Armageddon
A group of oil drillers travel to space to save the world from an asteroid – and they succeed because, ‘Merica.
The tears will come when: Grace and Harry say goodbye.
The Blind Side
A well off family from Tennessee take a boy into their home – and Sandra Bullock is the mom.
Tears will come when: Michael says he’s never had a bed before.
Dead Poets Society
A private school teacher inspires a group of young men…and then he is fired.
Tears will come when: Neil kills himself and then again when Keaton leaves and the students stand on their desks. (It’s even sadder now after Robin.)
Thomas and the bees.
Steel Magnolias
A small town. A beauty salon. And the death of a young mother.
Tears will come when: Sally Field after the funeral yelling “I want to hit somebody until they feel as bad as I do.”
Remember the Titans
A high school gets desegregated and Denzel Washington brings bunch of football players together.
Tear will flow when: Julius goes to see Gerry in the hospital and tells the nurse that they’re brothers.
Life is Beautiful
A father and son are taken to a concentration camp during WWII. The father makes a game out of the experience so his son didn’t understand the terrors of where they actually were.
Tears will flow when: They take Guido away to kill him…and he is still pretending with his kid that the whole thing is a game.
Bambi
A little fawn loses his mom to a hunter and his dad is like – well, I guess I should tell you I’m your dad now.
Tears will fall when: Bambi’s mother gets shot and little optimistic Bambi is like “We made it! We made it mother!” and you know she’s dead.
Hardball
To pay off a gambling debt, Keanu Reeves starts coaching an inner-city baseball team and every one of the players has a harder life than him.
Tears will flow when: G Baby gets shot.
Land Before Time
Children dinosaurs travel without adults to the Great Valley.
Tears will fall when: Littlefoot’s mom dies and as she is dying he is like ‘Why would I need to know the way if you’re going to take me?
The Notebook
Noah is telling Allie the story of how they met at the old folks home where they live. She doesn’t know that it’s their story because she has Alzheimer’s.
Tears will come when: Old Allie remembers Noah…and then forgets and freaks out and the orderlies have to come in and sedate her.
Why? Because, it was the All-Star Comedy Issue guest-edited by Judd Apatow. (Also, because someone tweeted a photo of the 2003 Young Hollywood issue, which I also own and it reminded me that I am a hoarder, keeping magazines that are so old half of the people on that cover are in rehab or retired, and I should really read them.)
When I was sorting through my hoarding pile and saw the comedy issue – I was thrilled. Lately I have been thinking about comedy. What it was before we lived in the daily chaos that is President Trump? It’s hasn’t even been a year – but I was beginning to forget.
I wanted to go back and remember. The good old days of odd improv characters and dick jokes. This issue would surely help with my need to look back to a time when people still saw the future as bright.
I also saw it and thought, “Why the hell is Megan Fox on the cover of this issue?” I had to investigate. Did Megan Fox have a comedy run that I was unaware of? No. Turns out she was in Apatow’s then upcoming movie This is 40 with Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (both on the cover, but funny comedic actors). Also on the cover, Melissa McCarthy, who is hilarious. Fun fact, none of the articles in this issue are about or mention any of these four people.
I start reading – comedy before President Trump, this will be swell. First up, the Editor’s Letter by Graydon Carter. A solid Editor’s Letter…until the last quarter:
If there is an omission in this issue, it is the fact that no mention has been made of the man behind one of the great comic creations of our day. Long before masters of invention such as Andy Kaufman and Pat Paulsen, this fellow created a persona so original it almost defies description. And for more than four decades, he has stayed in character. He devised a look involving hair and wardrobe that would have been the envy of Emmett Kelly. His parody reality show is as fresh and funny as The Colbert Report. His lunatic tweets are masterful. I particularly loved the flurry of faux outrage he popped off on Election Night. “This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!” Hilarious. Then there are his constant public appearances, with the yelling and the short-finger-pointing and the crude bluster. He just never breaks character. I’ve heard that he lives quite modestly in a classic six off Lexington in the East 70s, but that’s just rumor. The fact is, nobody knows who he is. What I do know is that he has stayed in character for so long, and with such dedication, that many people in America still believe that his fake persona, Donald Trump, is a real person. To whoever the dedicated professional under that confection of wispy, tangerine hair really is, this issue is for you.
