joy of joys
i come bearing wonderment and delight
this week’s Thought (singular)
i don’t get the hype around liminal spaces. they’re so in-between
hi
so, so, so excited to tell you about my newest terrific discovery - rediscovery.
when i was a wee child (i’m inclined to say ages 4-10), my family used to go on many road trips. i only remember tiny glimpses of the actual destinations and the sight-seeing, but the time spent on the road definitely contributed to some core memories. i attribute this to the music we’d play all the time. (like, all the time. every trip. every year.)
i’ve already covered the power of re-listening to music once loved and repeated a couple of weeks ago, but on a higher tier is rediscovering tracks that had wormed their way into your subconscious through no effort of your own. four y/o jahnavi had no idea that Teri Deewani would become the one song she consistently performed nearly every year in school, from her 1st grade music day right up till her 12th grade class assembly.
the reason i’m so happy about this discovery of rediscovery now is that i recently undertook a personal project to gather as many of these songs as possible. of course, since they used to be in cd’s that are now long-lost, and i don’t remember most of their names, it took me a while to hunt them down, but i’m pleased to report that i’ve successfully found a few. in the small list below, i’ve also included some of the more popular ones - from movie soundtracks and well-loved albums - that were no less present in these car journeys, and are no less joyful to revisit after so many years.
from an album called Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge
also from Asian Lounge
weirdly enough, from one of those miscellaneous-alcohol-distributor (i think Bacardi?) music ‘experience’ CD’s
from Kailasa
from the Swades soundtrack
have these songs shaped my childhood? that’s a little extreme. however, does listening to them now, after over a decade, give me a thrill? do i feel absolute, childish delight at the lovely familiarity of the melodies, lyrics, and beats, all of which i’ve somehow managed to retain in incredible detail in some pocket of my hippocampus*? double yes.
there are more songs that i can remember parts of, a vague pre-chorus melody here and some beats that i know i listened to a lot on those road trips there. one day, hopefully, i’ll be able to place and rediscover them too. in the meantime, i’m super curious about the songs that accompanied your childhood that you remember with fondness/apathy/rage. do share.
*if memories are not, in fact, stored in the hippocampus of the brain, you are welcome to correct me. as always, med school id cards will be necessary to validate your claim.
English Recitation Competition
Useless! Useless!, Jack Kerouac (in its entirety)
Useless! Useless! —heavy rain driving into the sea
Fête Gallante, Marcantonio Flaminio (translated from Latin by Richard Aldington)
Dear, there I shall be alone, and if you love me, there you will come alone also.
the world is about to end and my grandparents are in love, Kara Jackson
when the world ends will it suck the earth of all its love? will i go taking somebody’s hand, my skin becoming their skin? the digital age is taking away our winters, and i’m afraid the sun is my soulmate, that waste waits for a wet kiss, carbon calls me pretty, and i think death is a good first date.
A Poll!
Middle School Book Review
your regularly scheduled book recommendation has been temporarily halted. watch this space over the coming weeks so you don’t miss the next one!
find all shared books here.
A Picture!
The Good Side of the Internet
It’s heavier than I thought it would be, and stiffer. The cotton drill fabric has the feel of an army jacket. The snaps and clasps and buckles have a certain sensuality, a resonance of kink, but otherwise, in color and heft, the garment is as ordinary as any one of the many pairs of pants hanging in my closet.
So why am I so nervous to put it on?
A Weekend in the Woods With Crypto’s Cool Kids
Members of Friends With Benefits, a digital Soho House for cryptocurrency, descended on Southern California for a weekend of music, connection, and a lot of talk about Web3.
Or, the tu quoque gambit.
‘Date Me’ Google Docs and the Hyper-Optimized Quest for Love
Some people have ditched dating apps—and opted to bare their souls via a public, view-only link instead.
The Second Coming of Guru Jagat
When Katie Griggs died in August, kundalini adherents were bereft—they’d lost their last apostle. Others—former members, calling it a cult rife with abuse—felt relief that the movement’s Janus-faced leader was gone, and that their truths could be set free.
this week’s Song
Sing of the Moon by The Collection
find all shared songs here.
thank you for reading, and see you next week <3
ethereal and enigmatic? strange and off-putting? let me know!
mama used to have a cassette player on which she’d play The Corrs every night before bed, and other times she’d sing Scarborough Fair to put me to sleep