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Alex Dobrenko
Alex Dobrenko

724 Followers

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I Was Born In Odessa Ukraine

We left as Jewish refugees in 1994 and live in America. This is how it feels to watch from afar as your homeland is attacked. — I was born in Odessa, Ukraine. Last week, Odessa was invaded by Russian forces. As was the rest of Ukraine. By the time of my publishing this, hundreds of Ukrainians have died. If I was still in Ukraine, I could be dead. Far more likely though, I would be alive…

Ukraine

11 min read

I Was Born In Odessa Ukraine
I Was Born In Odessa Ukraine
Ukraine

11 min read


Published in

Human Parts

·Pinned

What No One Tells You About Becoming a Dad

A few analogies to explain the first nine months of parenthood — I’m sitting in the backyard with four other people. Two of them are my friends, Chase and Michael. The other two are infants. Don’t worry, the babies aren’t randos — we know these lil idiots. Chase has a one-year-old and I have a nine-month-old. They are our children, and we…

Fatherhood

8 min read

What No One Tells You About Becoming a Dad
What No One Tells You About Becoming a Dad
Fatherhood

8 min read


Pinned

Parenting While Selfish

The night George Saunders Ruined My Life Lauren and I are in bed and we’re reading out loud to one another, a rare treat for us these days as The Parents of a One Year Old. We are reading Congratulations By The Way, a short George Saunders essay based on…

Fatherhood

13 min read

Parenting While Selfish
Parenting While Selfish
Fatherhood

13 min read


Aug 4

What does your stupid art even do for the world?

asking for a friend asking for nick cave asking for my son asking for me — What time is it? Lauren asks me every morning as I try to sneak out of our bedroom without waking her. 4:30 I say, lying. Ohmygod she says, sleepshook. If I’d told her the truth — 4:05 — she’d say Al please sleep more but I don’t want to sleep…

Parenting

8 min read

What does your stupid art even do for the world?
What does your stupid art even do for the world?
Parenting

8 min read


Jul 21, 2022

What’s the best job you ever had? Let’s discuss.

I’ll go first. From my first job as a bagger at Shaws Supermarket in suburban Massachusetts to my second job as a cashier at Shaws supermarket in suburban Massachusetts all the way to my current multihyphenate work writing-acting-flailingaround, I’ve had a whole lot of jobs. But my favorite isn’t even close — it…

Work

6 min read

What’s the best job you ever had? Let’s discuss.
What’s the best job you ever had? Let’s discuss.
Work

6 min read


Published in

Human Parts

·Jul 20, 2022

Why Parenting Is Like an Escape Room You Can Never Escape

Great for team-building! — You jolt awake in a groggy haze. It is dark and a baby is crying. It is 3:43 a.m. and your baby is crying and crying and CRYING. You’re up and you’re confused — didn’t you just do this? Doesn’t matter ’cause it started again. …

Parenting

12 min read

Why Parenting Is Like an Escape Room You Can Never Escape
Why Parenting Is Like an Escape Room You Can Never Escape
Parenting

12 min read


Jul 14, 2022

A 5th grade essay about how I met my wife

Alex and Lauren, sitting in a tree — Hello all the new subscribers this is a doozy of a first one to get but hey, time flies when you’re having gum. First some background: A week ago I did a poll asking what you fine readers would like me to write an essay on in the style of…

Love

16 min read

A 5th grade essay about how I met my wife
A 5th grade essay about how I met my wife
Love

16 min read


Jul 11, 2022

How I found freedom from hellsite addiction

addicted no more am I (also speak in yoda do I now) I love tortilla chips. If they’re around, I will eat them until they’re gone. This is most notably a problem at Mexican restaurants where they — and I don’t think this should be legal btw — provide you…

Productivity

7 min read

How I found freedom from hellsite addiction
How I found freedom from hellsite addiction
Productivity

7 min read


Jul 8, 2022

will I be lying on my deathbed wondering how well my ‘about to die lol’ tweet is doing?

Linking Out Loud #26 — Welcome to the first edition of Linking Out Loud!! Yes it’s #26 — who said anything about the first edition needing to be #1? That’s numberist. A quick rant + a whole lot of recommendations that follow (that’s the linking out loud part duh)!!! …

Advice

5 min read

will I be lying on my deathbed wondering how well my ‘about to die lol’ tweet is doing?
will I be lying on my deathbed wondering how well my ‘about to die lol’ tweet is doing?
Advice

5 min read


Jul 7, 2022

R.L. Stine wrecked me on Twitter

Reader beware, you are in for a scare — Reader beware, it’s time for a share. There was nothing particularly spooky about May 30th, 2022. Yet another humdrum day of the late stage pandemic inside of our late stage planet being destroyed by late stage capitalism. Who knew that at 736pm PST I would be roasted by undisputed king…

Books

7 min read

R.L. Stine wrecked me on Twitter
R.L. Stine wrecked me on Twitter
Books

7 min read

Alex Dobrenko

Alex Dobrenko

724 Followers

Writer actor husband (to the game). subscribe to my substack: http://botharetrue.substack.com

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