I did end up reading the rest of the issue, but I could have stopped there. Comedy before President Trump was really just comedians, entertainers and the media alike, making Trump their comedic side-show. A pest we all laughed at. A person we encouraged by saying, “Oh please, run for president – WE WANT TO BE ENTERTAINED.”
Thanks for the reminder Vanity Fair, thank you very much.
]]>Thank God for Martha.
We went and saw his set on the Sunday of Folk Fest and I have been obsessed ever since. Wikipedia level obsessed (WLO). You know, when you are so into a musician’s music you move into needing to know about their previous employment, favourite sandwich and if that song was about a cat or a dead childhood girlfriend. Don’t know? Well, it’s a thing.
I will tell you, there is not a lot out there. And I respect that. I did find out that he wrote songs that are sung by Tim McGraw and Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum (who I once encountered on the street and I got so excited I shoved him in the chest and made him take a selfie with me).
As my mid-summer gift to you, as what my brilliant co-writer Martha gave to me…here are my favourite Donovan Woods songs, for your enjoyment.
Portland, Maine (also sung by Tim McGraw)
What They Mean
All Mine (NEW)
The First Time
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Donovan Woods – Put On, Cologne
Sun, July 30, 3:15 pm – 4:05 pm Stage 6 (TD)
Langhorne Slim – Say Yes
Sat, July 29, 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm Stage 1 (Festival Hall)
Basia Bulat – La La Lie
Fri, July 28, 8:30 pm – 9:45 pm Mainstage
Dawes – Things Happen
Thu, July 27, 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm Mainstage
Leif Vollebekk – Elegy
Thu, July 27, 5:45 pm – 6:35 pm Stage 4 (National)
Foy Vance – Homebird
Sun, July 30, 7:40 pm – 8:35 pm Mainstage
Okay, so that’s not what their analysis said, but that is my interpretation of the results.
Elite Singles looked at a general date (something after the first coffee/drink introduction) that included:
They averaged the prices across Canada to give them an average date night cost of $115.**
First of all, what kind of gross wine are they getting for that price? Arbor Mist? I am hoping they are going somewhere during half price bottle of wine hour or that’s an unfortunate date.
Still, $115 is pretty steep. Especially if you are not really into the person. Or, if you don’t know if you’re into the person. OR, even if you are into the person and you are just not into throwing out over $100 to eat semi-okay food, drink shitty wine and then see a movie that you’ll probably end up hating because you went the ‘safe’ route and picked the blockbuster movie that ends up being worse than a Netflix original movie starring Adam Sandler. Even if that cab ride does only have one stop – it’s potentially not worth it.
So, across the country the average crap wine date was $115. Below are the top 10 most expensive places in Canada to have this date.*** Basically, good luck finding a man in Hamilton.
* “Oh my God Jes, I resent the fact that you think men should pay for dates. I AM A SUCCESSFUL, FINANCIALLY STABLE, INDEPENDENT WOMAAAAAN! We could also split the bill. I am perfectly fine with that.” I am sure you are a fully capable women – able to pay for yourself and open your own doors. However, not all men know that and not all women feel that way – thus, men stay home because they don’t really want to chance the $115 cheque if you are a firm believer in the man’s duty to pay.
** We don’t know if this includes a tip. And if it does, how much of a tip? And do tips vary in different parts of the country – for example in places where minimum wage is higher, do people tip less? Was this a factor? Does this include only tips for the restaurant service, or for taxi too? Also, are they getting popcorn at this movie? I know they just ate – but I feel like popcorn is mandatory and then that makes me believe that this cost is really incorrect and should be reflective of a date at Denny’s.
*** This date is boring. I hate that this is the typical date. Basic AF.
]]>The play is about two old men George St. Geegland (Mulaney) and Gil Faizon (Kroll) who are starring in a play about two old men George Reddington (St. Geeland) and Gil Stone (Faizon) who have been roommates for 40 years are in a rent controlled apartment in New York City. George St. Geeland is an author and wife killer and Gil Faizon’s character (Stone) is an actor who likes to have sex with racoons. Stone and Reddington have a talk show called Too Much Tuna which makes almost as much sense as the overview I have just given this play..
That sounds fun, right? I can’t really explain it (clearly, I have no idea how to explain it) other than to say that it is an hour and a half of straight laughs and I guarantee you won’t pick up on all the jokes the first time you watch it.
