New Year Same M.E.
Oops I forgot to have any personal development this year
(I was going to apologize for not writing anything for this in 8 months but then I realized none of you pay money for this and were probably fine with having one less thing clogging your inbox. I will try to actually write more of substance next year—I’m almost finished an essay about Bimbo feminism, I promise—but this is not really anything, although it’s still technically something I guess)
2023 went by faster than any year I can remember. I had the same job for the whole year, something that has basically never happened before, outside of the pandemic when I did murder mystery parties over Zoom but I don’t think that counts cuz I did all of them from bed. I wrote a long winded and embarrassingly unambitious list of New Years resolutions last year and I kind of did some of them, but mostly on a technicality because almost all of them were vague and open ended—anything with concrete stakes was not happening this year, sorry. However, in 2024 I am starting a new job, I am growing out my bangs, and I am going to write more and try to accomplish something or other.
Quick review of last years resolutions:
Listen to NME’s Best 500 Albums of All Time
I listened to around 300 before I lost steam after hitting a few duds (turns out I don’t like Yo La Tengo, bummer). I will try and finish the list in 2024, I’m listening to some at work as I write this. My unexpected favourites of what I’ve heard so far:
O.G. Original Gangster—Ice T
Vauxhall and I—Morrissey (sorry, I know)
Someone To Drive You Home—The Long Blondes
Mingus Ah Em—Charles Mingus
16 Lover’s Lane—The Go-Betweems
High Land, Hard Rain—Aztec Camera
My favourite non-NME-Top-500 artist I found this year was by far Guided By Voices, although I also had a very intense The Sundays phase and I thought Raye’s debut album was phenomenal. I have considered doing music recommendations for people who love various viral tiktok songs—is that a good idea or does no one gaf? Chime in please that was not rhetorical.
Go to concerts
I could’ve done better, but I saw Alvvays and Mom Jeans which were all timers for me so I’d call it a win.
Watch movies
According to Letterboxd I watched 66 movies this year. At least 25 of them were in theatres by my count (I still have my Cineworld Unlimited Card and they upgraded it, so that was a huge win too). I also saw Oppenheimer 3 times in theatres and I will be seeing it again if they bring it back in the UK. Sue me.
Read more
This was a resounding failure. I read 7 books this year and one of them was The Hunger Games, which I read on my phone. Absolutely pathetic. My favourite was Sorrow and Bliss. The best one was Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis. A fun fact about me is I have 6 different library cards, for 6 different places. Is that relatable? Is it even allowed?
Don’t buy ANY clothes, new or secondhand
FAILED. I bought so many new clothes. I lasted for a few months, and I definitely don’t buy nearly as much useless crap just because, but I am embarrassed because I made such a grand declaration last year and that just didn’t happen. I am gonna try to buy radically less next year and alter the stuff I do have instead. Maybe I’ll see how long I can go without cracking, I can absolutely beat last years record at least. Oh god this is so embarrassing, I’m moving on now.
NEW-NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
start thinking before I speak instead of after
stop going on twitter so much, cuz I can feel it breaking my brain
go to church, see if it feels different now
travel
finish last years resolutions, which were much better
make use of at least 1 of my 6 library cards
get really good at doing a scottish accent
grow out bangs (tentative)
actually write these with some regularity (monthly? quarterly? idk, tell me how often you guys actually want to recieve these things. Well, not these things, I promise anything else I send out will be an actual essay of substance)
stop using so many parentheses (starting Monday, duh)
Happy New Year, if you don’t hear from me by February feel free to yell at me on the platform of your choice.
Much love,
Matilda