a plastic water bottle and a paper towel roll
Welcome back to a "normal" working week and what a week it has been!
Emotionally, I'm still processing all the everything that has happened, from the fact that there was a 27 hour traffic jam, to the fact that the publishing scammer got caught???? My dude, were you just reading the books and just hoarding them until they were published? Did you just do it for the thrill? I'm fascinated by this. Horrified! But fascinated.
But beyond that - and maybe including the fact that some of us haven't slept properly in days! - I've really been just thinking the whole "what's the point" of any of this. I very distinctly remember a year ago (today! oh gosh!!), watching my television in horror as the Capitol building was overrun but also still having meetings and sending silly little emails like "Wow! This is terrifying! Anyway, here's the document you requested."
It's also very weird to try to act as though there is no doom and gloom when Christmas just ended but we're in the darkest part of the season (for real - it has been grey and overcast every single day since January started), and the Covid cases are rising and it feels like everything we've worked so hard for is weirdly disappearing. Well. Except work.
I know in the beginning of the pandemic they were like "people are watching insane amounts of comfort tv shows like Friends and The Office to feel better" and while I have never touched those two shows before in my life, I have definitely vanished into the world of old school video games (Hello Final Fantasy X, what is this, the three hundredth play through?). I think the mindset was consuming content that you already knew what was happening so it would allow your brain to relax.
But even though it could be super easy to not focus because it feels like the world is ending, I know I'm personally trying to figure out all my goals for the next year, broken down into 12 week bits. Because while I could be lazy and could just envelope myself into video games and play Kingdom Hearts and cry to the opening song, I could also get off the couch for five minutes and chip away at one of the projects I'm trying to work on. Maybe. Even though there is really no motivation to do anything except become one with my couch, especially as the the days go colder and the world gets weirder.
Alls this to say is that the world really feels dark and gloomy, but like the only way we can think is up and forward. I was going to say "the only way we can go is up" but wheeeeeeew boy, things can definitely go down at the rate things have been moving!!! So! Good thoughts! Which, if you know me (and you all do lmao), you know is a difficult thing. But what else do we got??
But anyway, onto some fun things to hopefully brighten your day! Maybe?
(Speaking of things falling apart, tinyletter ate half of this newsletter as I was trying to edit it!!!! I had to refind all of my recommendations and rewrite a bunch of things! But I'm not going to let it stop me!!! WE GOTTA THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!)
Emotionally, I'm still processing all the everything that has happened, from the fact that there was a 27 hour traffic jam, to the fact that the publishing scammer got caught???? My dude, were you just reading the books and just hoarding them until they were published? Did you just do it for the thrill? I'm fascinated by this. Horrified! But fascinated.
But beyond that - and maybe including the fact that some of us haven't slept properly in days! - I've really been just thinking the whole "what's the point" of any of this. I very distinctly remember a year ago (today! oh gosh!!), watching my television in horror as the Capitol building was overrun but also still having meetings and sending silly little emails like "Wow! This is terrifying! Anyway, here's the document you requested."
It's also very weird to try to act as though there is no doom and gloom when Christmas just ended but we're in the darkest part of the season (for real - it has been grey and overcast every single day since January started), and the Covid cases are rising and it feels like everything we've worked so hard for is weirdly disappearing. Well. Except work.
I know in the beginning of the pandemic they were like "people are watching insane amounts of comfort tv shows like Friends and The Office to feel better" and while I have never touched those two shows before in my life, I have definitely vanished into the world of old school video games (Hello Final Fantasy X, what is this, the three hundredth play through?). I think the mindset was consuming content that you already knew what was happening so it would allow your brain to relax.
But even though it could be super easy to not focus because it feels like the world is ending, I know I'm personally trying to figure out all my goals for the next year, broken down into 12 week bits. Because while I could be lazy and could just envelope myself into video games and play Kingdom Hearts and cry to the opening song, I could also get off the couch for five minutes and chip away at one of the projects I'm trying to work on. Maybe. Even though there is really no motivation to do anything except become one with my couch, especially as the the days go colder and the world gets weirder.
Alls this to say is that the world really feels dark and gloomy, but like the only way we can think is up and forward. I was going to say "the only way we can go is up" but wheeeeeeew boy, things can definitely go down at the rate things have been moving!!! So! Good thoughts! Which, if you know me (and you all do lmao), you know is a difficult thing. But what else do we got??
But anyway, onto some fun things to hopefully brighten your day! Maybe?
(Speaking of things falling apart, tinyletter ate half of this newsletter as I was trying to edit it!!!! I had to refind all of my recommendations and rewrite a bunch of things! But I'm not going to let it stop me!!! WE GOTTA THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!)
- I was cleaning up my computer and I rediscovered the greatness of Epic Sax Guy. Do you remember him? Did you ever hear of him? Well, welcome to the glory of the 2010s internet - somehow weirder and tamer than the early 00's. Also, if maybe you need more epic sax, why not rock out with Gandalf the Grey? (Also because I realize people might not know, this is the original song, which is quite the bop! No the sax part is not really that long. Though it should be.)
- There was a Twitter thread from every month of last year.... where a cat wanted to eat someone's food. It made me laugh. That cat looks so angry.
- If you're on Twitter, you probably saw Elmo trending because of him screaming at a rock not being alive (it makes sense in context), but then I went down a rabbit hole and lmao wow! Elmo is a vibe! Between him being pissy at Jimmy Fallon, messing up his lines with Robin Williams, and then Elmo, once again, just being a mood. Was Sesame Street always this funny? Gosh. UPDATE: Elmo released a statement! I love the bitterness Elmo brings into 2022!
Anyway, Happy New Year y'all. I hope you were able to take some time for yourselves and relax and enjoy ....your family? Your gifts? Not working? Idk, this optimism thing is quite difficult!!!
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