The true story behind Taylor Swift's Rhode Island house

On music and moving our bodies

This week I am celebrating the fact that I actually told people about this thing. So hey, if you’re new, thanks for being here!

Recommendations of the Week

🎧 I have been a longtime listener of the Dark House podcast where hosts Hadley Mendelsohn and Alyssa Fiorentino go into detail about the twisted backstories of notorious homes. They do an immense amount of research and in the recent episode “Holiday House” the hosts dig into the true backstory of the Taylor Swift song “The Last Great American Dynasty.”

It’s about the life of Rebekah Harkness, former owner of Swift’s Rhode Island house, and they use the song as a blueprint for the episode. It’s a fascinating listen for anyone who appreciates stories of women from history who didn’t play by the rules. Am I also thinking about this episode because I saw Taylor performing the song during her concert movie last week? Maaaybe.

📺 There’s something about a group of UK-based comedians interacting together on television that I find deeply nourishing for some childlike part of my soul. I’m a sucker for a panel show but lately, I’ve been watching a lot of Taskmaster. Over the course of a season, five comedians compete by attempting outlandish tasks to appease the Taskmaster, comedian Greg Davies. The contestants aren’t afraid to look like idiots—because they often do but in a way that seems cool anyway because they’re British and also funny. While you’re watching, you get sucked into this little world of ridiculous tasks. It’s true escapism and a pure delight.

The good news is that every episode is on YouTube. This is the trailer for the most current season but I recommend starting at the beginning to get the gist. (I could have just added a link to the video here but I’m having fun exploring all of the features of this platform).

🏃🏻‍♀️ My next recommendation pairs nicely with my last one—I watch Taskmaster while walking on the treadmill. Specifically the "12-3-30" workout, which involves walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a 3 mph pace and on a 12% incline. I came across it on TikTok a while ago and started trying it earlier this year when I needed an unintimidating thing to do at the gym. It sounds easy, but frankly, it wasn’t for me. And it has gotten easier! I’ve managed to get to a mindset where I am motivated to move a bit because it makes my brain feel nice, not to try to make my body look some type of way (since that never works). This recommendation is less about this specific workout but rather about finding something that helped kickstart a better habit of getting a little sweaty from time to time while distracting myself with a silly show.

🐶 And lastly, I’m paying the Ginger Tax:

Thanks for reading! I still feel embarrassed about doing this so anyone who takes the time to read and subscribe means a lot.