I just sent my first completed work of fanfiction to a friend to beta and I feel so, so proud of myself.
I loved to write when I was a kid, but as I got older there was so much pressure to be a Good, Important Writer (from peers-I was an English major- and from my very literary parents) that I just stopped writing altogether rather than be a bad writer. But then I discovered fanfiction and the idea that I could just write... for fun... because I like it... and it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad... that just blew me out of the water. So I've written 100,000+ words in the last four months and it's like I've found a part of me again I didn't know I was missing.
A week ago my mom received a very sudden and shocking diagnosis of terminal cancer. It’s been...a lot. She’s handling it weirdly well and luckily we’re in a good position to handle something like this (good insurance, my job has been great). I’d love any advice from anyone who has been through this before though.
I won a "best presentation" award at yesterday's conference! It apparently comes with a $500 award, but I'm more excited about the free conference swag: a Lego set that builds an evaporator (tool we use in the lab a bunch).
I've been having increasingly awful nightmares, often related to a relatively long-ago sexual assault, with increasin frequently and I just signed up to participate in a research study about treating PTSD and I'm very nervous but also proud of myself for getting over 9 years of accumulated calcification and leakiness of bad memories and fear and deciding (admittedly, For Science) that I deserve to talk to someone about what happened and get treated and stop having it hanging over my subconscious quite so aggressively.
my sister and i just impulsively started a new twitter at @ifthenrecs to recommend books / movies / music based on stuff you’ve liked (in the “if you like X, we think you’d like Y” format). i’m v excited to put all my pop culture feelings in one place! also i get to see ready or not today, on friday the 13th 🙌
i work on an organic farm and one of my jobs is drawing a joke or visual pun or reference within a reference on the sign we take to market (example: "JOI CHOI DIVISION" ft that album art, a variation of that "is this a pidgeon?" meme)
and the signs have become kind of a Thing among the other vendors / market regulars
but this week i was TIRED
and my boss let me get away with writing a parody of "This Is Just To Say" instead of drawing the yellow submarine art but with a golden zucchini in place of the sub, bless him.
Hi everyone, I'm on the mend from strep throat and have a glorious weekend of No-Plans ahead of me. After several weeks of overstructure, it's refreshing.
Also, after a particularly fraught urban walk last night, I've decided to acknowledge this spring's autism diagnosis with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. My birthday is coming up, so it's doubly appropriate. It's nice to be able to accept my neurodiversity at my own pace; I sought the diagnosis, so it's not like it was shocking, but I've had a hard time believing it because of all the masking I've done over several decades.
I got paid today, so I finally have enough cash to buy some fabric to make a quilt for my aunt who is very sick, so I am feeling very grateful this morning. I hope y'all are having a good Friday the 13th/harvest moon too!
I am a magician who works with sick children in the hospital (we perform bedside magic for kids with anything from cancer to car accidents). I am chairing the annual gala / benefit today and we haven't sold enough tickets. I'm really stressed about it so please send vibes for some last minute donations / ticket sales!!
My good friends had their baby! They are very cute and have the chubbiest cheeks (parents requested they/them for the time being). I, however, am trying very very hard not to slide into a depression hole. I can feel it yawning and so I'm like Outdoorsing! Cooking healthy! Cleaning the house! Taking a walk! Interacting with other humans! as hard as I can. How do you avoid a looming depressionhole?
There's lots of ugh work stuff happening and I'm just e x h a u s t e d by all of it, so I'm trying to focus on the positive:
- MAC has a new line of lipsticks called Love Me that aren't as matte and dryifying as their other lipsticks, so I obviously went out and bought a new red immediately. I like it a lot so far!
- I live alone and near so many takeout places that it plays havoc on my bank account (and general diet), so I finally got a meal box subscription and I'm excited! I get the first one on Monday.
