Hi Darling Ones, Last week while my infection was wreaking havoc on my life I managed to attend a virtual reading by Hanif Abdurraqib. I’m having a moment with Abdurraqib’s work. His book, A Little Devil in America was the best thing I read in 2021. That’s saying a lot because 2021 was a good reading year for me. I love ALDIA so much that it’s one of my comfort…
So Darling Ones, Before I get into the valuable life lessons I learned last week, I would just like to thank “Valentine” by The Replacements and my urinary tract for finally shaking “The Freshmen” out of my skull. “Valentine” is stuck in my head because of the upcoming holiday, but also because I’ve been really sick. And the way I sing the song the line is: Hey, you pop up…
Darling Ones, Yesterday I zoomed with the Tea Ladies. When one of them told a story she introduced as bound to warm the cockles of our hearts I said, “I don’t have a heart. There’s just a crusty chicken McNugget in there.” Last week when I was chatting on the phone with EM I shouted, repeatedly, “I AM FLOUNDERING.” I am fucking cranky and miserable. And today it got even…
Hi Darling Ones, From the very first time I saw “Reality Bites” at an Eau Claire movie theater with my pal Amy in 1994 I’ve been a Lelaina. Of course I wanted to be a Vicky. Who didn’t? She was a sarcastic, droll, vintage, fuck & run kinda girl. She did not care about letters or sodas. I still kinda want to be Vicky. Instead, I was an earnest, eager,…
Ugh, Darling Ones, This week has been utter shit and it’s bringing me down. 1. I’ve had the song since Christmas time. It’s 100% my fault. A few years back I made an incredibly singable playlist of one-hit wonders from the 90s. My sibs & nibs all love this playlist and whenever it’s on someone is bound to burst into song. It’s fun. At least it was fun for that…
Hi Darling Ones, Ever since my dad died in September, he has been in every single dream I remember having. Doesn’t matter what the theme of the dream is, he’s there, usually in the background. He rarely has a speaking role. He had a bigger role in the dreams shortly after his death, and the him in those dreams was the frail him of his last two years. The him…
Hi Darling Ones, When I saw that my favorite podcast, 60 Songs that Explain the 90s, which happens to be the only one I listen to, was discussing Liz Phair’s “Fuck and Run” in the latest episode I was elated. When I saw the guest was author Sam Lipsyte I deflated a bit. Not because I dislike Lipsyte, I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few of his books, but I…
Dear Darling Ones, For the first time since sometime in 2021, I have a momentary lull in work. And boy, howdy, do I fucking need it. If you recall 2022 kicked off with me getting The COVID, then BFK’s restaurant burned down, and it ended with everyone dying (Jodi Hanson’s mom, my dad, Uncle Danny, and Betty). Through it all, I worked my ass off. I worked because it was…
Hi Darling Ones, The other day I made my favorite soup, pasta e fagioli, and focaccia for dinner. This was the first time I ever made focaccia. While I love all kinds of foods made using yeast, making those kinds of foods is not my favorite. Yeast requires faith and trust, and I hate those things. Yeast turns me into someone who prays to a higher power, another thing I…
Dear Darling Ones, I’ve worked in marketing for the better part of twenty years. One of the side-effects is being inordinately invested in redesigns and rebranding. Also, being a sucker for good packaging. This is kind of annoying because I long to be an anti-capitalist renegade, and not an “oh! that’s pretty I must have it” tool. Holding two diametrically-opposed opinions at the same time is one of my superpowers….
