4/9

 

i'm thankful that we got a load of chinese takeout and still have leftovers to eat for lunch today (and maybe tomorrow). i'm thankful for the dish i got, which was soft thick translucent rice noodles soaked in broth mixed with slices of brisket and rolled bundles of tofu skin (which i had never had before but which was such a wonderful textural contrast against the noodles). i'm thankful for dumplings and for fried rice. i'm thankful for crab rangoon and sweet and sour sauce.

 

i'm thankful that things have been going a lot better for d at work lately. i'm thankful for how her discussion of all the things she likes about being a manager and how it makes her feel good, in contrast with my discussion of how as an exercise we have to give feedback to our coworkers and i am finding it really difficult to put myself into a place where i have to provide (even constructive) criticism of the people i work with, helped us better understand our respective roles and goals. i'm thankful that we realized this kind of desire extends out to other layers of our lives, too, like how she likes video games that involve overseeing a team and i like video games where i, as an individual, explore an environment.

 

i'm thankful that at the end of the day on friday, i had an impromptu video call with one of my best friends at work and we talked about various silly things for a half hour and both felt better for it. i'm thankful that i finally fucking finished this project i have been working on forever and which felt like an anchor hanging around my neck. i'm thankful that though it isn't perfect, it's good, and i'm thankful for how freeing it feels to be able to get to try other things.

 

i'm thankful for the video for "proud" by 2 chainz, which is adorable. i'm thankful to have returned to last year's aminé album, which is a nice upbeat weather is warming up album. i'm thankful for the bassline on this song. i'm thankful that we finished our rewatch of last season of the americans last night and watched the first episode of the the new season, which i will not spoil except to say that it is as beautiful and devastating as ever and starts with an amazing montage set to "don't dream it's over." 

 

i'm thankful for the music montages on the americans, which are better than any other show—they use interesting and cool period appropriate songs, the lyrics of the songs always have some kind of poetic resonance with the story, and (most uniquely) the montages always complicate or deepen the narrative or characters rather than just relying on the cheap emotions of the music (as many other shows do). i'm thankful for the darkroom montage from last season (spoilers) and for the finale's use of "goodbye yellow brick road" (also spoilers). i'm thankful for what i wrote about that montage when i first saw it, which is still true:

"i'm thankful for the season finale of the americans, in which this song played over a resonant and affecting musical montage. i'm thankful for how when you first hear a song in this kind of context, when you hear it in the future, outside of the show, it can carry some of the leftover feelings you have about the show into your listening. i'm thankful to have so many leftover feelings about the americans and am thankful to live in a world where it exists."

i'm thankful for leftovers, both in food and feelings.