The Chariot
Catching up and Cleaning up shop.
*For the first time, I tried doing a voice over for this post! I stumble sometimes- apparently saying “Warlord” is hard for me?? But thought it’d be fun to try it out.*
Hurray News:
My Austin City Limits airdate is next Saturday 1/11/2025. Keep updated here.
Our tour with Bright Eyes starts Feb 26th (My birthday!) in Fayetteville Arkansas, get your tickets here.
Dear Reader,
I’ve had some really delicious time off. For the most part I’ve been huddled under covers reading up a storm. So far I’ve torn through
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
All Fours by Miranda July
A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg
& now I’m almost done with Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.
I’ve been taking long walks in the cold bright sunlight that happens in the city, grateful to experience a true Winter. I’ve been drawn to anything that makes me laugh, watching old RHONY reruns in the Bezerkshires, feeling tender with myself about how I relate to the speed of the world. I’ve been writing a lot, which has been hard, and sometimes feels like I am coming home to myself.
For the holidays I needed a project to keep myself above water. I’ve had to keep busy somehow and not drown in nostalgia and the tidal waves of grief that seem to come with no warning at all.
So in the name of utter luxury I decided to roast a whole duck. I’ve never identified as a good cook, though food is my reason for living (!) So this was taking on a big responsibility in my eyes, it would take preparation, which is not something I’m particularly fond of. I prefer to just kinda “wing” things (Apologies for this pun). I swore to myself however, that this time would be different. I would prepare! I would read recipes and follow instructions!
So I got to the farmers market on time and picked out a whole frozen bird, headed back home and began the process of defrosting for 2 days. Completing these tasks alone felt like I had finally done something right in my goddamn life. Things were happening, I couldn’t just say fuck it and waste this precious animal. I was committed to this! Next up came the brining for 24 hours, which is about when I started to text my most trusted chef friends pictures, questions and boring updates about “The Duck”. Everyone was very patient with me, as this had obviously become the new focal point of my life.
The recipes I got sent were all pointing towards great news- it’s actually hard to fuck up a duck, there’s so much fatty goodness that it’s difficult to overcook. So finally on Christmas Eve I took the plunge, placed it on a roasting pan, the oven on 400 degrees, which I brought down to 375 after the first hour. I checked in regularly between watching holiday movies for 3-4 hours, carefully scooping up the fat and collecting it for later use. By the time I pulled it out, the skin was crispy and brown, the vegetables I placed in the tray below bubbling in fat were golden. It was perfect. I did it. It felt like a big deal, somehow.. I survived Christmas. I was sure to text updates to all I had roped into my madness. I ate a big meal watching Pee Wee’s Christmas Special, which is just insane so you might wanna watch that now and not wait til next winter. (CHER! GRACE JONES! OPRAH! JOAN RIVERS!)
For New Years I went out to dinner at Warlord in Chicago, which was both very Metal and divine. I love how dark it is there, with only candle light and giant flames popping from the chef station. I make it a point to eat raw oysters to start off the year, as it feels energetically important for me.
After that I headed to a house party, which was lovely and felt just right. I spoke to a friend from Miami about how much we miss Walter Mercado assigning a color of underwear for each Zodiac sign to wear on NYE. I would abide his instructions for good luck. Now I don’t know what color to wear..I did however listen to my Aunt and placed a glass of ice by each door in my apartment, dumping out the water on New Year’s Day. As for our mystic prince Walter, I think I’m going to revisit the documentary about him.
Now in the spirit of our fresh chapter, let’s clean up shop here at Resist Psychic Death. I’ve been doing this for some months now and have dialed in what I enjoy offering here.
For the price of a fancy coffee, you glorious Foxglove Renegades (paid subscribers) will be getting this each month:
One cover song (I am open to suggestions but not committed to them!)
One playlist curated by me (Going to use sp*tify for this as that’s the streaming service I have- if you would prefer youtube lmk!)
Book, Music, Film recs as well as my weekly musings
Occasional AMA’s :)
For free subscribers, I’ll be writing as usual! I’ll surprise you with a larger AMA maybe, I’ll be touching on what I’m reading, watching and listening to. I’ll always keep you posted on Hurray news, like upcoming tours and events. If there’s anything else particular you would enjoy getting in your inbox just let me know in the comments. Thank you all for your support, I really love it here.
Finally, I pulled some tarot for the new year and was excited to get
The Chariot.
A card that’s resonating with me profoundly right now. Something I’ve learned about this card is it’s as much about belief in yourself as it is about being carried by the great wind of the unknown. I was told by a friend that though the Chariot is drawn by sphinxes, if the driver doubts themself- worries too much and looks back, focusing on the past, these sphinxes will themselves turn around and devour the driver. So off I go into 2025, focused forwards. I’m so proud of you for surviving 2024. Enjoy listening to the playlist included below. Hang in there &
don’t take any shit!!!!!
xo alynda mariposa segarra xo