monthly round up
may 2023 🐇
hello reader,
another one bites the dust. another month to rip off our calendars.
may was a very main character month for me. lots of time with myself, doing things solo, relying on myself for company… overall coming to terms with loneliness and feeling comfortable sitting in it. i’ve learnt that it can feel really romantic at times, but it can also be deeply isolating and sad. i’ll be speaking a lot more on this in the next edition of the newsletter, which will be dropping on monday.
we’re back on the round ups! a substack tradition! selfishly, they are really just for me… a digital collage of everything i consumed and enjoyed the past month.
from said it best in their last round up:and so here we are, conforming to a substack tradition not only because i’m proud of what i consume and love and think about, but also because i find it to be a really fascinating post-lockdown era ritual: we want to remember the things we enjoy in the face of adversity, regardless of outcome. we just want to remember.
so here i am remembering.
lots of love,
jade x
📻 music
bleeps and bloops seem to be my default at the moment: on the bus, in the shower, while working.
i was a big flume fan in high school, dropped off for a bit, but then got back on the train when he surprised us with two mixtapes of unreleased music, both dropping within the past few months. the mixtapes include songs that didn’t make the cut on any of his albums.
a few reasons why i’m a big fan:
with each listen, i like to imagine why flume didn’t include the tracks in his albums. what persuaded him to abandon the file and leave it as an [Export wav] on his computer?
i like how some of the tracks fall in between the style of two different albums.
nostalgia. new songs that flume made back in 2012, yes please!
the surprise of new, unreleased music. there was hardly any PR or marketing leading up to the release. it felt very disruptive and a nice break from the usual ‘new releases’ campaign.
the album artwork for each track and accompanying video montage on spotify.
i don’t love every song but these are the ones i’ve had on repeat:
🍿 movies
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I Want You Back (2022) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Licorice Pizza (2021) ⭐
📺 tv shows
Vanderpump Rules (S9 and S10)
i’ve watched each episode at least 10 times.
some quick thoughts:
beach don’t kill my vibe is my fav episode of s10, followed by something about her
scandoval was everything i wanted and more
reunion part 1 was very messy…
Tiny Beautiful Things (S1)
haven’t finished but enjoying it so far.
episode three with the horses made me cry a lot because it reminded me of my mum.
🎟️ live shows
abbie chatfield: the trauma dump tour 2023
on impulse, i bought last minute tickets and took myself out on a solo date to see @abbiechatfield live!
i really really enjoyed myself! abbie is a star and she has a great personality for a live show, equally funny and goofy whilst also tackling very serious, vulnerable topics. when she titled the show trauma dump… she was not lying.
i thought the show was well written, i learnt a lot from what she had to say but the thing i enjoyed the most was the audience. there was this incredible, shared collective feeling of laughter, tears, gasps. i was sitting alone, but i felt so connected to everyone in the theatre, something i haven’t previously experienced at a show before. it’s a testament to abbie and the voice she has in australian media, her openness and vulnerability towards sexuality, pleasure, relationships; it attracted an incredibly warm audience.
check out abbie’s podcast here. my favourite episode this month was the one she did with sex advice columnist dan savage.
mallrat
the princess of brisbane was back in her hometown and finally we got to hear some songs from butterfly blue! grace absolutely killed it! i had a lot of fun singing your love and dancing with chels. everyone singing charlie was also a tear jerker. it was a memorable night out!
💅🏼 material girl
only two things in my shopping cart that i want:
this stray rats scarf
brown, home made balaclava to match. something like this:
balaclavas haven’t taken off here in brisneyland. but mark my words, they will. and i have proof right here, that i was ahead of the trend.
🎡 miscellaneous
the need for a rebrand: i’ve wanted tooth gems for ages… and i got them. i really like them, however, my mum doesn’t. oh well, you win some you lose most. i’m also getting my hair done this weekend and i’m thinking a mia pulp fiction long bob. whenever i have the desire to change my appearance, it’s always because i want to mark a new era. i told you may was very main character. check out my rebrand pinterest here. will do a soft launch of the rebrand on my ig lol.
feeling very clucky: the desire to be a mum is very strong at the moment. i catch myself yearning for something to swaddle, a little human that looks like me. i thought maybe this was just a phase… well it’s been a few months now and it hasn’t gone away. in fact it’s kinda gotten stronger. not sure what that’s about…
📸 photo dump
✂️ collage
i tried this new thing where i gave myself only 5 mins to collage something. this is what happened…
not my best but not my worst! it was a fun little exercise nonetheless.
oh and fyi, these collages are made using collage kits i posted in may’s newsletters. download them here and here and use them to make your own collages!
main character may… overall it has been a very reflective month.
the next newsletter will center around loneliness. it’ll be landing in your inbox on monday (hopefully).
catch you then!
so honoured to have inspired u 🤍🫶🏼 (also you are a REAL one for that licorice pizza rating. so true)