Hi-ho readers,
I took a little accidental vacation last time I was supposed to write (I went to my mom’s for the weekend), so I’m sorry for the month long absence.
I’m feeling pretty unmoored recently. I’ve been essentially nocturnal and have had real trouble shaking it. I have vivid dreams that I can’t see my way out of until a few hours after I wake up from fitful sleep. My mom came and picked me up for a bootcamp, so to speak, supplemented by melatonin and her watchful eye, so I’m doing a little better. Last night, I forgot to take the melatonin so I couldn’t sleep until very late, which felt demoralizing, but three nights of normal sleep vs. one night of not is a better ratio than I’ve been averaging for the past five months.
I’m not a big movie watcher but I’ve watched several since we last spoke! I’ve been tracking them on Letterboxd.
- First time viewings: Dirty Dancing, Hamilton, Palm Springs, Mucho Mucho Amor
- Repeat viewings: Bye Bye Birdie, Baby Boom
I was a huge Hamilton fan when the soundtrack was first released and the mania really began, but it had disappeared from my memory in recent years. I immediately remembered that the hype was totally warranted. And it made me really wish that more productions were given budgets to film their productions!
Also, I hadn’t really paid any attention to The Hamilton Mixtape or the Hamildrops, but I watched the video(s) for the song Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote with John Kander (!), “Cheering for Me Now,” and it’s SO GOOD, and wow, Lin-Manuel has REALLY improved as a singer. His “they’ve thrown a parade…HA!” at 2:32 is very Kander/Raúl Esparza/…Liza Minnelli?? It makes me miss Manhattan, which I have not set foot in since March 11.
This got me into a rabbit hole of his stuff, including clips from Mary Poppins Returns, which I have not seen but seems totally delightful? I watched “A Cover Is Not the Book” and immediately rewound and watched it again. He also makes an appearance in Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado. Mercado was a Puerto Rican TV personality and astrologer, beloved by countless people across the Spanish-speaking world. In a cultural blindspot for me, I had never heard of him (however, my fluent sister had). I was totally moved by the documentary and highly recommend.
Some other thoughts: yesterday I ate a tomato sandwich, a la Harriet the Spy. I wish to eat nothing else for the remainder of peak tomato season. I really miss the subway. I want to take it as far as it goes and end up in Inwood Hill Park. It may be unfounded but I think that might make me feel something. I just want to look at the river somewhere. Long walks have really sustained me during a time that feels quite stale, but there’s only so far I can go before I need to walk back home again (both so I don’t totally exhaust myself and so I can avoid using a public bathroom).
Media Diet
- One Of My Fondest Childhood Memories Is My Grandfather And I Cornering A Naked Mr. Rogers To Ask Him For An Autograph (Thomas Holmes / BroBible)¹
- Shearing Sheep, and Hewing to Tradition, on an Island in Maine (Greta Rybus / The New York Times)
- A Lighthouse for Magazines (Nathan Taylor Pemberton / The New Yorker)²
Songs in My Heart (with playlist) – this week’s playlist is made up of songs I was obsessed with in high school, inspired by a conversation with my friend Deirdre.
- Piazza, New York Catcher – Belle & Sebastian
- Holland, 1945 – Neutral Milk Hotel
- White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
- Gronlandic Edit – of Montreal
- 16 Military Wives – The Decemberists
- Challengers – The New Pornographers
- Angeles – Elliott Smith
- My Girls – Animal Collective
- Poses – Rufus Wainwright
- Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod – The Mountain Goats
- Fake Empire – The National
- Underground (Live) – Ben Folds Five
- All I Want – Joni Mitchell
- Attractive Today – Motion City Soundtrack
- Marry Me – St. Vincent
- Man On The Moon – R.E.M.
- Sexx Laws – Beck
- Fidelity – Regina Spektor
I am feeling exhausted and disinterested a lot of the time but am trying to be better about looking for warning signs. I hope you’re doing okay and getting some sleep.
See you in two (for real),
Emily
¹ You might think it strange that I’m linking to a site called BroBible, but my friend from college, Tom Holmes, wrote this and it’s charming and delightful.
² Casa Magazines is a marvelous place in the West Village and I really hope it survives coronavirus.