A Birthday, A Full Moon

Life is Practice

Yesterday was my birthday and I didn’t celebrate. Instead, I drove home from New Orleans, where I had been pet-sitting, picked up my cat, and walked into the unpacked mess of my unpacked apartment. I am working on a large project that is pulling the weight of all my energy— so much so that I’m late turning in my syllabus for my fall class (starting next week) and behind on EVERYTHING. Including email responses, this newsletter, and exercise.

The good news?

I’ll be done soon.

I made this with Adobe AI. It was a good way to procrastinate, but I’m paying for it now!

For the rest of the week I am putting in 12 hour days finishing up some last steps (before the next steps) on this project. Then teaching begins, and I can get back to reading all the books for my PhD prelims. And back to this newsletter.

I’m okay with not celebrating my birthday this year, because the work I’m doing right now is building a more secure grounding for my future self. Next year I’ll be 45 and…I am going to celebrate.

In a way, I’ve given myself many gifts in the past few months— one of those gifts was getting out of a negative living situation and into a safe place. Another gift is a commitment to moving my body more often. And then there’s my commitment to a ROUTINE. I’ve been transient all summer and right now I feel myself settling into being home. It’s a wonderful feeling.

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There is SO MUCH I want to share with you (you should see my notes app) and I can’t wait to show up here fully. Thank you immensely for hanging in with me while I sort myself out.

Some things I’m excited to share soon:

• My final prelims list, as well as the singular books I’m reading. I’ll be writing here about those books!

• A writer’s support group.

• A “weird essay” workshop. Not JD Vance weird. Artist weird. The good kind.

• A new look and feel for this newsletter (with the same name and purpose).

• Deep dives into writing I love (see the first bullet point).

• More writing about capitalism, social media, and self-acceptance in a world that increasingly pressures us to mold ourselves to the algorithm.

Please wish me luck over the next four days, and pray no one notices I missed the syllabus deadline. If you’re interested in more of my writing, a paid subscription gives you access to almost four years worth of archives.

Thank you so, so much for being here. I’m grateful for you!

I’d love to hear how you’re doing. What feels good? What feels terrible? What feels absolutely neutral? What are you reading or watching?

Also: if you’re struggling with any writing projects, leave a comment and tell me about it. I’d love to help (as much as I can in a comment)! Or, if you don’t want help just tell me you want to be heard without feedback. <3