Now that all the red, white, and blue is over for a little while, I thought it would be nice to throw a dash of yellow into the mix this summer to mellow out all the craziness going on around us.
Partially inspired by Washed Out’s Mr. Mellow (but more so by my love for the color yellow), I present to you 15 songs to help you continue calmly grooving through whatever comes your way during summer 2020:
1. Hard to Say Goodbye, Washed Out. Well, looks like you won’t have to, because we’re just getting started 😜
2. Yellow Flowers, Goldroom feat. Mereki. Say hello to all the sunflowers and daffodils and black-eyed Susans.
3. Bittersweet, Yellow Claw, Sofia Reyes. Satisfying in more ways than one.
4. Sunlight, Bag Raiders. It’s true. Don’t let anybody tell you differently.
5. Adore You, Harry Styles. NBD, just walking through active flames for an adorable person.
6. Waves (Tame Impala Remix), Miguel. Just ride it.
7. Rico, Wild Front. “Drive all night.”
8. The Other Side, Native Spirit. Let you heart sail through this beat.
9. Genius, LSD. Only a mellowed out genius could do such a thing.
10. Freestyle, Electric Guest. Taking it as it comes.
11. Amarillo, J Balvin. A mellow heart-thumper to pass the time.
12. Cala Banana, Satin Jackets. Chiquita is callin.’
13. Paradisco, Les Loupes. Put on your finest sheer blouse and let the summer breeze embrace you.
14. Night Time TV, Fenec Soler. When it’s midnight and you’re feeling in no way ready for bed.
15. Taste (Moon Boots Remix), Rhye. Play it one. more. time.
After spending most of the spring in quarantine with my parents out on Long Island, I have returned to the Isle of Manhattan. I thought I’d be excited to be back, but of course, nothing can be bliss during the retched mess that is 2020.
My dad offered to drive me into NYC on his way to work a few days after my birthday so I wouldn’t have to sit in any germs while riding the LIRR. We made a few stops in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan before heading uptown and boy, was I SHOCKED at how many people were ignoring the rule about face coverings during this pandemic.
In Brooklyn, I saw several people wearing their masks under their chins or not at all. I was hoping this was just going to be a rare case of Brooklyn bad-assery, but no. As my trip into Manhattan continued, I saw more and more people wearing masks incorrectly or not at all.
Fast forward to a week after being back in New York City, and I come across a nurse from a nearby hospital wearing their mask under their chin. IF A NURSE CAN’T FOLLOW THE RULES HOW CAN WE EXPECT TO EVER GET RID OF COVID-19?! HOW?!
As cities begin to reopen, streets and indoor spaces are bound to become crowded again, especially in places like NYC. I went out for a walk in Highbridge Park a few days ago to take some photos for the next DSLR Diaries, which should be fine as parks are large outdoor spaces where social distancing is fairly easy. However, I saw a woman holding a large arrangement of balloons and a Spider-Man birthday cake at the park and lost my mind.
I could have sworn gatherings were prohibited in parks during Phase 1 of reopening. Did I misread that memo?
I really hope whoever was supposed to attend that birthday party politely declined, explaining why she was standing alone with the cake and balloons.
In all seriousness, I know the warmer weather is making it super uncomfortable to wear a mask. I totally understand. Wearing a mask in temperatures over 75°F should be considered an Olympic sport.
And by all means, go protest. Go for a walk in the park. Have a virtual birthday party. Take a road trip.
But if we don’t want coronavirus cases to spiral out of control again, we have to follow the rules. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and follow your city’s recommendations for a safe reopening so we can go back to enjoying a normal life again sooner rather than later.
Just please stop wearing your masks under your chins. It’s utterly pointless.
If not, please do not come back to this blog until you have completed one of the aforementioned things.
#BLM
The world better not experience a week like the last week of May 2020 ever again.
Despite all the ways May went wrong, I was still able to find some amazing things last month that’ll put a smile on your face, if only for a few moments.
So we’re all on the same page when it comes to 2020 being the worst year in existence, right? Yeah? Okay, cool.
