something to warm you up

a brief check-in

It’s been a month since my last post, but don’t take my silence for lack of trying-I have in fact been trying too hard, which is why I haven’t sent anything else.

I’ve been working on an essay that I’ve reshaped dozens of times about queer women in pop that changed to the GRAMMYs and pop to something a little more niche, now, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to edit myself into a place where I’m happy enough with it to send out next week.

While I want this newsletter to be a place where I can just write about what’s on my mind every week, I also want to grow my audience with thoughtful, researched essays about the things I’m passionate about, with music always at the top. I hope you’ll stick around while I figure it out!

In the meantime, I had an album review published in Rainbow Rodeo last week, covering one of my favorite albums of 2024, Katie Gavin’s What A Relief. It’s my first published album review in at least 10 years and I am proud of it!

Rainbow Rodeo is an independent publication covering queer country and folk music, and it’s worth your time spent reading, sharing or subscribing to support their mission.

Also, last night I saw this clip of a DJ mashing up Carl Thomas’ “I Wish” with Leon Thomas’ “Mutt,” and while I’m not sure what prompted the mashup (is it because they share a last name?) I am grateful for it, because it sounded great and also put me in the mood to keep listening to old R&B and rap favorites last night. I put this playlist together, which is still a work in progress, but I’ve been listening to it all morning and I appreciate the way it makes me feel like I’m a kid sitting on my stoop in Queens in the summer and not an adult trying to regain feeling in my fingers after being outside for one minute in winter in Brooklyn.

I’ve also just been applying for jobs every day as I try to become a better adult who isn’t weighed down by the burden of freelance life. I’ve specifically been looking for SEO specialist roles, and even more specifically SEO-geared digital marketing within the law field since that’s where my most recent experience is. If anyone reading is connected to anyone hiring for these kinds of roles, let me know? I am also always applying for writing roles, especially news/updates writing for entertainment magazines/websites and am also looking for that kind of work if anyone has any leads.

What else? I’m sad Love Island: All Stars is over because I’ll miss watching and texting with my friend Grace, but I won’t miss Curtis and Ekin-Su making me cringe harder than I ever have before. Justice for Luca and Grace, the actual best couple, who I (maybe naively) think have a real shot at a future.

More soon!