Dry January Content List (So Far)
A few years ago, a friend of mine in Los Angeles decided to do a Dry January. He had been drinking a lot around the holidays and his liver levels weren’t great according to his doctor, so he figured he'd give it a try. HOWEVER, I was moving back to Massachusetts the following month, sooooooo being the bad friend that I was, I harassed him into drinking with me over the long weekend in January.
Yikes. I hope his liver is doing well, but those mid-day margaritas were worth it.
The following year, I went on my own health journey by doing a Whole 30 in January. I was mostly successful, despite traveling to Panama and not being fluent in Spanish, therefore not understanding anything on the menu and whether they contained LEGUMES or SULFITES. I ended up ordering arroz con pollo for every meal and tried to avoid the arroz. With alcohol, however, I WAS SUCCESSFUL!
My reason for doing a Whole 30 was simple… I mentioned it one day at work and a very fit colleague told me that I’d never be able to do it and I should start smaller by cutting out just one thing. I was fueled by the fumes of proving her wrong!!! Yet, it wasn’t grounded in any real reason outside of it potentially fixing all of my health and personality problems?
It didn’t. I lost like 11 pounds which I put on and took off consistently over the next rest of my life. Which brings me to THIS January where I’m not doing a Whole 30 (because I want to eat peanut butter) but I am doing a Dry January. I am hoping it will be more successful because I actually took the time to consider a reason why.
WHY I’M DOING A DRY JANUARY
Transition from my day with something other than wine
Alter the habit of reaching for alcohol to unwind
Potentially reduce health issues (random onset of Raynaud’s disease, blood pressure, etc.)
Be more present in my life and stop coping with depressants
Help my silly little mental health
So, that’s that. Let’s see how it goes! I got a PACK OF HABIT TRACKING POST-ITS and they will be my light and savior.
NOW TO WHAT IS IMPORTANT: now that I have been more “present” in my evenings and I’m not reaching for bottles of wine… I am instead engaging in lots and lots of content because I have been SICK but also not ready to go out into the world amongst the drinkers.
CONTENT I AM WATCHING / READING / LISTENING TO
MOVIES:
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery [Netflix]
I loved this so much that I’ve watched it three times. It just brings me so much joy. The stupidity, the jokes, the guest appearances, Janelle Monae, it’s all just very fun and exciting!
The Menu [HBO Max]
I enjoyed watching this mostly because the cast was fantastic. I’ll watch anything Nicolas Hoult is in ever since I saw him walking down the school hallway singing “Shake Your Ass” in About a Boy. I still can’t believe he got so hot! Also, Anya Taylor Joy! Voldemort! Judith Light! John Leguizamo! It was very strange, but funny and morbid.
She Said [Peacock]
You know what’s a really good movie? Spotlight. This isn’t Spotlight. It’s about the two reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein scandal for the New York Times and it’s interesting, but I think I’ve just seen/read too many things about it. Also, I liked Ronan Farrow’s book (and docu-series on HBO) more.
The Pale Blue Eye [Netflix]
It’s very dark, literally and figuratively. I couldn’t brighten my TV enough. I loved the fashion (peak Victorian, lots of hats) and I’m so attracted to Christian Bale because he is the best Laurie. I was distracted by how skinny Dudley Dursley is, but otherwise the movie was interesting, slow, and weird. I know, I’m basically Lady Roger Ebert.
TELEVISION:
Ginny and Georgia - Season One rewatch [Netflix]
Yes, this IS a show for young adults about a young mother named Georgia and her two young children (Ginny and Austin) who move to the wealthy town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts (clever take on Wellesley) after running away from a lot of drama. No surprise, they also bring a lot of drama! Is it good? The cast is good, and it’s better than, say, a Freeform show, but not as good as Gilmore Girls.
Ginny and Georgia - Season Two (new) [Netflix]
This show is unhinged, but everyone is so pretty.
BOOKS:
Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
This book was really great and I wasn’t expecting much. A mother and beekeeper in New Hampshire has a teenage son who is in love with the new girl in town. When said new girl in town suddenly dies, he becomes the main suspect. The surprises and storytelling were great, but there are TRIGGERS GALORE. Sexual violence, physical abuse, verbal abuse, LGBTQ+ themes, self-harm, suicide attempts… triggers I didn’t even know I had were discovered within this book. (Bees? Too soon… My Girl only just came out!!!)
The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama
Listening to Michelle Obama speak is like a breath of fresh air. She just has a way of preaching without being too preachy. She’s relatable and vulnerable and real. I actually liked this book more than Becoming because it was easy to digest, the storytelling was amazing and it was easy to relate to. I, too, touched the Queen of England and received backlash. (I was physically beaten by beefeaters.)
On Writing - Stephen King
If you’ve read any Stephen King book like I haven’t, then you should read this book. If you’re a writer, you should read this book. If you just enjoy interesting memoirs, you should read this book! He has great advice for writers, but also funny stories and an interesting life.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Burkeman
I like self-help that is rooted in neuroscience and/or philosophy, and is also funny. The author, a self-proclaimed productivity nerd, states that if we’re lucky we only have about four thousand weeks in our lives (if we live until 80.) How should we spend those weeks? His thoughts: becoming aware of our finite time, prioritizing what matters, making decisions without fear of what we’re losing out on, and choosing to settle. My biggest takeaways were to stop thinking of time by the clock but rather compare tasks to other tasks (writing this email will take me as long as it takes to clean the sink.) For whatever reason, that shift works for my brain and makes the task feel less overwhelming. Also, marrying the first guy you meet and staying in your hometown is settling, so is waiting for “the one.” Both are choosing how you spend your precious, finite time.