One of the running jokes was Gil and George’s love for the band Steely Dan. They assume everyone is familiar with them, but no one is. They talk about the band like it is as popular as Beyonce and no further explanation is needed (that is clearly the joke, which is alluded to at the end of the show).
If you have seen John’s comedy before, you will know that it is often laced with pop, and other, culture references and nods to random pieces of entertainment. In this piece specifically, there were a lot of mentions of playwrights and plays. If you ended the show thinking, “I wonder how many culture references and notable people they talked about throughout the performance?” I’ve got your back. There are 82-ish instances of names or names of things within pop culture that were used in the play. I may have missed some. I blame Gil’s weird accent.
And now, onto the list to prove the number:
Theatre is the hot new thing right now. There’s Hamilton – and no other examples. – George
He’s a real Aziz Im-sorry. Gil
We are the recipients of an 1997 restraining order. Keeping us 100 feet at all times away from America’s greatest actor, Mr. Alan Alda. – George
I look like if Steven Spielberg hadn’t made any money. – Gil
I’ve had a tet-a-tet of sorts with fellow actor Richard Dreyfuss. He of course got the lead in Jaws and I have locked jaw from all the cocaine I’ve done. – Gil
I am Raven-Symoné level upset that you did not get that job. – George
That is so Raven of you to say. – Gil
It’s Sam Shepard play called True West. – Gil
The big M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end. – George
Famously at the revival of True West you’d see John C Reilly and …sorry, Phil Sey Hoffman. I’m sorry. – Gil
It’s hard, because we get choked up on cue at the same point every show. – George
Which is mainly because we wanted to make Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death about us. You know. – Gil
Liza Minnelli mounted her iconic Liza with a Z on this very stage directed by the great Bob Fosse. – Gil
So many great playwrights. Tennessee Williams and his sister Serena. – George
They were rivals, but they loved each other. – Gil
You see I blame the father. – George
He pushed them too hard! – Together
They have everything…the cast of Newsies huddled over a flaming garbage can. – George
Steel Magnolias. First a play and then a movie and then back as a play. The Broadway equivalent of moving back in with your parents. – Gil
August Wilson, the acclaimed African American playwright. I could name so many titles of his plays, but I’m gonna walk over here now. – George
This is the trapped door from the set of the Diary of Anne Frank. Not to be confused with the diary of Anne Hathaway which we stole out of her purse at the Gotham awards. – Gil
It’s the Pillowman from Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. – Gil
An in honor of Jean-Paul Sartre‘s classic play, No Exit, we have installed a no exit sign. Which the City of New York informs us is a massive fire hazard. – George
Tony award winning play mounted here at the Lyceum theater, I am My Own Wife. – Gil
This is the original stoop from the Cosby Show. Which we got for like nothin. – Gil
They paid us to take it. – George
They’re like, “This things got bad juju, get it off our hands.” – Gil
Perhaps you didn’t have time before the show to eat at Guy Fieri‘s great American garbage fire. Eat food in the theatre. – Gil
When you open your cab door into a city biker it’s a silent protest against Mayor de Blasio. – Gil
That’s a protected settlement. – George
Then I’m Netanyahu baby!- Gil
His hair is like the JonBenét Ramsey case, The more you look into it the more questions you have. – George
The honking of the horn, that’s like Miles baby. – Gil (Miles Davis.)
Mark and Judy like Stomp. – Gil
You know I like Stomp. George
I love Stomp, they bang everything. – Gil.
