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transcription
This transcript was created by voice popularity software. Although it has been reviewed through human transcribers, it would possibly involve errors. Please review the audio of the episode before quoting this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes. com if you have any questions.
This is “The Opinions,” a show that brings you a mix of voices from “New York Times” Opinion. You’ve heard the news. Here’s what to make of it.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My name is Meher Ahmad and I am the editor of the Times Opinion.
This is the second year we’ve done a story we like to call Keepers. And what it is, is a list of things that our staff did in their year that they would like to keep and take with them into the new year. And that can simply be a hobby, a habit, an activity, a movie, a book, a recommendation, anything that they have enjoyed and found comfort in during their year that they will take with them as we move down the page. towards the new year.
[SOFT MUSIC]
One of the things I ended up stumbling into this year was a website called Fragrantica. It’s an online messaging board for people to review fragrances and scents. I was just doing research for my next perfume purchase, but I kind of discovered this community of fragrance heads talking to each other and describing perfumes and scents in kind of outlandish and hilarious ways. And the longer I spent on it, the more I realized that I was really not thinking about anything else and had kind of managed to shut my brain off in a way that I haven’t really figured out how to otherwise.
So we’ve compiled some responses from our staff, as well as a few of our listeners, about what they’ll be bringing with them from 2024 into the new year. I hope you enjoy listening to some of these responses. They bring a little bit of light and levity into the end of what, for many, was a very, very difficult year.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My calling is Rollin. I am a maker of the “Ezra Klein Show. ” Something I’ve enjoyed this year is watching those AI karaoke covers of former presidents sing. The most common thing I’ve noticed is a fixed AI-generated representation of Trump, Biden, or Obama, and then you just have the lyrics to a karaoke song that the AI makes them sing. My favorite is Trump and Biden doing a duet of “Love. ”
V is very, very extraordinary.
D is even more than anything else you adore and love.
It’s just a classic. In my day job, I have to follow a lot of politics, and I listen to a lot of political speeches. And politicians this past year — Biden wasn’t a great speaker. Trump wasn’t. It was kind of incoherent. But listening to listening to them sing these songs, it was pretty refreshing to actually hear something coherent come out of their mouths.
[SOFT MUSIC]
This is Laurie Sims from Brunswick, Maine. My greatest joy in 2024 watching the eclipse with my sister. Religion has separated us for almost 40 years. But in recent years we have discovered that we have much more than differences.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My calling is Michelle Cottle and I am the national Opinion politician.
So one of our happy places, during what has been a really, really unpleasant year, politically, is, my oldest friend in the world, not infrequently, bullies me into watching a TV show that she’s watching so that we can text each other or call each other, obsess about this together. And one of the things she has me watching is the television show “Shrinking.”
And it is about a therapist whose wife dies, and he’s grieving, and he gets really involved with his patient’s life. And it stars Jason Segel, but it also stars an old Harrison Ford.
What type of user kisses and counts?
So, being a child of the 80s, I need to love myself like an old Harrison Ford. But what makes it fun is that we watch it together. We either watch it together to synchronize the viewing or, if one of us is in front of the other, we text each other while watching it. Whoever sees it first cannot send spoilers. And it’s a wonderful combination of watching a fun TV show, but also, it’s just that we’ve been friends since we were in 7th grade and we have a brain share in some of that stuff. So it’s great to have something we can obsess over together, even if we live several states away.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My name is Victor Lopez. I speak from Sao Paulo, Brazil. And what really brought me joy this year was gardening. I live on the 22nd floor of an apartment building in the heart of the city. I grow fresh herbs to cook with, and I replant the seeds of everything I eat. I have little mango trees growing, papaya trees, cocoa trees, all on my balcony. And after it gets too big, I replant it somewhere in the city, helping to make it greener.
I think gardening is such a powerful way to connect with the world we live in and with ourselves. So my message is that next year, everyone should give it a try, even if your space is limited.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My name is Cornelia Channing and I am an editorial assistant in the Opinion section.
One of the behaviors I evolved in 2024 that I should take with me into the new year is essentially stopping paying attention to the morning news. I used to wake up, pay attention to podcasts, and immediately dive into the news of the day. It’s a pretty tough way to start the day, especially with the news cycles we’ve had this year. So I found that taking 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and, instead of paying attention to the news, putting on WQXR, which is an old radio station, and starting my day with music, is a much more fun way to start. the day. I pay attention to Chopin’s Studies.
