June Scribbles
TAYLOR SWIFT. Summer foods. The perfect denim shorts.
If you’ve talked to me since last Friday, what you’ve heard about is the Eras Tour. In my defense, I have none. I have no filter. Seeing Taylor Swift perform almost two decades of music in what the Minneapolis newspaper called “the most fan-fulfilling concert of all time,” is everything I’ve ever wanted in my life.
Taylor and I go way back, you see. All the way back to her debut album. I remember listening to “Tim McGraw” in the car. I was in my freshman year of college era. I remember the radio edit dubbing in the local radio station for the last verse: “I hope you think my favorite song/Someday you'll turn K102 on/I hope it takes you back to that place.” I loved it. There had been a few female artists who had cycled through country radio with a hit or two but they were more or less one hit wonders, never to be heard from again. I remember hoping that wouldn’t happen to Taylor. I wanted her to stick around.
Fearless and Speak Now blur together a bit for me. I remember the hits—“White Horse” and “Fifteen” and “Mean.” I was in my early 20s era. “Love Story” played at our wedding just like it did at every other wedding in 2010. I remember dancing around the kitchen to “Mine,” the lines “we’ve got bills to pay/we’ve got nothing figured out” hitting particularly hard for this young newlywed.
Then Red came along. Talk about an era. It was the first of her albums that I listened to front to back. It’s still one of my top three.
When 1989 hit, I was in my new mom era. I remember putting the music videos for “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space” on my laptop for Caden and Brooklyn. I would prop my laptop just out of their reach on the couch. They would watch, mesmerized, shaking their little diapered butts to the beat. I still danced around the kitchen, but now I stepped around twin 10-month-olds.
Reputation lost me. Or, I was lost myself. Those twins were now three and I also had a one-year-old. I was drowning in toddlers. It’s the one time Taylor missed me. An album full of fame and anger and drama…was so not my life.
Lover turned it around. I was back and all-in on all things Taylor. It was bright and bouncy and full of glitter gel pen vibes. I was in my young mom era. It was good. We listened to that album on repeat. There’s a video somewhere of Caden and Brooklyn dancing to “Lover,” as baby 5-year-olds. All of us danced around the kitchen to “Paper Rings” and “Death By A Thousand Cuts” and “You Need to Calm Down” and, yes, even “ME!”
We know what 2020 brought. What we didn’t know was what Taylor had up her sleeve. (She tried to warn us: that “not a lot going on at the moment” tweet did have Swifties suspicious.) folklore found us in the summer. But then—surprise of surprises—evermore was gifted to us as an early Christmas present. It was our pandemic era and Taylor helped us all through it all. They—sister albums—were my pandemic soundtrack. I wasn’t one of the top 1% of Taylor Swift listeners on Spotify for nothing.
Midnights came around last fall. I stayed up until 11 (jealous of the 9 pm West Coasties but glad not to have to stay up until actual midnight) to listen. I sat in my living room, alone, in the dark, with colored pencils and a coloring page of a cat. (You’re welcome, Taylor.) When the chorus to “Anti-Hero came on—”It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me”—I actually burst out laughing in my living room by myself and blurted, “She said it!” Talk about relatable. I devoured TikToks and texted with friends, dissecting her work, delighting in all of it.
To be able to attend her concert, (no easy feat, I might add), was the culmination of 17 years of listening and relating to her work. The Eras Tour is a unique moment in time: how many artists have almost two decades of music under their belt? How many artists have walked me (us) through dating to breakups to marriage to motherhood and more? Her eras were in many ways my eras, despite the vast differences in our lives. I’ve even come around to Reputation now, here, in this era of my life.
Also: her concert was sheer, unadulterated FUN. I don’t know the last time I’ve had this much fun in my life. An entire stadium of 60,000+ people dancing around and screaming the lyrics to their all-time favorite songs? Songs that have walked us through these different seasons eras of our lives? To get dressed up and bejewel ourselves and walk around trading friendship bracelets?
Time of my life. It was The Actual Best.
Around the Internet
Samantha Irby is hit-or-miss for me, but heck if I didn’t love this raw, honest, thoughtful interview.
Buzzfeed used AI to generate a Barbie Dreamhouse for every state and it’s a delight.
This TikTok hit the nail of Taylor Swift fandom right on the head.
Speaking of TikTok, I have been absolutely cackling over OOH Buddy’s videos lately.
Eating
Like last month, I don’t have much to add here in the form of real, live, actual, recipes. Summer is just not that time for me. Evenings are too busy (thanks, baseball) and it’s too dang hot for most concrete recipes. Instead, I present to you: The Foods I’m Stocking This Summer (a la The Lazy Genius).
Individual bags of chips. aka sides for virtually anything.
Freezies and popsicles.
Cheese and crackers.
Tortilla chips/salsa/queso.
Lemonade.
Frozen waffles and/or these breakfast sandwiches for easy breakfasts on the days we have to be up and out the door for summer camps.
Ingredients for BLTs.
Fun Things
These denim shorts really are perfect. I am PICKY about my denim shorts, and these ones aren’t too short or tight. Note: I can wear three different sizes of denim at Madewell depending on the cut and style, and I wear my smallest size in these.
I just re-ordered this Vitamin C serum for the umpteenth time, so I figured it’s worth mentioning here. Use it in the AM followed by Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost.
For the kids: combine this slip and slide with these reusable water balloons. Let the summer fun commence. (I swear someone turned me on to the water balloons via their newsletter, but I can’t remember who. Whoever it was, thank you!)
I loved reading about your Taylor Swift experience!!! I never got super into her so reading about your fandom experience was absolutely delightful!
Lived vicariously through you ladies who got to attend the concert! I loved your break down of each album and where you were in life with each one. I was 22 years old when 22 hit the radio and it was nothing short of a religious experience.