It’s very easy to chalk 2020 up as a hot pile of garbage, but it’s easy to forget the first few months and how much promise this year started with. Plus there was some amazing pop culture this year. Here are my faves-what were yours?
Books
See my separate post : )
TV Shows
Little Fires Everywhere: I LOVED this book, was so excited when this production was announced, and it does not disappoint.
Normal People: One of the few shows that’s SO much better than the book. It’s very racy though; do not watch this with your mom. Plus personally there were scenes in Dublin showing places I walked by everyday when I worked there. 😀
Selena: I, like many, were obsessed with the Jennifer Lopez movie. It’s totally understandable but they packed a lot in. That’s a reason I like the show so much; you really get to see the family’s journey. Sadly we know how season 2 will end.
Dash and Lily: This is based on the cutest YA book. It’s Christmasy and bingeable and just lovely.
Suits: Admittedly I started this because of my Meghan Markle. But I’m now obsessed and on season 3, it’s so whippy and the characters are badasses.
The Bold Type: A close friend recommended this and it’s AMAZING. The main characters are 3 female #bosses. This show pushed me to make bold moves in my own life. But do not watch season 4. I think they realized they needed to make room in the plot for future seasons so things get weird plus Covid shut down production so it really abruptly cuts off.
The Home Edit: see my post Wednesday about how much this show changed my life.
The Last Dance: I know I’m biased here as a Chicagoan but this is amazing. I watched it twice; with my dad when it aired then with Kevin when it came to Netflix.
The Mandalorian: I’m a pretty big Star Wats fan. Not major, but I did insist on seeing The Force Awakens when it came out and I was living in London, and I dressed up as Princess Leia in 4th grade for Halloween. So it’s no surprise I’m obsessed with the Mandalorian; Kevin and I binged season 1 and are watching season 2 as it’s released.
Movies
HAMILTON: OMG, hands down THE BEST release of 2020. I’ve watched it 5 times and it would be more if it wasn’t so long! Wait until season 2 of The Mandalorian is fully out then do a free trial and binge that and watch Hamilton.
Becoming: I’m obsessed with Michelle Obama and when I first got home from downtown I listened to Becoming. So I was ecstatic when this documentary was announced. It follows the book tour that accompanied the book release.
Athlete A: I, like many, was obsessed with the Final 5, knew about the U.S. Gymnastics scandal but only the big stuff. This documentary is so well done and really explains what went down. Worth the watch for sure.
Miss Americana: I love pop Taylor Swift, aka Tay Tay. I think she’s an outstanding famous person and constantly does unique, cool things. This follows her journey of making Lover, as well as her choice to make her political views public.. I respect her more after watching this.
Music
Translation by Black Eyed Peas
Smile by Katy Perry
Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus
folklore and evermore by Taylor Swift
The Christmas Album by Leslie Odom Jr.
Birds of Prey Soundtrack
Podcasts
The Bitch Bible: This podcast is VERY crass and for sure not for everyone. I however find it hilarious and look forward to it every week.
Just B: I’ve been a Bethenny Frankel fan for over 10 years. So I was thrilled when her podcast was announced and it slays! Plus the episodes are short; many of my favorites average 2 hours an episode so these 30-40 minute episodes are a dream.
Other
Calm app: I’m a very type A, wound tight person. I want to work on this though and Calm’s short guided meditations are a perfect way to dip a toe in. This app really helped me get through the early months of quarantine.
Wool socks: real talk. Feet sweat, soak cotton, then your feet dry but your sock is wet. I always had this problem and subsequently always had cold feet. Kevin introduced me to wool socks and I wear them everyday. They stay dry so your feet aren’t cold. My favorites are these ones.
Virtual: Technology is amazing. I’ve really embraced this new normal and know of some pretty remarkable instances of other people rolling with it. In June a close friend did a wedding totally on Zoom. I recently had a dear friend get engaged; tehy’re doing a destination wedding and she’s like “come if you can. If not no worries we’ll Zoom the ceremony.” How cool is that?
I have friends all over the globe; it’s really fun to coordinate watching something together and texting about it while we watch. I’ve done that with local friends too. The Lincoln Park Zoo had some amazing meet the animal events where they showed you often not seen areas and unique views you wouldn’t normally see. And I could watch in my PJs and drink my coffee. Kevin and I got tickets to several amazing virtual events over the holidays; I hate being cold so what a dream to watch at home under a blanket. One of my favorite places in New York is doing online shows; the first one I cried from joy because I love Broadway so much. Every few weeks my best friends and I do a quick chat, like 45 minutes, just to catch up and shoot the shit.
The pandemic started in March but for me it was late 2018. I was going to movies, stores, out to eat; hell pre-shut down I took the train downtown to have lunch with co-workers. It’s refreshing though when people embrace technology.
