On Thank You (+My Top Posts) - #44
Hello Maiyah (and friends)!
I’m aware that this was sent out on the day after the election. I have no comment — especially since I’m writing this post the week before and I can’t predict the future. If you want to read my full rant on this election, go to my last post here.
Here’s the Silly Sh*t: no vlog. I’m writing my heart out right now and every hour counts. My self-imposed deadline is November 12th. I’m writing this on October 27th. That’s 16 days. 2 weeks. To write ~150 pages. While balancing my PA job right. And a Writers Group. And reading a book per my therapist. And dating. And the many trivialities of life: eating, sleeping, driving.
And Format Alert! From here on, “Silly Sh*t” will just be the intro. It’ll go straight from “Hello!” to the video. Except this week. Look out for next time.
Note that I will be leaving Los Angeles for the holidays on the days before Thanksgiving. (Hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy a Friendsgiving this year lol)
Photo by niko photos on Unsplash
On Thank You
03min reading time
This year, buckets of words have been spilled onto journals, Fade In, notebooks, Word, sticky notes, and this newsletter.
I really appreciate the 50 or so friends that continue to open this newsletter and read what I write. It’s a nice feeling knowing someone is clicking links that I found and thought, “What an interesting little tidbit.”
That said, I would like to focus less on explaining heavy ideas or writing manifestos (“rants”), and write more personal essays on everyday things. And short stories — if I write a short story that’s worth sharing. Or possibly a dissection of the trivial.
I mean — it’s even in my welcome page logline:
short stories and essays on semi-pointless subjects
But given what I’ve been writing lately, it should actually read:
essays on intense serious shit by a not-so-serious guy
The realm of writing I’m wishing to produce feels more fulfilling in my opinion. I get emails from you all saying nice words about the posts that sound like the former, and sometimes it would be in person: “Don, I liked that one post you wrote. It was good!” To which I always reply, “Thanks, I thought that one was meh. ”
Today, I will share my top 3 posts that everyone seemed to have enjoyed. I got compliments on these, so I must be doing something right:
That last one was quite recent. Yet, you all seemed to have enjoyed it. I think it’s best for me to be “on brand”: slightly deep, yet slightly ridiculous.
Some of you also have questions that I must address:
Who’s Maiyah?
Maiyah was the receptionist I regularly spoke to at the movie studio I worked at. I annoyed her for 10 minutes after lunch every day by talking about books and stuff I learned. Every day for two weeks, soon then weekly, I shared with her cool shit I learned via an Outlook email thread. But at the beginning of every email, I always wrote, “Hello Maiyah, and John, Jane, Sam, Sarah, etc…!” Today, I still write “Hello Maiyah”, but instead of listing out every person on this email thread, I simply grouped you guys under “and friends”.
Now that I think about it, maybe I’ll stop writing “Hello Maiyah” as I’ve noticed she hasn’t opened my newsletter in like a year. On the next one, I’ll do this. I’ll write “Hello friends!” instead.
Why is it called “Shoot the Shit Wednesday”?
When this newsletter was originally made, it was still in an Outlook BCC email thread. I had to come up with a title in the subject line. A security guard that worked at the movie studio remarked one day, “Yeah, always coming to reception to shoot the shit, hmm?” And I threw out the email on Wednesdays… so…
Will you ever make money off this newsletter?
Yeah, fuck it, why not. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday. A potential plan would be to have all posts open and free, and to have a subscription “tip jar” with some extra goodies… “goodies” that are unknown at this point. So like a Patreon, but through the Substack platform. Maybe $3/month.
How long till post #100?
Let’s see. We’re at post #44. And we’re 56 posts away from that. I get out 2 posts every month. So 28 months from now. Which would be March 2023.
… fuck it, time will pass regardless.
Are you writing?
Yes.
If I reply to this email, will it reach you?
Yes.
Pen or pencil?
Thank you for reading and I will see you all after Thanksgiving.