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I am very much enjoying writing this bad boy. Turns out, I like bossing people around about stupid life things. Who knew?
Probably everyone who has ever met me - ha ha.
Writing this newsletter has also introduced me to TikTok. Not only does this make me feel INCREDIBLY hip, but it is also a very addictive platform and I have now enjoyed many an hour of dogs being silly, celebrity impersonations and Kevin Bacon singing to his mini-goats. Am I neglecting my child, husband and work responsibilities in order to watch footage of cats being scared by cucumbers? There is no way of knowing.
That being said, I actually started this newsletter to build up my writing platform, which is something the marketing people (!) at my publishers (!!) have told me to do. So, if you like this thing it would really help me out if you shared it with anyone you think might also like it.
You guys are, as Patrick Brewer sang to David Rose, Simply The Best.
Okay, obviously I was going to end with that last, show-stopping line. It’s the natural end point, but I just re-watched that video for the 100th time and yes, it’s wonderful for a dozen different ways — the beautiful version of that song, Patrick’s deep sincerity, David’s face transforming as the song progresses, Moira actually invested in someone else’s problem— What struck me this time was the town’s reaction. I feel like it captured that thing, especially in a small town, but it could happen in a workplace, or some other community - where you think you know a person, and then they surprise you by pulling out some delightful, amazing talent. Suddenly the school principal is impersonating Elvis and your whole world shifts ever so slightly. What got me in the video (this time) was when Twyla and Ronnie share a look. Go back and watch it again. It’s worth repeat viewing.
Tell me about a time that’s happened to you in the comments below!
Also, here’s the share button to spread the Meli-Melo love!
Languishing
There’s a name for the Blah you’re feeling - it’s called languishing.
This rang true. Talking about the effects of the pandemic on all us. We’re not depressed, or severely anxious, but we’re also not thriving.
It wasn’t burnout — we still had energy. It wasn’t depression — we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless. It turns out there’s a name for that: languishing.
Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.
Deep dive into typos
I make a lot of typos, so I found this deep dive both enlightening and validating
Up until 2012, I used a mechanical keyboard for work — a classic black clickity-clack keyboard with a big number pad and lots of crumbs from my desk lunches that fell out when I shook it upside down, and sometimes a key might pop off. Truly a thing of beauty: a big, disgusting, loud keyboard. Bellissimo! Years later, typing on a mechanical keyboard is Proust’s madeleine for me. It reminds me of my old office job, entering data on the number pad into spreadsheets. It reminds me of the HP Gateway desktop in the cow print box I had in college, which then reminds me of the one time the “dude, you’re getting a Dell” actor asked me for a light for his cigarette standing outside one of our college buildings (we attended at the same time), my favorite anecdote of a brush with a minor celebrity.
Everyone has a music bubble
This Project is about Geographic Music Bubbles
A fun, interactive analysis of popular music based on your area
The good bits
The Parts of Quarantine I Want to Keep
Ontario has had a couple of bad Third Wave weeks, but this article is a good reminder that it’s not all bad (for me, anyway, and I realise how privileged I am in so many ways)
As I settled into my new life, I realized I kind of liked it. Okay…I really liked it. The family time. The empty schedule. The absolute lack of FOMO. The forced shutdown was, in some ways, a little present from the universe, offering me the time I needed to reset and recharge, figure out what I wanted in life, and just breathe for a bit.
Hal @xoHaliii
I seen how crocodiles look underwater and I can’t stop laughing 😭😂 https://t.co/trEUWlBQMl
TikTok
This is literally how my daughter reacted for many years when I tried to cut her toenails
The bonk was satisfying
Very bad dog
I laugh every time
ha ha - very true. In my childhood it was followed by a hissed “It’s long distance from AUSTRALIA”
the child’s rage
Keeping on brand for this newsletter edition
Very pure
This is actually educational
Thanks for reading my weekly newsletter.
You can follow me on Twitter here and Instagram here and now check out my website (I’m reposting my old Belgian blog Beer+Waffles there, if you want to take a trip down memory lane! )
Thank you for making me laugh every time I read this blog! I was unexpectedly moved by that scene from Schitt’s Creek 💕 And I laughed so hard at that dog screaming I cried.