Happy New Season of Severance Weekend to all of you celebrating! And, happy Sunday to all of you. How has the start of your year been? January has felt like four years shoved into one: my school moved to a brand new campus so I got to set up my fancy, clean, lovely new classroom! I had my residency week for my MFA program and am preparing to graduate in July! Things have been busy!ย
Life also finally feels like it’s settling into somewhat of a normal routine. Despite an intense start to the year, I feel like I am finally settling into a new routine. According to my AstroTwins horoscope (Elle) which is one of several horoscopes I read regularly โ I’m mostly a Chani girl (Chani.com) but the AstroTwins are good too!), Uranus has been whipping up chaos in my life for a while, and in 2025-2026, it will exit my sign and I will feel stable and routined. I AM READY. The other thing I loved is that it said that these years have re-wired me, and that feels right. I do feel like a different version of myself than I’ve been over the past few years, and I’m eager to settle in.ย
I’m not foolish enough to expect that astrology alone will fix me โ I know I have work to do, too. I haven’t picked a final word for the year yet โ Joy is way ahead of the game (Joy the Baker) โย but the one that keeps coming to mind is “LESS” (and also “fewer.” Thank you to the grammar babes who will get this joke). Less physical stuff, fewer commitments, less everything. I want space in my brain, my life, my closet, and my calendar. I’m trying to find time for a solo writing retreat in the desert and carve out other times to create, write, and be. It’s on me to make it happen.ย
Wishing you a wonderful week and sending you lots of love and good vibes, however your year has begun. Also zoom in on each dog in the photo above, and decide which one is your mood today.ย
โข I am obsessed with these women in their 80s who have traveled around the world together! I aspire to be 82 and still exploring. Related: do you consider “old lady” a derogatory term? I don’t, but that could be because I was born a 100-year-old woman in spirit, and yet, I still found this article thought-provoking. (AFAR, Allure)
โข I love lists of rules for living well and modern manners and such. This list was fun to read and I agree with nearly every one; however, I will not be limiting my book recommendations to slim volumes under 200 pages. The story takes the pages it takes, thank you! (Substack)
โข I haven’t felt emotionally fortified enough to watch the documentary “Will and Harper” (about Will Ferrell and his best friend Harper taking a cross-country road trip after Harper came out as a trans woman) because I know with certainty that I will not stop crying, but I loved this piece about Harper Steele’s matriarchal jewelry. (NYT Gift Link)
โข Speaking of jewelry and “less” I’m giving my jewelry wardrobe a little overhaul. For a long time, I favored bright, chunky earrings. As I ease into my 40s, I want elegant gold jewelry that makes me look sophisticated (though I am not, haha). I ordered these nap earrings for everyday wear. I keep thinking that maybe 41 is too old for a nose ring, but I can’t quite bear to take out the piercing and let it heal, but I did order this dainty little nose ring as a replacement for the double hoop I’ve worn for years. I also got this delicate little necklace a few months ago and it is my favorite thing. I only take it off to shower. (Maison Miru, Cupcakes and Cashmere)
โข Did you even consider every possible lived experience before you recklessly posted your chili recipe on your social media? I realize I am old, but this TikTok will never not make me laugh (and also rest in peace). (McSweeney’s, TikTok)
โข This Altadena Girls fundraising made me smile. Thanks to being a middle school teacher, I get a front-row seat to how great teens are every day, and I love that kids are smart and resilient and to see how they are advocating for themselves. I wish we hadn’t created a world where they have to be so resilient and advocate so frequently. (Instagram)
โข Celestial events to get your eyes and telescopes ready for. (Lifehacker)ย
โข As a teen who had the oiliest skin on earth, I never believed I’d reach a time when I had to deal with DRY SKIN. Alas, the combination of winter and aging has me wanting to climb into a vat of jojoba oil. Here’s a guide to caring for dry skin from head to toe. My personal favorites are the UBeauty Super Hydrator, UBeauty Barrier Bioactive Treatment, and the UBeauty Super Intensive Face Oil for my face (a fun treat: if you enter “AMYESTES” when you check out, you’ll get 20% off your first order). I also love this foot lotion for gentle exfoliation, followed by this super-hydrating cream and sleeping overnight in these socks. Also, drinking an annoying amount of water. (TIME, UBeauty, Amazon)
โข The extremely offline joy of board games. I have been trying to think of ways to get friends together without the pressure to “entertain” and a cozy night in with games, chai spiced hot cocoa, some bite-sized baked brie, maybe some peanut butter balls? Sounds like a dream evening. We are big fans of Blockus, Rummikub, Yahtzee! and UNO Attack (which frightens me but is a lot of fun). If you stay in on a Friday night, you can even give it a Swedish name that isn’t hygge. The traditional Swedish menu is tacos, popcorn (also this sounds incredible?, and sour candy. I’m all in. (NYT Gift Link, Joy the Baker, Bustle, Amazon).ย
โข File under “beautiful crafty things I wish I could do”: an embroidery journal and an embroidered book tracker! The artist sells a kit, and I must admit I’m tempted. I’m planning to file it as an idea and see how I feel in 2026. (Kottke.org, Instagram, Etsy)
โข If you, like me, are seeking ways to dissociate over the world we are living in (especially this week), here are 30 books to be excited about and 40 TV shows to anticipate. (Vulture, Harper’s Bazaar)
โข Substack posts that made me think this month: “I owe nothing to anyone” is making us lonelier, antisocial goods, the friendship problem, the divine discontent. (Substack)
18 Responses
Amy: I went to a funeral for a dear friend’s dad this week and noticed that one of the readings misused fewer/less. WHO AM I? . . .Lifelong English teacher, that’s who.
