Welcome to Tyler Recommends, by Tyler Watts: a public intellectual, a pleasure to have in class, a baby mystic who some would say is fun at parties.
Skins
I prefer for my heart to be broken the old-fashioned way. Seasons 1 and 2 of Skins UK are the best that this coming-of-age series has to offer. There are the important and awkward first romances, lovable friendships, and poignant personal narrative arcs doled out to each of the main characters. Until I know a Yale lad comparable to either Tony or Sid, I will never know peace. The style, music, drugs, and slang wrap me in the comfort of British millennial ephemera while the plot is doused in a type of realism that I wish more American shows today did not try so hard to avoid.
Nerdy Glasses
I think that nerdy glasses should be in, in a very real and serious way. I’m not talking about the thin, wire hipster ones that still qualify as en vogue. While at home over spring break I unearthed my eighth-grade prescription eyeglasses. They are a little bit stronger than what I need now but nonetheless effective, and they still fit my head. More importantly, the frames are bold, black, and rectangular, with tortoiseshell lining the temples and interior. I plan to rock them in my sections to give more authority to everything I say.
Le Labo $7 samples
If you are a perfume vagabond like me, repelled by commitment, then there is nothing I recommend more than purchasing 0.5 mL samples from Le Labo. Change your scent to fit an outfit or the season or the hour of the day, and do so without spending hundreds of dollars. I’ve had some of my samples for over 10 months now, so you can make them stretch! My Le Labo favorites this spring are Matcha 26, Fleur d’Oranger 27, and Baie Rose 26—which they only bottle in Chicago. Purchase either from their website or from any of their standalone boutiques.
Putting things that you have already done on your to-do list (so then you have things to check off immediately)
The best thing that ever happened to me. First of all, make a to-do list ON PAPER. Do you remember what that is? As you write your list, count back half a day prior to the actual action items of the to-do list. Already been to section? The post office? Lunch? Your radio show? The list doesn’t know any better, so write it down on your to-do list and boom! Instantly you’ve checked off four things you needed to do. Even if there are ten other new tasks that you haven’t actually done yet, don’t fret because the list says that you’ve already done so many!
