Phillip Retuta's Blog

The Life and Times of a Filipino-American

Archives for December 2020

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Ghosts, Gangsters, Vampires, and Weed: Favorite TV Shows of 2020.

During this long-ass duration of self-quarantine, I was able to really get acquainted again with television. I simply have a lot of time being home by myself and not seeing anybody, and the hum of the TV makes me feel a little less lonesome. When I’m not inundating myself with CNN and local news, I love drawn-out narratives, making humor at the expense of our grim reality, and spectacular visuals and cinematography. If anything positive can come out of 2020, it’s good TV.

Like my top 2020 albums post, here are my ten favorite shows of 2020 in no particular order. Keep in mind, I haven’t watched The Crown or The Queen’s Gambit yet, and in my opinion, there were better shows than The Boys Season 2, Killing Eve Season 3, or The Undoing. And I’ll try to be as spoiler-free as possible.

Fargo Season 4, FX
I love Noah Hawley’s take on the Coen Brother’s movie. With an all-star cast and a story centering on race, ethnicity, and what it is to be an American, this season of Fargo is so much better than the last. And I love Jessie Buckley’s character of Oraetta Mayflower.

Lovecraft Country, HBO
There was a lot of hype for this show, and it’s well-deserved. The visuals and effects alone are reasons enough to watch each episodic vignette of late-Jim Crow Era Chicago, but the way it subverts HP Lovecraft’s own racism is powerful in itself. Plus, Jurnee Smollett gives a great performance — and she’s a photographer who gets to hang out with ghosts and Shoggoth.

The Mandalorian Season 2, Disney+
I was a little apprehensive to finish season 1, but that’s because I didn’t want to use my friends’ Disney+ account; I didn’t want to feel like a leech or somehow interrupt them watching something. With the quarantine, however, I was desperate and binge-watched the rest of the first season and immediately caught up with the second. Hooked on Baby Yoda and cowboy gun-slinger Mando (call me a fan of Pedro Pascal), I waited every week to watch each release. I also kept referring back to Wookipedia and messaging my friend Brian to keep up with the Star Wars lore beyond the movies.

The Haunting of Bly Manor, Netflix
I’ll admit it’s not as great and mind-bending as its predecessor, The Haunting of Hill House, but Bly Manor holds its own. Great set design and cinematography. This season’s overall message about grief and loss and love hits you in the gut, and the show is more about yearning and relationships than scary-ass ghosts.

Schitt’s Creek Final Season, Pop TV
One show I binge-watched while banned from my home, starting from season two to its finale, was Schitt’s Creek. Maybe I was apprehensive trying to get deep into another series. Of course, after watching everything, it was worth my time and the cast’s and show’s Emmys were well-deserved. It was a happy ending for the Rose family, and 6 seasons of bougie disfunction were wrapped up so nicely. Lastly, the over-the-top characters of Moira and David are still making me search YouTube video compilations of them.

Doom Patrol Season 2, HBO Max
I love quirky programs like Doctor Who, but with that show off this season Doom Patrol filled that void. It has a serialized narrative, awesome visuals and effects, and seeing Brendan Fraser as a short-tempered, swearing robot is worth watching.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO
Of course, one way to stay up-to-date with the news and current events is to watch CNN, but to stay up-to-date with a comedic twist? Watch John Oliver. Him and his show will always be my favorite way to spend a Sunday night, but with the absolute shitshow 2020 was, you need someone like John Oliver for a good laugh and a good, angry “fuck off” to this year.

What We Do In The Shadows Season 2, FX
This show about New York City (well, Staten Island) vampires keeps on getting better and better and demonstrates that even supernatural entities are as human as you and me. With appearances from Mark Hamill and Nick Kroll and spoofs of Williamsburg, office life, and Gen Z culture, I felt compelled to tune in every Wednesday night to catch What We Do In Shadows.