- Tell me who are the men you personally find attractive on (currentish) tv shows? The only ones I could think of on the spot were Fleabag's Hot Priest and Grantchester's Hot Vicar. My friends couldn't really think of anyone else either. (I can, however, think of loads of women I find attractive.) Where are all the hot men???
Been going through it a bit lately, for no real reason really. But I keep getting stuck in the rut of “no one will ever love me because I’m worthless and ugly” and am struggling to rationalize with myself about it. Just needed to get it off my chest
I'm in a BOOK FUNK at the moment and would love some recommendations! For what it's worth, here are the last five books I've really enjoyed: How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (Jenny Odell), The Western Wind (Samantha Harvey), The Bride Test (Helen Hoang), and Pachinko (Min Jin Lee). Also, I've started a 2.5 hour commute (each way) once a week and I would LIKE to read on the train more but I never know whether to bring heavy bulky books I know I'll love or lightweight paperbacks!
One of the fun parts of twitter is when everyone is discussing a subject you know nothing about, and you continue to scroll on in gleeful ignorance! Sometimes I don’t learn about the kerfluffle for days! Sometimes ever!
I started an instagram account for my relatively new sewing/historical costuming hobby (@hdotsew) and would love to connect with other crafty (and non-crafty!) folk. Putting myself out there and trying to make new friends definitely does not come naturally to this introvert, but I'm working on it!
FINALLY watching the Derry Girls, and wishing I lived in the same town as my Catholic high school girlfriends. Instead, I’m watching with my 14 year old daughter and that’s it’s own kind of fun. Loving every minute of it!
New mom here. My wee babe is almost eight weeks old, and while things have gone pretty well so far, I’m struggling with being preoccupied that something terrible is going to happen to her (is this just what parenting feels like? Maybe.) I can’t stop vividly imagining bad things happening, for example, that when I drive with her we’re going to get into a horrible car accident, and things like that. Does anyone have any tips or resources for helping to address or calm this kind of thing?
Does anyone have any advice about getting OUT of a challenging, debilitating major depression? It's my FIRST TIME and it's been going on for over a year (and yes, weekly therapy is helping but is it?). I am switching medications today but I am having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - I can still remember like, wanting to do things on weekends but I look forward to Fridays now because I can just collapse.
(for that matter if anyone has any good Netflix recommendations for the weekend, I'm almost done with iZombie and need something to zone out to that has the same level of quirk/smart/not too thinky/not too funny/dark humor welcome - any takers?)
I'm five months pregnant, just had my first appt (has anyone mentioned insurance in America sucks?), and we're all doing great, yay! What's bugging me is before everyone in my house wakes up I get some cuddle time with my 6mo puppy and now my belly is so big he only hangs out for a minute before finding a more comfortable spot.
I am currently in my last semester of college and taking a lot of credit hours and applying for grad school and working and am feeling v v stressed about the future and overburdened. I would love and appreciate some good vibes being sent my way. On another note, a high point is that my roommates and I are throwing a Full Moon/Friday the 13th party tonight that I am excited about!
I am scheduled to lead the youth group at my church on Sunday morning and I'm feeling anxious about it. Usually my partner does it with me, but he has something else then so I said I'd do it on my own - it's only half an hour and I know all the kids and they like me, but anxietybrain is acting up and making me dread it a little bit. :/
I do have something to look forward to on Sunday afternoon - we're doing a D&D oneshot with our usual group, and I made a new character, a messy-haired cleric sailor named Hawk who calls down storms on enemies and can control water. Pretty excited to play her.
Friends, one of my two best friends is moving away (like, half the country away). I am completely devastated. She (and my other friend) make up an extremely large chunk of my support system emotionally and socially (I am very bad at peopling and don't like to make new friends because it's scary). She is one of the main reasons I sometimes actually meet new people and actually do social things outside my apartment. I am sad. I am worried about isolating myself even more.
I don't have anything else. I'm just at loose ends and wanted someone to hear.
