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New to the SternJourn? Check out the best of 2022, 2021, or 2020.
SHOWS
Saturday, January 13th 7:30pm: Undiscovered Genius at The Hollywood Improv
Saturday January 20th 7:30PM: The Hollywood Comedy
CORRECTION: Last week, I said that the track crosswalk was added to the Kensington Railroad station when I was in high school. My parents pointed out that it has always been there, it was just that they added a fence stopping you from going straight across. Think of all the typos and facts that could be checked if all of my SternJourns were written while I was under the same roof as my parents!
Hello Sternal Journalists!
It is the end of a weekend and the end of a year. That makes the beginning of the year feel a little bit more serious, Like woah, a lot of years don’t get started until Wednesday, Thursday, even Saturday sometimes. This 2024 guy is starting on a MONDAY? They mean business.
I am not going into 2024 with any hard resolutions. I am being irresolute in my resolutions, you could say. Sure, I’m in the process of getting back into “running shape” and I’ve also got a variety of creative and personal goals that I will be bummed if I don’t do by the end of the year (there are plans in motion to make them happen), but the big thing I’m going to focus on is my decision-making.
When I was seven or eight, I remember my grandma asking me what my favorite color was, and as I remember it, one color was immediately broadcast across my mind’s eye and I blurted out, “Orange!” I was sure that orange is my favorite color and I’m still sure that orange is my favorite color.
This wouldn’t be anything exciting except for the fact that at almost no other time in my life have I been able to make a decision this easily, or with this speed. I analyze, I overanalyze, I tell myself I should wait for a little more info.
This all comes from the best of intentions of course. All decisions cannot and should not be Orange Decisions. But if there’s a choice between a decision not being made and a decision being made in an orange kinda way, I would like to start erring on the side of going orange.
Because I think many people suffer from and lament their “analyzing and overanalyzing,” but I don’t think we actually talk about what’s happening when it happens. I.e. we’re so busy overanalyzing, we don’t even analyze how or why it happens or what that means.
Please excuse me now as I paradoxically analyze overanalyzes in an attempt to… do less overanalyzing.
When I’m trying to make a decision, about something, let’s call that Tier 1 Decision Making. This is me looking at facts and considerations and constraints that clearly and materially help me get closer to a logical, well-reasoned decision.
But then if I spend a little too long on that, I get flustered and start trying to justify to myself that this is a worthwhile use of my time and/or I start to question whether some of these facts and considerations actually are worthy of being involved in my decision-making process. Let’s call that Tier 2 Decision Making. Is it potentially useful to assess whether to assess the things you’re assessing? It could be if the decision is big enough. But for me, it rarely is; and so this mostly just manifests as procrastination.
Which brings us to Tier 3 Decision Making or “Oh what am I gonna do? I’ve spent so much time trying to make this decision that now I need to add in an explanation to myself or others as to why it’s taken forever!!!!” This is the most exhausting level of decision making because it’s all about shame and being down on yourself, so it’s no wonder when I find myself here, I eventually decide to just take a break from it all.
THE PROBLEM IS I don’t, after the break, return to Tier 1. I pick up where I left off, which is bouncing between Tier 2 and Tier 3. This means that a commanding portion of my decision-making is not actually spent making the decision itself, but rather deciding how to make the decision I’m having trouble making.
It’s natural and normal and annoying and all in all, I’m going to try to avoid this by making more ~orange decisions~ this year. Or ~more decisions orangely~? I dunno. I’ll try ‘em both out and see how they feel.
If any of this resonated with you, a) I’m sorry, and b) I hope this reframing might be helpful to both/all of us!
And now…
Recommendations! Best of 2023
Thought I’d do a little something different for the end of the year. I went through all of the recommendations on 2023 Sternal Journals and compiled a list of every rec that made me say, “Oh yeah, that one!” From there, I categorizes and culled so that you would have to sift through no more than 5 recs for each category.
These are weighted towards things you might not have heard of (e.g. I loved Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS, but so did much of the world), things I might not have talked about as much (e.g. no Jack Harlow even though I loved his output this year), and things that were not rec’d as recently (e.g. no Pete and Bas, though I love them).
For the most part, I kept the original write-up, so some references to time (“I saw this last weekend” or whatever) may be outdated, but should not make a big difference!
**In each section, I’ve bolded one that I think is most off-the-beaten path in case you don’t want to read the whole list, but would like a sampler platter!
TELEVISION
Fleishman Is In Trouble. Loved it. Gut punches galore.
American Born Chinese. Charming, funny, great fight scenes, and an all around good time. More light-hearted martial arts shows with thoughtful messages, please!
Pressure Cooker. Television Show. Top Chef meets Survivor/Big Brother. That is all this is. That is all it needs to be.
Top Boy. I finished the two seasons (or serieses, to borrow the British parlance) of the original 2011 version (it was rebooted by Netflix, haven't seen those) and it was great. For a gritty crime drama, it made me think a lot about how challenging it is to be a parent and a child.
