I'm back

Or trying to be

Hi friends, it’s been a while!

There are many reasons for the mysterious disappearance of my newsletter in your inbox, which I’m still not quite sure how to fix:

1. After months of unemployment, mid-year I got a new fixed client and then another one. So, I kind of have two jobs now, which means not much routine and free time.

2. The screen detox → I went entirely without screens for the month of August and I’m still not even close to watching streaming or movies as I once did. For a newsletter about those things, it’s a bit of a problem, but honestly, I feel happy about it.

3. I’m getting married next year in Brazil! Organizing a wedding from another continent is not as easy as one would have imagined 😁

4. I’m taking Dutch classes during the night (six hours per week), which takes a lot of time, energy and effort.

5. That girly will to move to a house in the middle of nowhere and never open a computer or touch a smartphone ever again.

6. The constant feeling that there is already way too much content on the internet (so, why add to it?).

But to counter all that, I really miss writing!

I love how much my writing has improved through those almost four years of Read, Watch, Binge, which was (and is) honestly my main goal. I also really enjoy having a place to make sense of what I’m thinking and put my ideas out. This is especially since I have been without social media.

So here is me trying to counter (or ignore) the issues.

Maybe I’ll change the name of the newsletter or maybe I won’t. I don’t know. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to carve out enough time to write because, well, I still have to keep doing everything I’m doing right now on that list up there.

Whatever the case, hopefully I’ll be able to keep up some kind of regularity here. Or maybe I’ll let go of it and focus on writing something else. Who knows? As you can see, I certainly don’t.

But for now, I wanted to come here and give some kind of explanation (even though I know no one expects me to) AND I have some nice recommendations.

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Free: Coming of age at the end of history by Lea Ypi

This year I read more books than I usually read, and many of them were quite exceptional, including Free. This is a memoir in which Lea Ypi, who is a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, recalls growing up in the 80s and 90s in Albania during the last years of communism and the transition to neoliberalism. In a very engaging way, she talks about her family’s experience during the fall of the communist regime and how that changed both her family and the country.

This is a very well-written book. You feel very involved with her and her family throughout the book, even when you disagree with their views and actions. I found it quite interesting to see how life was back then, and to understand how freedom was perceived under socialism, as well as the current neoliberal order in Albania as it stands today.

Thoughts and Prayers (2025)

You know I like my hard-to-watch documentaries, and this one is no exception. I was planning to recommend The Alabama Solution from HBO too, which is much more challenging to watch, but let’s go with the “lighter” Thoughts and Prayers. :)

Thoughts and prayers talks about the current efforts and laws to “prevent” mass shootings in schools in the US. What is interesting about this documentary is that there’s no narration at all. This really allows you to experience the absurdity of the situation as it is, and draw your own ideas. It’s crazy how far people will go to try to protect children without actually solving or even mentioning the real issue that will really protect them: gun control.

It’s heartbreaking as it is just insane.

Adolescence (Netflix)

In the effort of watching less random stuff, I’m only watching TV series that many people have enjoyed, got awards, or that someone has recommended to me. Adolescence covers all three points and it’s really that good. It’s extremely tense, the filming and directing is exceptional, the fact that they have filmed all episodes in a single shot is super impressive. The acting is also great and the topic is so relevant right now. Worth all the substantive debates that follow it.

More importantly, it’s different from everything else on Netflix. Worth viewing even if you are on a break from your television like I am.