constellations #62: 2021 songs, etc.

Hi again.

I hope December has been treating you well — and if it hasn’t, I hope you have been able to find some peace and comfort despite it all.

I’ll be back at you next week with a longer newsletter (a bonus constellations!) — a list of the things that guided me through the year, as is my tradition. But in the meantime, in honor of it being the 24th and thus me owing you a newsletter, I made this playlist of the songs I listened to (or just liked) the most this year. The majority of them are new, a couple are not; nearly all of them stopped me in my tracks at some point in the past twelve months.

(Plus, a few of the albums I really adored but which I didn’t excerpt for that playlist: Turnstile’s GLOW ON; Yasmin Williams’ Urban Driftwood; Lucy Dacus’ Home Video; Ovlov’s Buds; L’Rain’s Fatigue; Low’s Hey What.)

Otherwise, here are some other things I have been consuming lately: a lot of citrus; another olive oil cake, this time a matcha & rose water one; a cardamom pistachio crumb cake from a Hudson Valley vegan bakery; the Slate Music Club for 2021; everyone’s favorite excerpts from Joan Didion and bell hooks, posted on social media; Lars' 8-hour Viking’s Choice holiday special; Absolutely by Dijon; Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack (Matt’s absolute favorite this time of year); many episodes of Pen15; the original Matrix; Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town over Matt’s shoulder; Amy Schneider’s incredible streak on Jeopardy!; the realization that social media is giving me (likely unrealistic and definitely unhelpful) career envy; so many rapid COVID tests.

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This time last year I was: counting down small kindnesses and wondering who I even was.

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See you again next week. Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading.

xo,
M