I'm about to leave for a two week long work trip (2 conferences, 2 countries) and everyone keeps expecting me to be excited but I'm just... tired. I know I'll enjoy myself once I'm actually there because I love travelling and I love learning but it's hard to muster the energy right now. Work travel is not as glamourous as people think and their expectations hold me back from being able to actually talk about my stress. Anyone else out there on the road a lot for work? What are you coping strategies and tips?
I'm a little stressed as our new festival of London museum Lates events is just TWO WEEKS AWAY! Our team are all flat out, but it's exciting. If anyone think that "Night at the Museum meets Glastonbury" sounds like your cup of tea, check out what's on and come on down: www.emergefestival.co.uk
I finished two months of PT this week for migraines. It felt bizarre that I had to go - I'd tried meds, yoga, chiropractor, and they were just getting more frequent (taking advil or excedrin 4+ times a week, had one in June that lasted 5 days). PT was a pain in the ass: it was expensive even after insurance, time consuming, sometimes painful (they were frequently able to reproduce headaches and i tried dry needling which was helpful but scary). I also truly dislike people touching my body, so there was a whole mental aspect I had to conquer every single time and it sucked. BUT.... y'all, I feel so much better, and I feel like I have the tools to keep feeling better, and I am so happy.
Hi everyone!! I have a huge life change that's happening this weekend. I'm finally getting a dog, which has been pretty much my life's highest dream for 28 years. Now that's it's finally REALLY happening though I'm finding myself running through every excuse in the book trying to convince myself that it might not be *~the ideal~* time. I have a lot of dog sitting and walking experience and I know it will be a lot I know it will be a lot different, and a lot better. I know also that there is no ideal time, and i'm trying hard to gear myself up for tomorrow - the day that I always pictured as "the best day of my life" in a way that i think some people think about their weddings or children being born. Now that the day is imminent, I'm finding it hard to convince myself that I'm *ready*. Any encouragement about what joy my new family member will bring, or helpful thoughts about how no one is ever really ready for ANythiNG would be so helpful to hear heart right now but I am struggling!!! <3 thank you so much in advance and happy friday
Hi friends! I have not been loving myself lately, so yesterday I was very kind to myself and my cat and got her an adorable Halloween scratcher/house thing and myself a book (I'm splurging and getting TWO more this weekend because it's "Be Kind To Me" weekend - Ten Thousand Doors of January and the new Etgar Keret). How are you being nice to yourself this weekend?
I watched John Mulaney interviewing Bill Hader at the 92Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk-83o9gQik and it is DELIGHTFUL! Mulaney says three words, and Hader bursts into joyous laughter. Friendship and creative work together is so wonderful and refreshing!
Petty whining, but we are going out of town for a wedding and whoo boy my social anxiety is already through the roof in anticipation. And we're driving down with MIL's husband (stepfather never feels right, they've been married for less time than we have) who is a perfectly nice person but I barely want to be in the car with my spouse for five hours. Thoughts and prayers for no panic attacks in the bathroom mid-reception appreciated.
Hi all! I’ve been lurking here for a while but today seemed like a good time to delurk because I am Going Through Some Stuff and could use good thoughts! Long story short: I was in a PhD program until not too long ago, at the dissertation stage but already totally disillusioned/ burned out on academia for a lot of reasons, and also had been going through a lot of major life stuff, mainly figuring out I was queer during my first year in the program. I finally decided to get out and focus on writing fiction, which has always been my first love. I’m now working retail full time and trying to take care of my mental health while I ease back into writing. For a while it felt like I had things under control financially, but a couple of things that have happened in the last week (insurance fuckery, mostly) have made things more precarious and I’m worried about making ends meet. I probably need to get some kind of second job to supplement my income, but I’m already working a lot and exhausted and I don’t know how to find the time or energy for that. It’s just...a lot right now. And I’m mostly holding it together on a day to day basis, but the constant anxiety about money is wearing me down.
