Note: This letter is a long one so click the header (Good-bye 2024!) to read the entire post on the web. Ideally, you have a cup of tea or coffee or champagne and a snack or at least a glass of water in hand while you read. Take care of yourself over there.
Fancy meeting you here, again, at the end of a year.
When I sit down to start this year end letter, I begin by looking back. I scroll through the photos I’ve taken, the events on my calendar, my Instagram story archive, the posts I’ve shared, and start to fill in the highlights of the year. Some line items are easy to pull, some are obvious to state, and sometimes I just have to let myself write down something my inner critic says isn’t worth reading, but I have a feeling I’ll look back on and chuckle at.
In this letter, there’ll be lots of happenings, recommendations, and boring details you’ll probably forget but I want to remember, which is why I’m writing them down here, in this public forum, so next year I can look back and be reminded of what the hell I did in 2024. Time only flies faster as every year passes by. Or as Al Stewart put it, “The years run too short and the days too fast.” So let’s get to it.
24 Happenings of 2024
1. Paid more than I ever thought I would to keep my cat alive.
On January 1, 2024, I had no idea what trials were coming for my emergency fund. We spent January through February in and out of the vet with our cat Winston, who suffers from Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), which in this case, meant he was so stressed, his pee hole closed completely, and required a catheter treatment from which he never quite recovered1.
Eventually, his condition called for a Perineal Urethrostomy (PU) Surgery. Apologies to everyone who asked me what was going on with my cat only to hear, “He’s getting his penis removed and they’re reconstructing a new urethra to be like a female cat.” That was probably more information than you wanted! But I kept it honest and forthright!
Since the (successful!) surgery, friends have asked if Winston’s pronouns have changed to reflect the new genitalia. Candidly, Winston made it very clear at every point of this process that he did not consent to this life-saving, gender-affirming care. Due to the non consensual nature of this transition, we will continue to use the pronouns we assigned him. Thank you all for supporting his gender-bending journey.
I might write a more detailed account of this ordeal at some point for anyone who was like me earlier this year and searching the internet for information and first hand accounts of this surgery, but I’m not going to put you through that in this recap!
2. Experienced typical California disasters in NYC.
Imagine my shock and surprise this April when I was sitting at my desk in Brooklyn on a zoom call and suddenly it felt like someone was shaking my chair. I cut myself off mid-sentence and looked around, and the way my cat also looked around the apartment like WTF just happened clued me into the fact that something really did happen! An EARTHQUAKE. I expect these occurrences back in California, but I never considered the fact that I should bolt down all my furniture due to potential earthquakes on the East coast.
Other flashbacks to my childhood in the golden state included drought warnings and wildfires2. I thought I’d left those natural disasters behind but they found me here!
3. Witnessed 16 shows in NYC.
Shoutout to volunteer usher programs, shoutout to TDF, shoutout to rush tickets, shoutout to all the people performing on stage, to all the crews setting up stages, and to my friends for telling me what to see and taking my recommendations. Here’s a few highlights:
Cult of Love. It is my personal mission to get as many of my friends as possible to see this show before it closes (February 2, 2025) so we can discuss it at length. The subject matter of the play is profoundly familiar to me, the characters intensely believable, and the performances were a joy to watch. I was shaken and astounded in just over an hour and a half, highly recommend catching it and then calling me directly after!
Oh Mary! Enough has been said about this brilliant feat by Cole Escola, it’s absurd, it’s hilarious, it’s one-of-a-kind, I’m looking forward to seeing how the new cast interprets this work in 2025!
TEETH. I’d never seen the horror movie this musical comedy was based on, so I was not at all prepared for the story that unfolds. It turns out I didn’t need context to enjoy this absurd and hilarious ride (sorry to reuse adjectives)! The music perfectly captures Christian rock and there were so many evangelical references in this play I understood deeply. When I saw it at Playwrights Horizons, they played old Christian music in the lobby and I will never forget the way me, my friend Matt, and the bar tender (who we found out was also a former church kid) could not help but give stirring lip sync performances to I Can Only Imagine in the empty lobby. Those lyrics will never leave my synapses!
