Swimming in a lag

I had this idea a while ago for a series called “Swimming in” on my at-the-time-not-yet-started Substack, where I’d comb through my saved screenshots from the month & contemplate any patterns that seemed to be there. What have I been swimming in?

I’m always “saving” things, amassing this archive (overwhelming no?? it’s so much stuff), and doing nothing with it. But more than just unclogging my folders (a feng shui principle for sure), it’s good to observe things with a little bit of distance. I can barely remember what I’ve seen today (yep, nothing lol), let alone at the end of the month. But when I look through reams of screenshots I notice patterns or have some new insight. And here we are at edition 01 of this thing: Swimming in a lag.

So the other week I was working YET AGAIN (omg) on starting this Substack, writing about how I’m predicting a very boring holiday season. It wasn’t totally coming together. Yet I kept returning to this feeling that the seasons are off.

I have no interest in pumpkin anything atm. I don’t want a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils (IYKYK) even if I do want to put on a sweater. Nothing feels new. Everything feels the same. And then I even got an email from GANNI about their Spring/Summer 2026 presentation.

Christmas is also somehow almost here ??? And I am totally dreading “HOLIDAY” as someone who aggressively follows brand marketing. Consumer fatigue? Boredom? Malaise?

I think it’s all a symptom of a larger lag. I’ll explain.

Does anyone remember earlier this year when ppl were saying things like, in these insane times, you might as well do whatever the fuck you want? Or a version of, as Alison Roman put it when she returned to Substack after having her baby, “I don’t have the energy to care what anyone thinks.”