Do other people get this feeling when they come home from vacation where everything just seems boring and gray? I'm back from a 10-day trip (South of France, lots of reading by a swimming pool, drinking wine, visiting medieval towns) and my life now seems deeply dull. I hoped to come back revitalized but instead, I'm sad about the boring state of my life. I'm sure it will pass in a few days but I wish this didn't always happen.
I just finished reading Say Nothing, A True Story of Murder And Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is amazing. I've never read about The Troubles in NI before and I think the author did a great job of being as unbiased as possible. It is non-fiction narrative that reads like a thriller. I'm gonna go rewatch Derry Girls now...
This week started with food poisoning and ends with a (scheduled) doctor's appointment this afternoon, but despite that, it's been a pretty decent week. I did *not* watch the debates last night, instead I had a delicious rose` cider with a mentor of mine (McKenzie’s strawberry hibiscus rose`, for those who can and wish to indulge). Happy Friday! I hope we all have chill, autumnal weekends. <3
I've been waiting for open thread so I could ask: What charities do y'all donate to? I'm trying to be more regular about donating but outside of local ones, it's so hard to figure out what is actually helping and a good place to send my money. I'm in the US so orgs that help with the border disaster, women's health, or fixing our broken voting system would be great, but mostly I just want to hear about all the great places I don't know about yet (and I'm sure others elsewhere would too).
i know you said no C&N, but that reminded me of a really good tweet i saw regarding that mess: "everyone has a caroline friend, and if you don't then *you're* someone's caroline" (to paraphrase).
i have always had at least one caroline friend at a time since high school! it is draining! i'm sure i have also been the draining friend at times, but yikes!
I’m really looking forward to this weekend because it has the just the right mix of plans and free time. I’m super excited to try a recent NYTimes cooking recipe for Indian nachos (chips, beans & cheese but also tamarind! Chutney!) with some friends. I usually am cooking just for me so it’s fun to cook something a little more involved with other people. I think the recipe might be from the cookbook Indian-ish which I now have on hold at the library and am very excited to get. Hope everyone has a great food weekend!
This is Incredibly Specific, and I hate to be a debbie downer on a Friday, but I would love to hear from anyone with autoimmune-types of arthritis!! I recently received a diagnosis and I’m still in freak-out mode about what that means, and I don’t know anyone IRL i can ask about it!
On the one hand, I miss Babylon Berlin, and hope it comes back soon; on the other, I probably couldn't handle the emotional overload of having it and Succession on at the same time, so, all for the best.
Hi everyone! After years of IVF I am pregnant and feek super happy and lucky. I remember ages ago in her parenting column Nicole recommended an evidence-based pregnancy book. I can't find the entry now though. Does anyone know, or can recommend something similar? It would really help my anxiety...and my arguments with my wife over drinking coffee. Thanks very much in advance!
Hellooo! I am a new subscriber, excited to be chatting with all of you! I've got a vacation coming up next month to California, which is mostly parks but is going to include one day of driving through Napa Valley and a few days in SF. I am looking for a lunch spot in Napa. I am picturing myself on a porch or patio of a restaurant drinking local wine. From my outside perch I see a scenic view of the valley. The food is good. I bet there is some cheese involved. It's not a fussy fancy place but I feel fancy because of the wine and views combo. Does such a place exist? Please point me!
Any other SF recs welcome for our few days there. <3
I just sent my first completed work of fanfiction to a friend to beta and I feel so, so proud of myself.
I loved to write when I was a kid, but as I got older there was so much pressure to be a Good, Important Writer (from peers-I was an English major- and from my very literary parents) that I just stopped writing altogether rather than be a bad writer. But then I discovered fanfiction and the idea that I could just write... for fun... because I like it... and it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad... that just blew me out of the water. So I've written 100,000+ words in the last four months and it's like I've found a part of me again I didn't know I was missing.
A week ago my mom received a very sudden and shocking diagnosis of terminal cancer. It’s been...a lot. She’s handling it weirdly well and luckily we’re in a good position to handle something like this (good insurance, my job has been great). I’d love any advice from anyone who has been through this before though.
