The days after Halloween in early November are a weird, melancholy time for me.
The rush and celebrations of October are over. People are already pushing the Christmas overkill ahead of Thanksgiving and the peaceful time to enjoy fall that is supposed to be November.
I love Christmas, and I like Thanksgiving, but when you’re a parent with responsibilities, you want a break from that pressure that has nothing at all to do with any fall or winter holiday. You just want some distraction and downtime from the duties.
For me, at least, downtime can lead to over-focusing and worry about the tragedy of world events, political bickering, my kids’ future, my own lost opportunities of the past, and even that creepy sense of “memento mori.” Yikes, I know.
When you are a chronic overthinker, you want some things to look forward to that don’t require worry or responsibilities. Fortunately, there are at least three things I can enjoy now or look forward to in the next couple of months that have absolutely nothing to do with holidays, politics, or parenting pressures. And I’m sharing them with you all!
The Beatles Released a New Song!
Yes, the actual Beatles legacy has a new song to enjoy, “Now and Then.” There are good things and bad things about the use of AI, but being able to help bring the Beatles’ last track to life after several decades is certainly a good use. The two living members of The Beatles, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, have some great stories on how they used AI to help clean up and create this track, isolate vocals, and make it ready for the world.
It was cool enough to hear a new Rolling Stones song recently, when “Anger” was released, but I didn’t expect The Beatles to come through as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJAQoSCwuA
We Can Watch a New Studio Ghibli on the Big Screen!
For the first time in about 10 years, we can see a new Studio Ghibli feature release at the movies, when The Boy and the Heron hits theatres nationwide on December 8. This is creator Hayao Miyazaki’s 12th feature, and it looks absolutely beautiful. The story’s protagonist, Mahito, is a 12-year-old who has lost his mother and is moving to a new village. He learns from a talking heron she is still alive… and a magical search begins. I know this one will be another heartbreaker, and I’m going to love it.
Like other Ghibli features, the English-language voice cast is pretty extensive, ranging from Christian Bale to Karen Fukuhara to Mark Hamill, but the animation and story will be the main stars.
Even better, Studio Ghibli also announced Miyazaki’s “retirement” is once again on hold. It was originally thought this would be his final film, but that doesn’t seem the case now. He is still coming to work and thinking up new ideas for the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5khm-VjEu4
And, lastly, because “it’s the little things” that make life fun:
Enhypen Will Perform at the Macy’s Parade!
Okay, technically the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a holiday thing, but really, giving K-Pop group Enhypen more mainstream love should be a year-round venture. This is an incredibly talented group of guys who might not yet be as well known as the likes of other generations of the genre like BTS, Stray Kids, or BlackPink… but we love them here at the Tate House. There’s a whole adventure that concerns me dropping my youngest’s Enhypen “hot” beverage mug, but that’s another story.
Anyway, they will perform their new song “Keep Swimmin’ Through” — -to be featured in the animated feature Baby Shark’s Big Movie — -on the PinkFong Baby Shark float. They will portray a group of K-Pop belugas in the Nickelodeon movie coming out in December. This is great timing for the group because their latest mini-album, Orange Blood, comes out on November 17.
Fun fact: the first K-Pop group to perform at the Macy’s Parade was boy group NCT 127 in 2019, followed by girl group Aespa in 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w335ATOf0fs
The world keeps turning, the holidays keep coming (and going), and the responsibilities just keep piling up. If you want to stay sane, withdraw from them and find some fun in your favorite music or movies.
Then, get back to it because time waits for no one.