High Maintenance Season 6, HBO
Speaking of unsettlingly true vignettes of Brooklyn/NYC culture, the sixth season of High Maintenance was underrated by everyone but still so very good and very awesome. Each episode made me think, “yeah, that’s what living in NYC is like” — even against the background premise of purchasing weed from The Guy. What I loved more about this season, though, is that we get to know more about The Guy than ever before. It’s a very sentimental season.

How To With John Wilson, HBO
And more everyday vignettes of NYC living. How To With John Wilson is so subtle and so hilarious, and I’m more than impressed by the amount of footage he continuously shot. John Wilson’s observations and his way to take his footage into a larger, moral lesson is funny and inspirational to me to keep on documenting everything. Seriously, after watching the season, I really want to become John Wilson’s friend. It sucks that there are only a handful of episodes (you’ll see why), but here’s hoping he makes more.

Oh, I forgot to mention Tiger King, but everyone knows about that. I guess that’s number 11?

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Fingers Crossed.

I like this blanket.

Day 289 of self-isolation. Day 150 without gas/heat.

My new blanket that came in the mail today; it’s made of a nice, knit jersey and colored heather gray. The blanket is queen-sized and way too large for my bed, so I’m going to mainly use it while sitting/lying on my couch. It’s a couch blanket.

Yeah, with winter here and without a proper heating system, it’s fairly cold in my apartment: it’s not unbearable, but it’s not the most comfortable. According to the flea-market-bought weather station I have on my wall — the temperature inside fluctuates between 60 to 65 degrees, depending on the conditions outside. I had no idea when the combination of my landlord, the contractors/plumbers he hired, my gas company National Grid, and New York City will allow my building to have cooking gas and heat, so I recently bought this oversized blanket just to wrap myself in and keep warm.

However, I do have some interesting updates that happened this week.

This past weekend, a contractor came into my unit and put up some sheetrock over the exposed gas pipes — gas pipes they installed sometime in mid-November but have yet to do anything else with. I personally liked the exposed pipes on my brick wall, just because it gave an industrial look to my apartment. Unfortunately, after talking to the contractor, he said it’s New York law to not have any exposed gas lines. With this patchwork of sheetrock, however, it looks pretty hideous and Frankenstein-ish. I don’t know what my landlord plans to do cosmetically, but I was thinking of getting a long plank of wood to put over the sheetrock and build some shelves. As it stands now and despite the crooked panels and exposed screws, at least the holes in my ceiling and on my floor are covered. This winter has been particularly windy, and I felt a draft coming in from the basement below me. Or maybe it was ghosts, who knows.

What should I do with this sheetrock paneling?

Just today, we apparently had our final city inspection. My landlord asked if I was going to be home at 11:30 am, which I was. I figured the inspector would enter my apartment, see that everything was okay, and give the order to turn on the gas. I waited for two hours, and fed up I texted my landlord saying I haven’t heard anything or seen anyone. He immediately replied back saying that they did come and left without knocking on my door. Cool, I waited two hours not leaving my apartment, especially when I had to walk Dusty and meet up with two of my friends. Thanks, people, for pretty much wasting my day.

I asked what the gas situation was, and for another few hours, I get no response. I figured I might as well use this time to at least take care of my dog, get a coffee, and shower, and by the time I got dressed and checked my phone, my landlord left a somewhat lengthy voicemail.

He said we passed the inspection, and it’s up to the NYC Inspector to enter the data into the city’s system, and that’s when National Grid will come and turn on my gas. He said hopefully it’ll take two days for that to happen.

Hurray?

The end to this insufferable nightmare is in sight, but holy fuck, it’s still such a goddamn bureaucratic mess to keep on waiting. Just give the okay now and let me use my oven to bake. Just give the go ahead so I can stop putting a jacket on Dusty each night. Just turn on my gas so this new blanket will be another frivolous online purchase.

Fingers crossed.

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My Year in Lists: My Favorite Albums of 2020.

