Hi Darling Ones, The unbearable heat and humidity in Minnesota has broken, which means we can have the windows open and not want to die of sweat-induced crankiness. Thank to a cool breeze, open windows, and Liz Phair I got a momentary respite from the dread. Frankly, I’m a little surprised I was awake to experience it. I don’t know about you, Darling Ones, but my reaction to having my bodily autonomy taken away by the USFB&GV government has been…
The Abject Cruelty of Living in Unceasing Unprecedented Times
Hi Darling Ones, I slept in this morning because there’s been some stuff going on and I’m tired. I woke up in 1972. Fuck. As you know, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. So not only did I wake up in 1972 now we live in the United States of Forced Birth & Gun Violence. I don’t know if the depths of my despair can get any deeper. For months now I’ve been talking about how I have zero…
Stalling
Dear Darling Ones, Would you be surprised to know that 82.9% of the time I type “Darking Ones” on my first attempt? It’s like how when I had a co-worker named Doug I always, always, always typed “Dough” first. In fact, I typed dough when trying to type that sentence. I frequently type my own name as Jodio. What is that? It’s me stalling, I guess. {{{{{{{RECORD SCRATCH}}}}}} I started writing this letter Tuesday. As I was about to explain…
Oh My Bacon Back
Dear Darling Ones, Back at the turn of the century I lived in a shitty apartment in Prior Lake down the road from a pub & restaurant called Hooligans. This was during the bowling alley era, and since it was the closest restaurant to the bowling alley that could seat us all, my family ate there a lot. To be fair, everybody in the Prior Lake/Savage area ate there a lot at the time. Pickin’s were slim in that area…
The COVID Diaries: Will the Game of Allergies or COVID Ever End?
Hi Darling Ones, I didn’t start having seasonal allergies until I was in my mid-30s. It feels like a ripoff to develop them at that point in life. Shouldn’t allergies be something you’re born with? I thought I won some kind of genetic lottery until that weird spring of 2000-aught-something when I was convinced every other day I was coming down with a cold. My boss, JTo, listened to me wheeze and whine for like the third time in three…
Hard on the Heart & Soft to the Touch
Hi Darling Ones, A few years ago I read Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts. I can’t remember the full context of the essay anymore, but at one point Nelson is writing about “The Shining” and how the woman Jack Nicholson is embracing goes from pretty young thing to putrid old crone in an instant. She says of the nameless character, “She did not get the memo about being beyond wanting or wanted.” That line has been a thorn in my heart…