An End-To-2024 Wrap-Up
What I did over the holidays, plus a few favorite things -- music, plus a movie and memoir
Is it weird saying “happy new year” knowing the current state of the world? In any case, I didn’t want to part ways without a final post saying goodbye to 2024, even though it’s now two weeks into 2025, rendering this a little behind the curve. Oh well. Conjuring Christmas cheer was difficult this time around — for a couple of obvious reasons — so gathering with loved ones, friends and family, was something I prioritized. I baked lots of cookies and spent a festive day in Manhattan immersing myself in its Yuletide splendor. Central Park, though precariously icy on the trails, was gorgeous (really, it was ripped out of an Edward Hopper painting) and I got to try a few restaurants I’d put on the back burner.
Restaurant review:
First was Jacob’s Pickles, a Southern-inspired restaurant whose bread and butter, besides the excellent pickles, is humungous, and I mean humungous plates of comfort food. You’re not leaving here without taking the extras home. I tried Hot Cukes as a starter and for my main, ordered the Low Country Meatloaf. The sauce had a little heat to it, which I loved, while the fried onions added a crunchy element to the tender beef and creamy mash piled underneath. The buttermilk biscuit on the side added some sweetness with a sticky honey butter glaze. My leftovers were another meal’s worth, essentially. Levain Bakery for dessert delivered on the giant cookie cravings. I always make it a point to try the signature item whenever I go somewhere new, and the Chocolate Chip Walnut was good, but a little too heavy on the nuts for me. On the other hand, the chocolate-based cookies blew my away. Coffee Toffee, which recently hit the menu as a winter-only special, is absolutely decadent and the peppermint chocolate cookie was equally fudgy and delicious. Overall, both spots justified the sluggish train ride home.
Music overview:
My vinyl stack was replenished this Christmas with Kim Gordon’s The Collective and Devo’s Freedom of Choice. They’re funny and politically relevant, with biting commentary on American values, in particular how they propagandize and distort the mind. Gordon’s album is nominated for two Grammy awards under the alternative rock category, so I’m anticipating seeing if she takes one home. I really dig the electronic angle she’s embraced in her solo career. It’s a departure from her years in Sonic Youth, but it almost feels like a continuation of the same alienation, just filtered through Trap and Jungle beats. And of course, Devo needs no introduction here, seeing as my first blog post was about their debut. The title track might as well be America’s national anthem at this point.
Speaking of solo albums, hearing Kim Deal had one up her sleeve was intriguing, since I’m a huge Pixies/Breeders fan. On Nobody Loves You More, her voice remains as sweet and candy-coated as it did in the nineties. Brassy horns with the occasional electronic beat were also nice surprises, scattered throughout but especially front-and-center on the tracks “Coast” and “Big Ben Beat.” It’s also a little bittersweet, since one of Steve Albini’s last engineering credits is here (RIP). Lately I’ve also been swept up in this post-punk group from Oklahoma Chat Pile, and their album Cool World, which came out in October. It’s noise rock, and it’s pretty much as punishing and bleak as you can get. Cathartic though — a little like The Jesus Lizard and Big Black in grinding your soul down to a nub. But if that isn’t the energy to bring into the year ahead, I don’t know what is!
Other Hits:
Kathleen Hanna’s memoir Rebel Girl. If you aren’t familiar with her, Kathleen Hanna is often attributed to the “riot grrl” music scene in Olympia, Washington with her band Bikini Kill, later fronting the groups Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. I’ve always been obsessed with the grunge era and have always liked Hanna’s personality, so it goes without saying her memoir was right up my alley. Her upbringing was very fraught with abuse, and I admired the way she spoke about her experiences with such unflinching honesty, especially in regards to domestic violence and misogyny. She’s also just a great storyteller (example: recounting her meet-cute with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys — they’ve been married for almost 20 years!). Another highlight of the book was how she reflected on her feminist activism. The punk-rock circles she inhabited at the time weren’t super inclusive, and although her heart was in the right place, she was able to identify her blind spots and correct course over the years. This book is certainly a must for fans, but assuming you enjoy anything related to the Gen-X era, ‘90’s rock — or even just interesting people — I highly recommend giving it a read.
Robert Eggers’ remake of Nosferatu: Didn’t realize the director of one of my favorite movies (The Witch) was behind this one. I don’t go to the movies that often but I was so thrilled to see this on a whim. Eggers really reigns king in the slow-burn horror genre. The creepy atmospherics, the pacing, the costuming, the score. Every aspect of the film felt intentional, and I thought the cast did a great job of bringing the story to life. Seeing it on a rainy Saturday night, fog shadowing the sky, cemented the mood perfectly. Ended up watching The Lighthouse a week later (and spoiler: I also loved it).
My new dutch oven. Replaced a crappy pot in my kitchen with a non-crappy pot, and I’m very excited to use it. Time to batch-cook chili, soup, and one-pot dinners into oblivion this winter! I made this chicken stew from Budget Bytes to break it in, but I’m curious to embrace my inner Julia Child with one of those French classics — maybe coq au vin or a beef bourguignon? Eager to explore the possibilities now that I have one in my arsenal.
Thanks for the good music tips!