"how do you measure a year?"
525,600 minutes can go by just like that.
It’s the last day of a very long year and I’m thinking about time, as one is wont to do right about now. We all experience time in innumerable different ways. Time stretches and compresses depending on our own perspectives, on what we’ve lived before and what we know lies ahead. What might feel like eons to a toddler, whose sense of time is raw and long like a taffy pull, might be but a flicker of a memory for someone who’s lived a long life.
In art, we play with time. I wrote about this a bit a few months ago when I was thinking about the movie montage as a form of time travel into the future. But tonight, as we prepare to welcome a new year and look back on the old one, I’m thinking about how art can make a moment linger. And I’m thinking about the musical Rent.
Rent very famously examines the concept of time in the show choir classic “Seasons of Love.” “525, 600 minutes… How do you measure, measure a year?” the lyrics ask. That song opens the second act, which then proceeds with an attempt to answer that question in the chronicle of one year. But before all that, the first act of the show takes place in one single night. An hour and 15 minutes to represent one night, and then an entire year crammed into just an hour for act two.
Sometimes life feels like the first act of Rent, dozens-of-songs-worth of moments and memories packed into just one night. And then other times, life feels more like the second act, with flashbulb moments piling one after the other before you can even register them. 2024 was a first act year. Things did not move as quickly as I would have liked. I felt stuck for much of it. But that also meant I had moments of stillness to learn, to think, to grow. To observe the way my dogs’ curl their paws when they do a big stretch. To rest my head on my husband’s shoulder. To breathe.
Life is full of Rent first acts and Rent second acts. And while I hope 2024 is more of a second act year, I also hope for some first act moments along the way. It’s that balance that makes up a life.
stuff i loved this year
In lieu of any ‘best of’ or ‘in/out’ list for the end of the year, I thought I’d share a few pop culture things I loved in 2024. So, in no particular order:
How to Die Alone. This show is such a perfect mix of sad and truly laugh-out-loud funny.
Desperately Seeking Susan. I saw this for the first time this year and became instantly obsessed with its depiction of womanhood.
Hacks. A perennial favorite.
Eve Babitz’s writing. She’s funny and messy and made me fall in love with LA all over again.
John Mulaney Presents Everybody’s in L.A. A work from another funny and messy creator, who also reminded me why I love L.A.
Jinkx Monsoon’s Season 5 lip sync on Drag Race. I watched old seasons of Drag Race for the first time this year, and I promptly fell in love with Jinkx.
Happy Medium by Sarah Adler. No one is doing it like Sarah Adler! She mixes whimsy with deep emotion in her books like no other.
Extraordinary. Not enough people are talking about this TV show! It’s like if Girls and The Boys had a baby, plus there’s a real romance you can root for!
This Is My Life. An imperfect movie that really feels like a warm hug.
Best Friends w/ Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata. A comfort podcast that really feels like hanging with friends.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. A quirky read that really feels like it captures this moment in history.
Will & Harper. A beautiful film that has the power to open minds and hearts.
Siobhan Gallagher’s comics and books. Sometimes it feels like she’s peering into my brain and I love it.
Curb Your Enthusiasm. I watched the entire series over the course of two months and it’s one of my proudest achievements!
Such Brave Girls. A funny British show that isn’t afraid to go to dark places.
My Old Ass. I’ve already watched this twice and I know it will be one I’ll return to when I need reminding that we’re always in conversation with all versions of ourselves.
Wicked. I’ve made it no secret that this movie was life-affirming and life-changing for me.
This newsletter! It’s been a real joy returning to writing here each month, and I thank you all for reading and responding with such positivity and support. Happy New Year.