december 2023

so, i dropped the ball. and it’s a little late but here’s what i was enjoying in december.

music

‘guts’ by olivia rodrigo - it’s a killer album, 'all-american bitch’ is on repeat, fun pop-punk vibes, songs to move to that don’t get tired.

‘big science’ by laurie anderson - i’m late to the game, i’ll admit that i only learned about laurie anderson when o superman went around on tiktok, but i’m hooked. ‘walk the dog’ and ‘walking and falling’ are two favorites.

‘the forever story’ by jid - jid’s ridiculous, what an album. good hype me up listen. ‘raydar’ and ‘2007’ are two favorites.

‘javelin’ by sufjan stevens - sufjan just doing the outstanding sufjan thing. sad beautiful music.

television/web media/movies

indiana jones and the dial of destiny - a fun time, they don’t make movies like this anymore, heightened, ridiculous action-adventure that didn’t take itself too seriously. didn’t love the cgi young harrison ford.

the muppets christmas carol - i never watched this full movie until this year. we need more muppets movies. one more sleep ‘til christmas is on a loop in my head.

superstore - great workplace comedy, and the random cutaway shots are priceless.

books

still reading the first mistborn book by brandon sanderson. not much reading otherwise unfortunately

plays/shows

stereophonic by david adjmi with songs by will butler at playwrights horizons was a thrilling show. everything from the studio set design to the hyper-realistic dialogue to the amount of silence in this production. i had to remind myself constantly that i was watching actors because every moment just felt so honest and real. hope this show has a second life somewhere.

okay, new year, i’ll try to keep up.

july 2023

hello, so for those who know me, i actively seek recommendations of new media to consume. i wanted to have a place that i could share things i’ve been into in the month for those like me who are on the hunt for what’s new.

music

floyd collins by adam guettel - i’m so late on the floyd collins train but i haven’t been able to stop listening to the cast recording. it is beautiful folk music that is dramatically specific but appropriately authentic to the genre.

‘desire, i want to turn into you’ by caroline polachek - this art pop album is fun, the production and the orchestration is unpredictable and unique, but the music never feels inaccessible.

‘stick season (we’ll all be here forever)’ by noah kahan - if you’re not listening to this album where have you been? every song is a hit, noah is a force to be reckoned with, and this album is timeless.

‘telefone’ by noname - it’s an old album, but it’ll play every summer. the features are great, noname is always great, and it’s just great vibes.

television/web media/movies

dimension 20’s dungeons & drag queens - i love actual play shows where the audience gets to watch as new players start to learn the game and fall in love with it. this is that and you have the most entertaining people playing it.

the bear - i mean, everyone knows by now, but i just caught up on season 2 and ‘fishes’ and ‘forks’ will be episodes i’ll watch over and over again.

barbie - it’s so good. exceeded any and all hype.

mashle: magic and muscles - this anime is so funny and ridiculous, and overall a very fun watch.

books

mistborn trilogy by brandon sanderson - about to finish the first book and it’s wonderful. the world is so clear and interesting, the magic system of allomancy is really developed though not too complicated, the characters are fleshed out and worth rooting for. i’ve been very happy with this read.

saga by brian k. vaughn - this is one of my favorite series of books ever, and i just read volume ten in this past month since returning from the hiatus, and it is wonderful. if you haven’t read the series yet, please go do so.

other mentions

life of pi (stage adaptation) by lolita chakrabarti - this is an adaptation of one of my favorite books, and it was a knock out of the park. the production design and the performances were so sensory and visceral, the script tightened up, clarified, and heightened the thematic ruminations on the importance of faith. sad to have seen it closed because it was a wonderful show.

we’ll see if this keeps up! i’ll plan to post a wrap up at the end of each month so fingers crossed.