I won a "best presentation" award at yesterday's conference! It apparently comes with a $500 award, but I'm more excited about the free conference swag: a Lego set that builds an evaporator (tool we use in the lab a bunch).
I've been having increasingly awful nightmares, often related to a relatively long-ago sexual assault, with increasin frequently and I just signed up to participate in a research study about treating PTSD and I'm very nervous but also proud of myself for getting over 9 years of accumulated calcification and leakiness of bad memories and fear and deciding (admittedly, For Science) that I deserve to talk to someone about what happened and get treated and stop having it hanging over my subconscious quite so aggressively.
my sister and i just impulsively started a new twitter at @ifthenrecs to recommend books / movies / music based on stuff you’ve liked (in the “if you like X, we think you’d like Y” format). i’m v excited to put all my pop culture feelings in one place! also i get to see ready or not today, on friday the 13th 🙌
i work on an organic farm and one of my jobs is drawing a joke or visual pun or reference within a reference on the sign we take to market (example: "JOI CHOI DIVISION" ft that album art, a variation of that "is this a pidgeon?" meme)
and the signs have become kind of a Thing among the other vendors / market regulars
but this week i was TIRED
and my boss let me get away with writing a parody of "This Is Just To Say" instead of drawing the yellow submarine art but with a golden zucchini in place of the sub, bless him.
"I did not draw
the joke
that was meant
for this market sign
and which
you were probably (?)
looking
forward to
Forgive me
our produce is still
so good
and so fresh. "
Hi everyone, I'm on the mend from strep throat and have a glorious weekend of No-Plans ahead of me. After several weeks of overstructure, it's refreshing.
Also, after a particularly fraught urban walk last night, I've decided to acknowledge this spring's autism diagnosis with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. My birthday is coming up, so it's doubly appropriate. It's nice to be able to accept my neurodiversity at my own pace; I sought the diagnosis, so it's not like it was shocking, but I've had a hard time believing it because of all the masking I've done over several decades.
My anniversary is tomorrow and spouse and I took today off for a long weekend! It's great!
I got paid today, so I finally have enough cash to buy some fabric to make a quilt for my aunt who is very sick, so I am feeling very grateful this morning. I hope y'all are having a good Friday the 13th/harvest moon too!
I am a magician who works with sick children in the hospital (we perform bedside magic for kids with anything from cancer to car accidents). I am chairing the annual gala / benefit today and we haven't sold enough tickets. I'm really stressed about it so please send vibes for some last minute donations / ticket sales!!
My good friends had their baby! They are very cute and have the chubbiest cheeks (parents requested they/them for the time being). I, however, am trying very very hard not to slide into a depression hole. I can feel it yawning and so I'm like Outdoorsing! Cooking healthy! Cleaning the house! Taking a walk! Interacting with other humans! as hard as I can. How do you avoid a looming depressionhole?
The Highwomen album, anyone? I feel like part of me may finally Get country music.
There's lots of ugh work stuff happening and I'm just e x h a u s t e d by all of it, so I'm trying to focus on the positive:
- MAC has a new line of lipsticks called Love Me that aren't as matte and dryifying as their other lipsticks, so I obviously went out and bought a new red immediately. I like it a lot so far!
- I live alone and near so many takeout places that it plays havoc on my bank account (and general diet), so I finally got a meal box subscription and I'm excited! I get the first one on Monday.
- Tell me who are the men you personally find attractive on (currentish) tv shows? The only ones I could think of on the spot were Fleabag's Hot Priest and Grantchester's Hot Vicar. My friends couldn't really think of anyone else either. (I can, however, think of loads of women I find attractive.) Where are all the hot men???
