No. 23: MD's Newsletter

Feed me your wisdom and breathe me your truth

I saw the military convoy on its way to Los Angeles one week ago. I was driving back home from Palm Springs, and three pure white school busses heading west on HWY 62 toward the freeway caught my eye. Eerie enough on their own, they were followed by at least a dozen tanks and jeeps and vans in muted earth tones, men with tight haircuts behind the wheels.

I immediately knew they were coming from the Marine base in Twentynine Palms. We’ve seen military convoys and caravans before around here, but never this large. And it never hit me this hard. Because given the news that day, I knew they were heading to Los Angeles amid the spate of ICE arrests and associated protests.

How strange, how bizarre, how dystopian, I thought, to see those whose job it is to protect our country and our way of life heading to face off with those who are exercising their First Amendment right to protect our country and our way of life. Something about the visual made it so clear we’re at a fork in the road. What are our shared values anymore? Where is the common humanity? Are there foundations truths we can believe in? I remember being kid and knowing tht there were different politic parties and different communes, btu I also remember the us-against-the-world feeling of being Team USA. We haven’t felt that in a long time.

But then over the weekend, the “No Kings” rallies around the country defied expectations. In my neck of the woods of southern California, people turned out in Republican strongholds like Carlsbad, Redlands and Rancho Mirage. Spanning demographics and likely belief systems, thousands upon thousands of people spent their precious Saturdays filling the street san making their voices heard. I watched the scenes unfold while holding a napping two-year-old, and I wondered how I will one day explain to him what the world was like before he could remember.

No political party, no one elected official, can rewrite our systems and reset our social balances to repair this damage that’s been done. But we can, action by action, phone call by phone call, ballot by ballot, show up for shared humanity — and maybe, from there, we can chart a way forward. At the very least, I want to tell my son we went down fighting.

Closer to home

My latest at CV Independent looked at the prospect of a development in Joshua Tree that has upset many locals because of the scale, luxury and infrastructure around the development. As I wrote:

LoveMore Ranch would be the first gated homeowners’ association in the Joshua Tree area. Neighboring properties along Alta Loma are now dotted with yard signs saying “Stop LoveMore Ranch” and “Protect Joshua Tree,” plugging a website that lays out the concerns about the project.

Click here to read the full piece, published with support from the IE Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. I’ve had a new spring in my step around this sort of work this year thanks to this grant and am thrilled to be receiving more inbound requests from people about housing and development issues in their communities. I’m all ears!

In other CVIndependent news: Earlier this spring, I was surprised to learn I won TWO California Journalism Awards from the California News Publishers Association. That was among 24 that CV Independent took in overall this year! This was very cool for a couple reasons — and not just that people said nice things to me about it (which is very cool, and thanks!). More broadly, it validates that independent journalism can be done well and hold its own against bigger and more-resourced companies. It also is a reminder that

• First place in the Homelessness Reporting category for “Civic Solutions: Project Homekey Comes to Cathedral City to Create a Renovated Supportive-Housing Complex,” by Melissa Daniels

• Second place in the Environment Reporting category for “The Need for Seeds: Why the Mojave Desert Land Trust is Developing a Critical Safeguard for the Desert’s Future,” by Melissa Daniels

More Modern Retail coverage

The whirlwind policy changes around tariffs has thrown the industry I cover — retail — into a state of uncertainty. Companies are raising prices, lowering prices, hoarding inventory, hosting fire sales. No one really know what’s next, they’re all just trying to survive, and people are getting increasingly hip to the fact that we don’t need to spend our hard-earned money on stuff we don’t need.

I’m channeling a lot this conversation into our latest podcast episodes, which you can find via subscribing to our free daily newsletter or on Apple, Spotify, etc. Here’s some of my favorites we’ve done lately:

• Nike’s Amazon return, E.l.f’s big Rhode bet, and debunking recession indicators

• Klarna’s losses double, Dockers and The Vitamin Shoppe find new buyers, and Bansk’s chief supply chain officer talks tariffs

Eyes and ears

For better or worse, the Spotify algorithm introduces (or re-introduces) me to a lot of music. Lately this included The Weakerthans, a favorite band of mine in high school and college that I somehow haven’t listened to in years. We put on “Left and Leaving” on the drive up to Big Bear this past weekend and now it’s back in heavy rotation. On the newer release side, there’s an embarrassment of riches to choose from. “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out” from HAIM is my favorite of their newest songs for far, and I can’t wait to hear the full album. Miley Cyrus’ “Easy Lover” is as much of a summer jam as I’ll ever need, and the official drop of “Nose on the Grindstone” will be on pretty much every desert driving playlist I curate from here on out.