I’ve found comfort in trying to escape all these horrid happenings (i.e. COVID-19, murder hornets, God knows what else) by watching historical dramas and period films on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Drama is my favorite genre, and I love seeing the cool costumes and set design that goes into making the scenes look realistic for the time periods they are set in.
Below are a few of the films I’ve enjoyed during quarantine so far.
Mansfield Park (1999)
Time Period: 1810s
This film is based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. Fans of the Amazon Prime series Rome will enjoy seeing James Purefoy (Mark Antony) and Lindsay Duncan (Servilia of the Junii) star as Thomas Bertram Jr. and Mrs. Price respectively.
Directed by Madonna, this film has some stunning cinematography despite it’s negative reviews. I happened to really enjoy the story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Wally Winthrop’s obsession with the couple is a bit excessive as she visited the Sotheby’s exhibit daily, but I still found this movie to have its charms nonetheless.
This movie took me a whole three days to finish because it was super boring at the beginning. The excitement in this drama begins at the very end, which made me wish they had incorporated more humor in the moments leading to the climax. Based on the Jane Austen novella Lady Susan.
Who doesn’t love a strong, independent female lead like Kate Winslet’s character Sabine de Barra?! I adored everything about this film, from the landscape architecture to the romance between Sabine and André Le Nôtre.
This film has Viola Davis death stares galore! A must watch for anyone who is a fan of the amazing Viola Davis. I legit almost cried at the end of this but my tears dried up well before they fell when I saw the rest of the troop stand in solidarity with Christmas Flint.
This BBC serial is a four-parter that will for sure reel you in from the moment you meet John Thornton. Based on the 1855 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, this serial gave me Pride & Prejudice vibes through and through.
The Rain Collector (2015)
Time Period: Victorian Era
This amazing short left me wanting more! A brilliant young woman finds love unexpectedly as she goes against the expectations of women in Victorian England through her love of science.
Well this is a first: I would have posted this two days ago my fingers were busy playing Wario’s Woods on my new Nintendo Switch Lite!
No doubt, my new life as a noob gamer has been a welcome distraction from the thing that shall not be named during this post. Let’s have some fun looking back at some other things in pop culture and entertainment that kept my mine off of said thing:
Do not pity me, dears, I’ve fully come to terms with the fact that I will have to celebrate my birthday while social distancing.
I thought it would be nice to post my birthday wishlist on the blog, as I’ve done for the last few years. As always, do not feel obligated to get me anything! A simple birthday message in the comments (or if you’re a personal acquaintance a text or message via social media) on May 20th will suffice!
But like seriously, none of these items on the wishlist are essential so do not feel pressured.
Games for my new Nintendo Switch Lite. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle or anything fit for a beginner gamer is fair game (pun intended). If physical copies of games are less pricey than digital I’m not opposed.
A pair of nude-colored or black sandals (size 7.5). After rolling my ankle last spring, I’ve become reliant on flat, strappy sandals to get me through the summer.
Static Nails in DOE. I keep going back and forth between wanting to try reusable nails and realizing that I wash dishes too often for them to even fathom staying on long enough but I need a nail activity while in the hose bored.
Low Rise Toesox in the color Festival (size S). Saw these in a friend’s Instagram story and I realized how many yoga poses I could do in these without the fear of slipping!
Being quarantined isn’t fun at all whatsoever, as we’ve all probably realized just after a few short hours of beginning self-isolation.
I’ve lost count of how long it’s been at this point.
Earlier this week I managed to go outside (farther than the mailbox, yay) for the first time since starting self-isolation, and it felt so strange. I’ve had an on-and-off migraine ever since.
I just want to go back to NYC so badly.
It’s been so hard seeing the number of coronavirus cases increase around the world. In light of this, I’ve found inspiration to stay strong on my favorite YouTube channels and through encouraging social media posts.
Here are a few words of encouragement to keep you hanging on in these trying times:
A word on learning to value yourself as more than your work during quarantine from Shut Up & Go Traveler Jo Franco.
