FMG: Boy do I love soccer

And Paige isn't REALLY leaving Summer House, right?

Happy Friday!!!!

I don’t know if I can credit the sun, my hormones, or the drop of the first Wicked: For Good trailer (perhaps a combo of all three?), but my tides have turned and I’m feeling some major positivity in the air. I am simply SO tired of crashing out due to the weight of the world, and I’m really challenging myself this summer to lean into connection, joy, and light. (I’m also challenging myself to get at least 10,000 steps each day in June, and I’m disappointed to report that it does indeed already feel really good. Damn!)

• Soccer: I get a LOT of joy from writing this newsletter (I’d write it for zero subscribers if I had to, but I am thankful that you’re here), and perhaps one of the greatest sources of that joy is when something I write resonates in a way I didn’t expect it to. I know when I say something that’s going to get a response (like when I was like, “click here for a pic of a very hot man at the Met Gala” — that got the exact response you’d expect), but nothing tickles me quite like surprise resonance. I was tickled in this manner just last week, when I casually mentioned (at the very end of the newsletter!) that I hope my three-year-old niece takes up basketball as opposed to soccer. Reader, you’d think I said I hope she grows up to kill people. The outrage I received!!!!! For the past week, I’ve been fielding texts with articles and YouTube links, all beseeching me to simply “give soccer a chance.” Yes! I understand that soccer is the most popular sport in the world! I respect your passion and I’m genuinely thrilled that my last newsletter brought it out of you. That’s all I have to say.

• Swimwear: I’m a longtime fan of Katie Sturino (if you don’t already use Megababe products, you should!!!), and I was so excited to hear she was launching her own swim line. This week, Katie launched the Sunny Side Up swim collection in collaboration with Kitty and Vibe, a woman-owned swimwear brand with super-inclusive sizing. I love the suits, but I mostly love how committed Katie is to living out her beliefs and values — in everything from her social media content and fiction writing to her partnerships and products. She practices what she preaches, and that is something I will always root for and admire.

• TV: With this week’s conclusion of the Summer House season (and Paige’s subsequent departure from the show, brb sobbing), I’m trying to fill the void with some non-reality TV shows (AFTER I finish with the Mormons, obviously). Though this does not help me in the immediate future, I will say that I am SO excited that we FINALLY have release dates set for the final season of Stranger Things, and I’m ready to begin my full-series re-binge ASAP. The following statements will only make sense to fellow loyal viewers of the show, but please see below for my strongest predictions/hopes:

  • Karen Wheeler is Henry Creel’s sister

  • Eddie is alive in the Upside Down

  • Hopper and Joyce live happily ever after and so does everybody else

  These additional statements are theories that I do not necessarily buy into, but that I think would be huge if true:

  • Eddie is Ten (He always wears a watch on his left wrist, one of his earliest lines was about having a shaved head as a kid, and we never saw Ten’s implied demise — I would loooove if this were true)

  • Hopper’s daughter did not die from a childhood illness and was instead taken by Papa and is alive in the Upside Down

  • Henry Creel is El’s biological father???

  Regardless of what happens, I am anxiously counting down, even if only for a trailer. As all good therapists say, two things can be true — and it is indeed true that Stranger Things is one of the best shows of my lifetime AND that the Duffer Brothers deserve jail time for how long they’ve gone between seasons. Friends don’t lie take 3+ years to make one season of television.

• Podcasts: I don’t LOVE giving my bestie Danae credit for anything (because she gets enough, please), but I must give it where it’s due and thank her for telling me to listen to the Seth Meyers episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast. Amy is so multidimensional — to be able to play Mrs. George and Angie from Baby Mama and be a delightfully authentic interviewer is so endearing, and it’s fun to see a new side to someone who I’ve seen play so many funny characters. Her friendship with Seth is clearly SO genuine, and their banter is an absolute joy to listen to. I’ve been a little off my podcast game, given that I’ve been turned off from my years-long favorite (did you ever think you’d see the day I fell out of love with Nick Viall?), so I’m on the hunt for podcasts that are that perfect blend of funny/informative/lighthearted/educational. Amy’s in the running.

• Summer Fashion: And finally, if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Maddie Galassi (fashion editor/best friend/etc.) curates flawless capsule wardrobes. Click here for Maddie’s summer 2025 capsule and thank us both later.

Have a joyful weekend!

XO,

Gail

And as a reminder:

The news is incredibly heavy these days — and it is my duty to remind you that while newsletters like this are crucial for maintaining sanity and levity, I am not a news source and am in no way a replacement for staying informed. For every newsletter you read that makes you smile, I hope you also read an informed take on politics, world events, and social issues (then fact check it!) — and for every heavy piece of news you take in, I hope you also consume and/or create a piece of art that promotes light, laughter, and joy.

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