Breaking Non-News: Subject Lines Remain Hard To Write Before 7 AM.
Good morning, lovelies! First off, are you in the San Francisco Bay Area? Did you know that TONIGHT is the opening night of Season Nine of Odd Salon? So grab some tickets and join us at REANIMATE at Public Works - I’ll be stage managing, so come by and say hello!
So I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking lately about this Missive and why I continue to do it, mostly because I’ve been derelict in updating as much as I’d like (there’s some weirdly placed guilt there, but don’t worry, I’ll leave that to my therapist) Did you know the Missive has existed for around seven years now? That’s right, I’ve been using this here morning indulgence to pour out my social anxieties since just after I got booze sober! This here newsletter has been a creative outlet, a way to share with friends and family, a connection to writers and thinkers I greatly admire, and a way for me to try and make sense of swirling realities around us. And despite the fact that I can be inconsistent with posting, and sometimes find it difficult just to wake up and put my MacBook in my lap, so many of you are kind enough to express enthusiasm for this weird little side project, and to even inquire when I go an extended period without opening Substack.
I don’t know why this was on my mind this morning, but thank you all for sharing your mornings with me, for reaching out when something makes you laugh, for telling me when I should step back and think more critically of something I’ve written, and for letting me know that you’re out there, reading this over your coffee, finding some kind of entertainment in the absurdities of this time we’re in.
Thank you!
TO THE INTERNET.
From an historical perspective, I am sure glad a narcissistic assassin of democracy like Roger Stone is so full of himself that he allowed a Danish film crew to document him reacting to the January 6 insurrection—that he helped orchestrate—in real time. We need as many records of what went down that day as possible so that historians can do what they do and place it within the larger American context. But as a human who enjoys rights and freedoms, it sure sends shivers down my spine to watch it happen: The Roger Stone Tapes (The Washington Post)
Am I a lawyer? No. But do I wonder why so many of the lawyers that fought to reverse the 2020 election via frivolous lawsuits and abject disinformation still have the ability to practice law? Yes, yes I do. So go get ‘em, 65 Project: Scoop: High-powered group targets Trump lawyers’ livelihoods (Axios)
I’ve mentioned the amazing Casey Johnston here before, as I absolutely adore her plainspoken desire as the “Swole Woman” to demystify lifting weights, specifically helping women feel comfortable in the gym, and more importantly, in their own skin. And since I fell off the lifting wagon back in October when I procured the wee beast, I’m happily reading her new book “Liftoff” as a way to reconnect to the very basics of functional movement and getting strong. So when I saw this GQ article on her book a day after I bought it, I assumed I’m on the right path: Why Lifting Weights Is for Everyone.
HOME PROVINCE UPDATE: looks like there’s a raccoon issue in Calgary and a wild hog problem in Edmonton, and both of these articles (from the CBC and Edmonton Journal, respectively) take great liberties in their use of animal puns, which I of course support wholeheartedly. Thank you Mum of the Missive for providing these pieces, which seem like another job for the famed Alberta Rat Patrol, as we wouldn’t want them resting on their rodent-massacring laurels or anything.
And finally, luxuriating in schadenfreude isn’t the best for your karma, but sometimes you’ve just gotta enjoy a good headline: This Tahoe neighborhood destroyed the largest wetland in the Sierra. Now it’s being besieged by bears. (SFGate) Also, “besieged by bears” is a really awesome electro-folk banjo quartet name. (Note to self: look up if there is such a thing as an electric banjo)
You’re swell. Drink some water, get outside for a bit, and be kind to each other, ok?
xoxo Amy