Auntie Sara's Friday Thoughts
Bonus post #1!
Wahoo, it’s friggin’ Friday! Paid subscribers get two bonus posts each month, but this one is available to everybody because wow, I really appreciate alla youse (that’s Jersey for “all of you subscribers, thank you for being here.”)
Of course, as a Woman of Business Who Just Did Her Taxes (eeeeeeeek!) and Has Debt (aaaaak!) and Lives in America, I do encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription.
Or here’s a fun idea - contribute to my birthday fundraiser for INARA! INARA fills in gaps in medical care for kids in conflict-affected areas, long after the headlines and trending topics move on to the next disaster.
Now on to the links I dig.
First of all…
Make Me, Shub-Niggurath, Your House Speaker, Or Be Cast Into Death Beyond Death, Mortals.
This is a bonkers post for
by and it absolutely deserves the giant purple text above. The subhed (that’s “subordinate heading” or “submissive heading” or “BDsubM heading” for those not “in the biz”) is amazing: “I AM THE BLACK GOAT OF THE WOODS WITH A THOUSAND YOUNG AND I WILL LEAD THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS DEEPER INTO DARKNESS.”More stuff…
Speaking Now by me - After a long investigative story is out in the world and you’re in it - particularly if it trends as a major publication’s top story for a few days - you get a lot of questions from strangers and friends alike.
Also, your parents’ classmates from high school might call, which leads me to believe the Class of ‘74 is really on top of their scary-thing-in-pop culture news! They were so kind, as were cousins I haven’t seen in years, comedians I haven’t seen in years, folks I used to work with, all kinds of people from all over the world.
I want you to know I don’t think YOU owe anybody an explanation of why you do or don’t speak up about abuse. I don’t owe anybody an explanation, either. I talk about this stuff because it helps me to do so.
But some genuinely kind strangers wanted to chat, and I just couldn’t, for reasons that will be obvious if you read my post. Until I can afford to hire Tree Paine, my career idol and hair color role model, I am my own publicist.
Sometimes you gotta write your own statement. This can occur on Notes app or on Substack. I decided to go with Substack - thanks
and and the whole staff here for making a great newsletter platform that is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, SO MUCH BETTER THAN NOTES APP.I can’t say enough about how kind so many readers here have been. Thank you always and forever for walking with me through this dark, fucked-up, strange, darkly funny, stupid, smart, terrible, beautiful, weird time.
- Her bravery, honesty, and forthright demeanor have always impressed the hell out of me. I talked with my dad about Ms. Carroll and her work, as well as her advocacy for herself and others as a survivor of abuse. She inspires me and she’s very funny, too. - I really enjoy because Alex’s work helps me to remember to take photos of beautiful things and to be grateful for the good things, even as healing from trauma continues. - I love “Afterimages of the eclipse.”Longreads - This site features incredible writing that might take you awhile to get through, on account of it’s looooooong. It’s the kind of thing you might want to read in the tub, or on the beach, or during a wait at the DMV. Or you might want to print it out on recycled paper and enjoy it the old-fashioned way: butt nekkid at your local naturalist resort. IDK, do you!
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - I’m a longtime fan of these cuties. They are very, very funny.
RAICES Texas - Immigration continues to be a critical issue in our own country. Our commitment to safety, security, food, education, and mental healthcare for refugees - particularly children - must not be cast aside when we get distracted by personal, professional, or international news. (Trust me, I take my eye off the ball too with this one sometimes.) We can always return to helping people right here at home.
Take good care, everybody. I appreciate you.
Love,
Sara
Book me to speak about mental health and creativity
A place to buy my books: Bookshop.org