Been going through it a bit lately, for no real reason really. But I keep getting stuck in the rut of “no one will ever love me because I’m worthless and ugly” and am struggling to rationalize with myself about it. Just needed to get it off my chest
I'm in a BOOK FUNK at the moment and would love some recommendations! For what it's worth, here are the last five books I've really enjoyed: How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (Jenny Odell), The Western Wind (Samantha Harvey), The Bride Test (Helen Hoang), and Pachinko (Min Jin Lee). Also, I've started a 2.5 hour commute (each way) once a week and I would LIKE to read on the train more but I never know whether to bring heavy bulky books I know I'll love or lightweight paperbacks!
I've been in Melbourne for two days now, ostensibly on tour/holiday, and I've spent most of it watching Elementary! Lucy Liu is a GIFT, y'all.
One of the fun parts of twitter is when everyone is discussing a subject you know nothing about, and you continue to scroll on in gleeful ignorance! Sometimes I don’t learn about the kerfluffle for days! Sometimes ever!
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW I WATCHED ALL OF DERRY GIRLS LAST NIGHT AND I WAS SO SAD WHEN IT WAS OVER???
I started an instagram account for my relatively new sewing/historical costuming hobby (@hdotsew) and would love to connect with other crafty (and non-crafty!) folk. Putting myself out there and trying to make new friends definitely does not come naturally to this introvert, but I'm working on it!
FINALLY watching the Derry Girls, and wishing I lived in the same town as my Catholic high school girlfriends. Instead, I’m watching with my 14 year old daughter and that’s it’s own kind of fun. Loving every minute of it!
New mom here. My wee babe is almost eight weeks old, and while things have gone pretty well so far, I’m struggling with being preoccupied that something terrible is going to happen to her (is this just what parenting feels like? Maybe.) I can’t stop vividly imagining bad things happening, for example, that when I drive with her we’re going to get into a horrible car accident, and things like that. Does anyone have any tips or resources for helping to address or calm this kind of thing?
Does anyone have any advice about getting OUT of a challenging, debilitating major depression? It's my FIRST TIME and it's been going on for over a year (and yes, weekly therapy is helping but is it?). I am switching medications today but I am having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - I can still remember like, wanting to do things on weekends but I look forward to Fridays now because I can just collapse.
(for that matter if anyone has any good Netflix recommendations for the weekend, I'm almost done with iZombie and need something to zone out to that has the same level of quirk/smart/not too thinky/not too funny/dark humor welcome - any takers?)
My service-y info for the day is that pieces from every collaboration Target has done for the past 20 years (including Missoni) are going on sale tomorrow: https://www.target.com/c/target-20-years-of-design-for-all/-/N-yk9q4?lnk=20yearsofdesign
I'm five months pregnant, just had my first appt (has anyone mentioned insurance in America sucks?), and we're all doing great, yay! What's bugging me is before everyone in my house wakes up I get some cuddle time with my 6mo puppy and now my belly is so big he only hangs out for a minute before finding a more comfortable spot.
I am currently in my last semester of college and taking a lot of credit hours and applying for grad school and working and am feeling v v stressed about the future and overburdened. I would love and appreciate some good vibes being sent my way. On another note, a high point is that my roommates and I are throwing a Full Moon/Friday the 13th party tonight that I am excited about!
Today is my birthday and for the first year in some time I feel pretty positive about the next year.
I am scheduled to lead the youth group at my church on Sunday morning and I'm feeling anxious about it. Usually my partner does it with me, but he has something else then so I said I'd do it on my own - it's only half an hour and I know all the kids and they like me, but anxietybrain is acting up and making me dread it a little bit. :/
I do have something to look forward to on Sunday afternoon - we're doing a D&D oneshot with our usual group, and I made a new character, a messy-haired cleric sailor named Hawk who calls down storms on enemies and can control water. Pretty excited to play her.
Friends, one of my two best friends is moving away (like, half the country away). I am completely devastated. She (and my other friend) make up an extremely large chunk of my support system emotionally and socially (I am very bad at peopling and don't like to make new friends because it's scary). She is one of the main reasons I sometimes actually meet new people and actually do social things outside my apartment. I am sad. I am worried about isolating myself even more.