With the end of the year approaching, I might as well list some of my favorite albums of 2020. Sure, I don’t have the clout of Pitchfork, AllMusic, or Rolling Stone, and some people will find my musical tastes questionable, but I like what I like. Who are you to judge? This year has easily put everyone in a mood, and music is one way I’m able to cope with everything and everyone — it’s personal.

It’s a shame that I’ve hardly commuted for the majority of the year, since my subway trip to and from work is my optimal time to listen to music. Still, even though I’ve been stuck inside for the last 10 months or so in a nearly empty apartment building, it’s nice to not have neighbors; I can blast music at any hour of the day without a care in the world.

Here are my top 10 favorite albums, in no particular order (the socialist in me hates ranking things):

Gorillaz – Song Machine
For an animated band, it’s fun to see Gorillaz mature and literally age. Their newest album is catchy as hell, with collaborations with Elton John, Beck, Schoolboy Q, Peter Hook of New Order, St. Vincent, and Robert Smith of The Cure.

Gorillaz – “Momentary Bliss”

Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension
A spiritual successor to The Age of Adz, Sufjan Stevens’ latest album combines the loneliness and retrospection of Carrie & Lowell and “Mystery of Love” with Radiohead-esque electronic beats.

Sufjan Stevens – “The Ascension”

The Strokes – The New Abnormal
Well, The Strokes are back. A lot of their newest tracks feel very meta/breaking the fourth wall, and their lyrics feel full-grown and ring of post-2000’s and NYC jadedness.

The Strokes – “Ode To The Mets”

Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Speaking of comebacks, Fiona Apple’s newest album has a sense of self-awareness and each lyric contains such unbridled rawness and emotion — especially for these times. I’m not surprised that Fetch The Bolt Cutters is #1 on so many end-of-the-year charts.

Fiona Apple – “Fetch The Bolt Cutters”

Dan Deacon – Mystic Familiar
If you want to feel meditative but dance-y, you can always rely on Dan Deacon. Unlike previous albums, he’s relying on his own vocal talents overlaid onto his quirky electronic beats.

Dan Deacon – “Sat By A Tree”

The Weeknd – After Hours
For a pop album, it’s naturally catchy as fuck. “Blinding Lights” has been played all over, and as an aging hipster averse to all things popular, I still love listening to it.

The Weeknd – “After Hours”

Beyoncé – Black is King
Okay, I know this is a visual album, and my only gripe was the remake Lion King quotes scattered throughout each track. Regardless, I love the art direction for each segment and I enjoy the catchy beats.

Beyoncé – “My Power”

Moses Sumney – græ
A frequent collaborator with Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, Moses Sumney’s sophomore album is so soulful and so personal — it definitely reflects my feelings towards this year.

Moses Sumney – “Virile”

Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
An indie darling, Phoebe Bridgers’ newest album definitely lives up to the hype. From her collaboration with Conor Oberst and lyrics about her toxic relationship with Ryan Adams, Punisher is also very deserving to be on a lot of end-of-the-year lists (as well as her Grammy nods).

Phoebe Bridgers – “Kyoto”

Grimes – Miss Anthropocene
Yeah, I love Grimes, and yeah her relationship with Elon Musk is kind of disgusting (just because of who he is), but her fantasy-inspired, video game-loving, dark electronic album is pretty damned good.

Grimes – “IDORU”

And for good measure, here’s a nice laugh of The Pudding’s AI telling me how bad my Spotify is. I loved the analysis:

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Merry Christmas.

Front of this year’s card.

I hope all of you are enjoying your holiday. After skipping 2019 for obvious reasons, I made my annual Holiday Card with Dusty. Inside the card is a QR code that leads to a music video I made. The cards were limited (hell, print is expensive), and I know a lot of the recipients didn’t bother to scan the code (although I kept telling them to).

