Blown deadlines, leg flu, and Laramie gets on a soapbox
Hey there! Happy November, um, 15th.
I've been going around and around about whether to just lalala drop this newsletter on you, like no big deal... or do I need to address the fact that it's fully two weeks late?
I really must have jinxed myself declaring September the best month of the past 12. What did I call it, spectacular? Jeez. *Throws a pinch of salt over her shoulder.*
October was pretty great too, actually. The Skinny shoot went GREAT. Everything was hunky dory right up until I contracted a mystery virus—affectionately known around here as “leg flu”—which has kept me in bed for the past three weeks. I'm finally pulling out of it, weaning myself off the muscle relaxers (not as much fun as they sound) and getting reacquainted with coffee (even better than I remembered!) (coffee FTW!!) ☕️✨
Here's the scary part about blowing a deadline you've assigned to yourself: No one else cares.
I don't mean to imply you aren't thrilled to receive my letters. Of course you are. But you're very forgiving, the lot of you. Now that I know what I can get away with, what's to keep me from, say, sending the next one out on December 3? Or Dec 18? Or skipping a month altogether? What's to keep me doing this thing at all, which, let's be honest, is more for me than it is for you.
Isn't it?
Hmmmm. This is turning into more of a diary entry than a newsletter.
*****
Allow me to steer over onto more professional terrain.
Lately I've been feeling inundated by all the reports about Hollywood's bias against women, how terrible the hiring practices are, how ingrained the sexism is... (Here are 1, 2, 3 articles from the past ten days alone.) And I wonder, how does it help me personally to read all this bad news? Shouldn't I just put my nose to the grindstone and make good work? Be a woman who makes good work? What else can I do??
Here's what I can do. And what you can do, if you're in the biz :
Hire women! And people of color! Go out of your way to do so. If you're turning down a job, recommend a woman or a POC in your stead. If you don't know any, ask around! GET TO KNOW SOME! Don't just hire women to do script supervising and costume design and hair/makeup. Hire female cinematographers! And gaffers! And sound people! IF YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO HIRE DIRECTORS, HIRE FEMALE DIRECTORS
I had such a great time working on The Skinny, for many reasons, but one of the biggies was that I could look around the set every day and realize I was not in the minority. The white dudes were the minority, bless their little hearts.
The set got bawdy on occasion. No, let me rephrase that: The set was bawdy. Jessie is bawdy. Also, whether she's conscious of it or not, she has this genius technique of putting everyone at ease by casually, comedically making herself completely vulnerable. You know, like making a UTI joke while twerking/framing up for the plucking-her-nipple-hair shot...?
Anyhoo. I think the dudes learned a thing or two.
I know I did.
In conclusion, hire women!
*Steps down off soapbox.* *Falls into bed.*
*****
This month in emoji: At long last, we have a 🌮 ! It was a bitch to get in here, I have to admit, since I've updated my phone but not my laptop. Also, it doesn't show up in gmail. But still! A 🌮 (taco) !!
This month in flu remedies: These grownup gummy vitamins are a little pricy, but they're made from natural cane sugar, with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. More importantly, they can hold their own against any Haribo. If, like me, you are loathe to swallow chalky handfuls of C, I highly recommend em.
This month on the interwebs: I loved Christian Lorentzen's 17 Reviews of Opening Lines of New Books. And, for the cat people, my friend Lauren wrote a terrific formal statistical record of life with felines.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
I've been going around and around about whether to just lalala drop this newsletter on you, like no big deal... or do I need to address the fact that it's fully two weeks late?
I really must have jinxed myself declaring September the best month of the past 12. What did I call it, spectacular? Jeez. *Throws a pinch of salt over her shoulder.*
October was pretty great too, actually. The Skinny shoot went GREAT. Everything was hunky dory right up until I contracted a mystery virus—affectionately known around here as “leg flu”—which has kept me in bed for the past three weeks. I'm finally pulling out of it, weaning myself off the muscle relaxers (not as much fun as they sound) and getting reacquainted with coffee (even better than I remembered!) (coffee FTW!!) ☕️✨
Here's the scary part about blowing a deadline you've assigned to yourself: No one else cares.
I don't mean to imply you aren't thrilled to receive my letters. Of course you are. But you're very forgiving, the lot of you. Now that I know what I can get away with, what's to keep me from, say, sending the next one out on December 3? Or Dec 18? Or skipping a month altogether? What's to keep me doing this thing at all, which, let's be honest, is more for me than it is for you.
Isn't it?
Hmmmm. This is turning into more of a diary entry than a newsletter.
*****
Allow me to steer over onto more professional terrain.
Lately I've been feeling inundated by all the reports about Hollywood's bias against women, how terrible the hiring practices are, how ingrained the sexism is... (Here are 1, 2, 3 articles from the past ten days alone.) And I wonder, how does it help me personally to read all this bad news? Shouldn't I just put my nose to the grindstone and make good work? Be a woman who makes good work? What else can I do??
Here's what I can do. And what you can do, if you're in the biz :
Hire women! And people of color! Go out of your way to do so. If you're turning down a job, recommend a woman or a POC in your stead. If you don't know any, ask around! GET TO KNOW SOME! Don't just hire women to do script supervising and costume design and hair/makeup. Hire female cinematographers! And gaffers! And sound people! IF YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO HIRE DIRECTORS, HIRE FEMALE DIRECTORS
I had such a great time working on The Skinny, for many reasons, but one of the biggies was that I could look around the set every day and realize I was not in the minority. The white dudes were the minority, bless their little hearts.
The set got bawdy on occasion. No, let me rephrase that: The set was bawdy. Jessie is bawdy. Also, whether she's conscious of it or not, she has this genius technique of putting everyone at ease by casually, comedically making herself completely vulnerable. You know, like making a UTI joke while twerking/framing up for the plucking-her-nipple-hair shot...?
Anyhoo. I think the dudes learned a thing or two.
I know I did.
In conclusion, hire women!
*Steps down off soapbox.* *Falls into bed.*
*****
This month in emoji: At long last, we have a 🌮 ! It was a bitch to get in here, I have to admit, since I've updated my phone but not my laptop. Also, it doesn't show up in gmail. But still! A 🌮 (taco) !!
This month in flu remedies: These grownup gummy vitamins are a little pricy, but they're made from natural cane sugar, with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. More importantly, they can hold their own against any Haribo. If, like me, you are loathe to swallow chalky handfuls of C, I highly recommend em.
This month on the interwebs: I loved Christian Lorentzen's 17 Reviews of Opening Lines of New Books. And, for the cat people, my friend Lauren wrote a terrific formal statistical record of life with felines.
*****
xoxo,
Laramie
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