For some reason, I’m forcing myself to stick with reading nonfiction (maybe because it puts me to sleep faster than fiction) and I decided to give Yuval Noah Harari’s “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” a try. It’s an extremely weird read these days, given it was published in 2019 and has a lot about computer learning and the role technology plays in the shaping of the human consciousness and experience. He’s so philosophical and sometimes the questions feel like what you’d hear in a stoned kid’s dorm room. But as corny as it sounds, questioning our broader purpose could never be a more relevant question. And if the answer I land on is somewhere in the realm of practicing and defending free expression in all its forms and mediums, then I’m going to keep seeking our work that inspires me to keep feeling that way.

Onward, in perpetuity,

MD

No. 22: MD's Newsletter

I guess I'm still a true believer babe

Hello friends, and thank you for opening this today! It’s about two months since I’ve sent out a newsletter, as I’ve been busy with so many new ventures! But this means lots of links & tidbits to share, so I’m ready to edit and hit “send.”

There’s a saying I’ve heard around the startup world that’s been on mind lately, and that’s “building in public.” This essentially means sharing the behind-the-scenes of what you’re doing as you start your business or launch your enterprise with the wider public(versus tinkering away in secret and doing a big reveal). Social media makes this remarkably easy. You don’t have spend very long on LinkedIn to stumble across some founder journey. Pretty much every influencer is building in public, as they excitedly share their new brand sponsorships that dovetails as a group win for their followers. Cassey Ho of Popflex is a pro at this, and I love her many videos that walk through her thinking when she launches new or improved designs.

But lately, I feel like we’re all building in public — not just with our work enterprises, but our lives. We’re sharing our family highlight reels on social media. We’re updating the group texts, we’re reviewing products, we’re documenting real-time events to share with the broader world. We’re keeping each other posted on our latest wins, and often hiding the fails. Whether explicitly or implicitly, we’re constantly sending messages about who we are and what we need and how we feel.

I’m especially conscious of this lately because I find myself doing so many new things. New dance nonprofit! New choreography! New mom-life duties as my sweet child blossoms from baby into full-on kiddo! New podcast hosting duties, and oh yeah, new tariff policy! I’ll unpack more of this below. But in all this newness, it sometimes feels hard to find the ground beneath my feet. Am I “qualified?” Am I “good enough?” The vulnerability is palpable. I don’t always feel confident, let alone successful at these new experiences. And yet, I’m sharing it with the world anyway!

I try to remember that there is no panel of judges — no official ones anyway — who are marking our progress. And if we feel judged or criticized, how much of that is actually happening, versus a projection of our own insecurities? We’re all just growing and falling and grasping and trying in a messy, noisy public. And if something doesn’t land, if it doesn’t “work out,” you never know who is out there learning from your journey. And on the flip side, you never know who might be cheering you on.

Sure, it’s scary to be vulnerable. But it sure does feel better than the alternative.

From the world of commerce

The first 100 days of the Trump administration have meant wild things for the retail industry (which has been my beat for coming up on three years now!). The widespread tariffs on imports from China and other countries has thrown supply chains into the spotlight.

I’ve aimed to pull out some unique threads about what new tariff policy means for U.S. manufacturing, and overall consumer sentiment. But I’ve also been looking into the companies and strategies that are attempting to reform our consumption habits into something less destructive for the planet and its peoples. Some recent headlines include:

• Meet the growing crop of marketplaces monetizing excess apparel

• How refillable deodorant startup Wild scored a sale to Unilever

• Coyuchi shows why it’s so hard to source organic, U.S. cotton

I’m also one of our new podcast co-hosts at Modern Retail! Here’s a couple of our first episodes for your perusal — and I’d love it if you could listen/subscribe/review etc. This is definitely a new medium for me but one i’m already having a lot of fun with, and I see so much potential for us to share insights, information & updates in new ways. This week’s episode features a segment on the ripple effect of high egg prices in the retail industry, where I got to share some reporting I’ve done on the big business of the backyard chicken industry.

Closer to home

In late March, CV Independent ran a story I’d be working on for some time about a proposed equestrian-centered development in Thermal. I previously sent an excerpt to this mailing list, but you can read the full story here!

