9 Things That Got Me Through 2024
Oh lord, it's a listicle.
I parted ways with full-time journalism two years ago this month. And yet, the siren song of the listicle (ugh the f*ing listicle) still calls to me.
Perhaps because the form — be it gift guides, best-of lists, things-to-do roundups — remains so alive and so well on Mariah Carey’s internet. Perhaps because I’m an utter megalomaniac. Perhaps because, welp, I’ve got to write about *something* in this newsletter.
The truth is, I’ve seen so many year-end listicles, including some that quite graciously included “The Mango Tree,” that I can’t stop thinking about what I would include on my own. So, here you go.
This isn’t quite a gift guide or a best-of list. Think of it more like 9 Things That Got Me Through 2024 — in listicle format, of course.
1. Shoes for unwieldy feet: Elan sneakers by Gola
I have big feet. Awkwardly big. Unnaturally big. They are big and they are wide, and it is horribly difficult to find shoes — especially sneakers (especially-especially those cool, casual sneakers everyone seems to be wearing right now) — that fit said feet comfortably without looking like astronaut boots. And then, in September, my big ole feet stumbled across Golas.
I hear you asking: Aren’t these just Adidas?
NO!
Everyone has Adidas.
I would have Adidas too, but they look like water skis on me, and they pinch my toes :(
These are Golas.
This British shoe company has been around for more than a century and, according to Wikipedia, the band Oasis is fans of theirs, so they must be alright. My Golas are of the Elan variety in black with white stripes and gum bottoms. They’re low profile with a thin sole that doesn’t add heft to a larger-sized foot. And there’s something about the design, the cut of the toe, the placement of the stripes, that makes big feet look smaller, normaler — better! — in them. These are so good, I’m in the market for more. Maybe this mango-orange pair will be next.
2. Nice Guys
A curious thing has happened in recent years. In Fort Myers, Florida — two hours north of the thriving nightlife of Miami; two hours south of the thriving-ish nightlife of Tampa — a $20 cocktail has become … normal. These drinks aren’t made with rare whiskeys or gold-flecked vodkas. They’re. Just. Cocktails. And they cost TWENTY U.S. DOLLARS.
This new normal makes me all the more grateful for Nice Guys.
At this 11-year-old Cape Coral bar and pizza joint (that also makes its own kimchi, offers a hearty vegan menu, and occasionally fries up a pig ear), cocktails start at $12 and rarely top $15. But these Aren’t. Just. Cocktails. They’re Graham-cracker washed bourbon with house-made marshmallows (the S’more What?, $13), and they’re herbal génépy with gin, pomegranate, absinthe and bubbles (the Hallmark Movie Plot Structure, $12). And that’s just the holiday specials menu.
3. The Red Lid
Sometimes called a “spill stopper” or “no spill” pot cover, in our house, we just call this thing The Red Lid. And we use it daily for any dish that calls for boiling water or stock. The Red Lid lets you start the pot and walk away. Your pot will not boil over or make a mess. It’s also great for making rice (I am the rare Asian who does not have a rice cooker — because I have a Red Lid).
4. Sunglass Fix replacement sunglass lenses
I can’t leave my house without sunglasses (god bless you, Florida). I used to buy cheapies and constantly lose them, but I eventually learned that if I spent a bit more, I’d be more conscientious with them. I’ve had my current pair for almost two years. The pair before, I had for more than a decade.
The problem with holding on to sunglasses for so long is that, if you’re like me, throwing them into purses and totes all day, occasionally dropping them on asphalt, sometimes wearing them in sandy saltwater, then the lenses get scratched to shit. I used to think that meant “time for new sunglasses,” but really all it means is, “time to order replacement lenses on Sunglass Fix.”
This is so stupidly easy, I love it. Just type in the brand and style of your glasses (there’s usually a style number printed on one arm), order your replacements, and they’ll send you a video on how to install them. Spoiler: It’s often just “pop out the old lenses, pop in the new ones.” My Ray-Bans cost ~ $120 new. The replacement lenses are $35. Year three, here we go.
