Raines came up to me. “Mom,” he said, seriously. “I have something I need to talk to you about it. I know it’s not your favorite topic.”
Whoa. When your 16-year-old son starts like this…it could mean anything. I froze, my heart stopping for a beat. I immediately closed my laptop, and turned to face him. “Ok buddy,” I said, trying to feign a nonchalance I definitely did not feel. “I can talk now, if you want.”
Raines sighed, his whole body relaxing, then collapsed into the chair next to me. He leaned forward, an expectant look on his face. “Ok!” he said. “Here we go!”
Oh boy.
“MOM,” he continued, earnestly, “there is BIG NEWS in the world of gaming.”
Wait. What? I…
“This new game, Helldivers, has completely changed how we think of gaming!” Raines gets even more animated, thrilled that I’m listening. “Instead of coding in the entire story, the story develops, depending on the players. It’s like they took a D&D approach to making video games, and MOM: It’s SO COOL.”
While I contemplate wringing his neck, he’s pulling up YouTube videos that function as basically Helldivers Nightly News, where a game dev pretends to be a news anchor, showing clips of actual player footage, staying things like, “the ongoing military campaigns on Veld are turning the tide…” and talking about bug fixes to the game like they’re actual world-changing deliveries.
It’s honestly pretty cool. And Raines isn’t wrong – it does feel like some sort of clever, leveling-up of online gaming.
Of course, when I google Helldivers, a whole discourse about fascism comes up. Good grief. Apparently, there’s been some debate whether or not the game’s own SuperEarth Propaganda is promoting or discouraging fascism.
But here’s the thing: I wouldn’t even know to have this conversation with my guy if he hadn’t brought it up. (And when I asked him about the SuperEarth references, he had some examples at the ready, and his take was that the game is making fun of nationalistic tendencies.)
Anyway, I’m making a mental note to make space for my teen to talk about…whatever the heck he wants. Even if his interests are…gahhh…video games, I’d still rather be getting a little insight into his world. I love when he shares a bit of himself with me. Besides, if this girl could read tank statistics to her 5 year old before bed, “the M26 Pershing has a maximum speed of 30mph, had a more compact hull than the M4, and was fitted with the new 76 mm M1A1 gun…” than I can do this, too.
Gahhh I love him so much.
Lavender / Fawn. I can’t stop thinking about these On Running shoes – they’re just so pretty. I have a love/hate relationship with On: I love walking in them, but when running, they’re too supportive & hard. (The guy at the running store said that’s pretty common – people either love or hate running in On shoes.) ANYWAY, this colorway is cool enough to be an everyday kind of sneaker, so. I’m tempted.
Ok, let’s build the outfit. Athleta’s cargo-joggers in ‘abalone gray’ have been calling my name for months, and would be perfect with those pretty On sneakers. I’d round the outfit out with this top in ‘shale’ to reinforce the idea of purple without being all I’M IN PURPLE.
Do I get the Acne Scarf?? If anyone has been drooling over Acne’s Heavy Scarf as long as I have…let’s chat. I would’ve thought that, by March, that darn thing would be on sale somewhere. (Technically it is – electric blue, anyone? Or hey – brown & mint, which isn’t bad.) But the colorways I really want – the ones worth the investment price (namely these checks or lavender solid or maybe even olive check) are decidedly not on sale. I think a big ‘ol scarf like this is a fun way to transition sweatshirts and/or puffer vests into spring (and will still be great next winter). Do I take the plunge or go with a dupe?
Acne Scarf dupes: Urban Outfitters has two options that work, as does Faherty. The Faherty scarves have the added bonus of being made from mostly alpaca, so will definitely be warm (and are much higher quality than the UO scarves). While I won’t touch the Acne “fakes” on Amazon and Etsy, this Etsy scarf is really pretty, and definitely has the same look for under $35.
Best base layer top. I’ve started changing after my run (or cross-country ski) like, in the car because I get so cold once I’m that sweaty. Once I’ve changed into a not-sweaty top, I can run and grab coffee, hit the grocery store, whatever, and still be comfortable. I’ve found that the best top to change into is the same top I love skiing in: Smartwool’s Merino 250 Baselayer. It’s a little thicker than most, and really soft. Since it’s 100% merino wool, this top never gets smelly. I have the ‘black dot’ but am picking up a few more colors – I wear it that often.
90’s girl. I’m reallllllly excited about the trend of wearing men’s boxer shorts, probs because I did that in high school, too. 😉 But I’ve been looking for a slightly upgraded pair because, ya know, I’m not 18, and have moved past that saggy-bottom look of actual men’s boxers. I’m going to go with either this pair (that menswear stripe is perfect) or – even racier! – this pair. I’d wear that first pair with a boxy white top, the racier pair with a boxy black top. Maybe even…a little Eileen Fisher? In both cases, I’d finish the look flat, but seriously sexy sandals.
Plan B. Not all of my great ideas work out, so if the boxer short thing is a fail (I’ll report back), my next option is to spoof that menswear-boxer-vibe with these striped linen pants. The styling in that photo is tragic, but picture them with the same sexy sandals as above and a chic, structured linen top OR…something really swingy and fun. Better, right?
Leopard. Since the leopard pants I want are back-ordered until almost June (ps. I ordered them anyway), I also put this pair in my cart just to see. With a tee, sandals, done.
Stalking sales for hidden gems. Sak’s sale section is a treasure trove, so here are 4 sale pieces I keep coming back to: 1. this flirty Ulla Johnson top that’s under $100 and would look just as cute with high-waist black shorts as it would with loose, faded jeans, 2. The Great’s fair isle cardigan which I’d wear buttoned-up over a turtleneck like my 5th grade self OR unbuttoned over a lacy black bra, 3. Doen’s easy cotton top that’s feminine without being frilly (and would be amazing with jeans OR cut-offs – here’s another option, too) and 4. This Ba&SH mini dress that’s now under $100 (down from $325). Would be so cute with sneakers, sandals, or even tall boots. Suuuper versatile.
For the teenager. I just ordered this seriously cool tee for Raines, from Black-owned business, Renowned.
Cannot stop laughing. This, uh, mock turtleneck bodysuit stopped me in my tracks. There I was, just innocently scrolling by and excuse me? Skin is showing…where? I obviously had to zoom in. Lest you think that outfit is a dress, I assure you, IT IS NOT. Which means…oof. The implications are deeply uncomfortable. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Softly matte. Has anyone tried Hourglass’ Soft Matte Lipstick? It looks stunningly beautiful. The colors are mostly varying tones of lips, but better, and I keep coming back and clicking through the shades. I can’t decide between Tulip and Poppy.
File this under Dumb (but I love it). This trash bag holder (I KNOW) makes me happy. It means that we can stack stuff on top of it, yet easily get trash bags out from under the sink.
Reels I sent to my sons this week. This one and this one. He’s the anti-podcast bro.
“There’s no such thing as other people’s children.” Together Rising is raising money to help separated families here, and the children of Gaza here. The Mom Edit has donated to both – join us if you can.
Enjoy your weekend!
xo,
S