I had this big book I used to love where you could match your birthday with the birthday of someone in your life to see if you were compatible according to the stars. My birthday is this week (in the book we are considered the formidable “Sagittarius Week 2”) and according to this book, I was compatible with almost no other humans. If my mother only kept me in there a week more, I thought, I would be so much more compatible with others! But Sag Week 2’s Nicki Minaj has been married since 2019. So what do the stars know?
Anyway, the passions this week include: treats and writing a sequel.
Birthdays are weird, and I just moved across the country and it’s been an adjustment. I keep falling asleep at 7:30pm, but I’m trying to stay optimistic and grateful and you know what’s good for that? Treats. Here’s a couple treats I’d recommend: coconut macaroon (wettest cookie), chocolate milk (thickest milk), Trolls movies (all pretty good). I guess I’m trying to be nice to myself.
I know I said treats are nice, but you know what really feels good? Writing a sequel. Yeah, this sounds unwell. And listen, I’m no Stephen King. But I’ve moved to a city where I spend a lot of time alone and watching The Gilded Age only takes up an hour a week. Here’s the thing about sequels: you already wrote the first thing, totally messed that up, and now life gives you a second chance. Writing a sequel is just answering questions like, where did I go wrong last time? and what logically makes sense for this character right now? Let’s say I wake up one morning and all I want to do is want to write a chapter about wet cookie favorite, coconut macaroons. I’ll ask, how do macaroons fit into this world? They are…. POISON. Perfect! Moving on! I’ll spend 30 minutes writing, then the rest of the day feels better. The writing is not good nor is it readable (the macaroon plot line is horrible), but no one can say it’s not on the page. It’s a sequel to Murder on Sex Island (self published, no one asking for this) where Luella van Horn goes to an adult personality camp (not a real thing but if it was, I would go). When I can get 30 minutes in, it feels like I’m doing something right. If you are intrigued by the idea of writing a sequel but you haven’t yet written the first thing, may I suggest pretending the first thing is already a sequel. It really greases the wheels for me.
And now a few from the readers…
Paige: “My current passion is wearing a beanie (the hat) indoors. It keeps your head warm, you can pull it down over your ears to block out some of the noise without seeming rude, and I enjoy reclaiming the early-2010s hipster aesthetic. They're like over-the-ear headphones for millennials! Canadians call them "toques," which I deeply dislike, but a good, cheap beanie is *chefs kiss*.”
Alycia: “I’m passionate about absurd and/or funny bumper stickers. They are little glimpses into strangers’ souls. Some recent favorites: HONK IF I’M HORNY, Yeah I’m into BDSM: Big Ducks Such as Mallards, If you steal my catalytic converter I will kill myself”
Bailey: “I'm passionate about songs with lots of harmonies! My top song this year was "Without You, Without Them" by boygenius because I kept looping it to try and pick out the high and low harmonies and figure out how they worked together. I'm not a musician by any stretch, but hearing a nice harmony come together in a song gives me goosebumps every time!”
you ever listen to flute music in the shower?
Jo