I don't have anything else. I'm just at loose ends and wanted someone to hear.
I'm about to leave for a two week long work trip (2 conferences, 2 countries) and everyone keeps expecting me to be excited but I'm just... tired. I know I'll enjoy myself once I'm actually there because I love travelling and I love learning but it's hard to muster the energy right now. Work travel is not as glamourous as people think and their expectations hold me back from being able to actually talk about my stress. Anyone else out there on the road a lot for work? What are you coping strategies and tips?
I'm a little stressed as our new festival of London museum Lates events is just TWO WEEKS AWAY! Our team are all flat out, but it's exciting. If anyone think that "Night at the Museum meets Glastonbury" sounds like your cup of tea, check out what's on and come on down: www.emergefestival.co.uk
I finished two months of PT this week for migraines. It felt bizarre that I had to go - I'd tried meds, yoga, chiropractor, and they were just getting more frequent (taking advil or excedrin 4+ times a week, had one in June that lasted 5 days). PT was a pain in the ass: it was expensive even after insurance, time consuming, sometimes painful (they were frequently able to reproduce headaches and i tried dry needling which was helpful but scary). I also truly dislike people touching my body, so there was a whole mental aspect I had to conquer every single time and it sucked. BUT.... y'all, I feel so much better, and I feel like I have the tools to keep feeling better, and I am so happy.
Hi everyone!! I have a huge life change that's happening this weekend. I'm finally getting a dog, which has been pretty much my life's highest dream for 28 years. Now that's it's finally REALLY happening though I'm finding myself running through every excuse in the book trying to convince myself that it might not be *~the ideal~* time. I have a lot of dog sitting and walking experience and I know it will be a lot I know it will be a lot different, and a lot better. I know also that there is no ideal time, and i'm trying hard to gear myself up for tomorrow - the day that I always pictured as "the best day of my life" in a way that i think some people think about their weddings or children being born. Now that the day is imminent, I'm finding it hard to convince myself that I'm *ready*. Any encouragement about what joy my new family member will bring, or helpful thoughts about how no one is ever really ready for ANythiNG would be so helpful to hear heart right now but I am struggling!!! <3 thank you so much in advance and happy friday
Hi friends! I have not been loving myself lately, so yesterday I was very kind to myself and my cat and got her an adorable Halloween scratcher/house thing and myself a book (I'm splurging and getting TWO more this weekend because it's "Be Kind To Me" weekend - Ten Thousand Doors of January and the new Etgar Keret). How are you being nice to yourself this weekend?
I watched John Mulaney interviewing Bill Hader at the 92Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk-83o9gQik and it is DELIGHTFUL! Mulaney says three words, and Hader bursts into joyous laughter. Friendship and creative work together is so wonderful and refreshing!
Petty whining, but we are going out of town for a wedding and whoo boy my social anxiety is already through the roof in anticipation. And we're driving down with MIL's husband (stepfather never feels right, they've been married for less time than we have) who is a perfectly nice person but I barely want to be in the car with my spouse for five hours. Thoughts and prayers for no panic attacks in the bathroom mid-reception appreciated.
I am so ready for the inevitable books and documentaries about the MIT Media Lab as the next Theranos https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/201900910-MITmedialab-food-computer
I just got a baby bearded dragon! She is a cute perfect little angel and I am so excited to watch her grow!! Her name is Pancake.
Hi all! I’ve been lurking here for a while but today seemed like a good time to delurk because I am Going Through Some Stuff and could use good thoughts! Long story short: I was in a PhD program until not too long ago, at the dissertation stage but already totally disillusioned/ burned out on academia for a lot of reasons, and also had been going through a lot of major life stuff, mainly figuring out I was queer during my first year in the program. I finally decided to get out and focus on writing fiction, which has always been my first love. I’m now working retail full time and trying to take care of my mental health while I ease back into writing. For a while it felt like I had things under control financially, but a couple of things that have happened in the last week (insurance fuckery, mostly) have made things more precarious and I’m worried about making ends meet. I probably need to get some kind of second job to supplement my income, but I’m already working a lot and exhausted and I don’t know how to find the time or energy for that. It’s just...a lot right now. And I’m mostly holding it together on a day to day basis, but the constant anxiety about money is wearing me down.
