Good Grief

Heyyy everybody. Sorry I've been a little quiet. A friend of mine passed and it's laid a gray cloud over my world lately. (For those of you who know me in real life, it was a San Angelo friend). She had cancer, we knew it was coming, but it happened faster than we thought it would. She read every one of my newsletters, and after one of the last lunches we had together, she said, "Don't give up on your writing. You have something. Keep at it." Honestly, one of the main reasons I didn't write last Sunday is because I knew it would remain in her inbox unopened.

So that's where I'm at—trying to process grief during the holidays. Which I know I'm not alone in. This is such a loaded time of year for so many people. I hope you're finding comfort in safe places, and if you're not, my inbox is always open. The only way forward is through, right? Here are three things I've distracted myself with lately.

🎥 Enter the Void (Kanopy)
This movie is batshit crazy and rated NR, and it will not take you long to understand why on both counts. I also think it might be genius. The director imagines what someone experiences after they die, so you spend the entire time looking directly through the main character's eyes. There is an enormous amount of very explicit sex and multiple long sequences of trippy as hell psychedelic hallucinations, all viewed from 10 feet above. In its own wacky way, it's a great experience to get lost in. The ending is... well, let me know if you watch this and we'll discuss.

📖 Good Morning, Midnight
I loooooved this book and finished it in about 3 days. It's one of those stories I can't say too much about or I'll ruin it for you, but the setting is two remote locations—the Arctic Circle and a spaceship returning from Mars—that have both discovered something apocalyptic has happened on Earth. It's full of well-developed characters you root for and, as a cherry on top, has a fantastic twist in the last sentence of the book (don't you dare read ahead).

🎶 Burn It Down
As is obvious by the name, I started this playlist right after the election, but the events of the past couple weeks have only intensified that sentiment. I'm not done with it yet, but an hour and a half of musical catharsis should hold you for a bit.

My annual top books and movies of the year lists are incoming, so that'll be fun. Give yourself a hug from me and pass it on.

xoxo,
Carla