Much of my freelance work lately has focused on housing equity in our communities, especially with regard to those that are historically underserved. In the desert, which is so often a tale of haves and have-nots, we’re seeing this wtih a lack of affordable rentals or starter homes and a continued proliferation of new builds above median prices, as well as luxury estates. Developers will point to how they have to sell at certain price points to make the math work, but make no mistake — that math often includes someone taking a profit.

My hope is to published 3-5 more stories on housing between now and the end of the year. If you have any questions, thoughts or inquires about the state of housing and development in the Mojave Desert, please drop me a line!

On the stage again

As mentioned earlier, I’m in the throes of our second production with Dance Mojave. THE PLANETS is an immersive performance set to Gustav Holst’s original compositions plus original work from an amazing local musician whose compositions are truly blowing my mind. This is about as epic of a production as I’ve ever been in, due to both the amazing talent involved in its creation and the fantastical, wild landscape that we’re performing in. It’s surprisingly healing to dance again, and even more so to do so outside, in boots or sneakers, touching gravel, fighting the wind as we move. This production is also one of my favorite collaborations to date between my husband and I, and it’s been so rewarding to watch him experiment and create in the name of something bigger than us that we get to share with our community. Join us on May 9 and May 10 if you’re in town!

Eyes & ears

This is the part of the newsletter where I talk about books and music! I spent March on a Kristin Hannah kick, starting with “The Women,” which I really enjoyed. Historical fiction scratches a lot of itches for me, and I thought the character development/romance storylines were really well done. I also read “Magic Hour,” which I didn’t enjoy as much, too soap opera-y. Then I furthered my Richard Powers obsession with “Playground,” which I really liked until the end?? Felt like we were left hanging!

I keep trying to get into hyped nonfiction books like “Outlive” by Peter Attia and Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” but the genre isn’t holding my attention like it used to. I need plot and action, I think. So recently I re-read “Frankenstein,” one of my top five books of all time, which was a nice literary change of form. Now I’m into “The Demon of Unrest” by Erik Larson. It’s sobering to read about the Civil War in any circumstances, let alone in this political climate. I also tend to read just before bed, when it’s probably not wise to fill my mind with distressing images. But I’m usually just so impressed by his detailed writing that I breeze through more than I think I could.

Musically, the Jason Isbell record “Foxes in the Snow” more than surpassed my expectations. As much as “Live at the Ryman Vol 2.” shows off how good he is at rocking out, this record shows how good he is at looking in. His storytelling is sharp, his melodies are beautiful, and the way he’s approached his career as someone whose life is now fodder for public consumption might be something to unpack in an essay of its own. Other frequent listens right now include the new Maren Morris tunes — “People Still Show Up” is becoming an anthem of sorts as I stumble through this year and somehow find myself surrounded by brilliant, funny & always down-for-a-hang kind of friends.

I also had a lot of fun watching Coachella from the youTube live stream this year. Getting to watch Jimmy Eat World sets live with my kid is now a core memory for me. Lady Gaga is a legend, duh, but I also liked the sets from Wisp, the LA Phil, Japanese Breakfast, Lola Young (how can you not like “Messy”?) and Sarah Landry (industrial techno gets a lot of play in this household for some reason).

I also liked watching clips from Sam Fender, whose new album sounds like something engineered in a lab specifically for my ears. His storytelling is raw, his riffs are crunchy as hell. It’s like The War on Drugs x The Killers x Springsteen all rolled up, with a little old-school Ryan Adams thrown in (you can really tell the moments led by co-producer Adam Granduciel). Fender is the latest artist added to my growing list of favorites that I call “dad rock for hot moms,” a term that I ought to trademark one of these days.

Thank you so much for reading, and sending joy and peace your way.

Onward, in perpetuity,

MD

MD's Newsletter: Reins of Change

A Proposal to Build Out an Equestrian Community in the Eastern Coachella Valley Promises Badly Needed Infrastructure—but Could Lead to Gentrification

(Below you’ll find an excerpt from my latest piece published at CV Independent. I hope it provides a nuanced look at the tensions around development in the desert. Please consider sharing the link with your networks or anyone you think may be interested in learning more).

The grounds of the Desert International Horse Park are immaculate. Bushes of bougainvillea and palm trees line well-kept pathways that wind through more than a dozen competition rings and stables for more than 2,000 horses on any given day in-season.

Riders in helmets and trainers holding lead ropes roamed the property on a recent crisp afternoon, enjoying the opportunity to train and compete before the heat arrives. Seemingly everybody held the leash of a well-behaved dog.

Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) is an east valley facility responsible for an economic impact of as much as $260 million annually, per the owners’ estimate. But the investors and developers see even more growth potential. That’s why CEO Jeremy Smith and his team are asking Riverside County to approve plans for Thermal Ranch, a development of more than 600 acres located south of Avenue 62 along Harrison Street.

Smith told the Independent that his team sees the proposal as a way to grow the equestrian community while benefiting the local economy. They took over the park about six years ago and have already invested about $20 million to rehab the facility, which draws as many as 400,000 guests each season. But with a larger footprint, the desert could rival Florida as the home of winter racing and become another recreation-driven attraction for the Coachella Valley.

“Our goal is to make sure that the West Coast sport is at a high enough level, and we get enough people out here to support this industry,” Smith said.

The proposal includes 862 private homes, workforce housing, a hotel and commercial development centered around a state-of-the-art equestrian center that’s 30% larger than the existing facility. It would also pay for an electricity substation and a 5-million-gallon water tank that could be used by the existing community and support future development. The county alone would see a net fiscal impact of more than $2.7 million annually, according to an estimate shared at a community meeting.

But the plans highlight an inevitable tension that comes up every time there’s a proposal for a shiny new development: As with the Thermal Club and the Thermal Beach Club before it, many eastern Coachella Valley residents have spoken out against Thermal Ranch, because they’re concerned it will exacerbate the systemic inequities challenging the impoverished region.

Smith wants to break ground this fall, which would happen under the watch of a Riverside County planning process. The proposed site of Thermal Ranch has been farmland for decades and will require a zoning change. A public comment period for the project’s draft environmental impact review closed in January, yielding six letters that raised concerns about social and environmental challenges. Among those was a letter from advocates at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, with signatures from more than 70 residents, plus community groups Youth Leadership Institute and Coachella Unincorporated.

“The introduction of high-end residential and recreational spaces would only serve to exacerbate these inequalities, driving up local housing costs and displacing vulnerable populations,” the letter read. “ECV residents strongly oppose the proposed development, not only because it threatens their economic stability, but also because it represents an imposition of outside priorities over the community’s priorities and needs.”

This story is made possible in part by a grant from the IE Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. To submit ideas, comments or questions to the Coachella Valley Independent about housing in the desert, head to this Google Form.

No. 21: MD's Newsletter

I'm not a simple machine

If the opposite of love is indifference, the opposite of fear isn’t courage. It’s being afraid and doing it anyway.

A few months ago I wrote about the importance of building community in divisive times. This is certainly proving itself out. But I am, to my own embarrassment sometimes, a political Pollyanna, in that I still believe in the power of the people. I still believe our will and our vote and our rights matter, even though much of what we’ve seen unfold on the national stage suggests otherwise.

I believe it because I’ve spent hundreds of hours of my career documenting marches and protests and advocacy lobbies and listening sessions. I’ve watched public servants on the national stage in their early days, and documented how others fell from grace. I’ve seen others memorialized by thousands they never even met in person. In these settings, hope is palpable, and even people who do not agree on everything can stand beside each other and agree on something.

I’ve seen too much honest fighting for beliefs to think that just because some of what is unfolding feels so ugly and destructive that we are all going to fade out and give up.

But right now, we’re in the thick of it, and this feels like a storm to ride out. Forces far beyond our control are raging overhead. Time to batten down the hatches, and get everyone safely inside, and then when there’s a break in the clouds, we will — somehow — rebuild.

New twists on the retail beat

I’m doing my best to stay focused on writing about the topics that cross my beat that may not be getting attention from mainstream media. This is my “zig when others zag” strategy, and it serves me well even if it doesn’t drive the most traffic. But I’ll die on this hill — I didn’t become a full-time writer to copy the same thing everyone else is writing about. Lately, this approach has yielded pieces around:

• California’s push to clean up ingredients in ultra-processed foods

• How brands are re-thinking textile waste in the Trump era

• Why a brand like Costco that holds to its DEI policies isnt’ likely to face blowback

On the brand side, I’ve had some great conversations lately iwth founders I admire. Andy Hunter at Bookshop.org spoke to me about its new e-book app that will funnel more money to indie bookstores as an antidote to Amazon’s dominance, and I also interviewed the inimitable Cassey Ho of Popflex about her Blogilates x Target line. Really regretting not scooping up a ballerina skort before they sold out!

