This podcast that I only sometimes like has a segment called “what’s making me happy” so I thought I’d post about some of the small pleasures from the past month.
To listen: You know how hearing a song by a band you used to love can just transport you back in time? Lately Apple Music has been randomly offering me Morphine and it’s brought back so many memories. I saw them live twice (‘96? ‘97?) and they were transcendent. A full body experience of a live show. Those were the days. Now I just drive around in my gray middle-aged lady Honda listening to Honey White at full volume as a form of time travel.
To wear: I’ve been thinking a lot about the joy my weird Nili Lotan jeans bring me. They are my favorite piece of clothing and when I wear them I feel like I am being my true weirdo self. My friend Kate sent me this article: How Clown Pants Saved My Life. This quote really nails it:
It made you realize how self-directed a pursuit style was, or could be, when done correctly. It was a way of talking to yourself, of listening to your own grief and anxiety and desire, insecurity and dislocation and faith, and answering with an extra inch of width, an aggressive crop, a ridiculous color. With a pair of clown pants, even.
To watch: There has been a lot of talk about this Yacht Rock documentary on Max and I can confirm it’s really good. Even if yacht rock isn’t your genre, those of us of a certain age should watch it. It’s great. Also, a week or so ago I was on my own for dinner and browsed through Netflix to see what was new. I found WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped, a documentary about the song and video (remember this?) and I was like, THIS IS THE EXACT THING I AM IN THE MOOD TO WATCH RIGHT THIS EXACT MINUTE. It was purely delightful. I cried.
Just don’t: A Supposedly Fun Thing I Will Never Do Again is the Bonne Maman advent calendar. Perhaps you’ve also seen the ads in which you get 24 teeny tiny jams in a very pretty cardboard advent calendar. Perhaps you’ve been tempted. I was and I finally bought it. Y’all. I am here to tell you that 24 teeny tiny jars of jam is a FUCKLOAD of jam. Everywhere you look, tiny jars of jam in flavors you are really not sure about - blueberry maple (gross), quince rose, one of them has cocoa nibs in it? Basically, dregs mixed with dregs. These tiny jars take up a surprising amount of space and I fear we’ll never get through them. You’ve been warned.
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I can't believe you saw Morphine <i>live</i>- I discovered them via news/radio play the day Mark Sandman died.
I bought the 2023 Bonne Maman advent calendar, and learned how little I eat jam! I still have four or five kicking around (they're all fine, they're all mostly genericly sweet). Happy end of the year!
I bought the Bonne Maman advent calendar last year and totally agree. We still have 10+ jars sitting in the pantry a year later. I've been trying to remember to pull out one here and there if we make a cheese plate because some of the weird flavors are more palatable as a garnish to cheese and charcuterie.
I gave a few empty jars to my nieces for their play kitchen and use the rest for little kitchen odds and ends (single serving of salad dressing, an extra tbsp of a spice rub, etc).