March Has Been a Lot!

How are you doing, dear readers?

My gentleman and I went to the House on the Rock in WI, a tale that is chronicled in photos over on my Patreon. He took this photo in The Infinity Room, which stretches 218 feet long (140 feet extend above the valley floor, unsupported.)

Let me tell you what it’s like to be researching and writing a historical biography of President Abraham Lincoln right now (more info on that here) when the sitting president, vice president, and their allies have threatened to wreck the shit out of the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions that feature prominently in my research plan: not boring!

On the other hand, I am blessed to live in the great state of Illinois, where you can’t doff a stovepipe hat without knocking over a Lincoln artifact of some sort. Since I plan to spend a lot of time doing research at the Lincoln sites in IL, IN, and KY - as well as sites in D.C., and of course endless reams of reading and audiobook-listening - I am now soliciting your finest recommendations for non-Lincoln things to do in Springfield, IL.

Anyway, thankfully stuff exists that is ridiculous and silly and also very well-done - like, for example, The White Lotus Season 3. So far, my favorite season remains Season 2, but they ain’t done yet, and I’m impressed. As somebody who went to college in NC (hi, Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa!) I am particularly amused by how Duke merch is used as a character note to indicate that the rich dad is corrupt and somewhat, perhaps, maniacal.

I am aware that I am deeply silly. Also, here’s my BlueSky.

I shared a bunch of photos of my journey to The House on the Rock across two gallery posts on my Patreon, where I tend to share more visual art and creative writing. We get weirder over there, which is fun for me.

But here on Substack, it’s also nice to sometimes share photos and loopier things. I appreciate something

Michael Ian Black

wrote recently about how he can be reflective in his newsletter and not have to crack jokes all the time. I feel that, too. The expectations here are different. I spent many years in stand-up, and certainly still do comedy things (like co-hosting a monthly show with a bird here in Chicago), but have always been a writer and storyteller. I hope I always get to be a writer and storyteller.

Anyway, here are some photos of my weird Midwest road trip this past week, the first of many I think I’ll be taking thanks to the dead tall guy I’m writing about…behold the truck stop and a very wild tourist attraction.