I’m moving this week into a building where the main selling points were “the walls are thick” and there’s a rowing machine on the roof anyone can use at any time. I’m assuming every tenant is either someone with a screaming dog or a murderer. I can’t wait to meet my neighbors!
Passions this week include: the moon, keeping gum in the car, not being able to open a jar of pickles for a month, and the Janice Hallett mystery books.
The last couple nights, I’ve gotten a good view of the moon. I’ve never seen the moon so much before, and as far as glowing space stuff goes, it’s really nice looking. My favorite is when it’s waned into a cantaloupe wedge.
Having a car is not something I’d recommend to anyone, but what I would recommend is keeping one of those jugs of gum in there. Keep it in the cup holder, pop in a piece whenever you want. I’m chomping, I’m steering, I’m braking for pedestrians.
A month and a half ago I bought a jar of pickles. Every day I try to open it. Every day. Have never succeeded in opening it. I’ve tried dish towels, hot water, whatever you’re supposed to do with a spoon and piercing the vacuum seal. Nothing will open this fuckin jar. I don’t even want to eat the pickles at this point, I’m just seeking out the adrenaline. Because I know the moment I finally get that jar open, I’m gonna feel like anything is possible. That day, whenever it comes, will be my best day.
You ever read a good mystery book while eating a bunch of stale candy? Heaven. I’ve been reading some Janice Hallett mysteries, and they’re so fun. The mysteries are almost solveable (afterwards I’m usually like “oohhh!”, not “huhhhh???”) and always written as emails and text exchanges and voice recordings. Not a drop of prose. Really feels like you’re snooping around. I just read this one called The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels and I was waking up early and staying up late reading that.
And now some from the readers…
John: “My passion is seeing real youngins discover the magic of the animal kingdom. As I've told you before I really love to go to zoos and aquariums and a big part of that is watching a toddler see a penguin or monkey for the first time and seeing how excited they are. That's why I like to go on offer hours because things like school groups where everyone goofing around or are too cool to experience wonder is also fine people watching but not my passion. Also those kids are wrong, experiencing wonder, especially with your pals is the sh*t (I don't know if you're allowed to curse on this substack).”
TingYi: “My passion is pouring liquid or semi liquid or basically anything not solid from one container to another, insisting it’s going to fit perfectly. No one ever believes me. It always fits.”
Tammy: “My passion lately is coming home from work and finding cat toys in different spots around the house than when I left in the morning. I like thinking that my cats had a mini-party with their toys while I was gone. I wonder what else they do while I’m off earning money to keep them in the lifestyle to which they’ve become accustomed.”
If you have a passion you want to share, reply to this email with 1-2 sentences about it.
-Jo