The Dinner Party (Frasier episode). Television Episode. I forgot how much I fucking love this show. If you’ve ever thought about diving back into the Crane-iverse, this borderline slapstick farce is a great place to start.
MOVIES
Theater Camp. If you don’t want to see Barbie or Oppenheimer (or already have), SEE THIS MOVIE. IT IS SO FUNNY. I ALSO CRIED. I LOVED IT. I WOULD WATCH IT AGAIN IMMEDIATELY. It even warmed me up to Jimmy Tatro.
Turn Every Page. I really loved this documentary about historian Robert Caro and his editor Robert Gottlieb who has edited him for 50 years. If you like writing or history or octogenarians still at the top of their games, you will love it. There’s a 3 minute bit on semicolons that is stupendous.
Ambulance. A friend I have been trying to get to watch this Michael Bay movie for a long time finally watched it and I was reminded how great it was.
Women Talking. Maybe my favorite movie of the year. Incredibly gut-wrenching and heavy sexual assault trigger warning, but beautiful and gentle and thrilling.
Babylon. I’ve heard a lot of people say they loved the first two hours of this and hated the last hour. I enjoyed the whole thing. it’s a blast.
MUSIC
Bless the Telephone. Song. This 1971 song by Labi Siffre, neither of whom (song nor singer) I had heard of until this week, is so good. I think it’s my new favorite song. It came on a Spotify radio rec from The Beatles’ Blackbird when I had just pulled into my garage and didn’t have the energy or will to do anything else, so I just reclined and sat there in the dark for a few minutes. It was exactly what I needed.
She’s A 10 But… (Remix). Felt incredibly blessed that my guilty pleasure Yung Gravy hopped on this very catchy hit by ARTAN.
The Writing of Fragments of Time. Song… ish. One of my good friends and old roommates is/was a musician. Whenever he had songwriting sessions with other musicians, I thought “this is so much more fun than any other kind of writing because you get to listen to the thing you’re making it while you’re making it.” I have talked to enough songwriters since then who have assured me that sometimes they love it, but sometimes it really fuckin’ sucks even if you have a jam going along with it. So what I’ve realized is that it is actually the most fun version of writing to be around. This interesting little bonus of a Daft Punk song featuring Todd Edwards fully emulated that experience for me. 8 minute listen, hard recommend.
Mazel Tron. Song. I discovered BLP Kosher on TikTok and love him even though I’m not sure if I should. This song with Baby Tron is my favorite.
Cut Off Both My Hands. Song. The biggest worry I had this year going into Fringe was that my tech person would not pass the vibe check, as when you’re a one-person operation putting on a show ten nights in a row, the only other person who has to experience every second of it with you is that person. I was blessed with Chell, who passed with flying colors and is an amazing artist in their own rite. This song from Chell’s band, Chell and the Vetos (“Scottish eclectic emo and garage pop,” per the band’s description), is a rager of a bop and perfect for when you need a teacher or boss or friend or partner or other authority figure to get their nose out of your damn business.
ARTICLES/ESSAYS/BOOKS
A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again. Essay. This David Foster Wallace essay about going on a cruise is a banger. You can find it in the essay collection of the same name.
How Much Netflix Can the World Absorb? Article. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m finding this profile of Netflix’s new Chief Content Officer Bella Bajaria a real hoot. It’s well written and, considering how big of a role Netflix plays in so many of our lives, it’s fascinating and education to peek under the hood.
Four Thousand Weeks. Book. I’ve recommended this book here before, but I just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it’s a little dramatic to say a book is life-changing, but it has caused me to stop and reassess my micro-priorities multiple times a day, in what I think is trending towards healthy.
The Tyranny of the Tale. Article. This is a very necessary read for anyone who has ever believed in or relied on or deferred to the power of storytelling.
Notes from Prince Harry’s Ghostwriter. Article. The name of this New Yorker piece is a little overly sensationalized in my opinion. It’s part meditation on truth in storytelling and part poppy behind-the-scenes look at ghostwriting as an industry. But it does talk about Prince Harry. If you like writing or reading, I think it’s worth checking out.
FOOD AND DRINK AND LEISURE
Chizzaburger. Pizza. After Carousel Bar and a few other developments, I stumbled into Crescent City Pizza with a couple compatriots. One slice that was offered was just titled "Chizzaburger” (or as we pronounced it “CHEET-za-BUR-ger”). It was in fact a slice of pizza with exactly the flavor profile of a fast food burger. It had the burger, the cheese, the onions, but most importantly it had ketchup and mustard in the sauce. It was incredible.
Power Plant Triple IPA. Beer. At 11%, this is a dangerous beer but it is very delicious. I will one day write more about my absolute disgust at the stranglehold that Hazy IPAs still have on the IPA market, but this entry from El Segundo fights back, reminding you what a real IPA should taste like.
Flash Book Clubbing. Activity. After watching Joy Ride, I went with my friend Chris to Barnes & Noble on a lark. We thought about each getting a copy of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, but then found a much cheaper, poppier book that we promised to read one chapter a day of. We went straight to a bar and read the book side-by-side, with sassy comments and fun chuckles and beers. This was a great idea. I cannot recommend it enough.