You have got to go see Stomp on tour. It’s the same. – George
This line hangs there in the air like Lenny Kravitz’s very nice, very full, penis. You remember when his pants split and it fell out. There’s a video of it, this was like 15 months ago. We here at Oh Hello feel this did not get enough attention at the time. – George
What is that song? – George
It’s gotta be Steely Dan right? – Gil
Oh it’s a billion percent Steely Dan. – George
Walter Becker from Steely Dan playing his guitar like he’s in a band at the end of a Lunesta commercial. – George
Donald Fagen on the keys looking like if Ray Charles played the keys on an organ at a reformed synagogue. – Gil
Did you know the name Steely Dan originated as a dildo in a William Burroughs novel? – Gil
Of course I know that, you and I know a lot about Steely Dan. – George
Unfortunately we are only interested in young adult puff pieces now like Twilight or The Corrections. – George
I’m a sophomore at the Chauncy School for Misfits. It’s just me and a nun and a young Robert Durst. – George
It was an LSD bicycle cult, now known as Soul Cycle. – Gil
Millions of people watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. I’ll never forget where I was, on a sounds stage in Queen helping to fake the moon landing. – George
We do not have the rights to Bill Joel’s Moving Out. – Geroge
Do Mike Jackson. Do king pop. – George
I want to hang a baby over a balcony. – Gil
Welcome Steve Martin! – Together
Trump is doing a remake, it’s called No Amigos. – Steve
Do you do Uber? – George to Steve
What has just descended from this prop that we stole from Angels in America. – Gil
It’s Chris Christie’s gunt. – Gil
There’s no Disney theatre. Disney is just a man in California trying to freeze himself so he can outlive the Jews. – George
New York City Mayor Ed Koch rules New York with a limp fist. – George
The Iron Curtain crumbled so that many years later Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump can ride shirtless on horseback over the charred remains of humanity. – Gil
O.J. Simpson breaks his 45 year no killing streak. O.J. Simpson kills those two people so hard they stop making the Ford Bronco. – George
Rudy Giuliani rules New York with his gestapo like tactics. – Gil
My version of the Colour Purple was good. – Gil
Our version of Bye Bye Birdie sponsored by Grinder called Bi Bi Curious. – Geroge
…Terri Schiavo musical called you snooze you lose. – Gil
She is becoming a Yoko between us. A racoon Yoko – a Rococco. George
Look at the audience getting all turned on like they’re at a regional production of Chicago. – George
Like when Mia Farrow had that evil child. – George
Soon Yi? – Gil
Yes. – George
I saw too many productions of Spiderman where the guy died, I’m not doing it. – Gil
George and Gil are now legitimately dizzy, so we take a knee. – Gil
And then a bridge pose, and then a Martha Graham, and then we lay down. – George
Will you go to every pizza place in New York and bring me every sun faded headshot of Danny Aiello? – Geroge
Will you got to the Magnolia bakery as featured on the Sex and the City walking tour and just open fire? – Gil
We’re gonna be on the cover of Wired magazine because anyone can be. – George
…played by Broadway legend Matthew Broderick. – George
Intermissions ruin the flow of the show. Would you stop the Super Bowl halfway through to do a bunch of bullshit? – George
There are like seven ahead of you…Bobby Cannavale, Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Nathan Lane, Griffin Dunne. – George
I looked out in the crowd and thought Dr. Ruth was dating Bill Clinton. – Gil
The band 311 called me and said I can’t fuck raccoons anymore. – Gil
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At long last the time has come – a female-led superhero movie.* Wonder Woman came out this weekend and it was the best DC has done in years. It looks like they finally have a chance to rival the Marvel universe.
The release was a great day for Wonder Women fans. A man sitting next to me in the theatre said he had been waiting 20 years for this to come out – “Green Lantern before Wonder Woman? Some things in the world make no sense!” He was a big fan. There were also little girls dressed up like the hero strutting into the theatre ready to do business.
This wasn’t the first time Gal Godat’s Wonder Woman was on screen. She made her first appearance in Batman vs. Superman. THIS was her origin story. We all know that Batman fell into a cave and Superman came to earth from Krypton, and now we know that Wonder Woman is…you know, a f’ing fearless bad-ass with a big heart…oh, and she’s a god.
“Of course she’s fearless, she’s a god.” That’s what you’re thinking right? Let’s discuss.
Diana doesn’t know she is a god until the end of the movie. When she decides to run into No Man’s Land to save that village, she thinks she is just a regular Amazon fighter. The best, but still mortal. She did watch her friends and family get killed on the Themyscira beach not long before so she knows a bullet should kill her. Antiope (Robin Wright) was the best of the Amazons and she was killed. (Side note: Robin Wright is amazing in this movie. Love her.)
So, when she takes a run into No Man’s Land she thinks she could die, but still goes. Even though all the men said no. Hero.
I went into this hoping for the best and expecting the worst (DC does not have a great track record recently – emo heroes with dark story-lines). I wanted a movie that would inspire girls, but expected one that would be slightly damaging.
