survived "no newsletter november"
last issue of 2022, let's go bby
hiiii
It’s truly been a while lol. When I started this newsletter, I had planned to write twice a month, then maybe once a month, and suddenly I was not writing at all. Last time this sat in your inbox, I had just gotten a tattoo, was moving away from my beloved UWS, and unfortunately was going through a cringe era (solution is unfortunately to maybe not drink so much). Well it’s now December and I have some quick life updates. I am now a Brooklyn baby, I visited Florida <3 and Seattle </3 for the first time, finally bought a puffer jacket, and I’m working on being a lot nicer and kinder to myself (starting my new year’s resolutions a lot earlier i think).
Oh and I’m also unemployed. Yay!
I had been slowly agonizing over this scenario for about 9 months (even on vacation! a literal crime!!) So when it finally did happen, what could you do. Anyway, farewell to my startup era. If anything, thanks for making me a superb social drinker and for introducing me to my cool roommate, really good friends, and some very sweet and talented people. Thankfully though I have been freelancing on a little project so everyone say “thank you” to my AD for being kind and patient enough with me this past month.
I suppose in all my newfound free time this past month, I have been doing a lot of goofing around. I went to see the Eyeworks Festival with some friends which was very fun and very weird. My seat neighbor, who shall remain unnamed so as to not be canceled, almost walked out as soon as they started playing an old Russian animation. If I got anything out of the screening though is that I want to be an indie experimental animator, something that my roommate and mom interpret as a quarter life crisis.
After a 3 month wait, I got to see True Anon live. Despite the cruel and unusual punishment of having to stand (!!!) during a live podcast show, it was soooo good. They did have a bit of an advantage since I had just seen Last Pod live about a month before and it was alright (still love them <3). Also I know for sure I will never be out of my fangirl phase because I stopped talking midway through a conversation simply because Brace (TA cohost) walked right in front of me. I also almost started crying.
Most recently though, I spent a nice weekend in Connecticut with friends. Lots of nature, junk food, and I went on my first actual hike (with non-hiking shoes (rip)). Hence why I actually failed to send this out last weekend.
I can't quite decide how long to make this, because I have a high suspicion that after this one I won’t want to write one until after the new year. I figured I would just do an end of the year round up like a Spotify Wrapped maybe this will give you something to do/watch/listen during the holidays. I’m not going to include anything that has been previously mentioned in the other newsletters bc then what was I doing these last 6 months?? ? At this point though, I am literally this tweet 😭😭😭
In no particular order, here are my top things from the last 6 months of 2022:
The Rehearsal: After Nathan For You ended, there was a void in my heart that could occasionally be filled by watching these two specific Nathan moments. I love this man sm, and he (not surprisingly) managed to make one of the best non scripted shows to come out this year. Take it from my roommate, who walked out of our living room 5 minutes into episode 1, but came back 30 minutes later and watched all the other episodes. Congrats to Nathan for making the most relatable piece of modern media.
Little Shop of Horrors: Like many things that I love, I had tried getting into it earlier this year and I hated it. Then I watched the npr tiny desk and bought tickets to the off-broadway show that same week. Which was really nice bc it was so empty they put me in the closer rows lol. Honestly the show slapped, but if seeing a live show isn't your thing, definitely watch the 1986 film. It’s campy, it’s silly, and the puppet work on Audrey II is just so good.
Lots of Links (LOL) a newsletter by Annie Rauwerda: I really love reading newsletters and Annie’s is really fun because it is just what I think the internet should be used for: having a silly good time (and learning). Also if you haven’t, def should follow @depthsofwikipedia.
Trader Joe's Vegan Ranch Salad: Biggest slay of TJ’s since the discontinued cowboy bark (rip) and the vegan pesto. Easily my top grocery store item for the second half of this year.
The Bear: This FX show is so chaotic and done in a weird vignette style that I honestly love a lot, enough that this was almost my halloween costume (a thought I shared with all of the Lower East side). For a quick summary: a really hot chef who has a traumatizing past and lots of family issues takes over his family’s restaurant after his brother dies. Lots of cooking, lots of stress, and lots of “yes, chef”. Also I am now a big Ayo Edebiri stan.
Shiva Baby: This movie had been sitting on my watchlist for about a couple of months now, I think I just never wanted to watch it at my mom’s house because it looked like there would be a couple of extremely sexy scenes that I'd like to not have someone walk in on. And I was right. To steal from wikipedia: a college girl runs into her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend during a funeral service. Just like The Bear, it’s chaotic, it’s stressful, and it makes you want to scream a little.
Alex G: Look, I know I said there was no hierarchy in this list but Alex G is truly in the top 3 of my favs for 2022. Like Little Shop, I had tried getting into his music for like 4 years now (not consecutively) but to no success. Same thing happened with Mitski. Sometimes the timing’s just not right. (I’m starting to sound like those Tik Tok tarot card readers on my fyp; if someone out there is “thinking about me” pls reach out 🤨)
I guess I must be going through some sort of religious awakening without leaning into the tradcath girl aesthetic (ty Red Scare for this) but his latest album God Save the Animals is truly beautiful! Rarely do I like to think about lyrics and meaning and all that, but I find his songwriting heartwarming and just really good. It was most definitely divine timing to get into his music bc I ended up buying a ticket to his show and loved it. Well also I guess shoutout to the algorithm bc I decided to buy it when I saw this tweet. Seeing him live was an a+++ experience even if I believe he did not sing his best that first night, but I'll give him a pass. I did think halfway through the show about a tweet but then I never hit send so now it’s just sitting in my drafts.
idky i didn’t just hit send on my way home in the uber I have yet to go into the deep dive of unreleased demos on youtube, but so far this Paris solo acoustic show kept me company during my freelance week. And of course, his NPR Tiny Desk also dropped last week. Pls watch.
