December Checkup
Here’s the tl;dr from Alive and (un)Well this month.
The Front Desk
2024 was a lot of things, but we can mostly sum it up with three simple yet loaded words: What. A. Year.
We’re so grateful that you’ve continued to tune in to our regular hot takes of what it means to be Alive and (un)Well — if you can believe it, this is actually our 59th post since we launched in October! 🤯
No matter if you’re a free or a paid subscriber, we don’t take your presence for granted. Our overstimulating world pulls each of our attention spans in a gazillion, dizzying directions; and health conditions are competitive little things when it comes to rationing our precious energy and time. But you continue to show up, and so do we — and that’s pretty special these days, don’t you think?
Our wish for you in 2025 (probably because we want this for ourselves, too, so we’re #Manifesting) is that you’re able to carve out moments for yourself without external expectations or monumental sacrifice… to just be. 💕 — The BFFs
The Waiting Room
📺 what we’re watching
“Queer Eye” on Netflix — Need I say more? My mom and I watched the recently released ninth season in three days, and I sobbed the whole time. (Except when Antoni fried prosciutto. That was a wild and upsetting choice.) — BFF Skyler
“Say Nothing” on Hulu is an excellent watch, and Netflix’s holiday action romp “Carry-On” was entertaining! — BFF Jess
“Agatha All Along” on Disney+ — After months on my watchlist, I finally saw it. I loved the deeper dive into the witchcraft of the Marvel universe, and Rio's costumes in particular have me sketching out some new cosplays to make in the new year. — BFF Ash
The sixth and final season of “What We Do in the Shadows” on FX/Hulu, based on the film(s) of the same name, came to a close this month. While it’s always sad to see something you’ve watched and loved for years wrap up, the finale — with its alternate endings — was superb. I can’t recommend this show enough — whether you’re a fan of vampires, mockumentaries, Staten Island, or not. — BFF Skyler
“Man On the Inside” on Netflix — I wasn’t exactly sure what I signed up for when I started this sitcom, though I’m not sure I’d bill it as such after watching the whole season. It’s more like a bite-sized and bittersweet drama with comedic undertones. I like Ted Danson, and I usually enjoy shows that have an “oops, I became an undercover cop on accident” vibe, but this one surprised me. It had poignant storylines about end-of-life care, memory disorders, loneliness as a result of aging, and parent-adult child relationships. I’m stoked it got renewed for a second season. — BFF Kat (+1 from BFF Jess)
📚 what we’re reading
Continuing my streak of fantasy novels in the zeitgeist, I read “Fourth Wing” and the sequel “Iron Flame” by Rebecca Yarros this month! Little did I know the third in the series releases in January, so it was perfect timing. There are things I find incredibly frustrating about the romantic storyline, but ultimately there's dragons in these books, so I'm in for the long haul as I just have to know how the sequel's cliffhanger is going to be resolved. — BFF Ash
Rapid-fire book recs from BFF Jess:
“What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma” by Stephanie Foo
“Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)” by Dean Spade
“Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. (I gave this to a loved one for their birthday, and I’ve been picking it up again as we talk about it.)
With a childhood crush on Danny Phantom, which translated to an adult crush on Astarion (and enjoy those femme versions of cosplays I’ve made of both characters), I was recommended “Phantasma.” I’m about halfway through the audiobook and I am really enjoying the darker twist of a story about trials including ghosts and other spooky creatures, hellish trials, magic, and of course, romance. (P.S. there is OCD representation!). — BFF Ash
🎧 what we’re listening to
Forget Brat Summer and Demure Fall, we’re celebrating They Might Be Giants 2024 (OK, more like every year, to be honest). Since 1982, John Flansburgh and John Linnell have been releasing unique banger after unique banger. From political commentary to a sample of the poem “Howl,” and from incredible kids’ music to an iconic cover of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” — you know the one — They Might Be Giants has a song for everything, and those songs stand apart from all other music. If you’re new to TMBG, give the “Birdhouse in Your Soul” music video a try! — BFF Skyler
🎮 what we’re playing
It’s the update you’ve all been waiting for (only slight sarcasm): I finally got the Baldur’s Gate 3 “Jack-of-All-Trades” achievement. I’m honestly more proud of this video game accomplishment than I am of pretty much anything else I have going on right now (which isn’t much, to be fair). Check out my dear Erato below. Dark Urge is next! — BFF Skyler
Shout out to Larian Studios for making this incredible game! Based on Skyler's entry and mine, we could probably rename this section "What's going on in Baldur's Gate 3 this month." With my partner having some much-needed time off, we used that opportunity to start a new playthrough — well, several new ones actually because my partner in particular cannot settle on what he wants to play easily. For one of our runs I'm trying the Dark Urge which encourages you to make objectively evil decisions and GOODNESS am I struggling with it. I planned to lean all in since I've played the good character before, but I've ultimately turned to resisting the literal dark urges because I'm a soft, squishy bean at heart. — BFF Ash
The Exam Room
Missed something from us this month? Here are a few of our faves!
In December, we gave advice on curbing caregiver burnout and keeping up with hobbies on high-symptom days.
Our two most resonating reads of the month were BFF Kat’s deeply personal essay on why she would’ve been a great mother and Skyler’s vulnerable musings on C-PTSD, trauma, and self-identity.
BFF Jess did a deep dive on when you know it’s time to go (back) to therapy as well as a disability-friendly packing list — complete with travel tips — that’s good all year round.
BFF Skyler walked us through 10 things she wished she knew before getting Botox for migraine (two words: loose clothing).
And inspired by the most imaginative BFF of the bunch (just look at these coloring sheets), Ash, we put together 20 ways to jumpstart your creativity when your brain just can’t even.
Same Time Next Month?
Have no fear, we have a top-shelf January planned for you! Get amped for our twists on the usual “new year, new me” articles, including our takes on resolutions, vitamins vs. supplements, why you’ll never make BFF Jess hate Whole30, and an all-new Trackers & Treats for paid subscribers! It’s been real, it’s been fun(?), 2024.