link jamz, vol. 9: it's the holiday season

so we're gonna take a little break

Dec 18, 2020

Welcome to Congrats, You Played Yourself, a newsletter about growing up and celebrating all the mistakes made along the way.

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CYPY regular? I’d love your feedback here on a quick lil’ survey on what you’ve liked so far, or maybe hated, or loathed entirely like the Grinch himself.

CYPY Reader Survey!

Over here at CYPY HQ, my new assistant and I have been hard at work developing a few things for y’all, our small but mighty audience of players. If the hardest part is starting, the second hardest part is not forgetting what day of the week it is in order to stay on schedule with posts.

So, along with cooking up a better and more consistent editorial cal for 2021, I’d love to hear from y’all on what you would want to see, and get an idea of what you’ve loved (or not) so far on this lil’ project of mine. I have that link just above my assistant’s photo, or if you have my number, just text me tbh.

Onto our final Link Jamz of 2020!

What I’m reading

The replies in this thread.

The Athletic @TheAthletic

There has been no year in sports like 2020. Over the next few weeks, we'll look back at the biggest moments. To start things off, let's vote on the best and brightest sports moment of the year. 🗳👇

Quarantine Brain: nothing made sense this year, unless you were on the internet, by E Alex Jung.

Still, funny, challenging, inventive work was everywhere, if you knew where to go. The art that spoke to the feeling of 2020 didn’t attempt to look backward or forward; it channeled the hive mind of the internet. Creativity burst into Verzuz battles, Fortnite concerts, Animal Crossing world-building. Virtual reality was a reality freshly poured from someone’s brain onto your screen. The internet became more internet — an ever-thickening soup of private derangements and niche dramas.

We had the vaccine the whole time, by David Wallace-Wells. As we saw the shipment of the first COVID-19 vaccines this week (!!!! huge!), this piece about how the Moderna vaccine was developed in January is wild, to say the least. An interesting behind-the-scenes look at all the hoops vaccines have to jump through and a few thoughts on ones that we could get rid of in the future to make the process quicker.

The grit and glory of Dolly Parton, by Emily Lordi. 2020 has been the year of Dolly: from supporting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to an epic season of Dolly concerts, we aren’t worthy of her Grace, but she gives anyways. If you need more Dolly, give Dolly Parton’s America a listen: it’s an in-depth podcast diving into the story of the woman, the myth, the legend. #dollyforpresident

It Wasn’t the First Time the NYPD Killed Someone in Crisis. For Kawaski Trawick, It Only Took 112 Seconds, by Eric Umansky. Jarring. Horrible. Necessary read.

What I’m watching

Brett S. Vergara @BrettSVergara

Me watching Tayshia land one of the best final 4’s in franchise history #TheBachelorette

In what was actually the most dramatic season(s?) yet, The Bachelorette is finally approaching the safe harbor of its season finale with Tayshia at the helm of the ship, and for the first time, I’m not genuinely worried about the season lead ending up with someone who is a certified psycho, influencer with an agenda, or even just a jerk. You done good, Tayshia.

buzzfeed

A post shared by BuzzFeed (@buzzfeed)

CRYing at this guy who does impressions of characters saying pop-culture phrases. My favorites, to no one’s surprise, are the Harry Potter ones.

What I’m listening to

Oh, I like that, a podcast done by Rachel Wilkerson Miller and Sally Tamarkin. One reviewer said “this podcast feels like a nice hug from a friend” and in this desert of intimacy that is 2020, I felt that.