Memorable solo shows included SONDHEIMIA! By Larry Owens, which somehow managed to be both extravagant and understated, Missives from the Hellmouth by Val Ramirez, which made me laugh and tear up as the audience participated in the performance, and Magnificent Bird / Book of Travelers by Gabriel Kahane, which Amtrak should option for a commercial. The rumor is Sarah Paulson had COVID when I went to see Appropriate, but the understudy (Tina Benko) delivered. Mary Jane was heartbreaking and thought provoking, JOB was a wild ride with interesting elements and provocative statements. Walden snuck up on me with its emotional brilliance, and I was enraptured by The Hills of California. If you want a party, see Death Becomes Her!
4. Traveled around North America.
I spent a few weekends meandering through cities like Chicago and San Francisco, along with the countryside of Maine and the beaches of Florida, and quick weekends in Washington DC and Toronto. It was a treat to see family and friends all over the place! I also found myself saying, “I miss my bed!” which is what my mom would say almost every time we went on vacation when I was a kid. Sometimes you just need to grow up to get it!
5. Packed my bags faster.
Traveling more for work and life forced me to get better at packing! A few things that made this process easier:
A packing list. This one is obvious, but it took me forever to get around to writing down everything I could need to pack on a given trip so I can review it to make sure I’m not missing anything. Every time I skip this step, I forget something, so the list is necessary for me!
The best travel advice I’ve heard is to buy extra sets of the items you need to pack and leave them in your suitcase at all times. For me, that meant travel versions of a steamer, hair dryer, most-used liquids3, plus an eye mask, melatonin, and ear plugs. I should leave deodorant in there but I forget to. With these items already in my suitcase, when it’s time to pack, I only need to grab my makeup bag, my retainer, pack my clothes, and figure out my shoe strategy.
A TSA Approved Bag for liquids. The liquid rules for carry-ons need to be abolished but until then, these TSA approved bags are perfect for keeping all the liquids I need to function while I’m away from home.
Packing Cubes. I never understood the point of these until I used them and now I can’t imagine traveling without them. They’re great for keeping clothes and accessories compact and organized! Sometimes when I arrive at my destination, I grab my cubes and pop them in the provided drawers so I feel like a person living out of a wardrobe instead of a suitcase.
A Sound Machine. This item doesn’t increase my packing efficiency but it’s one that stays inside my suitcase at all times. You never know what sounds await you in hotels and houses, but you can drown them out with this little sound machine.
6. Read 25 books.
Some thoughts on books I haven’t already mentioned in this newsletter:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
I picked up this book because I saw so many women reading it on the subway and heard rave reviews online. My expectations were high! A few pages in, I noticed the sentence structure was really… simple. I figured the plot must pick up in spite of this stylistic choice. Soon, I realized the plot is just Beauty and the Beast? While it’s a tale as old as time, it is also a plot line aimed at 5 year olds (whom I love and respect but we do not always share viewing tastes!). I continued reading, assuming some scenes would deliver spice. Again… I was unsatisfied.
About halfway through the book, I realized it wasn’t going to suddenly change its entire format and improve, so I started googling and found out this series is aimed at Young Adults. Which is fine! Young Adults need age appropriate things to read! I ate up Twilight when I was a Young Adult! But so many ahem, ADULTS are consuming this book and raving about it, I thought it was appropriate for ME. It reminded me of the craze for Twilight amongst… mature women when the books came out and how that felt kind of strange at the time. The obsession with this series also feels weird to me now?
All I’m saying is this book was written for people without fully developed prefrontal cortexes and in my opinion, it shows! If you loved this series… I’m going to assume your expectations were set appropriately.
My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand. After listening to this audiobook, I have developed a deep parasocial relationship with Barbra Streisand. I spent long walks through the city listening to her detail her life, and what a life! In addition to her legendary performances on stage and in film, she made it onto Nixon’s enemies list, got hit on repeatedly by Marlon Brando, dated Pierre Trudeau, and seems to remember every outfit she wore and what she ate while making history. I’m just grateful she finally sat down and wrote it all down, then read it out loud, and rediscovered her achievements in the process.
The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns. This book was a riveting read, dark and quirky, with a twist that took me completely by surprise. I read it after picking up Our Spoons Came From Woolworths (same author), which was beautifully written even when gruesome. A new biography on Barbara Comyns is on my reading list for 2025!
Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. This book was published in 1929 but some of the lines read like they could be written today, the musings are rich and relatable. The texture of New York City in this story is an absolute delight, with lines like,
On sunny days the warmth of furs and Winter tweeds is just outrageous luxury, and Fifth Avenue’s a fragrance blended of furs and tweeds and boutonnières and new leather gloves and French perfume—and the underlying scent of gasoline belongs there definitely as the smokiness in Scotch.
Magnificent. Makes me want to wear a nice outfit, get a little tipsy, and walk around New York City.
7. Took ballet classes.
On a whim, I took a public class at New York City Ballet and I was wholly unprepared for what I signed up for! But I had fun time being terrible, and I was inspired by all the apparent former dancers displaying their technique. I found another absolute beginner ballet class in the city and became a regular, and learned more about the form and movements essential to ballet. The class schedule changed so I haven’t been in a bit, but finding a new movement challenge was great and I’m planning on getting back into the pirouette of it in 2025.
8. Made everyone around me watch the Olympics.
The Olympics are a rare event on the world stage, and I love the reminder that all sports are made up. Can you believe we have a worldwide contest for who can run the fastest? Jump the farthest? Break dance the… hardest?4 I get completely swept up in the competition, the patriotism, and the emotion of people who put in an unimaginable amount of work to make it to the world stage. Thanks to everyone who met up at bars or came to my house and made watching the Olympics a team event.
Cannot wait to temporarily be loud about sports again in February 2026!
Also, The Fire Inside is in theaters now and has everything you want in an inspiring Olympian movie. Go see it!
9. Consumed [unknown] hours of TV
Started January with a real attempt to catalogue my TV viewing in Serializd, but I apparently forgot my commitment by February, restarted in June, and fell off again by July. Maybe I’ll give it a go in 2025!
New shows I enjoyed included:
Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The chemistry between Donald Glover and Maya Erskine was so playful, and I loved the tension they built over the season.
Under the Bridge. Devastating, layered story based on actual events that lets you put the pieces together alongside the characters. Lily Gladstone plays out the internal conflicts so well, and Vritika Gupta captures all the nuances of being a teenage girl who wants to simultaneously fit in and stand out.
Say Nothing. I haven’t finished this one yet, but I was engrossed by the first few episodes. This series tackles feelings of futility with peaceful protests during The Troubles, and the complexities of action within the Provisional IRA.
The Franchise. This series hits a little too close to home at times for Dustin, but the antics of a crew trying to make a superhero movie in a fictional cinematic universe have us both laughing out loud. The writing is so funny, the characters are ridiculous yet earnest, and I can imagine this project would be a meta one to work on.
The Later Daters. I get so annoyed by people in their 20’s who go on reality TV dating shows and despair about their inability to find love in their lifetime… grow up! You have your whole life ahead of you! Times cannot be desperate enough for these measures! But folks over 50 looking for love? People with life experience and stories and perspective evaluating their options? Turn on the TV! I actually need a spinoff that’s just Pam recounting her adventures.
Of shows with new seasons in 2024, Hacks is a favorite, and the latest season didn’t disappoint. Industry is also a favorite but this new season was incoherent at times. The Bear had a few strong episodes, but I really hated the change in format, too many flashbacks without a strong narrative. House of the Dragon is fine!
Old shows that were new to me this year: Girls, a first time watch that did not disappoint, Broad City, which I’m still working my way through, and Poker Face, which was so fun to watch.
10. Observed a sidewalk squash plant bloom.
Bed-Stuy had their aquarium this Summer, Bushwick gave me this squash plant (I’m referring to it as a squash plant because I only ever saw the plant and did not witness actual squash). It started out small and whoever planted it put up a sign asking people not to pick the leaves so it could grow. Grow it did! This thing took over the sidewalk, and produced many lovely squash blossoms. I looked forward to seeing it on my way to the coffee shop most mornings.
Then one day when I got home from a trip, it was completely torn out without a trace left behind :( RIP squash plant, you really thrived in spite of the circumstances!
11. Went analog.
Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s the overwhelm of the iPhone Photo library, maybe it’s because everyone else is doing it, but this year I decided to carry around a Kodak M35 and snap photos and wait for the film to develop and it’s been fun to see the results. I’ll keep up this activity in 2025!
