Happy December to those who celebrate. We have a month filled with archaic holidays ahead and lots to reflect on. It’s been an eventful year for many, myself included. This is our 12th bulletin together and I for one am proud to have met this commitment. I plan on continuing into the new year and hope that you’ll continue to join me each month! There might be a change away from Substack but I will let everyone know if/before it moves.
Reading-
Everybody Knows-Jordan Harper- my friend Ben recommended this at an Album Club meeting. He said there’s some REAL LA shit in it and that piqued my interest. Earlier that morning I had finished a book and already made mental note of finding my next read. As soon as he mentioned it, I downloaded it on Libby. If you’re not into the Library Lifestyle, please make that a goal for the new year. Libraries enrich our lives with free content. Here in 2023 you don’t have to leave your home to access it; message me if you want a harder sell, but you should look into it.
I don’t normally read the thriller genre, but I could not put this down. Ben was right about the LA shit. Anytime one moves to a new city it can take some time to get the lay of the land. It was a bigger uphill battle for me with my brain injury but eventually the puzzle pieces snapped together and I could navigate both conversations and directions with ease. The protagonists spent a lot of time in downtown LA which is where I too spend a lot of time. How satisfying to think “I know where that is!!” As my friend Kate says, “You’re 2 steps from unlocking the secret to LA” and I after reading this book and seeing her for lunch a week later, I think maybe I finally am.
It wasn’t too dissimilar structurally to a romance novel and in fact there are some romance threads woven into the story. There is some violence and rough imagery for those who are squeamish. The whiff of romance was just a whisper of spice. To be gender essentialist1 about it: It kinda felt like a romance novel for men. Send recommendations for thrillers, or romance novels.
Listening
Bart Bulletin Holiday Playlist
I used to be more sentimental this time of year and enjoy more things that make the season bright. The last few years I have felt ambivalent about Christmas. If it’s not forced down your throat, it’s easy to take a pass on the holidays. I have been happily away from forced Christmas music work environment for 5 Decembers now. I wondered when the desire to hear some would creep back in and this year may be the year.
I typically prefer Golden Oldies Christmas music to contemporary but you will find a solid playlist of that anywhere you go. It isn’t Christmas until you hear Donny Hathaway, but you will when you enter a bank or CVS between October 15 and the end of the year.
I’ve made a little playlist to share that has what I hope are an interesting selection and not too christmassy. I for one love a depressing Christmas song and hopefully you do too because this list has a few. I especially can’t stop listening to Julia Jacklin’s Baby Jesus is Nobody’s Baby Now
Eating:
Non-Dairy whipped cream was the biggest hit of our office thanksgiving luncheon. I made a pie and my own WC and people went NUTS. I couldn’t get any work done after lunch. People kept coming up to my desk to ask for what I made it with and to marvel over the fact that I flipped a switch on my stand mixer. It was truly lowest effort made. I made it while I brewed coffee and did dishes at 6am in the dark.
The trick is to chill your mixer bowl and whisk. I put mine in the fridge over night but you can freeze until cold too. It’s whipping cream, a splash of vanilla and a few teaspoons of sugar.
Don’t over whip or you’ll get butter. Shoot for the moon,land among the stars.
The vegan shit is great and you won’t miss real dairy as witnessed by Joybird but real whipping cream is just as rewarding and easier to find in the shop.
I like these two:
Country Crock Plant Cream- Heavy Whipping Cream Alternative
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Whipping Cream Alternative
This Amused Me:
I’m not on TikTok or Instagram but these two still came across my path. 2girls1bottl3. They are true performance artists. A great profile on them.
A Poem:
My favorite newsletter that sends a poem daily is ending and I’m sad about it. The author of the newsletter was a big Brautigan fan as I am myself. I believe Charley shared the newsletter with me because of this but I can’t be too sure. It’s been a staple in my life for years now. I mourn its loss.
Boo, Forever
Spinning like a ghost
on the bottom of a
top,
I’m haunted by all
the space that I
will live without
you.
Richard Brautigan (1968)
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR, DON’T GO CHANGIN’, READ MORE POETRY, STAY COOL, LOVE BART
I myself embody both Mars, Venus and Chocolate. Ack!
Congratulations on completing the twelve months! It’s been good fun, thank you ☺️