Plummeted beyond expectation
Dads & free stuff
Something that has not been working for me lately is this newsletter.
On March 1st, I changed the structure. Instead of doing one monthly newsletter, I would do two, splitting the content and creating a subscription for readers who wanted to support my work further. Paid subscribers could access content behind the paywall: additional newsletters and the Friend Zone podcast.
On January 26th, my dad suffered a severe brain injury. It was a shocking and brutal accident that has forever changed my relationship with my dad, my family, and my sense of self. Although I want to explore this further and write about it, I can’t right now.
So, for now, I will say that since January, my work ethic and creativity have plummeted beyond expectation. The structure I proposed in March is not working. As an act of kindness, I am going back to once a month (even though I was already doing it) and am taking some time to reevaluate the podcast. I have removed the paywall. All Friend Zone posts are now available, and here is the one little gem I wrote, Baby gay, for Pride.
I need to do some more admin/housekeeping when it comes to subscriptions, so please expect an update in the near future. Thank you for your patience (!), continued support, and love.
HOT – Three beverages at a time. Swimming like a child. Friends who bake for you. Tips for how to deal with pubic hair.
NOT – Bikini/Brazilian Waxes. Having no phone service when you need it. When the “no left turn” sign has small print under it that you can’t read and says something like, “except Saturday & Sunday between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.” Cheap solutions.
One of my favorite shows as a teenager was My So-Called Life. It came out in 1994 and lasted only one season. I had it on DVD and would rewatch it often. It’s now streaming on Hulu, and I have rewatched it twice in the last three years. They explore some pretty mature content for the 90’s, and it can be a bit angsty, but it still feels very human.
It stars Claire Danes as the main character, Angela Chase, and Jared Leto as the love interest, Jordan Catalano. When they filmed it, Danes was 15 years old, so she looks very young. Angela usually narrates each episode. One thing I loved about the show was how they repeated outfits. They gave Angela a limited wardrobe and had her re-wear clothes. Most of the show revolves around her, but they have some “parent” storylines that I have grown to love and identify with.
Below are a few of my favorite lines Angela delivers or states in one of her inner monologues.
“I just like how he's always leaning. Against stuff. He leans great.” - Episode 1, Pilot
“When someone compliments your parents, there's like nothing to say. It's like a stun gun to your brain.” - Episode 4, Father Figures
“This life has been a test. If this had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do.” - Episode 7, Why Jordan Can't Read
“Sometimes I think if my mother wasn't so good at pretending to be happy she might be better at actually being happy.” - Episode 10, Other People's Mothers
“People always say you should be yourself, like yourself is this definite thing, like a toaster or something. Like you can know what it is, even. But every so often, I’ll have like, a moment, where being myself and my life right where I am is, like, enough.” - Episode 13, Pressure