PODCASTS
Prep-Pilled with Articles of Interest’s Avery Trufelman. Podcast Episode. I’ve heard about this podcast, Throwing Fits, as some sort of embodiment of the Guys-Who-Are-Into-Jonah-Hill-As-A-Fashion-Icon movement, and that’s sort of what it is. It describes itself as “Two grown dirtbags just tryna navigate the male zeitgeist.” They are EXCELLENT foils to the creme de la creme of podcasting Avery Trufelman and she’s there to play ball. If you like podcasts or fashion or Japan or millennial irony, this is for you.
“Wait, should I not be drinking airplane coffee?” Podcast episode. If you’ve ever wondered that, this episode of Search Engine (Reply All PJ’s new podcast 😬) gives a great answer.
Revisionist History, Hard Fork, Search Engine, and Articles of Interest. Podcast Equinox. I have heard tell of the “sports equinox,” a day when all four major professional American sports leagues have games. I know nothing about that, but feel that we are in a bit of a Podcast Equinox right now as Malcolm Gladwell and Avery Trufelman are putting out their respective occasional podcasts at the same time that P.J. Vogt has restarted his and the Hard Fork guys have continued chugging along (although that’s a fairly recent pod as well).
COMEDY
I’m An Entertainer. Netflix Special. This Wanda Sykes stand-up special also made me laugh a lot. Highly recommend at least watching through the “mosquito man” story. Definitely gonna be one of my favorite specials of the year.
The Lost Hanz and Franz Movie. Podcast. This is also in the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend feed, but it’s a separate and amazing project where Conan, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, and Robert Smigel read through the feature length version of the beloved sketch “Hanz and Franz,” of which I own a t-shirt-turned-tank-top that I bought at the 30 Rockefeller Center got shop while on a band trip to NYC in 8th grade (shout out NBMS!). There is so much joy and fun and silliness in this and it’s my new favorite thing.
Roadhouse Bar. Sketch. SNL was off to a comforting start this week, and while people will likely talk about “I’m Just Pete” and “Princes of Comedy” (which gets an honorable mention from me) and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, this sketch was insane and bare bones and everything a last sketch of the night should be. I have a feeling it’ll be more fun upon rewatch. (One more honorably mention goes to the Bowen Yang in the Star Trek “I used to work here” parody).
Nate Bargatze Monologue. Stand-Up. My favorite SNL monologue in many years from one of my favorite comedians. A very fun ten minute watch!
Grayson Moorhead Securities. Sketch. I stumbled upon this mid 90s Jim Downey SNL sketch on YouTube and it has made me laugh every time I watch it. Beautiful slow burn.
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
This is a section I thought I’d include because sometimes people like to hear what recommendations I have for learning more about the housing crisis. Some podcasts, some writing.
The Fond Du Lac Apartment Mystery. Podcast Episode. In this episode of the podcast Search Engine, host PJ Vogt explores the paradoxical hoops of the Housing Choice Voucher Program (better known as Section 8 vouchers) through the experience of one person trying to navigate the system, and also how the system got so broken, and how it could be better. Great engaging but fairly entry level listening for anyone interested in the housing crisis.
The ‘Georgists’ Are Out There, and They Want to Tax Your Land. Article. Look, I never thought I would be the guy recommending New York Times articles about esoteric tax concepts that might create more housing, but here we are. It’s a fairly snappy read for what it is.
“I run an L.A. homeless services organization. But I can’t afford to live in L.A. anymore.” Op-Ed. I’ve never met Nathan Sheets, but staff at his organization The Center are some of the most helpful and effective people I’ve met in homeless services within LA. And now, as Sheets, states in this op-ed, he’s having to leave behind the organization he helms because he can’t afford to live here. It’s a gut punchy and necessary reminder that the housing crisis affects everyone, regardless of housed status. Worth a read!
The System That Failed Jordan Neely. Article. Details, in a very current way, the system of organizations and people trying to help the homeless in New York, and how it falls short. Not in a “and here’s how to fix it” way which would be disingenuous, but in a “this is how non-comprehensive the system is” way which I think most people should better understand if they can.
Alrighty, I will share fresh recs next week, but please watch Blue Eye Samurai! Thank you for another great year of the Sternal Journal and I look forward to whatever this year brings us (hopefully with some swifter-than-average decisions)!
Love!
Julian!
Here is where I normally say that you can become a paid subscriber to the Sternal Journal if you have a lot of extra money lying around and want to do that. But this week, I just want to say thank you to everyone for reading, paid and unpaid. The Sternal Journal is now 5 years old (almost 4 years of uninterrupted (occasionally late) weekly issues). That is very cool. So just wanted to say: paid or unpaid, weekly reader or very occasional, thank you! I would absolutely not be doing this if people didn’t keep wanting it, and I am glad that I get to keep doing it.