Do other people get this feeling when they come home from vacation where everything just seems boring and gray? I'm back from a 10-day trip (South of France, lots of reading by a swimming pool, drinking wine, visiting medieval towns) and my life now seems deeply dull. I hoped to come back revitalized but instead, I'm sad about the boring state of my life. I'm sure it will pass in a few days but I wish this didn't always happen.
I just finished reading Say Nothing, A True Story of Murder And Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is amazing. I've never read about The Troubles in NI before and I think the author did a great job of being as unbiased as possible. It is non-fiction narrative that reads like a thriller. I'm gonna go rewatch Derry Girls now...
This week started with food poisoning and ends with a (scheduled) doctor's appointment this afternoon, but despite that, it's been a pretty decent week. I did *not* watch the debates last night, instead I had a delicious rose` cider with a mentor of mine (McKenzie’s strawberry hibiscus rose`, for those who can and wish to indulge). Happy Friday! I hope we all have chill, autumnal weekends. <3
IS ANYBODY ELSE READING GIDEON THE NINTH
I've been waiting for open thread so I could ask: What charities do y'all donate to? I'm trying to be more regular about donating but outside of local ones, it's so hard to figure out what is actually helping and a good place to send my money. I'm in the US so orgs that help with the border disaster, women's health, or fixing our broken voting system would be great, but mostly I just want to hear about all the great places I don't know about yet (and I'm sure others elsewhere would too).
There's a huge subway strike in Paris an it's wonderful to be working from home sometimes.
i know you said no C&N, but that reminded me of a really good tweet i saw regarding that mess: "everyone has a caroline friend, and if you don't then *you're* someone's caroline" (to paraphrase).
i have always had at least one caroline friend at a time since high school! it is draining! i'm sure i have also been the draining friend at times, but yikes!
I’m really looking forward to this weekend because it has the just the right mix of plans and free time. I’m super excited to try a recent NYTimes cooking recipe for Indian nachos (chips, beans & cheese but also tamarind! Chutney!) with some friends. I usually am cooking just for me so it’s fun to cook something a little more involved with other people. I think the recipe might be from the cookbook Indian-ish which I now have on hold at the library and am very excited to get. Hope everyone has a great food weekend!
This is Incredibly Specific, and I hate to be a debbie downer on a Friday, but I would love to hear from anyone with autoimmune-types of arthritis!! I recently received a diagnosis and I’m still in freak-out mode about what that means, and I don’t know anyone IRL i can ask about it!
On the one hand, I miss Babylon Berlin, and hope it comes back soon; on the other, I probably couldn't handle the emotional overload of having it and Succession on at the same time, so, all for the best.
Hi everyone! After years of IVF I am pregnant and feek super happy and lucky. I remember ages ago in her parenting column Nicole recommended an evidence-based pregnancy book. I can't find the entry now though. Does anyone know, or can recommend something similar? It would really help my anxiety...and my arguments with my wife over drinking coffee. Thanks very much in advance!
Hellooo! I am a new subscriber, excited to be chatting with all of you! I've got a vacation coming up next month to California, which is mostly parks but is going to include one day of driving through Napa Valley and a few days in SF. I am looking for a lunch spot in Napa. I am picturing myself on a porch or patio of a restaurant drinking local wine. From my outside perch I see a scenic view of the valley. The food is good. I bet there is some cheese involved. It's not a fussy fancy place but I feel fancy because of the wine and views combo. Does such a place exist? Please point me!
Any other SF recs welcome for our few days there. <3