12. Lost my phone, then had it returned to me.
Do you ever go to the ATM to get a few hundred dollars in cash to make a major vintage purchase and become so preoccupied about the cash in your pocket that you forget to keep track of your phone, and after walking a block, you realize your phone is not on you? So you retrace your steps, then run home, and on the Find My app you see your phone going on a walk through your neighborhood without you.
If you, like me, went through this exact scenario, you’d probably lock your phone with a message to call your husband’s # and shut down the credit card that you keep in your phone case and realize you have a rental car pick up in less than 48 hours that will require a drivers license, which is also in your phone case.
You might remember that you have insurance on this phone, so you get in touch with Apple to start the claim process. You’ll soon be faced with the fact that all your passwords are on the password app stored locally to your phone because you didn’t want to pay for the upgrade to access them on your computer too. This past frugality makes it difficult to log in to your Apple account.
When you finally get into the account to file the claim, the website keeps running into an error. The insurance company will say the error is coming from Apple, and Apple will say the error is coming from the insurance company. You will spend hours on the phone with each support team and never get this error resolved.
You also file a police report, but in the process of speaking to the extremely unhelpful officers, you lock yourself out of your apartment.
The next day, after you’ve lost hope of ever getting your phone back, you’ll get a FaceTime call to your computer from your husband saying that someone brought your phone to the coffee shop you go to regularly (their punch card is in your phone case), and you’ll run to the coffee shop, and they’ll say a man came by and left his # for you to get your phone back. The coffeeshop owner lets you use his phone to call the # since you don’t have a phone. He also gives you an iced latte on the house.
Eventually, a man arrives with your phone and cards and phone case in a ziploc bag. You thank him profusely, and stand there awkwardly because you didn’t offer a cash reward for the return of your belongings.
Now you have your phone back, and everything should be golden. But since you filed the lost/stolen claim, the phone is bricked and won’t let you recover it. But you also aren’t getting a replacement phone because the insurance claim has an error code that no one can solve. You are leaving for a business trip the next day, so you buy a new iPhone that you hope to return within 14 days once you’ve sorted out the insurance claim process.
After work, you log back onto the website to attempt to get the claim sorted again. You’re prompted to check a box saying you understand that your phone will be bricked, then you pause. Maybe if it’s asking you to consent to have your phone bricked, your phone is somehow unbricked?
You turn on the old phone. It is no longer bricked and you set it up like it is a new phone. You’re suddenly able to move on with your life as if that 72 hours never happened, but it definitely happened, and now you’ve written way too detailed of an account of it to live on Substack for the foreseeable future.
13. Watched 72 movies
An app I actually used this year was Letterboxd. Out of everything I saw this year, here’s a few favorites:
Thelma. This movie was an unexpected ride, with tons of laughs and heart. Thelma’s a fantastic hero, and I loved the use of action movie tropes in a senior living setting. It’s on Hulu!
Sing Sing. If this movie doesn’t get an Oscar nomination… well, there’s not much I personally can do about that but I will be very disappointed and complain loudly to everyone I know!
La Cocina. Beautifully done, and so stressful to watch.
Judy Garland. I watched A Star is Born and The Wizard of Oz for the first time this year and it turns out Judy Garland was all that they said she was! Nobody does it quite like she did, huh?
14. Experienced totality!
I keep forgetting this happened but it was really cool! Dustin and I made our way to upstate NY to experience the total solar eclipse. Though we were disappointed by major cloud cover, it was eerie and awe-inspiring to be briefly plunged into darkness in the middle of the afternoon. I’m glad we made the trip to experience it!
15. Listened to the current reigning women of pop
This Spotify roundup is not revolutionary and I’m sorry to say Charli XCX did not make the list (I’m kind of confused how Taylor got #2?) but what a year! Chappell Roan ascended to mainstream, Sabrina ruled the airwaves, and Beyonce lead her fans to Americana roots. I love to see it!
16. Bopped around at concerts.
Speaking of Chappell Roan, her Gov Ball set was a dream and a delight! Andra Day performing in Central Park was a lovely evening, and this Fall was made less forlorn by Julien Baker, Maggie Rogers, Orville Peck, and Leon Bridges. Feels like concerts and festivals are back in full swing!
