The Year My Posts Forgot

You should see my drafts!

Well, hello. It has been exactly one year since I posted one of these. This, however, does not mean that I haven’t been writing! On the contrary; I write at least something every day - I just have a very bad habit of not publishing it.

And so a lot of this isn’t terribly timely anymore. My points still stand, whether they’re current or not: Don’t be a strikebreaker. Get your Covid vaccine. Call for a ceasefire.

This year has been - I don’t know, how can you define a year like this one in a single phrase? It’s been scary and weird and thrilling and sad and it’s too damn hot and why does my back hurt and thank god it’s the weekend and another holiday again and maybe next year will be better. I’ve gotten terribly colloquial lately, and it feels like my retrieval isn’t once what it was. I can always recognize great writing, and have a great appreciation for it, but try as I might, it never comes. I’ve sat down at the computer so many times over the course of the year and written out half-entries for this newsletter and then never published them. I wish I had, because then I wouldn’t feel so much pressure to write the perfect thing now.

Of course the perfect thing does not exist. Though it would have been better to write about my fascination with the band Sparks sometime in the summer as opposed to now, when I’m kind of on the other side of that obsession.

This year I had the best of intentions with this newsletter. I mean, you should see my drafts! Let’s hit the highlights.

I GOT A PROMOTION.

I actually got a promotion and I’m now a full-time editor. I have my own office with a window and a door with my name on it, and bookshelves and a workstation I can decorate as I choose. I’ve only been in this position for a few months, but it’s a place where I’ve been working for several years, one that holds a special place in my heart. And so other than trying to figure out how to decorate an office - any tips would be appreciated - I’ve been working my tail off and being exhausted.

Recently I saw someone say that after your body has been in crisis mode for a long time, safety can feel like exhaustion. Because your body has spent so much time working at full capacity, now it can kind of power down because you’re not in constant high-alert mode at all times. Maybe that’s what I’m feeling. It’s been tough “hustling”, as people love to say, working all the time doing three jobs at once to try to make ends meet, and also trying to live through a pandemic that makes everything feel like the end of the world.

But I tried to settle in; I purchased many jackets and wide-leg pants and computer glasses to wear at the office but then…

I GOT COVID.

After successfully avoiding it for three-and-a-half years, it finally got me. I was due for my Covid vaccine, but instead got the most recent, vicious variant. It knocked me all the way on my ass. I was in bed for a while - and while I do recommend the show Severance, I don’t know that I recommend you watch it as I did, a bit hazy and dizzy and feverish - and the symptoms stuck around for weeks. The cough stayed for a long time. I couldn’t smell or taste for about two months (now I understand why people have so many sensory issues with food textures - without smelling or tasting them, a lot of it is grainy mush). I was glad that I was able to work from home during my recovery, and I’m very grateful that it was not worse, especially on my dear parents, who got it as well. In fact, my case was the worst out of the three of us - but I’d rather have it that way than watching my septuagenarian father suffer.

I WENT ON A DATE.

At least I thought it was a date. We were set up by mutual friends who thought we would get along. It wasn’t and we didn’t. There’s honestly not much to say except that I thought I looked great and he didn’t, so I guess there’s no accounting for taste. At least I got back out there, sorta?

I TURNED 41.

What a strange age. I was at a holiday party recently - one my best friend threw, and her family is like a second family to me - and her niece’s new boyfriend asked how old I was, and he said, “Oh wow. Dang.” He seems like a good kid.

I didn’t do much for my birthday, as I was still suffering from some of the symptoms of Covid, so it was mostly just cake - which by then I could taste - a bit of wine, and some chatting with friends. This is an absolutely fine way to spend one’s birthday! And like they say, getting older is better than the alternative.

The Best-Of Lists

Want to know what I was digging in music this year? It was mostly Arctic Monkeys’ The Car and Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin, with a healthy dose of boygenius in there, but you can just check out my Spotify wrapped playlist for the rest.

Podcasts

Double Threat

The funniest podcast you’re not listening to/watching. From the genius minds of The Best Show’s Tom Scharpling and Difficult People’s Julie Klausner, it’s like listening in on a conversation with the funniest people you could possibly imagine, and being privy to their genius. (The image included is from an episode where they had guest Dylan Farrow on to roast Alec Baldwin, and if you get what that might be great, this is the show for you.)

You Must Remember This: Erotic ‘90s

Yes, I recommend everything Karina Longworth makes, but Erotic ‘90s is a series that is more ambitious and in-depth than any series she’s made, and it’s a fascinating look at the way that art and misogyny and feminism can be in conflict and in conversation, and how much has changed in the last 30 years, and how much hasn’t.

TV Shows

RuPaul’s Drag Race (specifically All-Stars 7: All Winners)

This remains the best show on television, even if it is entering the point of over-saturation with its many international spin-offs. This version of its All-Stars format, however, was brilliant: it was all winners of previous seasons of the show - the best of the best. And because of its format - unlike the regular version of the show, contestants were not eliminated - it was a whole season of all of the franchise’s favourites, leading to heaps of iconic moments. I won’t spoil it, but my favourite came away victorious.

Succession

I was late on the Succession train, and of course, as soon as I began watching the show, it was announced that the fourth season would be the show’s last. An all-timer is still the episode where Kendall has a disastrous birthday party, which begins with him singing Billy Joel’s “Honesty” in a kelly-green Gucci jacket - which gave us the playlist mantra of “all bangers, all the time” - but the final season contains some of the most incredible writing, both dramatic and comic. Logan Roy referring to human beings simply as “economic units” is something I think about all the time. But then so is everything Tom ever said to Greg, from “buckle up, fucklehead” to the tirade about his date’s “ludicrously capacious bag”, a line that must have affected Burberry in much the same way And Just Like That briefly did for Peloton.

