It’s December! Cue the Holiday Anxiety and Guilt! [Then Insert Witty Positive Juxtaposition] Weeeee!
Darlings! It is officially the last month of 2019, which is therefore the last month of this decade, which is of course is inducing a variety of anxieties, both founded and not, in my feeble wee brain.
And you know what I do when I’m anxious? (Get ready for the best intro transition OF ALL TIME!) I give money to non-profit organizations! I’m fundraising for Odd Salon and here’s the twist: for this campaign, I will match all donations made to my fundraiser, up to a total of $1,000. That’s right, I am putting up a thousand of my own moniez to encourage you all to donate to Odd Salon. So if you love me or this missive, or if I’ve wronged you and you just want to see me monetarily squeezed, please give early and often at give.classy.com/makeamypay.
TO THE INTERNETS!
Friend of the Missive Greg K wrote a delightful piece on The forgotten salt water bath craze in San Francisco that helped create a giant sinkhole and I am cackling over how many history nerd boxes that headline checks. The piece also contains a fantastically cinematic lede, and the revelation that most of the effort to tame the sea for baths was, of course, for a hangover “cure.” This is the kind of local history I live for.
Facebook developed a chatbot that trained their employees on what to say when asked difficult questions for the holiday. Is this any different than the “Tough Questions” docs I prepare for clients to help them navigate touchy situations? Is this any different than a note from management providing employee talking points to ensure teams stay on message with politically/legally fraught topics? No on both counts. Is it prime clickbait because it’s Facebook, and it’s a chatbot named Liam? Yes. Yes it is.
Heck yea Seth Rogen, not-so-surprising sex symbol and award-winning founder of the non-profit Hilarity For Charity.
And finally, this is an oldie but still true-y: Holiday Magic Is Made By Women. And It's Killing Us.
Y’all are great. Thank you for donating to Odd Salon. And be kind to each other, mmmkay?
xoxo Amy