Looking ahead, the tariff news that’s unfolding is likely going to dominate ea lot of conversations this week (and probably upend my schedule, but so it goes). Watch this space.

On the local front

This year, I’m grateful to have received support to continue my Civic Solutions column from the Inland Empire Journalism Hub + Fund. I’m going to be focusing more of this work on housing, and what is working to help develop affordable housing, address the needs of the unhoused population, and probe how the desert is balancing development and environmental needs.

We have a huge issue here with the skyrocketing costs of housing, and yet the barren desert doesn’t necessarily have the infrastructure to support new development. And who can most afford to build that infastucure? Private luxury developers, which adds inventory that’s relatively useless for most working class residents in need a of a safe place to raise their families.

If you are a desert resident and want to weigh in about what housing and cost of living issues you’re facing, please get in touch.

Eyes and ears

Lately my music diet has been full of new stuff from old bands, especially in the jam band/folksy indie vein. The new My Morning Jacket song is a daily listen, and going through their catalog has been a great way to relax, dance and shake off the stress. I really like the new songs from The Lumineers, a band I definitely absorbed and forgot about and re-absorbed again over the years. Other good listens lately are the new Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors album, and the absolutely brilliant “Beethoven Blues” from Jon Batiste.

I’m also crossing my fingers I”ll figure out a way to see Guster when they play in LA on February 15, but it will involve a lot of job-child care-travel time juggling to make work. I remember when I was a young person thinking “Why don’t people in their 30s go to concerts more?” and now I fully understand the challenge.

I’m back into TV, which sounds like a silly thing to say but I really unplugged in late 2024. But there’s no shame and plenty of enjoyment to be gained from the many productions out there to stream, and so I’ve been watching “The Pitt” in 20-30 minute snippets at the end of my work. Noah Wyle has put together something really special, and the many mentions of Pittsburgh landmarks and name drops like Altius and Rivers Casino brings back happy memories of a city I loved living in. There’s also a weird entertainment legal battle behind it to follow!

I’ll close by giving a book shout out to “In My Time of Dying” by Sebastian Junger. It was an extremely difficult read at first. I had to put it down after a few pages sometimes because it was so heavy, so visceral and so disturbing. I’ve long thought our society needs to become more comfortable talking about death. But first, I think we need to become more comfortable talking about life, and how precious our time here really is. What does it look like, to stretch each day to its limits, to probe this reality for the most extraordinary moments, or to find the wholeness in the most mundane? For me, it starts with cherishing and honoring my mind, body and spirit, because only when those are in good working order can I continue to care and uplift those around me. Onward.

Thank you for reading,

MD

No. 20: MD's Newsletter

Things I was taught only took me so far

Here’s a bunch of good things that happened to me and mine in 2024. Each of these good things has myriad lessons attached to it.

1. My potato became a tater tot. Have you ever watched a miracle in real time? That’s what happens when you kid crosses the baby-to-toddler threshhold somewhere in the 12 to 18 month range. Holy heck. I can have full-on conversations with this tiny, wonderful person who once only communicated with blissful gazes, tiny burps and tired sighs. He cracks me up on a regular basis (during a recent bout of strep, he grabbed the syringe of antibiotic and took it directly to the trash can). I am awash in love and pride and the particular form of grief for the time we never get back.

2. I helped start a dance company. As I wrote earlier this month, I am one of hte organizers of Dance Mojave, a new dance production nonprofit in the Morongo Basin. The Desert Nutcracker was our first performance and a fairly successful one, if I do say so mylsef — we sold out two of three performances! And we’re so freaking excited about the things we have planned for 2025. Watch this space — and sign up for our Substack to get the video of The Desert Nutcracker in your inbox!

3. Returning to the stage. Related to the above bullet point, live performance is back in my life in a real way. This began in the spring with playing guitar and my first open mic session in over a decade alongside the talented Eleanor Whitney of Skirting. I am learning it’s never too late to chase a latent dream, even if people on the internet say your voice sucks and your guitar is out of tune. Both of which happened on TikTok and Instagram this year. Whatever. Someone probably said that to Janis, too.

4. Willis! In August, we adopted a senior dachsund mix named Willis. He’s 10 years old, half blind and hard of hearing, and required a very expensive dental procedure to remove seven infected and loose teeth. Poor dude lived outside his whole life before spending nine months in the Morongo Basin No-Kill Shelter, where I accidentally fell in love with him. He has a hilarious, low-toned howl, and loves to eat trash. He sits next to my desk for much of the day, but watching him run through the yard with his ears flapping in the breeze is the real highlight.