So folks, here’s the video and the lyrics to the 2020 Holiday Card:

Mogwai flat noses and Cocaine’s are kittens
Giant dog Iro’s and Nori’s white mittens
Doges who bark when do’orbell rings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-gingered Butters and gray n’ white Katsu’s
Skooter’s and Skeeter’s and Bowie’s are cuckoo
Wild Rivers who shed with pet hair that clings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cats named Winona and Doggos named Donna
Olive’s who listen to classic Madonna
Silver Sebastian’s and j’oy he brings
These are a few of my favorite things

When Dusty bites
When s’quito’s sting
When I’m feeling sad
I simply recall Nico’s angel wings
And then I don’t feel so bad

Zoey who dozes and Fozzie’s fur yellow
Bright gold Diego’s and old cat Costello
Thug Waffle thawing at times of Spring
These are a few of my favorite things

Fish having babies and pups riding buses
Bulleit’s with kittens and running with Russes
Vi’olette’s cute socks and Lynx play’ing with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Dusty in dresses and old vids of Nico
Mem’ries of D’Arcy and playtime with Pinto
Figaro int’rupting your Zoom Meet-tings
These are a few of my favorite things

When Logan bites
When litter stinks
When you’re Borking mad
I simply remember my fur-avorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

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Christmas 2020 Musings.

This dumb year.

2020, huh? In my 37 years of unusual existence, this marks the second Christmas ever I didn’t spend with my family. The first time was in 2018, when I knew Nico was dying, and I wanted to spend one last holiday with her and didn’t want to fly to my parents’ new home in California.

This year the pandemic has proven to be hard for everybody, but my mom is super worried about contracting COVID-19. Of course, I don’t blame her: both her and my dad are in their mid to late 70’s, and the last thing I want is to see them get sick or (god forbid) die anytime soon. California is in pretty bad shape now, with 1 in 80 people in the LA area testing positive for COVID-19. Since the viral breakout in the spring, my family have quarantined themselves inside their house. However, when they do venture outside for necessities, they literally wear gloves and a secondary mask over their masks, and when they return home, they douse themselves with disinfectant spray. As vigilant as she is, my mom understands that I’ll be on a plane for 6-7 hours and doesn’t want to risk me getting the virus there or in California. Personally, I’m not as overly cautious as my mom (or even some of my friends), but I get it; if I can minimize the chances down to zero, we can all make sacrifices. My family and I are perfectly satisfied celebrating Christmas virtually, and because of FaceTime and my parents using it to call me everyday, we won’t feel so distant on the holidays.

Yeah, I’m spending Christmas physically alone, and I don’t mind. My parents are in California, nearly all of my New York friends are visiting their families across the country (there’s definitely a sense of COVID-fatigue), and Brooklyn always feels so fucking empty during this time (more so than usual). I recall in 2018, watching Nico slowly die and dog-sitting a bunch of my friends’ dogs as they visited their own families, there was a sense of sadness and loneliness; I did feel alone. I witnessed something I love fade away, in a city devoid of its usual vibrancy because all the other transplants had to see their families.

Now, in 2020, being alone and isolated is the norm, and I feel a lot of us have adapted to such conditions. It isn’t so bad or miserable — mainly because, instead of expecting the inevitability of loss I did with Nico’s last few months and convalescing her as the cancer ravaged on, I now have Dusty by my side. I’m able to focus on this puppy, on personal projects, and hone my skills and talents; Dusty, as far as I can tell, has so much time, and thus I have so much time myself.

This Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I’m ordering a pizza, baking some cookies (using my early, Black Friday present from my parents: a Kitchen-Aid mixer), watching Netflix and classic Simpsons, and giving Dusty some new chew toys and treats. I’ll FaceTime with my parents and probably use Scener to watch Wonder Woman 1984 with my brother. I’m going to make a steak dinner on Christmas Day, as well as bake some chive rolls from Bon Appetit. Maybe I’ll coerce my friends who are out-of-state to play Among Us. And finally, I’ll use the rest of my winter vacation taking photographs and editing some videos from old vacations — just simply catching up on forgotten work.

It’s going to be a very good, a very productive, and a very therapeutic Christmas.

Here’s a song from The Both (Ted Leo and Aimee Mann) that perfectly encapsulates my mood, but don’t get me wrong, I feel great.