perzine newsletter | january 2026
greetings
welp, firstly, fuck ICE. i’ve been following along with what’s going on in minnesota and it’s been heartening to see the networks people have quickly built to protect their neighbors. we’re really all we’ve got. i’ve been printing off these zines and flyers from washington immigrant solidarity network to distribute.
this past week was maybe the least eventful week i’ve had in a year. my routine was basically: slow morning, work for a few hours, take a walk and relax. it’s been amazing. and my brain has been telling me what a piece of shit i am for taking it easy the whole time lol.
2026 intentions
lofty goal: spend none of 2026 burned out! lmao.
rest more
move my body more regularly
say no more often*
be on my phone less
keep journaling regularly
prioritize pleasure & play over work
get comfortable with being less busy
be less reachable**
*i’m working on catching myself saying “yes” to stuff out of a sense of duty or need to be useful vs actually being excited about doing it.
**i spend a lot of time being stressed out about responding to emails and texts and DMs in a timely fashion. i wanna practice moving at the speed of snail mail ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2026 goals
make a few zines
make some art for art’s sake
listen to music via physical media more regularly
make a mix tape or two
host a punk rock flea market
host a covid safer craft hang or physical media swap or karaoke
host elijah stoll gig when he tours thru
after spending 2025 with too many things on my plate that all felt too important to drop, i wanna commit to way less in 2026. it’s bittersweet, and it’s been an extremely slow process, but i’ve finally let some stuff go. the trick will be NOT immediately replacing the things i’ve put down with new projects.
i had an illuminating phone call with my dad over the holidays where he told me how he finally sold his business to a long-time employee and retired. he then proceeded to explain all the ways he’s still involved in the business. and i was like HUH, INTERESTING. the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
i hope to practice letting myself off the hook this year. i’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself to be dependable. feels silly to be like, “i want to become worse” lol, but i think i could do to be a little flakier in the future. it’s remarkable how much kinder i am to myself than i was in my 20s, but there are still so many unreasonable standards i hold myself to.
upcoming
my birthday is feb 10th. this is an invitation to send me birthday mail- a card, a note, other paper goods. i probably won’t reply (sry!) but i will appreciate it a whole lot! reply to this for my address if you wanna (i rly need to get a po box lol).
events
next mask bloc distros coming up are feb 14th and 28th. more info on how to get free masks!
masks required roller skate at skateland march 22nd!
some photos
some songs
rang in the new year with this pope song on repeat.
i’ve been revisiting this band that i discovered in the myspace days and i can’t get enough of them. kinda mathy, gloomy, powerful vocals. carousel is the title track from the album on the same name, i highly recommend it.
and here’s a song from a later victory at sea album (all your things are gone). different vibe, lots of piano, equally moody and powerful.
and then, perhaps out of left field, there’s cake. abrupt vibe shift lol. been revisiting fashion nugget this past week.
tiny victories
the valentines day rush is happening on etsy right now, and i always solicit bday mail because i get a lil sad mailing out like 100 valentines but not getting any myself lol. however, i’m happy to report that i’m feeling uncharacteristically adored this valentines season :)
punched my ‘i said no’ punchcard twice
spotted my first camellia bloom of the season
bittersweetly stepped down from the board at DECAY
convened mask bloc for an inventory party
did something resembling relaxation
felt super cared for in my relationships, platonic and otherwise
felt real hot
drew a lot and made some cool flyers
uh, i think that’s it!
if you need a good laugh, here’s my favorite hilariously ridiculous power point presentation, courtesy of paul robalino (from the show smartypants on dropout tv).
hope you’re all hanging in there <3
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