Most female ‘heroes’ end up being bad-ass in an emotionally void, very unfeminine way. I was concerned that the only way to make her seem legit would be to make her seem heartless, like characters we see over and over again. Female characters who are compassionate, empathetic and motherly are generally seen as weak. Disagree? How many times have you seen a film where the female’s decision based on empathy ends up screwing over the cause and setting the team back in the process? Many. Emotion and heart didn’t play well to the female heroine.
Until now.
Diana was all of that and more. She was the most compassionate. The most empathetic. The most protective. The most determined. The most And in the end, the most heroic.
I’m just hoping this new, more inspiring, way to portray a superhero carries into the other films. I don’t want Ben Affleck’s emo Batman bringing Diana down. We will see, Justice League will be released in November.
*Catwoman doesn’t count…we don’t speak of Catwoman.
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Five minutes into Beauty and the Beast I wanted to throw myself through the IMAX screen. Emma Watson was auto-tunned – TRAVESTY. I struggled the rest of the movie to try and ignore the fact that her voice had been tampered with to no avail, but the movie was still FAN-TAS-TIC. I swear to God. And you know, if I am able to get over an auto-tunned musical, it must have been five stars.
Here are my favourite parts of the remake of one of the best Disney movies of all time.
The Dress
I was so nervous for the dress. We all saw the butterfly extravaganza they planted on Cinderella in her live version movie. I say extravaganza, but I really mean monstrosity. It looked like a cheap costume dress made for a five year old. Belle’s yellow dress – not gross at all!
Be Our Guest
AS MAGICAL AS YOU COULD IMAGINE. I cried.
Mr. Potts
The one thing that always confused me about the cartoon was the ending…who were all those people at the dance? Did the townspeople remember the castle after the spell was broken? Once the spell is broken in this one, the townspeople remember. Mrs. Potts has a Mr. Potts from the town! Cogsworth also has a woman that he is not to interested into returning to. Are you surprised? She was one of the most crazed townspeople that had you cringing through The Mob Song (kill the Beast) like, “…this is what an angry/fear driven people at a Trump rally look like. I am terrified for America’s future.”
Belle and the Beast’s backstories
Do you ever wonder why all of the Disney characters are orphans? Well sometimes we don’t know why. I was very pleased that we found out that Belle’s mom died from the plague and that the Beast’s mom died and then his dad turned him into a little jerk. I was somewhat concerned that Belle brought back that plastic flower that was last held by a woman dying of the plague though – poor form.
Servants owning up to their role
I always felt bad for the servants that were turned into furniture. THEY DID NOTHING WRONG – is what I thought as a child. It was revealed in this time that the servants knew that they played a part in letting the Beast turn into a giant dick. They did nothing to stop his behaviour or teach him how not to be a awful human. So, that was a nice clarification.
The Beast’s Solo – Evermore
I think I cried at this point too. Thinking…thinking…yes, definitely cried. This was one of the new songs introduced in this movie and I loved it. I am thoroughly surprised that I liked Dan Stevens’ (actor who played Beast) version better than Josh Groban’s which also appears on the soundtrack. It was rougher than the Grobes. I liked it.
Death of the Furniture
I was not expecting to see all the furniture die. THAT WAS A LITTLE MUCH. We all knew that they were going to magically turn human in a few moments, but the goodbyes were so SAD. So I hated that part, but simultaneously loved it.
Emma Watson as Belle
As soon as you say Emma Watsonis playing Belle, I think “Yes, yes. Absolutely. No one else.” Literally, she is the only one. Auto-tunned aside (huge fail), she was amazing as the feisty weird bookworm.
Most of my memorable parts were things that weren’t in the original, but all of original scenes were wonderful as well. I love this movie. Even though Emma Watson was auto-tunned and wearing shoes that looked like Toms for most of the movie (almost as distracting as the auto-tunning).
Verdict: 4.5 Stars
]]>Canadians plan trips to Disneyland for their families every year. They will spend a week in a hotel near or on the park and hit all of the rides and shows over a lengthy period of time. As an adult without children, the chances that you will plan a trip to California solely to go to Disneyland for 3 days is unlikely.
So, the question then becomes, how to have the most effective one day Disneyland adventure? For all of the 20 and 30 somethings that have no kids and don’t need to make a multi-day trip out to Anaheim – here are some tips on doing Disneyland in ONE DAY.
Go in the Winter.
