Week Thirty-One
new year, new B
Hiiiii!! I’m technically sending this from Day 1 of Tanya and Nicola’s wedding in Thailand!!! Ahhhh!!! But again, you’ll see more on that once I’m home in New York and settled into the week back.
I’m sure you’ve seen everyone on the internet telling you what their “Ins and Outs” of 2026 will be. Coughcopycatscough. Welp, here are mine!!
This is your New Years B List. General Ins and Outs for 2026.
IN:
beach houses
live music (sans the inability to get a ticket)
dying your hair
posting whatever you want whenever you want
witches and witchy behavior
seeing movies in movie theaters
Amy Poehler having a podcast (the only person who should be allowed to have one)
drugs (take this however you want)
live laugh love (it’s 2012 again)
EDM (it’s 2016 again)
dancing
making money
impromptu weekend trips (and booking a nice hotel, no Airbnbs!)
bringing comfy slippers with you when you travel
lottery tickets
OUT:
panic attacks
VC-backed coffee shops and fast casual lunch places
private equity (in general)
dating apps
resolutions (be a grown up and don’t wait for a new year to realize you need to fix something or change)
every movie being a franchise or based on historic IP
for your consideration/promotional campaigns for awards season
veneers
filming other people in public
doing a job because you “love it” or “it’s my dream job” (grow up)
over-planning your life and schedule
living off grid
being financially illiterate
saying you’re “not political”
“staying in” on the weekend
BFFR:
I once again am not going to pick one thing to rant or rave about this week, but instead let you in on a fun activity that I do at the beginning of the new year that maybe you can try this year too! And also please don’t think I forgot or changed my mind, as I wrote during Week Fourteen, I still think that September makes more sense as the beginning of a new year if you’re wanting to reevaluate your goals but whatever I can’t make all of the rules here, so January it is!
Ok onto my new years* ritual.
A few years ago a friend of mine told me to pick a word that would be my “word of the year.” A feeling, action, or thought that I would try to hold onto for the entire year.
Two years ago my word was “playful” — I had been taking everything far too seriously and needed to relax. So why not be a bit more playful!! Silly!! Try to laugh more and just let life take me where it wanted to rather than forcing things. Trust in the universe. It was certainly an interesting year, with a lot of interesting choices made, but hey at least I can say I was definitely super playful!
Last year my word was “creative” — being a lawyer there isn’t always a ton of opportunity for creativity, and working in entertainment I am sooo surrounded by creative people 24/7 — I wanted some in on the action. And lo and behold I am now writing to you from my Substack!! The baby of this desire for creativity in my life. I think I’ve done a good job tackling the word this year and I actually think I’m going to try to continue to be creative throughout my remaining years — why not!
But ok, now for 2026, I’ve decided my word is “brave” — because saying “get a grip” feels like the wrong tone and not exactly what I’m shooting for here. I have always been a bit of a rule follower, a risk-adverse kind of gal if you will. And no, not brave in the sense that I’m about to go sky-diving because that will just actually never happen, but brave in the sense that I can’t keep shutting myself off from opportunities because there could be some possibly poor outcomes. I have to stop game planning everything out in my head and every possible way something can play out to talk myself out of taking a risk or making a decision. It’s not only getting incredibly boring, but it’s definitely keeping me from my true potential in so many ways.
I would say that this Substack should count for part of my brave-quota already, but I know I have a long ways to go.
I need to get back to making myself the center of my attention (yes, says the girl who has created an entire ecosystem with this Substack that is all about her). But in the truest sense of that (not in the selfish sense that people who claim they need to “find themselves” exhibit) I need to back myself a bit more and have more faith in my own opinions, ideas, choices, desires. Trust my gut and stop letting what others may think or how they may (or may not) react dictate my next step.
So, with that, to 2026 and to being brave!! I hope you all had/have the happiest of New Years* and continue to follow along on whatever journey I will be going down this year!!
Xx,
B
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And because I don’t think it’s far you don’t get a Deep Cut for New Years (aka I really just wanted an excuse to share this song) I am leaving you with a song that I will (and likely have) play all day on New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Day by Taylor Swift
There are clearly quite a few meaningful lyrics to me from this song, but “please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere” may be in my top five Taylor Swift lyrics of all time.
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day
You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi
I can tell that it's gonna be a long road
I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe
Or if you strike out and you're crawling home
Hold on to the memories
They will hold on to you
Please don’t ever become a stranger
Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
**disclaimer: I literally cannot be bothered to once again spend days Googling what’s the right way to capitalize “new year” or “new years” and when it needs an apostrophe or doesn’t. I do it every year and every year I forget. So if it’s wrong throughout, idc! Ignore it! tysm <3