Greedy: Notes From a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much by Jen Winston:
“How many times do we have to teach you old man?” This is what I imagine goes through everyone's head when I say I’m bi once again lol. Anyway, I recently went on a date and we started talking about books. I brought this one up because I think it’s interesting! When I saw this book I just knew I had to read it and it made me feel less alone. Jen’s writing is funny and witty, and what I love even more is the constant questioning even as she writes this book bc I guess in the end it’s all fluid.
White Lotus: I watched season 1 earlier this year and I binged it in like 2 nights only because I needed to sleep. Season 2 has been incredible, ground breaking, spectacular. Biggest thing is I still like Albie even though everyone considers him a walking red flag from the moment he was on the screen (probs says a lot about me). Okay, I wrote this before the finale: no spoilers but I see 👁 now.
Abbott Elementary: Like White Lotus, I binged season 1 and I gotta say it took me a while to like it because it was so sweet. I think I am just getting more and more cynical, so seeing something so wholesome on tv almost felt off putting. But this second season has just been killing it. I mean Gritty on the first ep? The slow burn/will-they-won't-they romance? A really good script with correct use of modern slang? Big slay Quinta.
Survivor Season 37 exclusively: Gotta be honest, I had very little interest in Survivor. Actually, it might be the only thing my body physically rejects when I scroll through the channels on tv. But then I found out (via twitter as one should) that in season 37, Mike White (beloved bicon and White Lotus creator) was a contestant AND (spoiler) almost won (he definitely should have won). So of course I had to watch.
Daniel@droth97Never forget that this bisexual icon was already a millionaire, almost won survivor, took everyone who voted for him on vacation, and then wrote White Lotus
regis-su @regisprobstHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ICON, LEGEND, AND RIGHTFUL WINNER OF SURVIVOR 37 MIKE WHITE ❤️❤️❤️ I LOVE YOU FATHER https://t.co/VjaTMMXW1s10:24 PM · Jun 28, 2022151 Reposts · 3.33K LikesThis show got me through so many workouts and made me love reality tv so much more than I already did. I just know there’s entire writer rooms banging their heads against a wall because they know they’ll never be able to top the jacket scene. High rec, especially if you just want to know how Mike White charms his way to the end.
Bad Bunny- Un Verano Sin Ti: Definitely not holiday music, but there’s never a wrong time to listen to Benito. Biggest plot twist of all time is that I love this album a lot more than I thought I would. I love it so much that my top song on my Spotify wrapped was from here, for good reason.
Ramy: I love this show for a lot of reasons: good writing, incredible cast, and the humor. Season 1 and 2 were all fun and games and the occasional spiritual breakdown but Ramy did not come out to play with season 3. Aside from Bella Hadid’s acting debut and devotion to her 3 minute on screen character <3, this season was a lot more emotionally heart wrenching than I could ever think. Also this interview with Ramy and Bela was what reminded me that the show’s 3rd season was coming out, so maybe check it out.
Otherworld: One of my biggest weaknesses is scaring myself accidentally (a lot). I am a big fan of scary~ paranormal ~ unexplained experiences, probably because I had one myself. But anyway, this podcast is a real treat if you like scary stuff. Jack Wagner, the host, interviews people about their own paranormal experiences while being a bit of a skeptic himself. He comes across a bit douchey at times but overall the stories are worth it. Episode 6 was probably the scariest one; so bad I could only listen to it while I walked Ozzy, and it took me 3 walks to finish it all because I just refused to listen to it at home. Solid rec.
Trillionaire Mindset: Sometimes I struggle with the fact that almost all of the podcasts I listen to have male hosts. Earlier this year I started listening to Trillionaire Mindset as a way to expand my podcast genre library past true crime. The podcast, hosted by Ben and Emil, covers the stock market, financial scandals, and anything related to the finance world. I had taken a break because I suddenly decided I had enough of finance bro talk, but recently I watched the 2 part SBF-FTX-Bahamas-polycule-crypto scam episodes they did and it was quite a ride. I recommend you actually start with the first 5 episodes and then go from there, they are super chill and I wish I had recommended them sooner. Also good for some financial literacy, even though nothing they say is financial advice.
Was that a good amount? I mean if anything open it, read a bit, close the email, and come back to it later. Well before you guys beg me to never write again, I will wrap up this last newsletter of 2022!
Ozzy and I are back in the west coast for the holidays, so I hope there is at least one new thing for you all to check out. Not so sure about what to do for new year’s resolutions but I’m hoping to actually write more next year and get better at cold emailing for freelance (pls hire me). Also I’m starting to go to the movies again and will probs start to microdose going to restaurants alone. Hopefully I can stick to one of these lol.
happy holidays and see 👁 u all next year <3 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
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