[PIANO MUSIC]
They’re just gorgeous piano pieces. I find that there’s sort of a drama to listening to them in a row, and it sort of helps me start the day with a little bit more of a sense of inspiration and awe, rather than, maybe, dread.
[PERCUSSION MUSIC]
My call is Sophie. I’m from New Hampshire and all that has brought me joy in 2024 and will bring into the new year is my love of cooking. I recently hosted my first Friendsgiving and made those amazing apple pies, and they were a hit. That’s why I love experimenting in the kitchen and inviting my friends to cook.
[PERCUSSION MUSIC]
My name is Jessica Grose and I am an opinion editor at the New York Times. What I would like to do from 2024 to 2025 is impromptu Hangouts with my friends.
I’m an ordinary mom with two kids, and every time I want or wish to spend time with my friends, it’s a lot of work. We have to review our schedules. We have to ask ourselves: oh, is my spouse there to take care of the children?Does anyone organize a volleyball match? And we finish making plans 3 months in advance and inevitably have to give up because anything happens. A child is in poor health or has a deadline that they shouldn’t miss. And what I found is that it’s a lot less difficult to call a frifinish on a random Saturday at 2:00 p. m. And say, can you date now?
What I literally love about impromptu blocks is that you’re going through a tough day and you literally want that attachment in the moment, not in 3 weeks. And when you really need to have someone to stick with at that moment, it’s so warm. and so glorious that it literally cements your friendship.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
[FULL-TIME MUSIC]
If you like this show, look for it on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
This screen is produced by Derek Arthur, Sophia Alvarez Boyd, Vishakha Darbha, Phoebe Lett, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. It is edited by Kaari Pitkin, Alison Bruzek, and Annie-Rose Strasser. Engineering, mixing and original music through Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud and Efim Shapiro. Additional music via Aman Sahota.
The fact-checking team consists of Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience Strategy via Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Adrian Rivera. Times Opinion Audio’s executive producer is Annie-Rose Strasser.
[FULL-TIME MUSIC]
transcript
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.
This is “The Opinions”, a program that brings you a group of opinion voices from the “New York Times”. You already heard the news. This is what to do about it.
[SOFT MUSIC]
My name is Meher Ahmad and I’m the editor of the Times Opinion.
This is our second year doing a story we like to call Keepers. And what it is is a list of things that our workers did during the year that they would like to save and take with them into the new year. And then it can simply be a hobby, a habit, an activity, a movie, a book, a recommendation, anything that they have really enjoyed and found convenience in their year, that they will take with them as they turn the page to the next. New Year.
[SOFT MUSIC]
One of the things I stumbled upon this year was an online site called Fragrantica. This is an online messaging forum for users to review fragrances and scents. I was researching my next fragrance purchase, but I discovered this network of perfumers who were talking to each other and describing fragrances and scents in quirky and fun ways. And the more time I spent on it, the more I learned that I wasn’t really thinking about anything else and that I had controlled turning my brain off in a way that I hadn’t really understood how to do otherwise.
So we’ve compiled some answers from our staff, as well as some of our listeners, about what they’ll be bringing with them from 2024 into the new year. I hope you enjoy hearing some of those answers. a little kindness and delicacy until the end of what for many has been a very, very complicated year.
[SOFT MUSIC]
My call is Rollin. I’m the producer of the “Ezra Klein Show. “Something I enjoyed this year watching those AI karaoke versions of former presidents sing. The most common thing I’ve noticed is a static AI-generated representation of Trump, Biden, or Obama, and then you just have the lyrics of a karaoke song that the AI makes them sing. My favorite is Trump and Biden, who are doing a duet of “Love. “
V is very, very extraordinary.
D is even more of what you adore and love.
It’s simply a classic. In my daily work, I have to dedicate myself a lot to politics and I pay attention to a lot of political speeches. And last year’s politicians: Biden was not a wonderful speaker. That was not the case with Trump. It was a little inconsistent. But pay attention to how they sing those songs, it was refreshing to hear something coherent coming out of their mouths.
[SOFT MUSIC]
This is Laurie Sims from Brunswick, Maine. My greatest joy in 2024 watching the eclipse with my sister. Religion has separated us for almost 40 years. But in recent years we have discovered that we have much more than differences.
[GENTLE MUSIC]
My call is Michelle Cottle and I am the national politician of Opinion.
So one of our happy places, in what has been a very unpleasant year, politically, is that my oldest friend in the world, it’s not unusual for her to make me watch a TV show that she’s watching so we can send each other text messages to everyone. or call each other, obsess over it together. And one of the things she makes me watch is the TV show “Shrink. “
And it’s about a therapist whose wife dies, and he’s grieving and worrying about his patient’s life. And it stars Jason Segel, but it also stars an old Harrison Ford.