Winter being a strong term, because Anaheim rarely goes below 15 degrees, but our southern neighbours are less likely to be out in urban nature when there is a chance of sweater weather and a side of rain.
Take your trip during the value days – a Monday at the end of January may be best. It costs less to enter, which is a plus, AND there are less people because 1. January isn’t a prime family vacation month and 2. It’s not a weekend.
Going during a down time is the best advice you’ll receive for your one day venture. There will be people, but your chances of having to endure any uncomfortable crowds will be low.
Plan your day before you go.
You know what is helpful? Having a clear plan about the rides you want to go on, the order and when all of the daily events are taking place. You will be able to utilize your Fast Passes and hit all of the specials in record time (And if you choose to watch a parade – getting a good spot before the masses).
Bring food and water.
Spend your time waiting in lines for rides, not food. Speaking of lines, you never know when you’re going to be standing in a ride line that says it is 20 minutes and then it ends up being an hour. You also never know when you will go from hungry to hangry while you wait – so it’s a good idea to always have some snacks on your person to keep the angry in check.
Take an Uber/Lyft/Etc.
Parking can be a nightmare just about anywhere you go, and at Disneyland it is no different. An Uber can drop you off right at the gate and pick you up there too.
Skip the parades.
They are definitely magical, but if you only have one day – take a pass. Parades are the best time to go on the rides is when the parades or fireworks are going. If you’re extra irritable with the crowds – this would be the best option.
If you didn’t receive a Christmas letter this year, read mine.* May it brighten your holiday and inspire you to do your own for 2017.
Dear friends,
This year, my vacuum stopped sucking – literally. You could hear its spinning hum, but instead of sucking the dirt in, it sprayed it everywhere. THE WORST.
I figured out my vacuum had a deficiency the day after my birthday party. My apartment floor was covered in chips, bits of cork (from a bottle of wine that I am certain was opened with steak knife and an ice pick) and hundreds of obnoxious little pieces of confetti that screamed my new age – 30! 30! 30! 30! 30! 30!
You’re probably thinking, “Only animals don’t know how to properly uncork a bottle of wine! Who throws chips all over the floor?! …how are you 30? You look 25.“
Agreed, on all counts.
So – dirty floor, broken vacuum. What to do? 29 year old me would have chucked the old vacuum in the dumpster, and then – instead of purchasing a new essential appliance – used masking tape to pick up all of the junk off the floor.
I’m not gonna lie, I did ponder that option. I mean, I had only been 30 for one day…but I opted to go the more adult route. I was going to figure out what was wrong with the vacuum.
I busted out my pink toolkit and took apart the head of the vacuum…thinking that was where the problem was. Incorrect. Then, I took apart the back. Still nothing. So, I did what any intelligent person at the end of their fix-it rope would do – I FaceTimed my dad.
After looking at the pieces I had taken apart he told me to open the front of the vacuum. Hum, I thought that was a vanity area of the vacuum – a part that had no purpose. Having never opened the front of the vacuum before, I didn’t know what to expect.
Now, I know. That is where the bag was…the bag that was bursting at the seams with years of dirt. The vacuum had finally grown tired of the fact that I was neglecting replacing the bag and revolted.
Simple solution. New bag.
I know what you’re thinking, “That’s a very embarrassing story to tell in your Christmas letter. You’re an idiot.”
Am I? I would say my first foray into real-life adulting wasn’t perfect, but at least I didn’t get rid of a perfectly good vacuum. #winning
Besides that initial speed bump and my dad realizing that I really shouldn’t live alone, I think I’ve adapted the life of a grown-up fairly well.
This year, to transition from being a ‘young, wild and free, 20-something’ to a ‘time to start thinking about freezing your eggs, 30-whatever’, I did the following:
It was a pretty exciting/fascinating/devastating/joyous/funny/lesson filled year. Similar to most, but this year I was 30 – thus looking at it through a whole new lens of wisdom and maturity.
All jokes aside, 2016 was a year of hard lessons for many people. I hope when your vacuum broke, you didn’t throw it in the dumpster. I hope you took a good look at it, tried to fix it and didn’t feel like a total fool when the solution staring you right in the face the whole time. Sometimes, taking the long way around gives us the best learnings – and best stories for our Christmas letters.
Merry Christmas all, and a very very happy 2017!
Much love,
Jes
*This is an adapted version of the original letter.
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