Hi everyone!
Here’s my latest.
Twelve Things I Loved This Year
12 – If you know me, you know I love my Instapot. For the fifth consecutive year, I've made the most of this kitchen marvel. From preparing delicious soups and stews to cooking perfect rice and even whipping up homemade dog food, the possibilities are endless. Cleaning it is easy, it's user-friendly, cooking in it is a joy, and it's compact for easy storage. I wholeheartedly recommend it. A big shout-out to Instapot! If you ever need a public ambassador, count me in.
11 – The Vancouver Christmas Market – My absolute favourite thing to do in Vancouver over the holidays is to frequent this market. I only have two complaints: the bathrooms are a bit of a trek to get to, and it would be more awesome if it were free. That being said, for the third year in a row, I got a season pass, and it was well worth it since I went five times. I love the mulled wine, I bought most of my Christmas gifts there, and it's a really easy, fun place to meet up with people for a short hangout to get into the festive spirit. One unfortunate thing that happened to me at the market this year is that I ate French Onion soup, and it had garlic in it (which I am tragically very allergic to), and my face swelled up, and I spent the rest of the holiday in an allergy-induced stupor, worrying and taking antihistamines.
10 – I read A LOT this year. Some faves off the top of my head were – Big Swiss, Yellowface, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Doppelganger, Pageboy, Black Friend, and Five Little Indians.
My big challenge for 2024 is going back to reading on my e-reader and not buying so many physical books. I am running out of space. I’m telling myself I’ll only buy my favourites. We’ll see how that works out.
9 – Podcasts! I did a lot of listening in 2023, but the two new podcasts that I got into this year that were new for me were: Too Far. Sara suggested it, and now I’m obsessed. It sometimes does feel like it goes too far, but it’s oddly comforting listening to hosts Robby and Rachel argue; reminiscent of that awkward, uncomfortable line Sara and I often come close to crossing for entertainment's sake.
I also became obsessed with Smartless after watching their HBO show Smartless on the Road. I could literally just listen to Will, Sean and Jason talk to each other. I often think, do they need a guest? But the show was really what got me. It’s just so beautiful and funny. I watched it while very sick so maybe my defences were down, but I was so sad when it ended.
I also listened to Matthew Perry’s book, Britney Spears Book, and Harry’s book. I can’t listen to fiction, but I do love non-fiction. Let me know in the comments what other non-fiction I should listen to in 2024.
8 – My New Drink! Invented in Vancouver – according to Wiki – the London Fog is my favourite go-to drink when ordering coffee out these days. Everyone makes it different, and not all of them turn out great, but I currently make up a reason to go out every single day so I can have one.
7 – Loops! - I've been sleeping with my AirPods in for a year now. It started when we went back on tour in 2022. I can't sleep on the bus if I'm not wearing some sort of noise-cancelling ear-wear. I got so used to wearing them that I had to start wearing them in hotels. By the time I got home, it felt impossible to sleep without them.
It sucks to wear them though. They die after six hours and the noise of them dying wakes me up. You can only turn the sound down not off. WHY!? Plus, as a side sleeper, they hurt my ear drums.
Recently, my partner, Sofia, clearly feeling sorry for me, started looking into different earplugs. She landed on Loops, and I've never slept better. They provide more than enough quiet and don't hurt to sleep with them in.
6 – I got an electric cedar hot tub this year. For anyone who's followed our band since “The Con” era, you know this is all my dreams coming true. It's been my biggest aspiration to own one. I don't own a car (or drive), I don't collect gear or guitars, or fancy jewelry. But I do believe that having regular relaxation and moments of quiet in your life is the key to a long and happy existence. Every day I am home, I try to spend a half-hour in it. I read, I think, I listen to things. This Christmas, I even watched a Christmas movie in it! I feel so content, so calm, so settled when I'm in there. Maybe it's the cedar smell, or the giant arbutus trees casting their majestic shadows over me, or maybe it's the hot water soothing my senses during that half-hour of 'me time,' but I just feel happier now that I have one. It’s a daily reminder of how hard I worked for the last twenty-five years. This frivolous item is my gift to myself for all that travel, all those shows, all the times I was sick and exhausted but pushed through. I should have been easier on myself, learned to say no sooner, and definitely should have taken better care of myself in my 20s and 30s. But I am now. And I am grateful for every second of that time I take for myself.
