Days Are Shorter, Air Is Cooler, All Is FUBAR.
Poppets! As we near the end of October, and I realize I still haven’t purchased a costume for my dog despite upcoming social events that request the honor of her spookiness, I’m grateful for crisp fall air, comfy sweaters, pumpkin spice anything (COME AT ME, HATERS), binge listening to the myriad podcasts centered on the FTX founder’s trial happening right now in NYC, and hate reading folks on NextDoor complain about the Ferris Wheel in Golden Gate Park (so glad that is what we’re directing our ire towards right now… sigh).
I’m out of practice writing these, so let’s see if I can get back in the swing of it, shall we?
TO THE INTERNET
- THIS. IS. BONKERS. ‘Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant’ (Insider)
- As a 39-year-old divorced woman dating in San Francisco in the year of our Flying Spaghetti Monster 2023, I’ve been exposed to my fair share of kooky theories about dating — but never the idea that everyone has a spiritual soul mate who must be pursued at all costs, even if they don’t agree with that assessment. Did any of you know what this concept of “Twin Flames”? I just did, and now I am devouring the new Prime miniseries ‘Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe’. And guess what? Netflix has its own Twin Flames docuseries ‘Escaping Twin Flames’ coming out in November. Absolutely bonkers, especially because I definitely couldn’t have predicted “going down a rabbit hole on an abusive virtual dating coaching cult” for my Q4 2023, but oh well!
- I have so many questions about the cultivation of ultra-hot peppers — do they emit spice into the air? What if an animal accidentally eats one? If someone wandered onto your property and consumed one and then passed out from pain, are you liable? SO MANY QUESTIONS: ‘He held the world record for hottest pepper. Then his Pepper X dethroned it.’ (Washington Post)
- “If such policies continue, new generations of Americans will be deprived of the wisdom of history — all of history: the stirring, the cautionary, the truth. As Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. put it, Oklahomans cannot “move forward unless we understand how we got here.”” (‘The True Story Behind ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Being Erased From Oklahoma Classrooms’, NYT)
- Coolcoolcoolcoolcool: ‘America’s Biggest Charities Bankrolled RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vax Outfit’ (Rolling Stone)
- And finally, look beyond the headline of this Medium post — it’s a beautifully written but difficult to read meditation on grief, so get some tissues out (h/t Friend of the Missive Scott for the share) ‘What We Think About When We Think About Red Lobster’ (Medium)
You’re all swell. Thank you for your patience as I try and recapture the writing rhythm (I’ve discovered my ability to write is becoming seasonal, thanks aging / long COVID!). So drink some water, get outside, and be kind to yourself, won’t you?
xoxo Amy
