Hey avid readers! Thank you for joining me once again for the fifth edition of Momo Mail!! I hope you have had a really lovely summer and are enjoying the fall! It’s been a while, I spent my summer mostly doing schoolwork (I passed my Anatomy intro class with an A), playing video games, and relaxing! I turned a quarter-of-a-century old over the summer and I’m starting to feel it. My apologies for the major delay in sending this one out to all you fine folks. This Fall semester has been pretty tough too, but I have managed somehow ^_^ I really enjoy making these so thank you for staying tuned!

Happy holidays to everyone!!!!

A Day in the Life

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is one of the great historical spots in LA, located in Exposition Park near USC. The museum was opened to the public in 1913, and is known for its beautiful architecture and expansive exhibits. You can also find special exhibits year-round, and the popular seasonal Butterfly Pavilion and Spider Pavilion (I’ll pass). While my favorite NHM is located in San Diego, it’s difficult to not fall in love with the great thought put into each part of the museum.

From the current entrance, you step into a beautiful open hall that echoes and leads to you some of the main exhibits, like Age of Mammals, Becoming Los Angeles, and the Dinosaur Hall. Beyond these, you can find a huge vault of gems and minerals, multiple taxidermy North American and African animal halls, bird hall, Dino lab, and special exhibits. I owe this museum a large part of my early childhood, and it definitely strengthened my obsession with dinosaurs. If you haven’t been, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is a great way to spend a day in LA (not to mention the free Science Center next door).

While general admission is ~$18 ($14 for students), the museum is free during 3-5 pm on weekdays. If you have an LA county library card, you can use the Discover & Go service to reserve free tickets to this and many other LA County partners.

Evan’s Picks:

Cheerleader by Porter Robinson (2024) was released as a single on March 20, 2024, and was later featured on Porter Robinson’s newest album Smile! :D on July 26, 2024. The song starts off with a high energy synths and drums and instantly hooks you. The whole song gets you pumped, and the lyrics that center on Porter Robinson’s own relationship with the internet and parasocial-relationships grounds the song and makes it relevant and memorable. If you like this song, you’ll be sure to enjoy the rest of the tracks on this album! (BTW thanks to Valendar for recommending this track in the first Momo Mail Issue!)

As a die-hard Transformers fan, Transformers One (2024) definitely did not disappoint. I was initially quite wary of this based on the promotion this film received, but director Josh Cooley managed to make (in my opinion) the best Transformers film. It honors the lore, characters, and legacy of this franchise, tells a compelling story with beautiful CGI (but those faces take some time to get used to!), and creates the most hatable villain in any children’s movie. Yes, it’s still a children’s animated movie, and yes it’s about robots that turn into vehicles, but it does so many things right. If you’re a Transformers fan and missed this, do yourself a favor and give this one a chance. (4/5 stars)

These were my favorite releases this year! My favorite album of 2024 goes to Origami Angel’s “Feeling Not Found,” a concept album that incorporates Ryland Heagy’s masterful guitar playing and Pat Doherty’s incredible drums on 14 tracks. I have Dirty Mirror Selfie on repeat!

Your Picks:

“Jarvis (or formally, Just A Rather Very Intelligent Schnauzer) is my 11 year old standard Schnauzer. Standard because this breed comes is small, medium, and large. Jarv is a peculiar guy. He really likes chips, fries, and carrots (heavily limited). He likes classic rock and pop, but doesn't like any music before 1964. He also really likes the movie Cars. Typically spends his day napping, moving to different rooms of the house for optimal air flow and mail man watching.” -Julia

“I have ONE cat named Pixie she's a russian blue cat and she is a little chubby we got her as a kitten in 2011 so I DO BELIEVE she is 13 or 14. She is a whiny piece of s*** who yaps a lot and she likes to get scratched under her cheeks” -Super Cacodemon

I want to hear from you! Are you excited for 2025? What are your goals for next year?

Thank you again for reading and being a part of this newsletter! I hope that you read future issues, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

With love,
Evan <3