   

   We are all better for Willis’ energy in our lives.

5. I got an Instapot. OK this is a silly one that didn’t happen until November, but I’m really excited about it! I recommend it if you’re trying to get more cooked veggies and fresh proteins in your life. More broadly, I’m paying more attention to diet and nutrition than I have in years, and it’s starting to feel like a second nature. I’m not depriving myself of anything, as evidenced by the several glasses of red wine over the course of Christmas. But I’m being more mindful, and it feels good to feel good. As I told someone recently, if I’m not in good health all of ~this~ falls off the rails.

6. I’m enjoying writing again. This is a hard thing to unpack, as I’ve been getting paid to write since I was about 18 years old. This is mind-boggling in many ways, and while I”ve spent a lot of time being self-deprecating abotu my work or level of so-called “success,” I can finally say I’m shedding the expectations. The fact is, I have been getting paid to write since I was 18 years old. Some of it I’m proud of, some of it not so much. Some pieces have been read by hundreds of thousands of readers around the world. Some of them have been read by just a handful of you who’ve kept up with me. All this to say, I’m enjoying the craft for the craft’s sake again, and I hope that yields good things in 2025.

Onto the links.

Supply chains & search strategies

The last couple work weeks of the year for me became really busy in the baby care space — partly because it was time to wrap up stories I’d been working on for awhile, and also just because it’s a really busy space right now. I’m particularly proud of my story on how the baby formula industry is beefing up its production muscle two years about the formula shortage. There were a lot of angles I could’ve taken but given our audience I thought it would make sense to look at how these products are getting to shelves.

I also wrote about a very under-the-radar law in California that’s going to require baby food manufacturers to share heavy metal testing information with customers. I expect to see more of this kind of regulation as the Venn diagram between the organic/all-natural die-hards and MAHA crowds grows. On the fintech front, I noticed that BNPL providers were increasingly entering the service space and came on some interesting data about it.

A new Civic Solutions

My final Civic Solutions column for 2024 looked at the historic restorative justice settlement and agreement between the city of Palm Springs and the Section 14 Survivors group, who are residents & their descendants of those displaced in a city-authorized razing in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s really amazing to me what a dedicated group of peopel can accomplish when they don’t give up. I wrote about their efforts in early 2023, and it was a pleasure to speak with attorney Areva Martin not just about the settlement itself but the *how* of restorative justice. In her words: “We had to do healing work—heart work, soul work—before they could feel empowered enough to act.” Would be honored if you gave it a read, as this is arguably the most important thing I wrote all year.

Eyes and ears

In the world of reading, I absolutely devoured “Bewilderment” by Richard Powers. I love the way his work manages to make the incredibly personal profoundly universal, and given that outer space is sort of my new theme/obsession going into 2025, it was a beautiful read. Superrrr sad tho, major trigger warnings if you are dealing with issues around grief, death or trauma. Otherwise reading has sort of taken a backseat, as I got a new phone and it took many attempts to get Libby set up again. Also doesn’t help that I’ve been falling asleep with my kid instead of staying up on my Kindle, but trusting that my mind will do its thing when there’s something to sink into.

While I was anticipating having some great music recaps to share thanks to Spotify Wrapped, the massive amounts of sleep sounds, medication music and classical/piano scores that we play in this house has totally taken over my algorithm. And I know artificial intelligence is horrible for the environment and threatening to do awful things to creative industries…but I have to admit that the new Spotify AI playlist feature is fun. I asked it to give me a mid-morning playlist of 70s, 80s and 90s soft rock, and it really nailed it. I forgot how good Bread is! And since Christmas Day, I’m back to listening to “Cowboy Carter” a lot — and if Beyonce doesn’t with AOTY at the Grammys in February for this work, I will officially lose faith in The Recording Academy as a body that knows what they’re doing.

I totally missed out on indulging in dorky holiday rom-coms, but we watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” more than a few times. I forgot how funny Peanuts is for adults. I did get through Season 6 of “Virgin River” in about three days. The show seems to have regained its pace after a couple seasons that felt a bit droll, and it was like being covered in a warm blanket to hang out with those characters and their dramatic lives together. This one even had an aging musician!

With that, wishing you a healthy and safe New Year, and hoping you find a glimmer of peace and presence wherever, whenever you can. Thank you for reading.

MD