:)
It is quite cold in Wisconsin today so I am absolutely the dog in the middle.
Word of the year: I’m thinking in the same direction as you, Amy. Realizing what I need and letting go of what I don’t. I’m ready to let go of physical things which hasn’t been the case in quite a few years. It feels like I’m finally reclaming space and allowing myself to decide about what I do with my time, my headspace, my physical space. Sometimes I think it sounds too obvious – but I know how hard this whole thing has been the last couple of years, so I’m thinking of “clarity” as my word for 2025.
And I’m still working up the strength to wach “Will and Harper” as well. I really want to see it, and I want to be stable, so.
Thank you for the list and your thoughtful words, as always!
Clarity is such a good one! Same! And I truly don’t know when I’ll be ready for “Will and Harper.” It’s going to be great! And that’s the problem haha.
Love the section about Around The World at 80!
Wow, thanks for a great Let it Be Sunday!!!! I never comment, but I feel compelled to share… those substack links were particularly killer!! Thanks for some brain food!
Thank you for another eclectic collection of Sunday links, woven together with your own unique voice, Amy. I especially appreciated the Substack set. Made me think, too.
This is so kind! Thank you, Linda!
I think the problem with “old lady” is that is reduces a person to two characteristics that could describe anybody of that gender and age. I didn’t read the whole article linked, but I quickly scanned it, and that was basically my conclusion – when the author was talking about these actors – “old lady energy” – it reduces these talented (smart?) individuals to a group defined by two very general characteristics. Other than that, no, I don’t have a problem with it, but I’m not there yet. I do have a problem with “young lady” for anybody older than, I don’t know, 16? 18? I’m now firmly middle-aged in my 40s and I’m already getting it and finding it teeth-gritting offensive. It is condescending and rude.
I have to read all the substack articles, and particularly the anti-social one again, but without disagreeing with the general point, that article raised my hackles. I’m not sure why, exactly, but it might be at least this, a bit: “Iโve said it before, but you can really tell the lonely and the anxiously attached have won the internet when these things go viral.” Talk about without nuance – which I also found in the column about living well and modern manners. I am so exhausted with other people telling people that these are the correct ways to live, disregarding individual backgrounds, education, circumstances, capacities…like, just give money to an organization. I might agree with the general premise, which I think is basically be nice, be kind, but I don’t think anybody gets to determine how that looks for someone else. Again, it shoves everyone in the same group. That’s why I think I find it offensive.
Nobody is too old for a nose ring if they want one!
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Lee! Great things to think about.
41 is so not too old for a nose ring!! you wear what makes you happy.
I am going to try a smaller one (also for some work-related hopes and dreams) but keep it in! If I miss the ring, I will put it back in, proudly!
My word for 2024 was SHORTCUT. As a person who was constantly taught that the hard way was always the best way, I needed to constantly remind myself that it was okay to phone things in and outsource if I just didn’t have the energy or the mental space. If the prospect of the grocery store was overwhelming enough to make me want to cry, then I ordered my groceries to be delivered. If getting dressed, finding my mat, and actually going to a yoga studio for a class was never going to happen, but yoga to youtube in my pajamas could? Then thirty minutes of living yoga absolutely won out. It was kind of a spin on the “done is better than perfect,” idea that I struggle to embrace.
I’m not sure what my word for 2025 is yet either, but I feel like it’s okay not to choose one until the end of January, sort of like waiting until the end of the party before you say whether that person you chatted to by the cheese for forty minutes is actually a new friend or not. And if I don’t figure one out, then SHORTCUT is a great word for a second year running. Heaven knows I still have a lot of perfection to unlearn.
I really, really love this and resonated with all of it. Man, that’s a tough thing to unlearn. This gives me a lot to think about — love it.
Question: Do you consider “old lady” to be a derogatory term? No, but I really dislike being addressed “hello young lady.” Go figure that one. I also loved being described as “fierce” by one of my grands.
I don’t care for being called “young lady” either! I feel like it’s meant to make a person feel smaller? I don’t like it! And a grandkid calling you “fierce” is a high compliment! Love it!
A few years ago my word was โeditโ. It helped me to take notice of what was important in my physical world and my mental space. I didnโt have to worry about the less than or fewer issue ? I also liked it because it was simple and not a fancy word like curate.
Thank you for your contributions to Joy the Baker!
I love this! I wish I’d thought of it — would’ve saved me the struggle! And thanks for reading.