Cramped Style Weekly

Issue No. 219: February 6, 2026

Another month, another 8,000 reasons to be enraged.

So my bestie who is into astrology read my birth chart and I have a whopping four Aries placements. That’s what astrology peeps call a stellium, and in case you’re interested, I have an Aries sun, moon, Venus, and Mercury. If I was a grocery product, I’d be Aries canned concentrate. I am essence of Aries. And in case you don’t know, the fire sign Aries is, shall we say, quick to anger.

But listen, you don’t have to have a single Aries placement in your chart to be angry right now. I personally am feeling quite overwhelmed by my rage at the moment. The latest Epstein release, if nothing else, highlights how very little rich men cared about what was happening to girls at the hands of this man. They cared so little, many made jokes. And of course, that’s like the best we can hope for from those in the files, because the alternative is active participation. I am reminded over and over again how little this country values women, and honestly I don’t know what to do with that.

Today, our president is posting overtly racist content and brushing it off as a meme. As if it’s normal and NBD for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES to be 1) racist and 2) posting memes at all!

Sorry, but I just hate everything right now! So here are some things I don’t hate.

What I’m reading

I am reading the Pulitzer-winning The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, about a Chippewa community in the 50s. I enjoyed her novel, The Sentence, a couple years ago about a Native community in Minneapolis. It’s not exactly escapism, and it is enraging, but it’s a great book to dive into and never a bad thing to get more perspective on our history as our government actively tries to erase it.

What I’m listening to

Also enraging! This episode of “The Daily” about how often women are given C sections without effective anesthesia. Phenomenal. If you’re a woman and/or you’ve been paying attention, it’s not news that women’s pain is regularly dismissed in healthcare settings, but honestly, cutting someone open without anesthesia is next-level.

For a somewhat lighter listen, I recommend the episode with Zeke Emanuel in “Freakonomics” series on “Getting Better”—“The Wellness Industry is Gigantic—And Mostly Wrong”. I love wellness information and latest findings, so this was right up my alley, and I am interested in reading Emanuel’s new book.

What I’m watching

I plan to self-soothe this weekend with the Olympics and the new season of “Bridgerton.”

What I’m eating

This slow cooker chicken and bean fideo is delicious and easy to time hack if you have an Instant Pot.

This week’s obsession

There isn’t a TON that’s in our power to make change right now, so Scott Galloway’s resist and unsubscribe effort to make this as possible for the stupid tech overlords who are enabling this administration feels great.

How I’m staying healthy

See: Olympics and “Bridgerton.” Hanging on by a thread over here.

Have a great weekend — stay warm, stay sane.