Open Tabs [Weekly] #16
12.29.24 -- reading, watching, listening (and baking)
Welcome to this week’s edition of Open Tabs, where I share my current reads, recent obsessions, and media consumptions every Sunday!
It’s the final Sunday of 2024, which means the New Year is almost here. It may be an arbitrary marker of time, but I can’t help but get mildly-optimistic about the turning of the clocks at the final minute of the year. The idea that tomorrow everything will be different is deeply ingrained in us, and I think perhaps that idea is the very essence of survival. Yes, tomorrow could be different!
I’ve had a nice little break from work for Christmas week, and it’s very clear now how much I needed it. Most days, I slept in and then embarked on some loose combination of reading/eating/yoga/journaling/cleaning. I had ideas of being slightly more productive, but that’s not what the week between Christmas and New Year’s is really for, is it?
Happy (almost) New Year, and I’ll see you next week!
Reading [Books]
Dirty Diana by Jen Besser and Shana Feste is one of those contemporary books that is just kind of fine, but was also a satisfactorily-entertaining read.
I listened to The Young Man by Annie Ernaux on audio. It’s a quick 30 minutes about Ernaux’s affair with a younger man. Ernaux, obviously, has written great works. But as I slowly read my way through her bibliography, a few pieces feel like superfluous additions. I still have a lot of her work left to read, including most of her best work (save the best for last, right?).
Reading [Online]
The current issue of The New Yorker has some interesting articles, including this one about how language affects our thinking, and this one about the rise of Spotify and what it means about how we consume music.
FYI: If you have a library card and the Libby app, it’s really easy to get current issues of popular magazines, like The New Yorker, without having to subscribe (and letting them pile up in your home)!
Watching [Movie]
Priscilla (2023)
I wasn’t all that interested in watching this when it was first released, but A24 + Sofia Coppola is an ultimately-irresistible combo. There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said, but this was a great film! This reminded me—in some ways—of An Education (2009), which was also based on a memoir. Give both a watch if you haven’t seen them.
Watching [TV]
My Brilliant Friend (season 1)
A few years ago, I watched the first 2 seasons of the MBF adaptation—this was before I read the books, which I loved! I’ve been meaning to get back around to the TV series for a while, so I’m finally diving in. I re-watched the first season this past week, and I’ll probably re-watch the 2nd season this coming week. Then I can move on to the final 2 seasons. If you liked the book, you’ll definitely like the TV series too.
Listening [Music]
Playlist: Somatic Healing
Listening [Podcast]
This limited series revisits the “Tri-State Crematory Scandal” that unraveled in 2002. I’m weary with most things in the true crime realm, because this type of “content” usually makes me nauseous—and fair warning, I did feel nauseous during certain descriptive scenes. But this series was well-reported, added thoughtful insight, and was not sensationalized. So I think it’s worth a listen.
Googling
saturnalia
Minnesota starvation experiment
the hermit
Baking
This weekend, I made this banana bread recipe. I’ve been craving banana bread for weeks and this really satisfied. Next up, I’ve got another cookie idea on my mind, so I’ll report back after trying them.
Last Week…
![Open Tabs [Weekly] #15](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Svwd!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc9501fa0-371b-4c4a-a97e-b4f865fc9c3d_596x768.jpeg)
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