What type of user kisses and tells?
So, being a child of the ‘80s, I am all about loving me some old Harrison Ford. But what makes this fun is that we try to watch it together. We try to either synchronize watch it or, if one of us is ahead of the other, then we text each other while we’re watching it. Whoever watches it first is not allowed to send spoilers. And it’s a great combination of watching a fun television show, but also, it’s just — we’ve been friends since we were in seventh grade, and we share a brain on some of these things. And so it’s fantastic to just have something that we can obsess over together, even though we live several states apart.
[SOFT MUSIC]
My name is Victor Lopez. I speak from Sao Paulo, Brazil. And what really brought me joy this year was gardening. I live on the 22nd floor of an apartment building in the heart of the city. I grow fresh herbs to cook with, and I replant the seeds of everything I eat. I have little mango trees growing, papaya trees, cocoa trees, all on my balcony. And after it gets too big, I replant it somewhere in the city, helping to make it greener.
I think gardening is a very difficult way to connect with the world we live in and with ourselves. So my message is that next year everyone should try, even if their position is limited.
[SOFT MUSIC]
My name is Cornelia Channing and I’m an editorial assistant in the Opinion section.
One of the behaviors I evolved in 2024 that I should take with me into the new year is essentially stopping paying attention to the morning news. I used to wake up, pay attention to podcasts, and immediately dive into the news of the day. It’s a pretty tough way to start the day, especially with the news cycles we’ve had this year. So I found that taking 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and, instead of paying attention to the news, putting on WQXR, which is an old radio station, and starting my day with music, is a much more fun way to start. the day. I pay attention to Chopin’s Studies.
[PIANO MUSIC]
They are simply magnificent piano pieces. I see that there is some drama in listening to them back to back, and that helps me start the day with a little more inspiration and respect than, perhaps, fear.
[PERCUSSION MUSIC]
My name is Sophie. I’m from New Hampshire, and something that brought me joy in 2024 that I’m definitely bringing into the new year is my love of cooking. I recently hosted my first Friendsgiving, and I made these awesome apple tarts, and they were definitely a hit. So I just love experimenting in the kitchen and having my friends over to bake.
[PERCUSSION MUSIC]
My name is Jessica Grose and I am an opinion editor at the New York Times. What I would like to do from 2024 to 2025 is impromptu Hangouts with my friends.
I’m a regular mom of two, and every time I want or want to spend time with my friends, it takes a lot of work. We would like to review our schedules. We want to ask ourselves: oh, is my spouse there to take care of the kids? Is anyone organizing a volleyball game? And we finish making plans 3 months in advance and someone inevitably has to give up because anything happens. A child is in poor health or has a deadline they cannot miss. So what I discovered is that it is much less difficult to call a friend on a random Saturday at 2:00 pm. and say, can you hang out now?
What I literally love about impromptu blocks is that you’re going through a tough day and you literally want that attachment in the moment, not in 3 weeks. And when you really need to have someone to stick with at that moment, it’s so warm. and so glorious that it literally cements your friendship.
[SOFT MUSIC]
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
If you like this show, find it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sophia Alvarez Boyd, Vishakha Darbha, Phoebe Lett, Kristina Samulewski and Jillian Weinberger. It is edited by Kaari Pitkin, Alison Bruzek, and Annie-Rose Strasser. Engineering, mixing and original music through Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud and Efim Shapiro. Additional music via Aman Sahota.
The fact-checking team consists of Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience Strategy via Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Adrian Rivera. Times Opinion Audio’s executive producer is Annie-Rose Strasser.
[FULL-TIME MUSIC]
By Meher Ahmad
Produced through Vishakha Darbha
As the year draws to a close, Times Opinion staff (and our listeners) shared the things from 2024 they wanted to take with them into the new year. They range from makeshift freezes to AI. Tik Tok. Listen.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of being posted in the audio player above. )
Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes. com.
This episode of “The Opinions” produced through Vishakha Darbha. It was edited by Alison Bruzek and Kaari Pitkin. Mixing via Pat McCusker. Original music through Carole Sabouraud, Isaac Jones and Sonia Herrero. Fact check via Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience Strategy via Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. Opinion Audio’s executive producer is Annie-Rose Strasser.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We would love to know what you about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here is our email: letter@nytimes. com.
Follow the New York Times Opinion segment on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X, and Threads.
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