Goodbye 2021.
At least there were vaccines and good music.
This post was originally published on January 2, 2022.
Vol. 15.
In This Issue: Essay | Read Local | The Big Picture | Now Read This | Watch This | Final Frame
Goodbye 2021.
Another year done and dusted. Another pandemic winter. It has been an extra challenging time to be an optimist. We are all struggling, in one way or another, consciously or not. The world is A Lot right now.
So what does a new year really even mean? It’s an arbitrary moment in time, celebrated on completely different dates in various cultures and in different eras, yes. But many of us have decided that this turning of the Gregorian calendar is a time for reflection and renewal, and goodness knows we could use both right about now.
I’m ready to dust myself off, dig deep, and both return to some things I love that I have not done in a while, and to try new things, new challenges. I miss being in community. The pandemic makes that more difficult than ever but I’m determined to find ways to get more connected, more involved again. I’ve had my time for rest, reflection, and learning - it’s high time to mix in more acting (and I don’t just mean on stage, though that may be in my future, too). Because I can read all the good books in the world (and I’m definitely trying!) but what good is that if I don’t use any of what I’ve learned to help me take action and give something back to the world–no matter how small.
Do you have resolutions or intentions for ways to continue or build your involvement in your community? I’d love to hear ‘em! It feels more important than ever for us to support one another and offer ourselves and others more patience and grace as we do the hard work of dismantling the systems that harm us. It's equally important for us to imagine and build more equitable and just systems in their place.
In the meantime, here’s wishing us all a safe, healthy, and gentle New Year. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and despite the darkness of this era, I still believe in us.
I also believe in music! Every year since, I don’t know, like 2007? I’ve put together a year-end mixtape/CD/playlist of some of my favorite songs released in the past year. You can check out past entries at my dusty old blog. I never cease to be amazed by the incredible new music people make every year, in a wide variety of genres. And while I don’t remotely pretend that my lists are anything approaching comprehensive or expert, I always hope they’re fun, interesting, and help folks discover new-to-them artists. If you have recommendations for anything I missed, too, let me know.
Get my long, unorganized list on Tidal or Spotify.
The shorter/top 19 CD tracklist:
“How Not to Drown” - CHVRCHES & Robert Smith (Screen Violence)
“Wolves” - Garbage (No Gods No Masters)
“Stay in the Car” - Bachelor, Jay Som & Palehound (Doomin’ Sun)
“House Burn Down” - King Princess (single)
“Be Sweet” - Japanese Breakfast (Jubilee)
“Getaway” - VINCINT ft. Tegan & Sara (single)
“What’s the Word” - Cakes da Killa & Proper Villains (Muvaland Vol. 2)
“Venom” - Little Simz (GREY Area)
“Every Night After” - Jean Deaux (Most Wanted)
“Damage” - H.E.R. (single)
“Tides” - Bonobo ft. Jamila Woods (single)
“Touti Sakiliba” - Ballaké Sissoko (A Touma)
“Broken Horses” - Brandi Carlile (In These Silent Days)
“Look Away” - Deap Vally ft. Jennylee (Digital Dream)
“Shivering” - HAERTS (Dream Nation)
“Contigo” - Carla Morrison (single)
“Last Night” - Arooj Aftab (Vulture Prince)
“Go Easy Kid” - Monica Martin (single)
“First Time” - Emily King (single)
(links, where possible, go to the artist’s Bandcamp page, where you can purchase digital and sometimes physical copies of their music with the most money going directly to the artist)
Read Locally
“What Would a Post-Roe Wisconsin Look Like” [Jessie Opoein for the Cap Times]
“The Crystal Corner Bar’s very brief, very fake adventures in haute cuisine” [Scott Gordon for Tone]
“Mills Fleet Farm vs. Blain’s Farm & Fleet” [Tyler Maas for the Milwaukee Record]
The Big Picture.
“I Cancelled My Birthday Party Because of Omicron” [Ed Yang for The Atlantic]
I appreciated this honest musing about the impossible choices we’re faced with, again and again, in the continued age of COVID.
“The Ballad of the Cowchilla Bus Kidnapping” [Kaleb Horton for Vox]
A fascinating long-read about the largest kidnapping plot in American history and its fallout for a small, rural town in California’s Central Valley. Worth your time.
Now Read This.
“Dingus of the Week: The New York Times” [Lyz Lenz at Men Yell At Me]
“Listen, has it occurred to anyone that if you are looking around at a country with over 800,000 people dead, and you think, ‘I’m living my best life!’ then you might actually be an asshole?”
Watch This.
It feels like the end of 2021 really ramped up the stress, uncertainty, and challenges. That's why it's felt more important than ever to find a feel-good indulgence to turn to. I finally caught up with the stellar series We're Here (HBO Max) and can't recommend it enough. Drag queens head to small towns across the U.S. and help local folks step into their own drag power, while lifting up and bringing together local queer communities that are too often overlooked or dismissed as non-existent? COUNT ME IN. Hostesses Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka, and Shangela are all past Drag Race stars, but they prove themselves to be much, much more than that. The show honestly feels like a kind of therapy — for the people involved and for the viewer. It's also much more queer-, trans- and gender-inclusive than most other things on TV, in addition to including some kick-ass straight allies. Plus the costumes, makeup, and drag acts are stunning.
The Final Frame.
‘Til Next Time.
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