17. Wrote 8 Life of Leah posts (including this one!).
It’s hilarious to me that I made a commitment to post more often and then basically posted the amount of my previous commitment, but you know what, I’m living! Appreciate all the replies and texts and responses to what I write here, it’s a small way to stay connected that I so appreciate.
18. Listened to podcasts
This year I gravitated towards unserious listens, I wanted to laugh mostly, learn some, and hear different opinions and perspectives. These shows delivered!
Got this recommendation from a coworker and it’s so good! D’Arcy Carden is a perfect host for this gameshow following Wikipedia trails, and the guests that come through are always a good time.
Huge fan of the insightful depth of research performed at StraightioLab. This podcast is in my Spotify top 5, partially due to the fact I’ll sometimes play it to fall asleep (chaotic choice but it works for me).
The main takeaway from this episode for me is beware of books your boss (or boss’ bosses) buy you. This analysis of Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life..., a book I never had the pleasure of reading but apparently took the business world by storm after it’s release in 1998, is a great listen. It reminded me of when I worked at a megachurch, and they gave all the staff copies of A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted, which felt… pointed. LOL.
If you made it through 2024 without understanding the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle… now’s your chance to catch up ahead of the Super Bowl! This conversation about this specific beef and the larger cultural context was brilliant.
19. Helped break early voting records in NYC!
Obviously my efforts did not lead to the outcome I wanted, but I can say I did my part! Cannot wait to be first in line for the NYC Mayoral election in 2025 to do my civic duty and get Eric Adam’s out of there!
20. Got laid off!
This update is a bit of a bummer, I unfortunately was laid off from my role at Anagenex. I’m so proud of the work I was able to do there and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with my former colleagues! The chance to dive into the biotech landscape and build an organization in that context was an incredible learning experience, and helped me define the types of businesses I want to focus on in the next phase of my career.
What’s next? I’m back at Seedling Stage taking consulting engagements while I explore opportunities for a full-time role. It’s been a treat to consult with businesses that are new to me, I really enjoy learning the inner workings of companies and experimenting with new processes across different contexts. I’m excited to discover a new role where I can build People Operations programs and strategy in 2025!
21. Found a china cabinet.
Thank you, Craigslist! The amount of cat hair accumulating on our bar supplies was nauseating, and this 1970’s china cabinet was the perfect solution. Newsflash: You can put anything in a china cabinet, you do not actually need china!
22. Read lots of newsletters.
There’s a few writers I did my best to keep up with this year, and I’m highlighting a handful in two categories:
Culture / Entertainment
Hunter Harris’ Hung Up is worth every penny; she’s precise in her word choices, extensive in her references, and writes with incredible specificity.
Brendon Holder’s LOOSEY is so expansive, and I appreciate his ability to weave multiple cultural moments into a cohesive thesis.
Allie Jones' Gossip Time is perfect for keeping up with Hollywood, and even more importantly, keeping up with Hilary Duff.
Business / Tech
Ed Zitron's Where’s Your Ed At publishes articles that stick with me long after I read them, and gives insightful reporting on what events led up to the tech landscape we have today. I’m really looking forward to his new book in 2026!
Paris Marx’s Disconnect shares critical reporting needed today, especially the coverage of Elon Musk.
Emily Sundberg's Feed Me manages to go deep into the how of business while offering juicy tidbits of what’s going on in NYC and more, it’s an impressive feat that I enjoy catching up with every morning.
23. I saw this TikTok from Tressie McMillan Cottom and think about it at least once a week.
24. Spent time with friends and family.
As always, people make life worth living. Grateful to every person who played a part in my life this year. At the end of the day, all we have is time and I’m glad I spent so much of it connecting with others.
I’m especially thankful for you! Thank you for reading this letter all the way to the end, I appreciate you witnessing my random collection of 2024 highlights. Stay tuned for live updates in 2025!
Have a happy new year <3
By not recovered, I mean he peed blood all over our apartment for weeks.
I’ve heard great things about Cadence Capsules but haven’t made this upgrade yet.
I still have not recovered from Nicka and Raygun’s performances. @tiktoksbyalexa’s recap was perfect.