Window Sessions (tm)
Welcome to Hella Immaculate, I love you.
We can make a world of vital art free of corporate dorks by directly supporting artists. Joining my Patreon is the best way to support me. Even $3/month validates me an unhealthy amount.
You can also send a friend the most popular edition of this newsletter or the funniest episode of my afterlife podcast.
Things Making Me Feel a Part of Life, For Better or Worse
I haven’t been outside in… fuck, maybe a month? I know, it’s bad. I finally saw my psychiatrist last week after prompting from other clinicians, and when he suggested I start taking walks again, I said, “Yeah, I don’t think I can commit to that.” He asked me what I could commit to, and we decided on sitting in front of a window for 15 minutes every morning soaking in as much sunlight as available.
It’s working. Such a noticeable, physical before/after difference that it’s hard to believe. I feel actually awake and part of the world after these window sessions.
When I plan my Perfect Morning Routine, it’s always a list of about 8 of these types of things. In my perfectionism about having to do all of them or none, I lose sight of the truth that just committing to one ACTUALLY DOES WORK I SWEAR DUDE PLEASE REMEMBER THIS NEXT TIME, if you pay attention while you do it.
That storytelling show I did for the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday. I had a few apprehensions, and the last part was a Q&A with a journalist about a child sex abuse scandal. But other than that! It felt good to write something new I’m proud of, to know I’m not broken as a performer and I don’t have to be a Laugh Factory standup to be funny and good and what I want.
Having a regular schedule. I’m taking a course in becoming an audio describer from noon to 4pm every day this week, and while 4-hour Zooming is not ideal, it feels good to have an anchor to my days.
THIS WEEK ON MY PODCAST, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE
My guest: Sarah Welch-Larson, critic and author of the new book Becoming Alien: The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction's Most Idiosyncratic Film Franchise
What we covered: having a low-key funeral, the White Cliffs of Dover, the tragedy that rearranged her life without her realizing it, truth vs. comfort, our mutual hatred for ranked year-end lists
Extended version on Patreon: “Posthumously Uncomfortable with Sarah Welch-Larson”
Wamp Wamp (What to Do)
Study storytelling with me this Saturday. I’m teaching my Storytelling for Beginners class at Annoyance. It’s been a while, and I’m ready to help you do good stories!
Money an issue? I can help, let’s talk.
Know folks with marginalized identities who’d enjoy the treat/break of a storytelling class? Let’s definitely talk.
Donate to the #StopGeneralIron hunger strikers in Chicago.
General Iron’s polluting scrapyard in a predominantly white and wealthy North Side neighborhood closed last year, and huh, wouldn’t you know they’re trying to open a new one on the predominantly low-income and Latino Southeast Side! These strikers are putting their lives on the line to stop this environmental racism.
I donated $20. Reply with what you donate, and I’ll report our total next week.
If you can, spread the word about this rally in front of Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot’s house tomorrow too:
Celebrate! Last week, we donated $20 to Black Trans Leadership of Austin to cover living expenses for folks in the Central Texas QTBIPOC community.
LET’S CHOP IT UP
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May I Play You a Sound?
Sam Gendel has put out a bunch of my favorite music from the past few years. He’s a saxophonist who uses a lot of synth sounds and drum programming both alongside his sax and seemingly to process the sax itself. File under “Wispy Ambient Synthesized Mumble Jazz.”
He just released a 52-track album of unreleased tracks called Fresh Bread. I haven’t come close to wading through it all yet, but “They B All Like” stood out to me on first listen.
It’s like muzak at an empty hotel bar decorated in faded pastels on an island that may not be real. I didn’t have this for my 90s Beach Xanax playlists, but it fits that theme perfectly.
In sun,
DM