Related Recs

🎂

Make a list of your fave things and make a plan around that :)

I don’t tend to like celebrating my birthday with a group of friends and family (I haven’t since I was 12 and I’m 28 now) - it’s too much pressure. I always try to celebrate by curating a day (or two) filled with all the things I love and bring me joy. For example, this year, I went to my favourite bookshop and stocked up on some books, then went to the Lego shop and created a mini figure, then I went bowling, and to my fave Japanese restaurant in the evening :)

@moonchild

Aug 4, 2024

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MY BIRTHDAY PARTY

I have so many of these because I hoard my favorite moments like a dragon. But I've limited myself to one. This is a disposable camera photo of the first birthday party / dinner party I threw myself in college. My roommate, two of my friends, and my cousin all came early to help me set up and finish cooking things. Whirling around getting dressed and setting up with that small group was so fun. And of course the party itself was a delight although I think my social battery died a little too quick after spending most the day prepping. But even then it was still nice to be surrounded by people who wanted to come to my birthday party and all the food me and my friends made. I was very proud of it. I don't usually do anything big for my birthday because I like spending it just doing little fun things for myself I've been meaning to do like trying a new place or buying a limited edition ice cream flavor or something. And things like this can be a lot of time and energy. But I like getting friends together and so I went for it that year. I also had to wait so long for these photos to come back because I had to use up the film roll first. And then CVS said they could only give us the photos on CD and I didn't want to hunt down a CD reader on campus so I mailed it out to a company that emailed me the photos. So by the time I had the rolls developed it was already kind of a nice throwback with photos from that night that I had never seen before.

@moonbeams

Apr 7, 2025

2

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becoming a birthday person

manifesto forthcoming. i hear time and time again - “i’m not a birthday person.” as a convert, i’m here to challenge that limiting belief. not unlike new year‘s eve, getting your hopes up for a single night is futile. thus, i have the following advice: -embrace birthday week    month is a little much, even for me, but allow the week to be birthday-centric. this doesn’t have to be sunday to sunday; it can  consist of any of the surrounding days that feel relevant to THE day -multiple experiences   much like new year’s eve, hanging your hat on one night is doomed. thus, i recommend that you implement ALL (not some) of the following: INTIMATE DINNER +with partner, family, a couple of friends. something that feels low key and non stressful. great for a thursday or sunday night. let them know ahead of time (if they need reminding) that you would like a candle of some sort on a house dessert (is this too bossy?? NO! you’d do the same for the ones you love. next). (i also get desserts with candles the whole month, unabashedly. and do the same for loved ones.) SOLO DAY +plan things for yourself: solo lunch, matinee, massage. buy a fancy latte. take a cab. spare no expense; today you turn off the switch in your head that wonders if it’s worth it because it is. FRIEND DAY +have people over, meet at a bar, or throw a full on party. this is group time. i honestly recommend doing this one last. you’ll likely have enough fun with the other two events that this will feel like a cherry on top. ask your type A friend to help plan, if you need help, and remind them again ab some sort of treat w canes. this doesn’t have to be a blowout! tell everyone to bring whomever, +1s, enemies as it’s more-the-merrier vibes. tl;dr everyone deserves to be celebrated and there are people in your life eager to help you make it happen. ask for what you want. do the same for them down the line ❤️ ps my birthday is 3/17 if you need to start preparing pps bonus tip - pic is of last year’s birthday outfit. i also like to throw a very easy mini theme to get people thinking ahead of time (i said to wear silk, leather, or mesh. everybody looked hot) ppps i have so much more to say ab this, lmk if you want more 

@cameron

Feb 3, 2024

Top Recs from @salad_valet

🎶

Breaking free from spotify

i canceled my Spotify account over the summer and have spent the last few months rebuilding my digital music library on a refurbished iPod Touch. reading critiques of the app (and it’s enshittification), i realized i wasn’t even sure of my own musical tastes and preferences. i had stopped picking for myself, stopped seeking out new music, ceasing to know how to choose what i wanted or articulate what i like. breaking free from the algorithm has been such a joy! i’m borrowing gobs of music from the library, rebuilding my old playlists, and consuming more music than i have in years. and better yet, my data isn’t being tracked by Spotify and i own what’s in my personal library. further, my receptors are more open when i’m out in the world exposed to music, searching for recommendations in an organic way.

@salad_valet

Jan 16, 2025

30

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The anti-capitalist nature of pi.fyi

i’ve been trying to articulate why i enjoy this space so much. yes, the UX is reminiscent of Tumblr and the early days of the internet. and there’s genuine sincerity and vulnerability on here that makes it feel really cozy and real, which i haven’t felt online in at least a decade. but i think what’s undergirding my love of this space is how anti-capitalist it feels. most of the recs everyone shares are vibe-checks, quality of life shifts, meditations and offers, music and movies, just plain good art. i don’t feel compelled to buy anything when i come here. i feel excited and pumped to be a cheerleader, find connection, find common ground. and FWIW the recs i’ve shared that have gotten the most traction are my suggestions for leading a less capitalistic / consumerist life (quitting Amazon, getting off of Spotify, building community to take care of you and your things). all of this is to say, i love it here and i love you guys.

@salad_valet

Feb 7, 2025

2

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Quitting amazon

hear me out—this one might feel impossible, but i quit purchasing items on Amazon in 2018 and cancelled my GoodReads account shortly after. i did some serious reflection and realized i’d become super reliant upon, and frankly, quite used to the instant gratification of purchasing something and knowing i’d have it within a day. that’s not normal. the labor practices, economics, and environmental impacts of getting what you want from the internet delivered quickly and right to your door are skewed. i was filling a void in myself with mindless purchases. i’m aware that they service a huge swath of the internet (Amazon Web Services), own Whole Foods and Abe Books, and will likely take over more businesses we like and rely on. weaning off and avoiding entirely is very very hard, but it can also be a measured decision. that said, i know that it is a privilege to abstain from Amazon. i am able bodied, i don’t have kids, i have access to a car, i live in an urban environment with access to a lot of stuff at my fingertips. but making the choice to break out of the Amazon loop has ultimately been better for my pocketbook and better for my relationship to these mega-tech-companies that have their fingers in everything. in contrast, i’m becoming more interested in alternate economies, like bartering and sharing. i love the idea of having commonly shared tools and items (tool libraries are very cool). we don’t need to own it all, we have each other. interested in exploring more? the zine pictured below is a great start, and summarizes a much larger book by the same author on how to resist the leviathan that is Amazon.

@salad_valet

Jan 22, 2025

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