Schmigadoon! (a.k.a. Schmicago!)

This is for musical theatre nerds only, I’m afraid; though I’m sure lots of people will enjoy watching Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenoweth and Aaron Tveit do basically anything, there are a lot of great inside jokes for people, and in this season, rather than the technicolour shows of the golden era of musicals, it focuses on the grittier shows of the 1970s - think Chicago, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd.

Good Omens

If you want to know how much I like this show, you need only look to the fact that I dressed as both main characters for Halloween. Based on the book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, this story follows an angel and a demon who work together to stop armageddon because they just like living on earth too much. The angel likes fine wine and sweets and Vivaldi, and the demon likes fast cars and cool clothes and the Best of Queen. The second season is filled with little stories of their escapades throughout the centuries, as the characters’ friendship blossoms and grows and they are faced with a new conundrum. No spoilers!

Severance

This is a show I watched while I was delirious with fever, which is either unadvisable or the perfect conditions to relate to these characters, who literally have their brains severed so they can separate their work and home lives. It’s jarring, off-putting, visually sparse, beautiful, and deeply unsettling. Everyone in it is amazing, and it’s just really great.

Hudson & Rex

When I first saw the promos for this show, I thought it was yet another police procedural with a gimmick. Then I found out it was filmed - and set! - in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where some of my most beloved people live/come from, and I caught a rerun on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Well, the titular Rex of the duo is a beautiful German Shepherd with the auspicious name of Diesel vom Burgimwald, and he is legitimately the best dog actor I’ve ever seen.

Special mention to the episode “Due North”, featuring an extended sequence of just Rex travelling through the forest to get help for his injured friends, and meets obstacles along the way; it is somehow the most riveting bit of television I’ve seen in a long time. (And yes, I am obsessed with dogs and I just love this dog, but I swear, he’s not just a great dog but a great actor.)

Cosmetique Corner

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch liquid blush in Hope

These blushes are great, and I would like one in every colour. They’re pigmented, they dry down beautifully, and they bring a natural flush to the cheek. Selena is killing it this year.

Trixie Cosmetics single blush in Total Betty

After stunning with her blush palettes, Trixie realized that people were running out of just one shade that they used more often that the others. In my case, it was Total Betty, the medium nude-rose from the Just A Girl blush palette. It’s the perfect colour, and I often use it on top of the Rare blush. Also incredibly pigmented and long-lasting.

Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blur + Smooth Tint Stick (I’m shade 2)

For days or nights when you want something smooth but not too full coverage, this is the thing. Easy to apply, blends like a dream, and lasts too. Like the Eaze Drop tint but a bit more substantial; when set with powder, it really goes the distance.

Elli J. Beauty Resolution eyeshadow palette

All I want is to have shimmery eyelids all the time, like a dang mermaid or a ‘70s glam rock star, even if I’m in the office or at the pharmacy. Every time I wear these eyeshadows, especially the duochromes, I get compliments, often from complete strangers. There’s a power to these shades, and get this - if you use my promo code (yes, she’s got a promo code now!) JULIAS_MAKEUP_PALETTE, you can get 10% off! I really do recommend and use the stuff all the time! I would truly never sell you on something I didn’t LOVE (which is the name of one of my favourite shades in the palette)!

Half Magic Beauty Glitterpuck in Dopamine Sparkle

While I am not a fan of brands that make you pay extra when they ship to Canada, I have to say there is no other product on the market that I know of that resembles this glitter. It’s almost cool and wet to the touch, but dries instantly, and creates this otherworldly shimmer wherever you put it - eyes, cheeks, lips, décolletage. It was created by the head makeup artist from the show Euphoria, and that show knows how to employ glitter when necessary. This is the glitter.

Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush

Growing up reading Allure and InStyle magazines, I always saw this cheek stain on their best-of lists. When they brought it back, it wasn’t just the nostalgia factor, or the fact that it smells of the most delectable sweets, but that the stuff is the absolute perfect colour and gel consistency to create an old-fashioned, almost Renaissance flush. It’s the perfect thing to wear if you’re wearing almost nothing else on your face - just this, mascara, lip gloss, and you’re done. Add a headband and you’re living your absolute ‘90s fresh-faced fantasy.

Eucerin Aquaphor (for lips)

Remember when I said that lip masks were the best? Don’t listen to her. Buy a tube of Eucerin Aquaphor and wear it day and especially at night. Nothing feels or works better, especially in the dry winter months.

That’s as brief a wrap-up as I can muster - and that the Substack gods will allow. I don’t know if there are any lessons in there, either for myself or for you, dear readers, if you’ve made it this far. I suppose the best we can do is always strive to be the kindest, strongest version of ourselves, and accept the version that looks back at us in the mirror each morning. Also: don’t put things off. Hug the ones you love if you’re lucky enough to be close to them, and take that trip or see that show or buy that dress, y’know? Whatever that thing is for you, do it. Life is so short. It feels long. But it’s short. Though sometimes, if you’re lucky, one of your dreams comes true, and you get the one-of-a-kind Julie Klausner Dyes Baranski shirt.

Cheers to a new year and popping up in your inbox more often!

May auld acquaintance be forgot,

xo Julia