HELLO!

Its been a whole 11 weeks since my last missive. And somewhere in between lockdowns, freedom days, the arrival of spring, lots of friends isolating, and most of us finally venturing out and seeing long list friends and family (see above), things are starting to feel a little bit more colourful, a little bit lighter…

As I’ve shared previously, my capacity for new inputs has been severely depleted (exhausted?) over the past 2 years, and I’ve become more and more selective over time. The idea of quieting the noise and returning to the same handful of sources that I enjoy sounds nice, but I’m conscious that I’m also a hop, skip and a jump away from creating my own echo-chamber. I’m always trying to find the sweet spot between preserving my sanity and still engaging with the big issues, but I must admit I think the pendulum has swung a fair way away from active civic participation and toward more introspection since I last wrote. Or maybe that actually happened years ago…?

In the past little while I’ve reached a new frontier of content fatigue, and I’ve noticed myself mostly bookmarking things I know will be worthwhile to come back to at a later date - rarely reading longer form pieces, much less books. The truth is, I just feel a bit worn out. The only exception seems to be podcasts, which I’m still enjoying as long as they’re mostly free of news. Engaging audio seems the perfect thing to keep me company on my long walks among the magpies, rosellas and green rolling hills.

Because I assume many of you are in much the same boat, I don’t want to write just for the sake of writing. I’d prefer to save the occasion for when I have some genuinely juicy recommendations or musings. And I hope you’ll find something in today’s little list.

We’re in the very final stages of our house build, and I’m so looking forward to this clean slate of sorts. We’re only shifting across the road, but our new house has views of the Kiewa Valley - literally a new perspective. Hoping the shift supplies this in every sense of the word.

Lara xx

10 THINGS

1. I have inhaled this week a podcast that is the perfect mix of literary and gossipy, modern and nostalgic, and narrative and true. Once Upon a Time… at Bennington dives in to the lives of Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis as college students and the cultural and social influences that led them to have such a big cultural impact. And this piece about what’s going on beyond the podcast is also full of intrigue. This very good New Yorker piece titled On the internet, we’re always famous feels like a counterpoint of sorts.

2. Like the rest of the internet, I’m absolutely delighted to see Stanley Tucci having a moment. Here he is being utterly charming on How To Fail, Table Manners, and with Anna Jones and Jay Rayner. And I can’t get enough of it.

3. A good reminder / prompt for all of us as. Don’t be mean to yourself.

4. I have insisted for many years (to anyone within earshot) that Grease 2 is far superior to the original. Sentimental Garbage has now largely put this down to it being “the horniest film ever”, the fact that it teeters precariously between serious and camp, and Michelle Pfeiffer. And I can’t say I disagree with any of that.

5. Another seemingly lovely and intriguing person I’m pleased to see clocking up some wins is Aisling Bea. I’ve got two seasons of her series This Way Up (featuring firm faves Tobias Menzies and Sharon Horgan) waiting for me when I decide I need an extended period of doing not much at all. And in the meantime her chat with Wil Anderson and this piece here have me cheering for more of her success.

6. I’m sure I’ve shared links to some of Annie Mac’s work before. I love this little piece from her about all the things we have to look forward to.

7. Big fan of Casey Johnston (aka @swolewoman) and her She’s a Beast newsletter. She has such a great perspective on moving and caring for your body through exercise, and so much more. Hers is nothing like any other writing about our bodies that I’ve seen before. It’s been such good timing as I’ve thrown myself back into a consistent gym and running routine over lockdowns. Pair with this beautiful piece featuring these beautiful portraits of women.

8. Having also dabbled in genealogy over the past year or so (no surprises I’m 100% white as hell), this one was timely.

9. Looking forward with great anticipation to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s brilliant The Lost Daughter. What a cast - Olivia Colman, Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, just to name a few.

10. And also cheering for Jessica Stanley, Madeleine Dore and Rachel Service who are each launching their first books into the world.

SOUNDTRACK

As always, I’m very open to song recommendations - many of which make it on to my stockpile of playlists. This lot are here, here, here, here, here and here - and I’d like to think there is something for everyone in the mix!

Also, this performance of Waving Through A Window by Ben Platt while on the promotional trail for the film release of Dear Evan Hansen is like a masterclass in musical theatre vocal performance, if you’re so inclined. (Skip the movie and just watch that performance on repeat.)

BORROWED WISDOM

“When you celebrate people, places, and things that are just trying to be what they are instead of conforming to what they imagine the big, dumb world out there wants from them, it opens up that lock box under the bed and sets your most inspired demons free.”

If you’re not a regular reader of Heather Havrilesky’s Ask Polly columns, I’d highly recommend you check it out for more pearls of wisdom like this that really cut to the core of the big issues.

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