Fran Magazine: Issue #62

The year in ice cream so far

You’re reading Fran Magazine, a sometimes-three-times-a-week-but-only-for-this-month blog about pop culture and sometimes also food. This week, which is devoid of the zeitgeist, is for paid subscribers only. But you wouldn’t want to miss out, would you?

Housekeeping

A point addressed in the paywalled Sunday Dispatch is that I am on gaming hiatus. Is this actually true? My continued, half-hearted game of Cookie Clicker begs to differ (let me just get, like, twenty more achievements and I’ll call it quits, I promise). I’ve taken a step back from the more time-intensive games I play, including the dreaded Stardew Valley and the surprisingly difficult Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. I am also — it must be said — not yet playing the new Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom. I know. I know. Do you have any idea of stoic I was, leaning over Phil’s shoulder to watch him play. I have spent the last week or so trying to hit a handful of cascading deadlines. Once, in college, I had midterm papers due on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the same week. I called my mom in tears about what I should do. “What are you going to do… not do them?” she asked. Helpful — truly. Anyway, imagine being my editor (or worse: my student) and seeing me write about Tears of the Kingdom for my meager Substack when I have asked for repeated deadlines (this hasn’t happened, but it could, and that’s what matters). That said, I have put in an order for a physical copy of the game and it should arrive by the weekend and all that’s been burning a hole in my planner will be submitted. Or else. You should expect to hear from me about Tears of the Kingdom in a few weeks. For now, I am enjoying the tweets.

Similarly: you will hear from me about the last season of Barry at the end of the last season of Barry.