5 - Over the holiday my mom and I saw The Holdovers and we loved it. As some of you may remember, last year I went and saw a Christmas movie in the theatre. I spent the first half of the movie choking on a piece of popcorn I ate three seconds after I sat down, and the second half of the movie blubbering into my still full bag of popcorn, resentful I had been tricked into seeing a sad holiday movie about CANCER! WTF. Thankfully no one died in The Holdovers, and I was able to swallow all of my popcorn. 4/5 stars. (I also loved Past Lives, Shiva Baby, Passages, Oppenheimer, and Anatomy of a Fall).
4 TV! – Squid Game The Challenge – Look, I watched a lot of great TV this year. I saw all the “best” shows that will win all the awards, plus tons of crap no one loved but I found funny or entertaining or hated. I regularly caught up on all my Housewives, (RHOB, RHONY, RHOP, RHOSL) and re-watched classics that bring me comfort. You can probably guess or look back to find out what all those are. But the thing that really surprised me this year was how much I enjoyed Squid Game The Challenge. I found the whole thing captivating and moving. I cried MANY times. The mother and son duo! I could cry now thinking about it! And I truly was stunned at how they managed to make a reality show with 400+ contestants. What a feat.
3 – When I started Junior High all the popular girls had GAP sweaters. Sara and I were not prepared for the fashion show that was junior high when we entered seventh grade. We cover some of this in our graphic novel Junior High – loosely based on our own experience at that age – but I feel like I could write a memoir just about Junior High and the mistakes, and missteps we made outfit wise that first year. Maybe we will.
Anyway! I don’t think I have stepped foot in a GAP since the 90s, but this year, on tour, I blew out the knee of a pair of jeans and had to make a panic purchase somewhere in the middle of America. I found myself at a GAP, trying on denim. I ended up buying 3 pairs of the same cut in three different colours. The high-rise vintage slim jeans with the regular inseam! If you’re like me and struggle to find jeans you like, that are comfortable and aren’t five hundred dollars, maybe try the Gap? Not an ad! But Gap, I’m available for modelling work.
2 – I feel compelled, and maybe a little obligated, to talk about music. I guess it's because I'm a musician. I admit, I don't listen to music the way I used to. There are so many other things to listen to—podcasts, books, the sway of trees, the ocean lapping up on our beach, the sweet sound of my dog sleeping—that I sometimes find myself choosing silence, the sounds of nature, or spoken words over music. However, I did find myself deeply moved by music this year. Some of it literally made my feet and body move, while some of it touched my heart. Not all of it was released in 2023, but I either discovered or rediscovered it this year.
I updated my TRQ Kinda Likes Music playlist if you want to hear some of my faves!
1 – Georgia - Obviously, she's one of my absolute favourite things from 2023. I still get a bit anxious about her sometimes. I love taking her for walks and hanging out with her, but I still worry about how she might react in certain situations. And sometimes she does, but less and less. Also, it’s my reactions that are changing too. I’m learning to just let it go. And that seems to make Georgia calmer.
Just yesterday, on Christmas, we took her for a walk off leash near our place, and suddenly, three huge deer came out of the woods. She started moving towards them, and with one 'NO' from me, she turned right around and stayed by my side.
Earlier this month we were alone, her and I, for twelve whole days. It was the longest I've ever spent alone with her, and it felt like something clicked between us during that time. Taking care of her can still be a handful, she currently has tapeworms! But it's getting easier, and honestly, spending time with her was easily the best thing about this year for me.
Happy Holidays to you all.
-Tegan
My Favourite Things