O-Cedar and Social Productivity
TikTok was only for Booktok. I liked the idea of visual snippets being used to describe the latest book read. What I learned was that the books were used as talking pieces. Usually chosen for recently making the bestseller list or because of a great dust cover. I soon lost interest in being on TikTok solely for that and my attention gravitated towards cleaning tips and creepypasta deep dives.
The Jasper doll side of TikTok is something we all just have to keep to ourselves and not talk about. There will be studies about this in the future. It makes up less than 5% of my feed so I don’t think I’m that far gone.
Cleaning TikTok is what has sucked me in. I’m on my third recommended mop - this time it’s the O-Cedar. I actually started eyeing this mop when I finally got the Moppsy. The Moppsy worked great, but I disliked how it handled corners. Also, I wanted the area covered by the fiber cloth to be larger.
What drew me to the O-Cedar was the ability to easily wring the water out prior to mopping. My go-to mix is laundry detergent, fabuloso, and a bit of alcohol before adding hot water.
My flexes on social media involve sharing what concoction I’ve recently put together to make my space more. That’s it - just more. I spent a weekend morning before brunch recently fretting about a bathroom rug. These are things that consume my thoughts. Some of the pearls that I have discovered recently with the help of Instagram and/or TikTok along with trial and error:
The mop of choice has to have easily removable heads so that you can throw them in the wash and also clean different surfaces - from baseboards to floors, to cabinets.
I’ve gotten rid of terrycloth towels and now only use Turkish bath towels. The thinner material allows for easier drying and I find it more absorbent, especially after multiple washes.
I’m using an area rug in the bathroom. Instead of confining myself to the boring bath rugs that they push, I chose a decorative area rug that I actually like looking at.
The volcano candle isn’t the Anthropologie smell that I think about when I think of walking around Anthropologie. There’s actually a TikTok video on it and the only essential oil I’m missing to complete it is bergamot.
My social media experience has shifted in the last few years. It’s geared more towards products for me. On Instagram, it’s aspirational items from clothing to centerpieces. On TikTok, it’s videos about cleaning and interior design. The story at the front of my feed is always Matthew McConaughey followed by any of a myriad of stores. The exit of some of my favorite writers on Twitter makes it a ghost town. I posted a photo of Matthew recently and called it a day for the bird app.
I’m now on adult social media - and it’s all high-end consumerism. I tried to organically change it. I went private. I added a few more acquaintances that I hadn’t followed before. It didn’t work. Algorithms don’t lie and no matter how I tried to manipulate it, I was seeing the same things. Every blue moon I’ll have something show up on my feed that’s a bit goofy, but it doesn’t happen often.
Friends have followed me to adult social media. After posting about my O-Cedar, a friend commented if I had heard of the power steamer. I took a quick gander on Amazon and then closed it. We have to slow down. The floors are clean. I have to stop fretting on this avenue.
That’s where I’m at. I read French erotica recommended by Keanu Reeves (Alina Reyes). I’m mixing new, hip statement pieces with larger furniture pieces I inherited from my parents. I’m definitely channeling a vampire feel - large oak pieces mixed in with embellished prints. Play some Moliendo cafe in the background and my place could be the living room from Only Lovers Left Alive, except with a bit more pink thrown in for character. My patio won’t be revisited until the summer because I’m not ready to think about planters on a larger scale yet.
I recently discovered a local Mediterranean place that makes the best kibbeh. That with a bit of tzatziki and my snacks are set. I’m usually dipping pita bread or kibbeh into my yogurt while I’m scrolling through social media checking out olive atelier pieces. The accompanying drink is usually a blood orange seltzer water. It’s funny how tastes can change and the things you gravitate towards morph and create something new and different. The algorithms will always know before us.