November 2019

This November felt unusual in so many ways, not least because it was gloriously warm out— the warmest November in Istanbul in 40 years. I realize the ominous implications this has about the way our planet is warming up, but I still enjoyed soaking in that luscious sunshine.

Best Of The Month

I know I just mentioned the warm weather, but seriously! It made the whole month feel completely different. I was still out on my terrace at night and attending garden dinner parties in mid-November.

The only time I left the Istanbul’s warm embrace was during the three days I went to visit a friend in Berlin; the weather in Berlin was atrocious of course, but it was worth it to spend time with my friend and see some of the exhibitions commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

At the end of the month, I flew all the way to California and spent Thanksgiving with my lovely family. We were also all together in May for my cousin’s wedding and, as usual, we spent most of the time laughing.

Worst Of The Month

Even the best months have difficult stretches, and this one was no exception. One of the sad occurrences was that my friend Philipp left Istanbul for Shanghai— it never gets easy to watch friends go.

What I’m Loving

Reads: I started reading We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates before I left Istanbul; I haven’t finished it yet, but the last few essays are ones I read when they were published in The Atlantic a few years ago. He’s a terrific writer, and each essay is prefaced by a shorter essay reflecting on the piece that follows, written for this book.

Music: I’ve been listening to a mix my friend Gabby sent to me, including the songs “Funeral Singers” and “Just Dancing” by Sylvan Esso, both of which I love. Here’s a playlist of a few songs I enjoyed this month:

Film/TV: After a few months of watching very little, I watched a lot this month— mostly thanks to my 13+ hour flight and being home with my family. I spent my flight rewatching The Matrix (which is still SO GOOD) and The Incredibles (also a delight), along with The Incredibles 2. Maybe Pixar movies are the perfect airplane distraction.

I also finally watched both seasons of Fleabag after it had been recommended to me many times in the summer. I was lukewarm on the first season but the second is spectacular, and I recommend powering through the first season’s six episodes just to watch the second.

Podcasts: I listened to MANY podcasts this month, but my favorite by far was The Missing Cryptoqueen, a bingeworthy recommendation from my friend Bradley. Over about eight episodes, it follows the creator of a cryptocurrency scam, who disappeared in 2017— and who, perhaps, is still alive, having absconded with billions of dollars. It’s utterly fascinating.

I started listening to a new podcast called Cautionary Tales, which tells true stories of hubris and failure as though they are campfire yarns. I’m not always into that kind of production, but the way the host uses each story to examine psychology and economic theory is ridiculously interesting.

I’ve loved the NPR podcast Throughline recently, and their episode about the siege of Mecca was particularly gripping. I had heard of the event but didn’t really know much about it, and it’s something we should all know about— the consequences still ripple out today.

I also listened to a two-part episode of Planet Money from 2017 called “When India’s Cash Disappeared”, about the very controversial demonetization that occurred in India in November 2016.

Interesting story: I was actually in India that November, and the demonetization announcement happened with no warning on the night of November 8, 2016— while simultaneously, half a world away, the 2016 presidential election was just beginning in the US. I was at a Halloween/election party with my friends in Bangalore, chatting about the election, when suddenly all my Indian friends were glued to their phones, in shock about the demonetization. The next morning, all the money I’d withdrawn the day before was no longer legal currency and Donald Trump had been elected president. I also started vomiting that day and was sick for weeks, which is probably why I didn’t even mention this crazy demonetization story in my monthly round-up back then. I lived through that weird, gutting day, but I didn’t know how the demonetization came about, so this podcast was incredibly educational and made me realize how many weird things I was present for in 2016.

Also, if you aren’t listening to Dolly Parton’s America yet, get on it!!

The Film Files

Back in August, a friend of a friend who I’d met when she visited Istanbul sent me a message: she found a box of old badly stored film and didn’t know what to do with it, so asked if she could send it to me. I said yes, obviously, and found the box waiting for me at my parents’ house when I got home this month. What a treat! It contained dozens of rolls of expired film and four cameras, including a couple of Holgas. I am so grateful for all of it, and really look forward to shooting with it soon.

Ephemera

I took time this month to go back to sketchbook class and also to work on sketching at home in my free time, which has been a terrific addition to my life.

Upcoming

Mid-month I’ll go to LA to see my sister, and then at the end of the month I head back to Istanbul. And next year, who knows!