hello friends and HAPPY JANUARY! the second friday of january (this year falling on the 10th) is often referred to as quitters day, the day by which most people who set new year’s resolutions have already given them up. it happens to so many of us when we’re given a clean slate - a new year, a new semester, a new job, a new relationship… new ________, new me!! it’s this idea that new-ness will inherently change the fundamentals of our personalities—because we said so!
except that’s not usually what happens is it? there’s a week or two spent diligently following the regimen of this lifestyle change until one day… we let it slide. “just for today, back on track tomorrow” and all of a sudden it’s december 31st, 2025 and nothing has really changed.
my wish for you as we dive into 2025…
that you resolve to love all parts of you more, even the things that you think you need to change
that you ease into things that you want to do differently so that you actually create sustainable lasting change
that you prioritize things that bring you more joy, passion, and love ALWAYS
that this is your best year yet… that it is filled with magic and wonder and all things that light your soul on fire
that you find support and community in all of your endeavors - hiring a coach, signing up for a class, finding people to connect with when it comes to your goals - anything to help you feel a little less alone on the journey
a new year — that clean slate — feels like such a good time to start something new. but remember, your dreams and the things you resolve to do differently can start any time. even if you quit before “quitter’s day”. even if you haven’t started yet. you are worthy of your dreams and resolving to make a change - even when it’s not january 1st.
and now, for my new favorite segment of this substack…
things i had to explain to high school students recently:
the rudy giuliani joke in their book (because 2001 rudy giuliani is not the man they know today)
what 9/11 was like and where i and others who were alive (that’s right, none of my students were EVEN ALIVE YET) were on the morning of the attacks
what i meant by the phrase “9/11 jokes” (which unfortunately has become way too casual a phrase in my vocabulary, iykyk)
aol instant messenger
paying per text message
calling your friends on the phone after 9pm
yes, there was pop music in the 90s (not gay pop tho, we all know jojo siwa invented that in 2023)
things in process…
confessions of a forty-something fuck up - my first read of 2025! this was recommended by my bestie and though i’m only a 10% in i am really enjoying it already. i love a british rom-com and lina has promised me that it is very “feel good” (something we could all use more of i’m sure)
silo season 2 - collin and i re-upped our apple tv+ subscription so that we could rewatch season 1 of severence before it’s season 2 premier on 1/17 (EEEEEEEEK! THE WAIT IS ALMOST OVER!!). had i realized that the season finale of silo wasn’t until 1/17 also, i would NOT have started it until next week because omg the tortureeeeeeeeeee. i’ll give a more in depth review next time but as of now, this season was a real snooze fest imo and i only watched it as rapidly as i did because i wanted to figure out what the fuck was going on. very annoyed that i have to wait another week to figure out what the fuck is going on and i worry that much like season 1, the finale will leave me with 1 answer and 1000 more questions and will still be ultimately unsatisfying. (full disclosure i have not read the books and probably won’t)
things i’ve finished since we last spoke
oh boy! it’s been a hot second since i’ve written to all of you so the list of things i’ve finished is quite robust.. let’s stick with a top 3
man on the inside (netflix) - THIS WAS SO TENDER AND LOVELY AND HEARTFELT AND BEAUTIFUL AND TED DANSON IS A GIFT. this is another show from the brilliant michael schur (good place, parks and rec, brooklyn nine-nine) and it got me right in the feels. i am so excited there is going to be another season of this show. it’s a quick watch (8 thirty minute episodes) that i highly recommend for a feel good mystery/comedy afternoon(s).
my 2024 video - okay this was a labor of love and THE most intense and sustainable project i think i’ve ever completed. inspired by one of my beautiful writer friends, i set out to make a video with 1 second from every day of 2024 and i’ll be damned - i FUCKING DID IT. in the process of creating this i realized it was hard to narrow it down to just 1 second each day, so every month has it’s own project of all the 1 second clips from that month. this project was such a beautiful time capsule for me and i’ve already started 2025.
my 2024 polaroids! i wrote more about this yearly project here
the last 2 poetry programs for my students - my lord were these a labor of love and honestly a little stressful because do i even know what i’m doing here? kind of but also not really. next weekend is their first competition with these pieces and i’m very nerv-cited to see how they do.
as always, if you’ve made it this far, i love you more than you could possibly fathom!!
love liv