A to-do how-to, a terrifying Tilda Swinton movie, and ☕️✨ tacos
Hello my favorite people!
Welcome to January.
As I draft this letter, it's pouring down rain in Los Angeles. So much rain. I'm feeling lucky to be holed up in our tiny house rather than out on location somewhere....
I've got eight weeks until my regular spring gig starts up and I WILL NOT FRITTER THEM AWAY, DAMMIT.
I've re-implemented a method for making to-do lists, taken from Marc Andreessen, that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Each night before you go to bed, prepare a 3x5 index card with a short list of 3 to 5 things that you will do the next day.
And then, the next day, do those things.
It works, you guys.
I am serene as I brush my teeth and climb into my pajamas, smug even, knowing my tasks have been laid out for me. And it's much easier to get up in the morning. "Fix [blank] scene" feels achievable, like, yeah I can roll out of bed and do that.... whereas a voice in my head shouting "Get up and finish your script!!!" does not always motivate.
The trick is to put no more than five things on the list.
And you have to DO THE THINGS.
Bonus: If you do a thing that's not on your list—any little thing, talk to Mom, go to the bank, whatever—you get to write it on the back of the index card.
Before bed, as you sort out your tasks for tomorrow, you should gaze upon today's card and glory in all the things you got done.
Then tear it up and throw it away.
That's important, too. The tearing it up. I don't know why.
*****
To follow up on last month's discussion of exclamation points (yea or nay?) ...
Surprise. I got a whole bunch of emails from women like
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not communicate without exclamation points.
and
I fucking love exclamation points, and overuse them constantly.
and a reluctant
I agree with the nay voters, though I'm prone to using them myself.
The men who wrote in were almost all anti-[!], though one allowed a "Semi yay," admitting "If you fight the wave of the future you'll wind up as one of those 'damn kids these days' types."
In conclusion, Women Are Trailblazers. Get Used To It.
*****
This month on the interwebs: WOMAN FACTS. Eg. A woman is born with all the exclamation points she will use in her lifetime.
This month on Netflix: In We Need to Talk About Kevin, a Lynne Ramsay movie from 2011, Tilda Swinton plays a mother trapped in a difficult relationship with her very disturbed/disturbing son. It's visually stunning and so well crafted, told in a nightmarish, non-linear fashion. I'd been in a rut with movie-watching, starting to worry Do I just prefer TV? but this shook me right out of it. (Trigger warning for parents and parents-to-be.)
This month in tacos: The Tacos Encebollados from Curra's Grill in Austin are 👌 steak tacos dusted in Oaxacan coffee grounds for a subtle smoky flavor, served with grilled onions and habanero sauce. Be sure to ask for refried black beans on the side. From the cocktail menu, I ordered a spicy somethingorother with mezcal and muddled jalapeños, which was delish, but next time I'll have to try the avocado margarita.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
p.s. And now my list for today is fucked, but at least I can check off "Send newsletter."
Welcome to January.
As I draft this letter, it's pouring down rain in Los Angeles. So much rain. I'm feeling lucky to be holed up in our tiny house rather than out on location somewhere....
I've got eight weeks until my regular spring gig starts up and I WILL NOT FRITTER THEM AWAY, DAMMIT.
I've re-implemented a method for making to-do lists, taken from Marc Andreessen, that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Each night before you go to bed, prepare a 3x5 index card with a short list of 3 to 5 things that you will do the next day.
And then, the next day, do those things.
It works, you guys.
I am serene as I brush my teeth and climb into my pajamas, smug even, knowing my tasks have been laid out for me. And it's much easier to get up in the morning. "Fix [blank] scene" feels achievable, like, yeah I can roll out of bed and do that.... whereas a voice in my head shouting "Get up and finish your script!!!" does not always motivate.
The trick is to put no more than five things on the list.
And you have to DO THE THINGS.
Bonus: If you do a thing that's not on your list—any little thing, talk to Mom, go to the bank, whatever—you get to write it on the back of the index card.
Before bed, as you sort out your tasks for tomorrow, you should gaze upon today's card and glory in all the things you got done.
Then tear it up and throw it away.
That's important, too. The tearing it up. I don't know why.
*****
To follow up on last month's discussion of exclamation points (yea or nay?) ...
Surprise. I got a whole bunch of emails from women like
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not communicate without exclamation points.
and
I fucking love exclamation points, and overuse them constantly.
and a reluctant
I agree with the nay voters, though I'm prone to using them myself.
The men who wrote in were almost all anti-[!], though one allowed a "Semi yay," admitting "If you fight the wave of the future you'll wind up as one of those 'damn kids these days' types."
In conclusion, Women Are Trailblazers. Get Used To It.
*****
This month on the interwebs: WOMAN FACTS. Eg. A woman is born with all the exclamation points she will use in her lifetime.
This month on Netflix: In We Need to Talk About Kevin, a Lynne Ramsay movie from 2011, Tilda Swinton plays a mother trapped in a difficult relationship with her very disturbed/disturbing son. It's visually stunning and so well crafted, told in a nightmarish, non-linear fashion. I'd been in a rut with movie-watching, starting to worry Do I just prefer TV? but this shook me right out of it. (Trigger warning for parents and parents-to-be.)
This month in tacos: The Tacos Encebollados from Curra's Grill in Austin are 👌 steak tacos dusted in Oaxacan coffee grounds for a subtle smoky flavor, served with grilled onions and habanero sauce. Be sure to ask for refried black beans on the side. From the cocktail menu, I ordered a spicy somethingorother with mezcal and muddled jalapeños, which was delish, but next time I'll have to try the avocado margarita.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
p.s. And now my list for today is fucked, but at least I can check off "Send newsletter."
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