the beginning so then did Season 1 - Season 4. Then picked back up at Season 7 - Season 8. I just finished it over the weekend.
I couldn’t get over the storylines for each of the women in the show that were in AA. Addiction is such a tough topic to handle & to do so in a sitcom is wild, but it handled it with all of its nuance & brought humor to it in the most tasteful way.
Chuck Lorre doesn’t fail to make a great show. I’m actually really looking forward to reading his memoir that is coming out this fall.
Hacks. This last season got a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes & rightfully so. I just watched the series finale this last week & it had me in tears. I was not disappointed with a single episode this season & it just left me wanting more.
I loved how this entire season was about creativity when backed in a corner & sticking it to the man. They touched on being silenced, abuse of power, AI trying to exploit creatives.
Paul Downs, Jen Statsky, & Lucia Aniello… are amazing for creating this show.
(One thing I am going to miss the most is Paul Downs & Meg Stalter bit they do for every awards show).
WNBA. WE BACK… & with higher pay!!!!
I’ve been watching so many misc. games because I actually find it so tough to be loyal to a specific team in the WNBA. I am just rooting for the league. I went to Iowa though so I do have a loyalty to Caitlin Clark & Kate Martin. I love watching them both play. Really disappointed that the Valkyries waived Kate Martin though.
It is just a fun league to watch & I love how far its come in just 2 years. There have been so many wins: (1) everyone is getting paid more (the minimum salary is now $270,000, up from $66,000). (2) There are new teams getting created. Like the Valkyries, I went to first ever game at the Chase Center last May & now they are the first team that is worth $1 billion.
I’ve been reading:
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. This read was long overdue. I hadn’t read any of his work before, rather I had just seen some episodes of his shows. Hot take… I was a bit underwhelmed. I think purely because this was written so long ago & I have worked in the restaurant industry in the past though so none of this was necessarily too shocking to me. He had a great voice & writing style though, which is clear… because it is Anthony Bourdain. I can see how it was revolutionary at the time it was released though (which is over 25 years ago now) & it was good to get a bit more insight into how he became THE Anthony Bourdain. That part was really clear, he pushed the envelope at that time & was a voice that people felt real… one that people could actually connect to.
I’ve been listening to:
A lot of female pop artists, which is a bit off-brand for me. I have traditionally liked hip-hop, rap, alternative music OR male pop artists (Biebs, Jesse McCartney).
This has been going on for the last couple of years now & I have not been able to pinpoint the actual type but now I think I got it. There are two flavors of female pop artists that I like & there is a stark difference between them: (1) Pop artists that have a mix with classic soul & jazz (Sienna Spiro, RAYE, Olivia Dean). (2) Pop artists that break the mold of what it means to be a pop star (Charli XCX, Slayyyter, Chappell Roan, Jessie Murph, Kim Petras).
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of the latter. They have edge & the ability to write pop songs that aren’t just copy / paste of a formula. Jessie Murph kind of fits within both of these categories actually, but when it comes to her songs that fit within the second category, she literally sampled Gucci Mane’s Lemonade for one of her songs & had a Gucci feature on the album too. Kim Petras is one of the most famous openly transgender pop stars. Chappell Roan had everyone in the country singing lesbian pop songs. The music has more depth & complexity, while still being a fucking bop.
🔗 https://app.pearlmusic.io/connoreschrich/flavor-of-pop
I’ve also been:
Enjoying time with my friends. I saw two videos recently about how valuable it is to enjoy fun in a world where everything is being optimized. I struggle with this sometimes & it is totally out of fear. Like if I take my foot off the gas, I’ll be behind or everything will blow up.
With AI, helping make the tedious tasks more efficient, this is what we should be spending our time doing more of… connecting with people & slowing down a little bit.
I laughed more. I drank a little more than I’ve been accustomed to recently. & ya know… everything was A-okay. Life is all about balance & these moments are what makes things sustainable instead of being perfectly disciplined every day.
Said videos, below 👇
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYzvX9Hwex1/
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DY0fBdIx5ua/
🔗 https://connoreschrich.substack.com/p/cons-consumptions-may-2026