5. Salt Tiger
There are things that get me through life in a practical sense, and then there is the Salt Tiger from Diaspora Co. Home to an amazing Chai Masala and some of the best South Asian spice blends out there, Diaspora started as a spice company but is becoming something of a lifestyle brand offering brilliant totes, elegant mugs and dish towels bursting with color. Unfortunately, the Salt Tiger (a ceramic tiger that holds salt in its mouth and, duh, has a spoon for a tongue) is currently sold out. I ordered mine way back in the spring when it went on pre-order, and it arrived last month. But you can get on the Diaspora mailing list to monitor its return and check out the dozens of other delights this Asian-owned small business offers.
6. Fiskars Pro PowerArc Shears
Few things have made me happier than keeping a good pair of scissors in every room. I use them to cut up band-aids and face pads in the bathroom. To chop bacon and open those extra-thick chip bags in the kitchen (two separate pairs). For crafts and kid projects in their bedrooms.
But these bad girls, the Fiskars Pro PowerArcs, are my new favorite. I got them to trim rug pads, but I keep them in the garage and use them for EVERYTHING. Breaking down boxes: Get the Fiskars. Opening those dumb-dumb clamshell packages: Fiskars! Bags of dog food, cutting old T-shirts into rags, Christmas-tree pruning: Fiskars, Fiskars, Fiskars.
7 & 8.
910 Lambrusco & Love You Bunches wines
I am madly in love with fizzy and chillable reds. Fall in Florida — when temperatures finally “dip” into the 80s — is made for 910 Lambrusco from Lini. Not at all sweet and endlessly bubbly, this isn’t your grandma’s Lambrusco. It’s a “crisp, dry Lambrusco with bright red berry flavors and a snap of minerality.” I love it with pizza, a hearty bean stew, or spaghetti and meatballs. You can find it, of all places, at the World Market here in Fort Myers. Unless I buy the rest myself. Which, I might.
Love You Bunches sangiovese from Stolpman Vineyards is another chilled red that I can’t get enough of. A “carbonic sangiovese” (read more about that fascinating process here), this wine is lightly effervescent and deliciously nuanced. As the Stolpman folks put it: “Bright red raspberry, red currant, rhubarb, and violet. Refreshing to the max but bone dry with just a kiss of fine tannin. … Serve cold!” You can try this wine at Bicyclette Cookshop in North Naples, where they serve it properly chilled. Or find it online.
9. “The Mango Tree”
To be clear, none of the above brands asked me (let alone paid me!) to write about them or their products. These are, quite honestly, just eight things I love. So please allow me to shamelessly plug this book of mine, which I also very much love, one more time this year :)
Today (!!), I have the honor of appearing on the Live Inspired podcast with the inimitable John O’Leary. Funny enough, one of my best college friends was also named John O’Leary. Today’s John O’Leary has led an incredibly fascinating life, and has interviewed the likes of Brené Brown, Martin Luther King III, Bob Costas, Kwame Alexander, Bethenny Frankel, Jackie Joyner-Kersee — and the list goes on. I am honored to be part of this project and thrilled that John read my book so closely and connected with it so deeply. You can find my episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.
In pinch-me-please news, “The Mango Tree” was named one of “50 notable works of nonfiction” by The Washington Post. It also made NPR’s “Books We Love” list for 2024.
And a reminder that “The Mango Tree” is a finalist for The Southern Book Prize for nonfiction, which is something you can vote for! Here’s the ballot, it only takes a minute, tell all your friends!
If you’re searching for the perfect holiday gift, you will *soon* be able to find signed copies of “The Mango Tree” at MacIntosh Books on Sanibel and the soon-to-reopen Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers. Message them or call them for exact dates, or just stay tuned to my Instagram.
I tell everyone who likes memoirs to read your book! My two favorite memoirs this year are yours and Whiskey Tender and I don't think either of you got enough hype!
Nice Guys forever!