February 5, 2025

I am sick as a dog and reading a trashy celebrity memoir of someone I've never heard of, meaning I could not be more alive.

Don't ask me how I found this celebrity memoir because I do not know. It came to me in a dream, I guess. Unless you're looking for a real junk food reading experience, I don't think I'd recommend it, either, but if your sinuses are in the mood to make your ears pop and you just want something dumb and distracting, hit my line.

In other news, I've finally started my final internship, and it seems to be going well; the third person whose desk has been shoehorned in with my supervisor and colleague told me the aforementioned have been very excited for me to start. Little did I know I'd be starting on the same day as some huge system upgrade, which meant a catered lunch, cake, to-go boxes of vegetables (that I had for dinner), two t-shirts, a ball cap, a branded massager, and a fidget spinner would all be swirling around me while I tried to sit in one place and read some proposal templates. There was a kahoot-style trivia game over lunch, and I very nearly came in second place, which means they'd just have to hire me, right?

On another note, season 12 of Married and First Sight Australia is on the air, which means I will be largely unavailable until further notice. I considered putting it in my out-of-office message before remembering that I am actually very regularly in-office. Though I'm not typically a reality TV junkie, this is a show my partner introduced to me as -- among many things -- a show that made him generally a better partner. I don't know if I could give it that much credit, but it's true that it's not only remarkably well-edited but also is equally parts drama-seeking and prompting the participants into growing as people. This is a show that forces shitty people to be taken to task by a panel of therapists when their behaviors are shitty, that prompts people into thinking about how their actions impact the people they're supposed to care about. It's great.

This past week, I got to see Great Grandpa play in DC, one of their first shows in five years, and it was (nearly) every bit of what I'd wanted. I hadn't realized their vocalist had transitioned while the band was inactive, which was a pleasant surprise, and perhaps explained why they didn't play too much of their older stuff, since keying songs down might have been... a challenge, and even still unflattering to the ear. There was maybe one song I had been hoping to hear as a connection to someone who had passed years ago, but maybe that's just another reminder that the past undergoes change to become the present. Or something else you might see on meemaw's facebook page.

I also had the great pleasure of being at nat raum's launch for "this book will not save you", which was cool and fun, though I haven't read it yet, I know this will be a strong collection to read. The next night, I saw Mannequin Pussy with a friend of a friend, which was also fantastic. Who knows which venue packed with people I picked up this cold from. Lucky me. I think I've also managed to give it to my partner right before he travels to Portland for an event. Lucky us.

Otherwise... Things have been pretty good. Yeah. I may be full of mucus, but I'm a pretty content ball of congestion, and that's pretty sick. Ha ha.