Always the last to know. It’s a sentiment that many expats face within their personal and social lives but also in their media lives. Media? You ask. Why does media matter? Media effects our conversations, our language, our ideas – anything from new terms like “man spreading” to who you’ll vote for can be guided by what you watch or listen to in pop culture. (Think Rock the Vote of celebrity endorsed campaigns.) For expats, who are often missing out on their former nation’s media culture, it can mean distancing yourself from the culture of where you’re from. And although you are getting plenty in global culture, it’s nice to go home and be up-to-date with the latest slang, happenings, and silly youtube sensation that everyone is talking about. So to keep you in the loop, I bring you another edition of Keeping in the Loop for the Long Term Traveler.
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IN THIS FEBRUARY ISSUE YOU’ll FIND:
– the best app I’ve EVER downloaded
– a TV show recommendation
– a life hack
– an update of news in pop culture
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APP: Apps Gone Free
Someone else suggested this app to me sometime ago and it might be the most used app I’ve ever downloaded. Yes…EVER. Apps Gone Free is an “app watcher” so once you have downloaded it you will get a daily notification informing you of about 5-6 FREE apps for that day only (you can turn off the notifications if you choose). I was worried that a daily reminder to anything would annoy me but it takes less than 30 seconds to scroll down the list of apps and see if there is anything I’d try. The apps I’ve seen have cost anywhere from $0.99 – $9.99+ so it is definitely a steal and the best part is that since they are, well, free, there is no (financial) harm in downloading and then deleting if you find you don’t need/use/want it. I’ve personally tried an assortment of apps in the following categories: camera, time management, mental well-being, music, note-taking, transfer, organization, and more. Yesterday alone, I downloaded one that I’m already in love with (more on that one next time). And, hey, AGF is also FREE so if you don’t find it helpful in your life, delete it.
You can check out a more in-depth review by USA Today here.
TELEVISION: The Americans
This show is everything! (I should warn you of the excessive exclamation point usage to follow because this show really excites me! (<–see?) First off, Keri Russell (yes…Felicity herself!) is Elizabeth, one of the main characters who is married to Phillip. The couple, along their two kids, a teenage daughter and a preteen son, live in a suburban Washington, D.C. neighborhood in the Reagan Era of the 80’s(!). What’s so exciting about it?! Ohhhh…they’re just KGB spies posing as a married American couple with a family in the Reagan / Cold War Era of the U.S – no big whoop (! ! ! !). Though it could work on an expat level, it works on so many other levels too! We watch the couple navigate a complex love-sometimes-hate relationship that is strained due to its Mother-Russia-forced-us-together-in-order-to-infiltrate-the-U.S.-as-a-married-couple factor. Their relationship alone is a Crimean Mountain of cliffs and valleys (will they get together for real or will they slit each other’s throats?). And although most of us living abroad aren’t spies (right?!) we could identify with both characters who have opposing views at times of what it means to be “American.” To say I’m obsessed with this show would be an understatement. To say that watching Keri Russell kick ass and take names and morph into the single most bad ass character on television makes me want to enroll in Spydom 101 and follow in her footsteps, is a bit more on point! To say that Husband and I have watched a whole season in a week and won’t do anything else is very realistic in that #sadnotsad kind of way. Watch one episode. That’s all you need to be hooked and then let me know how much you love it.
LIFE HACK:
If you like cold pizza, forget this tip. Personally, I’m not a cold pizza kind of gal but I also find that warming up pizza the next day gives it a meh rating. The microwave flimsifies the crust and the toaster over takes too long. Then this life hack was discovered. Take your pizza and place it in a pan on the stove. Turn the burner on to medium and cover the pan with a lid, checking it often so it doesn’t burn. After a few minutes, your pizza is not only perfectly hot, gooey cheese and all, but the crust is toasty and delicious. Check out my Pinterest page The Yummy Food Bottle for a link to this fabulous life hack.
POP CULTURE NEWS:
SHIRLEY MANSON IS AWESOME
The only thing that I hate more than Kanye West referring to himself as “Ye” or talking about himself in the third person is Kanye himself. Since I don’t want to give much thought to his ignorance I’ll catch you up and move on quickly. At the Grammy’s on Sunday, as Beck, an established, musical genius was accepting his Album of the Year award, The Fool, Ye, walked on stage as a sign of his discontent for “disrespect of artistry” because his pal, Beyonce, didn’t win the award. (This was the second time he’s modeled such moronic behavior having done this also in 2009 when Taylor Swift beat out Beyonce.) Now that you’re caught up on his toddler type antics what I’d like to focus your attention to is THIS LETTER from Shirley Manson of The Garbage that she openly wrote and posted on her Facebook page. Her words are eloquent and seamless and biting and put the small, petty artist on blast for being the child that he is. Kanye West? Nah, more like Kanye Nowhere. Make sure you read THE FULL LETTER HERE ;it is well worth the 1-minute read.
BANNING THE SELFIE STICK
Here’s a two-in-one update. First, if you haven’t heard the term, a selfie stick is a long pole that can be used to attach a smartphone or other camera to get a longer, wider shot of a “selfie.” Turns out some New York museums are banning the use of a selfie stick in their museums with other possible museums to follow.