vol. 2, no. 40 | This Is a Horse

The Anxious Generation


            
        February 18, 2026
    
    
vol. 2,  no. 40 | This Is a Horse


        Would you like a horse? You’d probably like a horse. Here, have this one. He’s a nice horse. A very fine horse. Absolutely nothing wrong or suspicious about him. Yeah, really, you can just take him! Horses are super easy to care for. All they need is hay and a lil spot to sleep in. Maybe a blanket if you keep your apartment cold. Oh, and some trots—they like to go on long trots. They’re hardly any more work than a dog, really, though yes, this one is a smidge bigger, so there’s a little more surface area to brush. Oh yes, we’re sure! We’d love for you to have this one! (Just don’t look at him too closely right now, he gets a little shy.) Haha, yeah, I know it seems really generous, but we like you a lot, and we actually have too many. We are easily excitable and picked up way more than we could fit (we’ve got a two bedroom and six horses). If you don’t like him you can just give him back, or regift him to someone else. Super easy to regift, horses, because everyone wants one and they’re so easy to care for.
—Ivan
Happenings
This week:
Glint: Rearview, Tuesday, February 17
(Already passed but leaving it in for the record.)
Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, February 18
The Company is about combining creative work with good friendships. Make an appointment with your side project this (or any) Wednesday at a Worknight, where we oscillate between enforced, focused, quiet time and optional chatty social time.
$5, free for Company and Moonlight members
Work together →
Future Weeks:
Mary Ann’s Book Club: The Anxious Generation, Monday, February 23
By ranked-choice vote, this month’s book is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, which is at least partially about how smartphones have been ruining the Gen Z kids. On that note, I overheard Jacob, one of our resident kids, pitching others of the kids at PowerPoint Party about showing up to help have their perspectives on this all fairly represented.
Free
See what all the kids are into →
In the Making, Thursday, February 26
A show and tell for original, amateur, creative works in progress. Each presenter has 10 minutes to spend however they choose (any mix of presenting, Q&A, workshopping, getting feedback).
Come hear from Lauren T., Gabby, Dan, me, Gus, Lizzie, Jim, and Michelle.
$10, or free for members and presenters
Make an appearance →
The Annual Performance Review, Saturday, February 28
Alex, Lizzie, and Madeleine are organizing the Company’s first Annual Performance Review—a winter talent showcase featuring short performances from the community. If you’re interested in performing, express your interest using this form, and if you’re interested in just attending…
Meet expectations →
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Also coming up: Creative Writing Workshop: Witness (March 2), PowerPoint Party No. 36 (March 7), Cuppa’s 1-Year Anniversary Party! (March 28)
Nostalgia
Do you remember Lauren S.’s long-awaited figure skating watch party? How Madeleine got to listen to others explain ice resurfacing for her? How your opinion of Ilia slightly improved after his backflip?
Or Michelle’s Bad Bunny Concert watch party? How while we waited for the pre-concert game to finish up we listened to Mark tell us about his recent woes? That before the concert we sang along to a karaoke ad, and then all moaned in disgust when it turned out to be an ad for Coinbase?
And do you remember the concert itself? How much we cheered, and some of us sang, and some of us danced, and some of us teared up? How after it finished we just kept watching more and more halftime shows, to see how they compared? While Alex in the background kept watching the game on this laptop? While Madeleine kept dancing along? How after a while we confirmed that no other halftime was nearly as interesting to us, nor nearly as good, and so we watched the Bad Bunny show again? How we set Michelle up with a mic, and she paused and provided commentary throughout? That we decided that live, super fan commentary from our friends was the most fun way to watch anything at all?
And do you remember how after we reset the room we danced some salsa, and we reminisced about how it was the release of the last Bad Bunny album that started some of on our salsa journey? How Mark finally got to dance with Madeleine? How well she used to be able to dance back then? How we had so many unforgettable dances back then?
Do you remember the lunch when we discussed sayings and endless malapropisms? How we wondered if the Trojans had so taken to heart the advice about gift horses that it led to their demise? How Ryan said that thing we couldn’t write down quickly enough about the soul of art being proven in art made without it?
Or the recess walk on which we discovered a hidden slingshot?
The substantial lunch? The slingshot check? The Worknight when Case made us Yorkshire puddings and we learned the true meaning of pudding? While Trevr’s band played, and you watched him in his element?
How Marissa came by for her first workday? That you took dance breaks in between focus sessions? That the Olympics played on your desk and then in the background?
Do you remember the day of Jessica S.’s birthday? How you decorated, and prepared, and how the balloon dancing outside looked so many times like a person about to walk in?
How we parked at The Made Shop to pick up the pizza, and the room filled up with loved ones? That Madeleine arrived on crutches, and Dan helped her put on a birthday hat, and she spent the evening rolling around on an office chair?
How we played Two Rooms and a Boom, and Jessica S. gave a beautiful presentation about her 20s? That we were all so happy to know her, and to be a part of her story? That Michelle, experienced with a lighter, lit the candles on the cake, and we sang, and Jessica S. clapped the candles out? How, as it tended to happen in those days, the night ended with more salsa?
