Here I post one of my monthly playlists on the MONTH I MADE IT

Actually posting the playlist in the month I made it? Incredible. 23 is already doing wondrous things for me.

It was my birthday yesterday! Despite the fact that I already thought I was 23 due to Lia's very convincing charade, that was the age I turned just yesterday. 

Analysis of 22? Kinda sucked. The world has gotten significantly worse since I turned 22. The orange rage ball was elected, and inaugurated as, president. I don't know where you begin to start with the despair pit that is the daily news. It's been an exhausting and depressing year. I watched my friends slowly leave, before evacuating Boston myself to a city where I know two people — one I brought from Boston, and my Dad — and I don't have a job.

BUT! I'm feeling confident. I also went on some phenomenal trips! LA, Mexico City, and various places in New England, just to highlight a few. And oh, god, I'm still not over Oregon from the other week. 

I also produced some really cool work; for Yelp Boston, for Boston magazine, and for friends. (Side note, my friend Steven just got hired by the freaking Ellen show, and I'm so proud of him.) Work that I've been so proud to share and show off to every stinking job that I've applied for.

Just this week I've been feeling happier, creative, and I'm feeling motivated stylistically. I know a lot of that has to do with the change of the season. Some of it also has to do with getting the apartment to a good stage in decorating it, and some with a freelance copywriting project I flexed my poetic muscles on last week.

I also know myself better than ever. I'm far from perfect, and I cannot wait to have some structure that a job will bring, but I like a lot of who I am as a person, and I feel confident in myself. I'm proud of myself for hitting certain goals that I value. I'm still doing my daily French on Duolingo — and I'm pleased with how much I can comprehend just listening to Chef's Table Français.

I'm still reading a book every month, although Louis got me David Sedaris' 2,000 page behemoth for my birthday, so good luck to me getting through that in only October. 

And lastly, I've improved my photography, and I'm posting to my blog with semi-regularity! And this, it turns out, is what happens when I actually post when I tell myself I should. I'm so rarely really keen to do it and when I am I just end up waffling on. Oh well, cheaper than therapy. 

Music time! Playlist: XXIII

Last week was free museum day, so Lia went to the Museum of Pop Culture, along with others. But at MoPOP, there was both a David Bowie exhibit and a Jimi Hendrix exhibit. So both of them get a feature. 

Alicia Keys and John Legend's carpool karaoke is excellent, and it made me remember how much I love Alicia Keys. 

Daniel Caesar's new album only came out recently, and I'd been waiting on one from Moses Sumney all summer — bummed I missed him at Boston Calling. Both are excellent, and infinitely listenable. Two incredible new artists from a new generational crop. (See also: SZA, Khalid, Billie Eilish.)

Lia and I went to two concerts this month! Earlier in September we saw Benjamin Booker (pictured) who was playing at a venue less than 10 minutes walk down the street from us — he was excellent — and just last night for my birthday, Lia treated me to tickets to see Sheer Mag (pictured earlier)!

They didn't come on until almost 11pm after two ear-splittingly loud openers, by which point we were extremely tired. Lia is currently suffering with a cold and I couldn't be bothered to deal with the moshing in front of us, so we dipped early and got a good night's sleep. Sorry, I turned 53, not 23. I was too tired and full of a fried chicken grilled cheese to be punk.

More digestibly, there're teasingly short snippets of music from James Blake, Sam Smith, and King Krule that released this month. Hopefully the sign of more to come?

And lastly, a little Harry Styles and Fleetwood Mac. After watching him cry (in a cool way) doing a duet of Landslide with Stevie Knicks in a video taken at a secret show, I was so pumped to see his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover was The Chain. Ugh, I'm such a fangirl.

If you enjoy Harry Styles crowbarred into every conceivable playlist, you can now follow me on Apple Music!