Hey Darling Ones, Since I didn’t have any pressing deadlines or meetings today I spent most of my time being idle and bored. I was the kind of bored that refused amusement for more than 20 minutes and also refused to do anything productive because “I didn’t feel like it.” It’s the August kind of bored that has left me vaguely cranky and unsatisfied, much like August does in general. Sunday after Family Dinner I was whining to my mom…
Dear Darling Ones, A surprising number of conversations I have with my friends start like this: “I know you don’t listen to podcasts, but. . .” Then they go on to describe in excruciatingly dull detail the podcast or the episode they think I should listen to. Most of the time I listen politely because obviously this is important to them. Sometimes though I am not my best self and instead I make obnoxious fart noises while giving two thumbs…
Dear Darling Ones, This week I re-read Lucy Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face and Ann Patchett’s Truth & Beauty. I read both of these books back in 2004 when I identified hard with Grealy’s story and was reassured by Patchett’s. Quickly: Grealy’s book is about the discovery and treatment of Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer of her jaw that required the removal of part of it, leaving her face disfigured and Grealy, as she said repeatedly, ugly. Patchett’s book is about…
Well, Well, Well, Darling Ones, Guess which band made a huge announcement about the 40th Anniversary of their debut album today? Obviously there is some universal Replacements’ vibe in the air this week. Am I excited to hear 67 new Sorry-era tracks from my very favorite band? Kinda. Do I want to read more words written by Bob Mehr regarding The Replacements? No. Not even a little bit. Do I think they missed a huge opportunity to do something cool…
Dear Darling Ones, The best thing about being a work from home freelancer is that it affords me very much time to daydream. Instead of commuting to work, I daydream. Instead of getting a case of the Mondays, I let my mind wander through my favorite subjects: books, music, and making out with men. Rather than attend meetings, I daypanic about imminent climate disaster. This last one is zero percent fun. Today while arguing with my Twitter pals about the…
Hi Darling Ones, I was going to title this post “If Jackson Browne Mated with a Mean Turtle: The Last in a Series.” However, by the time I was done typing the word ‘turtle’ I had already changed my mind. If we go back into quarantine I’m 87% sure I’ll shave my head again and thus chronicle its various growing out phases in another round of The COVID Diaries. As it is, it’s now been a year since I last…