So, this is a little late. My intention when I first started this newsletter was for it to be weekly, but ICYMI Texas was in a situation last week. A ridiculous number of households across the state didn’t have water, power, and food was scarce. Some homes had below freezing temperatures inside and resulted in heartbreaking ramifications. Many people had to melt snow in order to flush their toilet. While all this was happening, Ted Cruz posted this tweet and went to Mexico to seek refuge. Let this last sentence sink in…Also, please watch this hilarious Tik Tok video of my friend doing an impression of Cruz.
I had literally no idea how our power grid in Texas operated, we are the only state that has our own grid. Why? To avoid federal regulation. Our system broke down so badly that five members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) resigned, oh and they don’t actually live in Texas. The only silver lining of this disaster was to see our communities truly be there for each other, since our government failed us beyond measure. If you want to help out your fellow Texans, here is an excellent list of ways to support.
Before the snow storm hit, I watched Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, currently streaming on Netflix. The series follows the story of Elisa Lam, a young Canadian woman who mysteriously disappeared from a Los Angeles hotel, only to turn up dead in the hotel’s water tank two weeks later. I knew about this case, watched the incredibly bizarre elevator video a few years back, but didn’t really know the specific details about her death. This is a very interesting and intriguing case for sure, but this series really wasn’t necessary. The show lacks focus and wasted so much of its time interviewing internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists, to the point of banality. True Crime content is being produced at such a high rate because it is something we can’t wait to absorb. But, quality over quantity is important. The reality of what happened to Lam is tragic, but not shrouded in mystery like the series wants you to think. Is our desire for these stories so vital that taste, craft, and storytelling go out the window? The answer is apparently, yes.
I highly suggest reading this New York Times profile on Pakistani - American filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal and watching her film, I’ll Meet You There. I was so happy to see this article, I screamed! I had the opportunity to see the film in the summer of 2019 and instantly wanted everyone I know to watch it. I’ll Meet You There tells the story of a Muslim cop that goes undercover at his estranged father's mosque while his daughter hides her passion for a forbidden dance, uncovering a shocking family secret. In the interview, Bilal says, “I do think I was just frustrated with the constant oppressed-Muslim-woman situation that is always pushed forward. And all this sort of fresh but nuanced take is exactly why it has been so incredibly hard to get the film financed. Because that is not necessarily, I found, a narrative that was exciting for investors in the system to really support.” Rent or own it now!