Oh Darling Ones, Despite the positive upswing on Friday, my Uncle Danny died last night. He was my mom’s twin brother and only 71. He loved Minnesota sports, his son, Billy, and the song “Hotel California.” One Thanksgiving my siblings and I spent the entire evening trying to get his Android phone to play “Hotel California” whenever his phone rang. As iPhone users we failed in this mission because we could not even find the song on his phone. Danny…
A Good Rock
Dear Darling Ones, I frequently like to tell my BFK that I’m going to invest a lot of money into crystals and place them around my house for the benefits of their juju. Or vibes. Or whatever. “You don’t really believe in that, do you?” She asks, her face scrunching up in an expression halfway between skepticism and concern. “Not really,” I’ll say. “But it can’t hurt!” Or I’ll say, “No, but they are pretty.” Or, “I do really like…
Do You Just Listen to Music Too?
Hi Darling Ones, Sometime last week while I was dealing with the consequences of all my bad decisions, I read an excellent essay by Caryn Rose that has been rattling around inside me ever since. In her essay, “‘no commitment’ will end up meaning exactly that,” Rose writes about the dismal state of touring for musicians, annoying people who talk through concerts, and how nobody cares about music the way they used to because they got no skin in the…
Have Grief, Will Travel
Dear Darling Ones, I have a love/hate relationship with tiny, travel-sized items like toiletries, itty bitty booze bottles, and a third thing I can’t think of right now. As a humanlike creature I am hardcoded to adore tiny things — babies (once they’re like nine months old), kittens, LEGO replicas of popular sitcoms from the early aughts, and travel-sized everything. From the time we start to exist we are taught to equate tiny with cute. This is also why I…
Mostly Gloom, Very Little Doom
Hi Darling Ones, How are you? I’m alright. Grief continues, abated for the most part. Friday was the first Friday since my dad died where I didn’t spend the entire day saying, “Dad died X weeks ago today.” I realized that on Saturday and felt wretched. In return he’s haunting my dreams. Seems fair. Aside from that, I stacked up a few good days in a row mood and work wise. Then my brain and mood rebelled and I had…
Worship at My Feet
Hey Darling Ones, It was one of the summers of 2017-2019 when I was really invested in dating and dating apps. I get like this occasionally, where I tire of waiting for Prince Charming to hack through the brambles, find me half asleep in my castle, kiss me. Fairytales are never not creepy as fuck. When I get like this I sign up for all the dating apps and spend a ridiculous amount of time flipping through a catalog of…