Volume 1, Issue 33 | Cliffhangers
Being out for a week didn’t use to represent nearly as much loss as it does for me these days. Except for Livvy and Norton, who I already saw every day (married to one, gym buddies with the other), I rarely saw friends multiple times a week.
But I was away from The Company most of this week on my every-other-monthly wellness retreat, and I was very much aware of how many people I was missing out on.
And it’s a nice thing to miss regular, everyday life, and know that I’ll get back to it soon. See y’all shortly (I hope).
—Ivan
Note: This episode of our show contains un-beeped curse words. If you’d like to hear a beeped version of this show, sorry.
Happenings
This week:
Mary Ann’s Book Club: Non-Violent Communication, Tuesday, January 28
This month’s book is Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg.
This book has made a big impact on a couple of Company members, and they’ve talked about it enough that the rest of us are excited to learn more. Read about (and discuss) how to integrate consciousness, language, communication, and means for influence into our connections with ourselves and others.
Snacks and drinks will be provided to fuel our conversation.
$0–$10
The first rule of Non-Violent Communication Book Club is… →
Moonlight Report, Wednesday, January 29
Moonlight members only (for now). This is where Moonlighters show off work from the last lunation and commit to projects for the next lunation. Interested in joining a social club for side projects based around the cycle of the moon where lots of money is (optionally) on the line? Reply to this email.
Note! There is no Weekly Wednesday Worknight this week.
In the Making, Thursday, January 30
A new (potentially recurring) event!
Directly inspired by the lovely yet infrequent Make & Tell events hosted by The Made Shop—whence Justin and Michelle and Ashley and were discovered, and Mike and Elaine discovered us—we are hosting a similar but different event:
In the Making is a showcase of original, amateur, creative works in progress. Hear from Ivan Ruiz-Knott, Michelle Azzi, Will Whiteneck, Jacob O’Neill, Elijah Durso-Sabina, Norton King, Doug Wilson, and Justin Schaffer about their passion projects, and what they’re learning through them.
$10, or free for members and presenters.
Offsite: Creative Mornings, Friday, January 31
Early on in our move to Denver, long before we started The Company, Norton, Livvy, and I started attending Creative Mornings, a monthly breakfast lecture series for the creative community that has a Denver chapter. As mentioned in the last issue, it’s a really great get-together.
They’re already sold out, but the waitlist sometimes opens up.
Free for everybody.
Future Weeks:
PowerPoint Party No. 23, Saturday, February 8
What’s a PowerPoint Party, you ask? Twelve people giving 7-minute presentations about whatever they’re currently into. At past parties, people have presented about numbers, spoons, and losing lots of money. It’s a wide mix.
It’s a nerdy and sincere crowd that cares a lot, and we’ve met some of our favorite people at these.
Want to present? We’ve got a waiting list. Want to just show up and meet interesting people and learn about what’s fascinating them lately? That’s great too. Bring a friend, or come alone and make a friend.
$10, or free for members and presenters.
Yoga with Dan, Sunday, February 9
We invite you to a special Vinyasa Yoga class taught by the one and only Daniel Evan Quay.
This one hour, all-levels “flow” class syncs engaging physical poses with intentional breathwork to build flexibility and coordination while attuning to our inner selves. Students can expect a moderate, low impact workout with light breathing exercises.
Classes are limited to 20 students. Please RSVP early.
We have a limited number of mats available for rental.
We want everyone to have access to Yoga with Dan! We offer 5, free “Community Passes” to each class, including a mat rental.
$12, or free for members.
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Also coming up: Mary Ann’s Book Club: We Hunt the Flame, Glint: Crushing
Nostalgia
Do you remember that week when Ivan was sick and stayed at home? How he decided to let me write this section?
How it started with a watch party for the final two episodes in Severance Season 1, our biggest watch party yet? How it was snowy, so we all took off our shoes, but Halie, averse to walking on floors with socks hopped from couch to couch, or was shuttled around by Justin in an office chair? How we turned off all the lights before Justin could give his customary remarks, so we shined all our phone flashlights at him? How even those of us who had seen it before were tense—how we all erupted together at the appropriate moments? That we rushed to grab our blank bingo cards (suggested by Lizzie and Jacob and made by Mary Ann) and—even though it was late when we ended—stayed much later to shout and scribble our predictions for Season 2?
