S-Town

Three episodes into S-Town, I started to believe that the story being narrated was made up - It had to be right? The things I was hearing seemed more in check with a Southern-set thriller than a real town, very recently in Alabama. It took all my strength not to Google what I was hearing until I'd finished the podcast. S-Town is a beautifully-crafted and heartbreaking podcast centered around the enigmatic and 'S-Town' dwelling John B. McLemore. A story that begins with another, slowly melds into a story about the man himself and his life. I felt that S-Town was a listen in humanity - good and bad. I'll say no more but for your own good, give it listen.

Guys We F*****D

First of all, I adore Corrine and Krystna and I want to go on a night out with them so badly. Guys We F****D is an anti-slut shaming podcast and is a refreshingly, open space in which Corrine and Krystna discuss sex, relationships, women, politics and anything else in between. I wish this podcast had been about when I was 16 because I feel I would of learned more about what to expect of sex in one episode than in five years of secondary, sex education. So I advise all young women to give it a listen, it's informative, non-judgemetal and hilarious.

Monocycle with Leandra Medine

I love reading Man Repeller. It's always full of interesting, funny and candid stories and I think it should be a must-read website for any young woman. Man Repeller has a friendly and open tone and doesn't seek to judge the reader, but rather inform and this theme carries over to Monocycle. 
Monocycle tends to be shorter than your average podcast clocking in at around 10 minutes. 
I think of Monocycle as a personal 'pick me up'. The podcast covers many life issues and insecurities that women face. It's a good reminder that you're not on your own when it comes to problems you might be facing. 


Lore

If like me you like to scare yourself for no reason and you've more than likely spent an unplanned evening down a Blair Witch theory black-hole then look no further than Lore. Narrated artfully by host Aaron Mahnke, Lore covers stories in an interesting and smart and each episode specifically a vague title, so you don't know what the main subject matter is until you immerse yourself in the listening experience - Just don't expect to get much sleep if you listen to it in a darkened room. 


Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

I could listen to Alec Baldwin's mellow and dulcet-toned voice all day. I was on a long train journey recently and I spent three-quarters of my time listening to Here's The Thing.
Baldwin evokes interesting and personal conversation with his guests and you have a chance to learn about subjects and people you wouldn't normally cross. I highly recommend a listen to his conversations with The Roots Questlove and Vogue's Grace Coddington.

The six days proceeding Christmas day might just be strangest of the year, I've always felt like this. The limbo you find yourself in after the post-Christmas stupor leading up to New Year. You're not sure if you should still be treating yourself because the fridge is still full of cheese and champagne and you can't decide whether it's a better idea to go to the pub or gym. A legitimate question I asked myself on Wednesday afternoon of this week.
2016. What a year. In a seemingly never ending cycle of negative news and world events, I won't go through the rigmarole of grievances and bad things that have happened this year. I suspect your Twitter and Facebook feed are giving you your fair share. Speaking personally, this year has been good for me on a personal level I would put this down to a mixture of things but to pull out a few choice words personal responsibility, perspective and learning to embrace change come to mind.

When it comes to personal responsibility I have tended in the past to associate it with other people as as well as just myself. In doing this for so long what I've come to realize in the latter half of this year is that this is also tied to my compulsion in certain situations to people-please, something I believe a lot of young women in particular struggle with.
When I sat and thought about it there were so many things that I do and end up repeating adding to that circle of confusion.
I can't tell you the amount of times I've been having a conversation with a someone and I've just wanted to bail because I have no interest in what they're saying but I've refrained because of the fear of being called impolite, staying out until 5.30 in the morning when all I wanted to do was go home hours prior, drinking more than I intended just because I felt I should and then end up ruining the following day with a low mood and for what? The list goes on. 2016 was the year where a lot of things came to catalyst and things have come to change.

I've had the great privilege of being able to spend a chunk of this year in South-East Asia. 2015 was a unsettled year for me which encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone this year and it was the best thing I ever did and I will be eternally grateful for the the life experiences it has given me.
I'll never be able to truly explain and to do justice to what this has given me in terms of seeing the world, educating myself on new places, meeting new people and being open to change. The list goes on (I know, cliché backpacker shit) but it's true.
I've met some wonderful people this year, who I know I would never have met under and other circumstances other than the fact that I put myself out there and tried something different.
It was the year I decided to stop lying to myself and get relative. I realize that I will never be all things to all people, you will never get everyone to like you and that's okay. I think a lot of my actions up until this point have been more to the benefit of others while leaving me confused because of bending over backwards into this person that I wasn't. It just leaves you feeling uncomfortable and anxious. In writing this I have thought about change a lot and I believe that there is no 'end game' per se in terms of the person you become, everything around you will always be moving; big or small the key is to learn how to embrace and go with it.


So as resolutions go I'm not making any, maybe just a few guide posts along the way. I feel positive right now and I don't just say that as a passing feeling. So here we go for the next 365 days, let's ride the wave and see what happens.

Welcome to Life Notes. The first in a series in which Lottie tries to get her shit together and dispense some advice along the way.