And do you remember the day of the Cuppa TREAT YOURSELF Valentine’s Day Clothing Swap? How the room was again a blur of people, trying on each other’s clothes? While Beth slung coffee and tea, and some of us just hung around and talked, and looked over photos of you? How a group of us ended up at bartaco? How we rolled the dice and asked Sarah if she’d ever want to hang out with us? That we ended up at Cheesman, and danced at the pavilion, and met Madi’s dog? That we then sat on blankets in the sunshine, and too few of us swung between trees? How the people of the hammock did not prevail?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
This is possibly the most delayed issue of Paperwork to date, which is meant to cover a Sunday to Saturday period. (This issue is for February 8–14). I have a mix of wonderful and mundane reasons for the delay, but I mention this for anyone ever puzzled about why some events do not end up included in the Nostalgia or the Photos section.
Speaking of delays, the attendance data visualization for January is still in progress. It should be out next issue.
At Worknight: Jessica S. worked on adding pictures to her presentation; Ryan created a template file; Morgan finished a book review and worked on finished a a character sheet; Ivan designed 10 characters; Omar worked on finishing a needs assessment and needs screening; Lauren T. finished 20 valentines day cards, RSVP’d to a baby shower, and did some reading; Livvy worked on finishing more of her script and writing set descriptions; and Case made Yorkshire pudding and invoiced reMarkable.
For those curious, Sarah said yes, she’d love to hang out.
The unknown photographer in the previous issue was Beth.
Ha! Gotcha! This is a newsletter, not a horse!
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a member-supported gathering place, and if you know any of us, you’re welcome to pop in any time for free (outside of events). If you know that one of us is here and you’d like to come by, reach out and we can let you in.
Photos
Lauren S. hosted an Olympics ice skating watch party, and she gave an impromptu PowerPoint presentation to prep the less informed! Photo by Madeleine.
It’s come up before that Alex has an alter ego, bro Alex, that comes out around sporting events. You can tell when he’s in his altered state because his cap flips backwards and sometimes he is also holding a sports ball. The Bad Bunny concert had a pre-show event where some people played some football so it brought that side of him out again.
Some of us danced along to the entire Bad Bunny set. One of us possibly too hard.
After that concluded, we decided to go back and watch past halftime shows for context, but bro Alex wanted to keep watching the post-concert game so that’s what he’s doing on his laptop.
After working through a few years of past halftimes we decided to rewatch the Bad Bunny concert, and Michelle gave play-by-play commentary, with additional facts and details being shouted out from the crowd.
At recess we found this slingshot hiding in a tree. It did not work very well. We put it back.
Recess band photo.
Case made Yorkshire pudding for Worknight!
Look at ’em!
Trevr’s in a band that used to be called Kidney Thieves but is now called Vinyl Organs due to anticipated legal disputes with the band already called Kidney Thieves. You may remember a bunch of us showed up to his very second show, and this week he had another that a few folks dropped in on. Photo by Lizzie.
Catching up on mail with our dear landlord, neighbor, and member, Marcia.
Livvy setting up for Jessica S.’s birthday party.
Livvy explaining some rules to some helpers.
Eatin’ pizza and meetin’ friends.
If you’ve read through Nostalgia, or been around lately, you’ve heard or seen that Madeleine (earlier seen dancing very competently to Bad Bunny) has injured her foot. Here Dan is helping her put on a birthday hat because everything is harder on crutches.
Livvy explaining Two Rooms and a Boom.
Jessica, for a moment the leader of one room, making everyone laugh.
This feels like a kind of iconic photo of Dan, right?
One of the many really tragic things about Madeleine having a foot injury is that she really really really likes dancing, so we’ve been trying to figure out how to help her safely participate. Photo by
Happy Birthday, Jessica S!
Part of the game involved people on the winning team getting star stickers on their name tag. Lizzie here is sad that she is not getting a star sticker.
The main event of the night was Jessica P. giving a presentation about her 20s. It was a beautiful and moving and hilarious and lovely way to learn more about her.
Some of Jessica P.’s friends from other times and other places!
Michelle lighting candles.
Us singing to Jessica S.
Us finishing singing to Jessica S.
Jessica S. clapping out her candles.
The evening ended, yet again, with more salsa dancing.
The Cuppa Valentine’s Day TREAT YOURSELF Clothing Swap!
In which people got a cuppa—
And looked at themselves in mirrors—
And sorted through clothes—
And talked—
And talked—
And for a brief moment reviewed all the other photos of Dan from the last PowerPoint Party in which his eyes were so much more expressive. (And again, we do apologize.)
In celebration of bartaco’s 15th anniversary they had this thing going on where if you rolled a 1 and a 5 your check would be free. None of us had the necessary luck.
The bartaco crew. Photo by Lizzie.
The bartaco crew later found ourselves at Cheesman for the tail end of a free salsa social, where Madeleine continued to try to dance.
Mark had been here for like 3 hours before we showed up and had already left when we got here.
People of the hammock. Photo by Lizzie.
People of the blankets.
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This issue of Paperwork was written by Ivan and was shot by Madeleine, Ivan, and Lizzie. Photo selection and editing by Ivan. Editorial support was provided by Livvy. This issue, and The Company itself, was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew J., Justin, Mason, José, Mary Ann, Trevr, Allyson, Lizzie, Elijah, Michelle, Jim, Jacob, Mark, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Will, Marcia, Rebeca, Sarah, Alex, Jessica P., Jessica S., Ben, Sam Ad., Christof, Ryan, Lauren T., Madeleine, Simon, Adam B., and our newest member, Gus.
Do you know anyone in the Denver area who might be looking for creative community? Feel free to forward this email along to them. Everyone loves Paperwork.
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