How Lee was in on Tuesday, and we had that wide-ranging lunch conversation that only Michelle could remember?
That the stories at Glint that night were heavy and tender, brave and beautiful? How I wasn’t telling a story but also had to be brave? That Allyson dripped poetry describing the moment she realized she’s a motherfucking cowboy? How we lingered late, and how when we thought that everything had been cleaned up and put back in its place, Michelle saw that the spotlight and microphone were still out? How on the way home, she and Norton spoke the lyrics to old pop punk songs?
Do you remember how many of us there were on Wednesday? Thirteen, including River?! How there was the hum of happy energy—Sam and Elliot at the whiteboard, Galen and Kaleigh dropping in—but we were all still productive?
How, all week long, Michelle and I were very diligent about our 2:30pm walks, and almost everybody joined in? And how they truly were only 10 minutes?
How Lizzie, also very good at drawing star outlines, set up the whiteboard? How Alex and Kayla came by for worknight, and we stood around in the kitchen eating microwave popcorn that Alex had brought, talking about baptistries and bat mitzvahs? How we were still trying to figure out how to pop popcorn in our weird microwave, so we tried re-popping all the un-popped kernels and it almost worked?
Do you remember that we woke up to messages revealing that “Lexi has a social life, causing discomfort”? How Dan was coming up with all sorts of solutions for power management? How Will was in and quietly productive all day long?
The Thursday lunch? When Jim figured out how to use the timer on the camera? How, when we talked about rules for society, Dan let rip all his frustrations with people in coffee shops? That so many of our rules were about dogs? How the whole tableful of us were ready to jump in a truck and reclaim a mattress?
How a few of us stayed late that night, intending to be productive on our various projects, but instead found Infinite Craft, and thoroughly “wasted time competing to find rice”?
Or the Friday that Beth kept practicing her drink making? How I tried to rally a competition to find “wheel” but none of us could? Chris bringing in donuts for everyone? How Mark alone stayed late, bereft of company?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
Accoutrements have been placed.
At Glint: Fer told a story about dating a mess while having a great partner, Mary Ann T. talked about a past and future in Paris, Andrew recalled a dear friend, Brynn described the long process of recovering her voice, Mark told us about a life and death moment, Sakib shared about the night he was raided, Max described some lessons in hiking, Jim told us about finding closure, Allyson took us up a dangerous road, and Dan shared about a well-timed phone call.
At Worknight: Livvy made text updates to GHX and finished a painting, Norton worked on building two breakpoints for Person detail pages, Kayla crocheted 100% of her brown yarn and started crocheting the full body of the sweater, and Alex built a card system for a game and designed a rule system
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a membership-supported mixed-use creative space, 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.
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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This issue of Paperwork was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew, Justin, Mason, Lexi, José, Mary Ann, Trevr, Aubrey, Allyson, Madison, Melissa, Elijah, Dan, Michelle, Jim, Jacob, Mark, Ben, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Brynn, Will, Marcia, and our newest member Rebeca.
Tuesday, January 21, 11:16pm, Michelle
So much pondering in this photo! I remember talking about the amount of protein in your meal (18g!), the hunger games, tongues being removed in the hunger games, Justin inquiring if that’s why it’s called the hunger games, all of us trying to swallow without using our tongues, all of us hearing Norton attempt to swallow without using his tongue, Drew showing us the Katniss Everbeans meme, Beans from Even Stevens, how I just purchased a new puzzle, Lee mentioning the wooden / whimsical Liberty puzzles, Drew’s (almost) 104 year old grandmother Doris who loves puzzles, getting our step count in, Lee mentioning bilateral stimulation during walks, EMDR and it’s magical results (similar to mushrooms), how maybe one day we’ll hear Justin’s throwing up on a plane story at Glint, and River shredding his little broccoli toy and then Drew re-stuffing it… Also, LLCs and S Corps and Lee having an S Corp and having to pay yourself a salary and you and Norton considering paying yourselves a $5 salary 💸.
