THE MOJAVE TERRAVAN. Despite 2024’s shortcomings, it will forever be the year I bought a van and started building it out, all to ultimately head out and spend part of my life on the road. The van has been a consistent source of delight since I bought it at the end of March, and while I’m incredibly behind the self-imposed schedule I set for myself before I’d even found a van, building it out has been one of my greatest adventures.
QUINCE ULTRA-SOFT HIGH-RISE LEGGINGS. I finally gave in to Quince’s incessant ads, and that’s how I fell in love with their leggings. They’re thin and soft, and provide just a tiny bit of compression without making you feel like you’re being pinched. (They will snag though, so don’t sit on a wire brush like some idiot (me) I know.)
MAINE. I spent six days with two friends scampering along the coast of Maine. It wasn’t my first visit, but it did confirm that Maine is a beautiful place with some of the nicest people in the nation.
HYSTERICAL. This seven-episode podcast looks into a group of high school girls in New York who fall mysteriously ill with random outbursts and spasms, some of them violent. The question is, was it all in their heads or was it a real ailment?
PAINTER’S TAPE. As I’ve cleaned up the van, cut holes in it, installed the floor, made templates, framed it out and built my electrical system, this stuff became the stand-out star. And not that green bullshit, I mean the blue goodness from Scotch.
STONE IPA. I don’t know how it happened, but in 2024, my go-to IPA changed to the Stone IPA. It’s a perfect West Coast-style brew and, if I want to go out on an extremely thin branch of technicality, it’s a local beer, brewed right here in Richmond, Virginia.
BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll. Hands-down one of the best things I read in 2024. I passed this book around my friend circle and it was a consistent hit.
BITTY. She’s a monster, but she’s my monster.
DEWALT POWER TOOLS. After 15+ years in a 100-year-old house, I’ve managed to amass a pretty solid tool collection. When I started the van build, there were only a few things I needed to get, and, because my very first Big Girl tool (other than my ex-husband), was a Dewalt drill, I stayed consistent. In 2024, I added a router, and a jigsaw to my collection, both from Dewalt.
THE EASTERN SIERRA. In celebration of my 40th birthday, I went to a few of my favorite places out west. The only new place I went was to the Alabama Hills, nestled right along the eastern edge of the Sierra Mountains.
AT-HOME VET SERVICES. I had hoped 2024 would give my community a break from pet loss, but it didn’t. To be clear, the goodbyes are a thing I hated about 2024. Pet loss is a wrecking ball that strikes unlike any other. Through the loss of Sadie, I found an incredible vet who makes house calls when it’s time to say goodbye, and as devasting as it all is, I’m thankful it’s a thing. We should all be lucky enough to cross in our homes, held in loving arms.
OYSTERS. I spent 40+ years of my life deriding all seafood and then, inexplicitly, managed to become obsessed with oysters.
HILDA. This one time in 2024, there were some dogs at my wine bar available for adoption and so I, and my similarly dog-minded friend, Rachael, went to see the dogs, and, along the way there, suggested my other friend, Samantha, meet us there and then – true story – she adopted one of those dogs. Her name is Hilda, she’s a noodle and I love her very much.
TRUE DETECTIVE, SEASON 4. I’ve been a fan of True Detective since the start, but this season – this woman-forward, masterpiece of a season – is the best.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK. I love this place always and forever, but 2024’s visit was extra special because I saw Lake Manly. It’s not a constant presence at the park, it only forms occasionally in Badwater Basin – the lowest point on the continent – after heavy rainfall. It was weird to see it like that, but also, incredible. (& I made a friend!)
THE LAST PODCAST ON THE LEFT. Way back in my early podcast listening days, I found My Favorite Murder, which led me to The Last Podcast on the Left. As a lover of true crime, I was delighted with their deep dives and ridiculous commentary, but then, they went exclusive with Spotify and as a girlie who doesn’t listen to podcasts on Spotify, they were lost to me. In 2024, I found them again, back on a normal podcast app where they belong. It’s an unusual podcast for me to love because it is mostly men yelling things, and truly, I am very tired of men yelling, but they are funny and factual and those are things I appreciate.
CLAUDE THE DOG. This dog is an anxious baby and his anxiety reached a point that I couldn’t manage in 2024. So I called in the professionals. I got Claude a veterinary behaviorist, a prescription for doggie Prozac and a fear-free trainer who he sees every other week. It’s a lot of work – and money – but it’s worth it. He’s still a reactive dog, but he’s slowly building confidence and learning different ways to handle his anxiety and I’m so proud of the work we did in 2024.
BEAUCOUP. The people behind my favorite restaurant and the wine bar where I spend all my time and money opened an oyster bar in 2024. This might have something to do with my surge of oyster consumption.
FINCH. As an Oregon Trail Millennial, I’m probably not within the target demographic for this app, but I love it. Basically, you have a pet – a finch – and you care for it by completing tasks that relate to your well-being, things like brushing your teeth or taking out the trash or sweeping a room or, sometimes, just getting the fuck out of bed. It’s cute and precious and I love it unabashedly.
ABSOLUTELY FILTHY VODKA MARTINIS. In my life, I’ve aspired to certain things. I once wanted to be a runner, so I ran until I stopped hating running. Similarly, I wanted to be a martini drinker, so I ordered martinis until I found the one that spoke to my soul. It is a very dirty vodka martini, Tito’s if you have it, thanks. 😘
CIVIL WAR. I saw a handful of movies on the Big Screen in 2024, including a few classics like Practical Magic and The Craft, but the most impactful new release I saw was Civil War.
HOUSE SOCKS. If I had the option, I’d be barefoot always, but that’s not how real life works. I live in an old house with hardwood floors and tend to wear thick socks in the winter to avoid frozen toes, but this also means I am almost always about one step away from slipping or sliding to my doom. House socks, with their little grippy bottoms, solve this problem.
THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah. After more than 20 years in the military, I can say, with some authority, that the stories of women who serve, especially historically, are seldom told. This book fixes some of that.
EDGAR POE. This cat celebrated his third birthday in 2024, and he’s still a precious chaos baby. He is the sweetest, most wild thing I’ve ever let into my home and he has taught me the real joys of cat ownership.
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