Happy New Year! My January started today so if you have been living in 2023 for nine days don’t tell me what happens. Over the holidays I visited my grandmother in Arizona, which is NOT going to be governed by Kari Lake thank you very much, and then I went to Istanbul, which was, predictably, incredible. 2,000 years is just enough time to built a pretty great city and although I felt like I walked through every inch of it I probably saw about 5% of what it had to offer. Which is fine with me because I will definitely be back.
Now I’m here, back in the real world. Well, at this very moment I am at Soho House which is decidedly not the real world but does have delicious vegan chocolate pots. But I am back from vacation and caught up on The Circle which is as real as it gets, so I woke up at 4:30 this morning, ready to get to work. This is a big year for me and I have a lot to accomplish. 2023 is my Slytherin year. I have ten months to get a lot of very big, scary things done and the countdown has begun. This is not a Gryffindor year, when one can run around waving wands at every perceived threat and accidentally save the world every nine months. This is a year for focused intention, long hours, and getting paid. The kids may be here for the soft life but I am here to hustle. This is the year I turn 40, the year my life changes in a few very big ways, the year that everything I have ever worked for either measures up or doesn’t. I can’t wait.
I downloaded TikTok while jetlag and youthful partygoers were keeping me up in Istanbul and among the disturbingly anti-feminist videos about the aforementioned soft living and a lot of comically accurate videos about capitalism I found an interesting dialogue about energy- masculine and feminine energy, where you are placing your energy, where you are wasting it. The kids are also into manifestation which, sure, I remember when Oprah read The Secret, but the question of where I am putting my energy this year and how often I waste it or hold it back from where it should be going is one that I am pondering a lot. This is a moment when time is short and energy matters. What am I doing with mine?
Do you have any New Year’s intentions? Are you seeking and/or living the soft life? Are you relieved that we have a Speaker or sad that the drama is over? Tell me in the comments!
What to do with your time:
Watch
Mo (Netflix)- I don’t know why I clicked on this show I had never heard of but I’m glad I did. It’s a delight.
Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo (Netflix)- I gave this a rewatch as I cleaned and organized my space for the New Year and it was the perfect companion.
The Menu (HBOMax)- I recommended this before but now it’s on HBO so you have no excuse. Unless you don’t have HBO.
Read
I have a new bucket list item. Any takers?
I love Appalachia and I’m thrilled that someone is reframing the narrative.
Let me list the things I hated about this article: 1) IP law is a thing; 2) craft, art, and legacy used to mean something; 3) WE ARE ALL WELL AWARE THAT LUXURY KNOCKOFFS SUPPORT ORGANIZED CRIME AND THEIR NEFARIOUS DEEDS LIKE THE TRAFFICKING OF DRUGS AND HUMANS; 4) The Cut wrote this article like an add for purchasing expensive knockoffs and not, you know, A JOURNALISTIC PIECE ON PEOPLE DOING CRIMES because crime is fun when rich white women do it.
Speaking of fun and crimes, Vietnam has their very own Anna Delvey.