A few essential self-care activities to that’ll help you to do everything you can to stay positive.
Please also keep in mind that people are recovering! The news puts so much emphasis on the current amount of people infected and the number of deaths, but the recoveries get lost in the mix. Here are some recovery stories:
For March 2020’s edition of Monthly Favorites (and for the rest of however long this lasts) let’s just take a few moments to avoid discussing the topic that shall not be named for the sake of everyone’s sanity.
I haven’t been outside since Saint Patrick’s Day 2020.
And no, I did not spend my last hours of freedom as one usually would on any other March 17th, drinking Bailey’s Irish Cream and singing old Irish hymns with friends.
Quite the opposite, actually.
After my dentist appointment at 3pm, I went straight back to my parent’s place and prepared for self-isolation.
I debated going back to NYC, but it’s easier for me to practice social distancing out on Long Island. Residences out here are farther apart from each other, there’s not a lot of pedestrian traffic, and, moreover, if you don’t have a car (or a license) you can’t really get too far.
I’m not going to lie, I hate this.
The most I’ve done since March 17th was go out to get the mail, which is like three feet away from the door.
I’m lucky that I can work my full time job from home, but I miss being around my coworkers IRL. Zoom video chatting helps, but the energy isn’t the same.
And frankly, I’m getting tired of answering the door with gloves on and tediously transferring my Seamless delivery food from the restaurant’s tupperware to my parent’s dinnerware, hoping no germs touch the dining room table in the process.
I’ve run out of my favorite lemon ginger tea, and I can’t just waltz over to Target to get more because they’ve sold out.
My lips have started to sting and peel, and my acne is out of control because I’ve been stressing out so much over the uncertainty of this whole pandemic situation.
Anxiety levels. Do they have a limit? If so, my body doesn’t know them.
My muscles are so tense from a combination of slouching in my mom’s office chair, sprawling out in awkward positions on the couch while binge-watching Hulu, and contorting my neck while scrolling through Instagram in bed.
Coronavirus, please escort yourself back to hell where you belong.
I think the only thing that is keeping me ever-so-slightly sane is music. Yesterday, I jammed out to a bunch of my favorite love songs while scrubbing the dandruff (another possible symptom of my anxiousness) out of my hair in the shower and it felt amazing.
So, instead of the spring playlist I was planning to share for today’s blog post, I present to you a quarantine playlist to go along with this first installment of the “Quarantine Diaries.”
These are some of the most recent songs that I can’t stop listening to. Enjoy!
1. Dear God, Phantogram. Praying really hard these days.
2. Attack of Panic, Aly & AJ. “There’s a panic in [all of us]”.
3. Breathing, FAVELA. Trying not to forget how to do that.
4. I’m With It, Satin Jackets ft. Metaxas. “We’re going to make it all okay”.
5. Pretty Great, Fickle Friends. Vibe check.
6. Sunlight, BLOWSOM. Craving some vitamin D rn.
7. Since You’ve Asked, Birocratic. Essential minimalist jam.
8. New Love (Yummm Remix), From Indian Lakes. A masterpiece, remixed.
9. El Tejano, Lauv ft. Sofía Reyes. A little rendezvous for the stir-crazy.
10. Further Up (Na, Na, Na, Na, Na) – IAmChino Remix, Pitbull ft. Static & Ben El. Where my party people at?
11. Used To Like, Neon Trees. For when you’re going to extremes.
12. Circles, Post Malone. An apocalypto romance that is very fitting for these times.
13. Hotel, ATTLAS ft. MAYLYN. Shout out to the tourists trapped in hotels during this mess.
14. Any Song, ZICO. Honestly, whatever tunes make you happy, listen to ’em.
Do your part and stay safe during these trying times, folks. STAY HOME.
Ah, February, the shortest month of the year, which, this year, we got an extra day in (yay leap year)!
Thankfully, February 2020 was not as horrid as the month prior. The Whisper Box turned seven years old (where has the time gone?!) and I went on a vacation as you saw in my previous post.
Let’s look back at my favorites for February 2020, shall we?
