spring awakening
Happiness is a butterfly, A Man Is Not His Song
welcome back to a collection of nostalgic things, a seasonal collaborative offering from the minds behind things i collected and Sad Girl Nostalgia. for Taurus season and the remainder of spring, we’re inviting you to lean into the themes of revival and wellness. we begin with a card reading, invite you to stay for the snack suggestions, and round it out with a poem inspired by albums that remind us of springtime.
card pulls
Shanté: Pyrite (aka “fool’s gold”)
Lauren: Page of Pentacles
decks used:
together, these two cards relate to material blessings as they represent alignment and optimism towards manifesting your desired reality. coupled with the energy of the recent Taurus new moon, this message invites auspicious and grounded new beginnings into your energy field. you do have to put in the work to make things happen, so enhance your skill set and leverage your talents to achieve all that you dream of. trust your gut and believe in your own power to make change.
seasonal snacks
Lauren’s mocktail: “Everything’s Gone Green” (adapted from Crowded Kitchen)
ingredients: 1 large cucumber (peeled and diced), 2 TBSP water, 3 oz. seltzer water, 2 oz. of elderflower syrup (I used Monin), 1 oz. lime juice
Add the cucumber and water to a blender and blend well.
Strain the cucumber through a fine mesh strainer and discard the pulp.
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add the cucumber juice, elderflower syrup, and lime juice. Shake.
Fill your choice of glass with the mocktail and top with the seltzer water. Garnish with pretty edible flowers. Enjoy!
Lauren’s snack rec: green goddess dip with crudité (I would omit the feta cheese, but you do you!)
Shanté’s recs: a bowl of sliced Cara Cara oranges and yellow bell peppers with a Root Beer-flavored adaptogenic mushroom elixir by GT’s on the side. the Cola flavor is good too!
8 albums to recenter the mind, body, and spirit
for this edition of a collection of nostalgic things, we took turns picking albums that fit our seasonal theme. together, we made a playlist and built an exquisite corpse-style poem composed of song titles — it was a surprise even to us until the last song was added.
Lauren’s picks:
Kacey Musgraves — Deeper Well
The quintessential spring album, it’s fresh, grounding, and ideal for going back to nature.
Washed Out — Life of Leisure EP
A perfect spring-to-summer album that awakens the senses.
Slowdive — everything is alive
Shoegaze from the original shoegaze pioneers, this album makes me feel so relaxed and renewed.
Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell!
A gentle mix of fun and playful songs with heavy-hitting ballads, this is my favorite LDR album.
Shante’s picks:
La Luz — It’s Alive
i’ve been listening to La Luz to prepare for their upcoming album release on 5/24, and this particular record remains one of my favorites. heady surf rock coupled with the most gentle 60’s girl group-inspired harmonies? yes please! i’m also having fond memories of their live show that i attended many moons ago. it still ranks highly for me, and i’ve been to A LOT of shows.
Saya Gray — QWERTY II
every song on QWERTY II is multiple songs in one, leading you on quite a visceral listening journey. it’s energetic, theatrical, existential, heartbreaking, and triumphant all at once. i’ll talk much more about this project when i write about my favorites of 2024 so far, but here are some standout moments that constantly replay in my mind:
on “! EDIBLE THONG,” Gray mentions smoking blue lotus to teach her what she needs to know. i’ve also gained quite a bit of insight from sitting with blue lotus these past couple of months.
“PIVOT!” is a directive that i will heed in this season (as heard on “RRRate my KAWAII CAKE.”)
“2 2 BOOTLEG” is one of the best songs i’ve ever heard. “! MAVIS BEACON” is close behind.
Badge Époque Ensemble — Clouds of Joy
listening to this feels like the official arrival of spring, when everything is buzzing with life after the stillness of winter. the movement and chatter between tracks reminds me of being backstage while preparing for a group performance. the energy and camaraderie that’s built between you and all the other performers hovers heavily in the air. once you hit the stage, it permeates throughout the audience. this album inspires and impacts me in the exact same way.
Feist — Pleasure
i spent a lot of time with this album during the earliest part of the 2020 lockdowns. it led me on some introspective moments, reflecting on pleasure (obviously), but also pain, heartbreak, sensuality, and everything in between. i tell anybody who will listen that Leslie Feist is one of my favorite songwriters. her pen is poignant and passionate. at times, she’s even playful. her harmonies haunt you in the most beautiful way.
exquisite corpse poem
You’ll See It, It’s Alive!
Anime Eyes RRRate MY KAWAII CAKE.
chained to a cloud, Conspiring with Nature.
Happiness is a butterfly, A Man Is Not His Song.