January 2021
This is the introduction to the newsletter that I put out before the first real one. Here's the link to the original on patreon.
Hi hello there :)
This Patreon is here to host the monthly newsletter that I'm starting. For now they'll all be public while I find what it is I'd like to talk about.
I thought the best way for now to give a preview of what the newsletter will be like is to just give a little ramble about what's been on my mind this month. It's all media really, since that has been the primary activity. I've been working, but I don't think that's much to talk about right now right here. We've been going on walks, drinking tea, sitting on the couch. That's the materiality.
A few times this week I've been asked what I've spent the last month doing, and I just keep drawing up blanks. Olivia was on her inter-semester break up until exactly today, so we've spent most of our time trying to relax as much as possible. There's been a lot of TV watching (Schitt's Creek, Harlots, Bridgerton, Derry Girls, Gilmore Girls, Killing Eve) and a lot of special food making (dutch babies, pizza, pumpkin bread, pizza, dan dan noodles, spritz cookies, pizza, rugelach, yule log). To be totally honestly I've been spending a ton of time playing dark souls 1 on the switch but dangit there's already like a billion more words about that game than there needs to be so I'm not going to contribute to it! We have also been enjoying Animal Crossing and a few rounds of Mario Kart 8 every few days :)
I've had the nagging desire to work on sewing things, but all I've done is a single patch on my work shirt (here's a link to the shirt). I've got a hole in some leggings to fix, and the next thing on the horizon is hemming the bottom of a knit sweater of Olivia's. (hi uh reminder that I do alteration, mending, and construction on commission! info on my webbysite ! ) I'm expecting to do more things on my craft list sometime in the next few weeks.
Currently I'm right in the middle of reading Dean Spade's most recent book, Mutual Aid, and am really enjoying it! I'm taking it at a glacial pace, but that just how books have been for me lately. Personally I've really been enjoying how when I started reading Dean Spade's work it was more theoretical (esoteric) inquiries into trans medicalization, but this now feels distinctly like the product of his dedication to community work, direct action, prison/police abolition, etc. and now it's just like very too-the-point and no nonsense. The language is easy to understand and hard hitting.
For the (proper) January newsletter I'm thinking of focusing on the word “passing". You know, its multivalent meaning? It came to me as I was biking home today, listening to laura les' 2017 release “i just dont wanna name it anything with “beach" in the title" that I've FINALLY given a proper listen and let it worm into my brain. so good aaa! I've also been thinking a lot about R.A.P Ferreira's most recent, “bob's son", the way it washed over me... And today I'm especially excited about the forthcoming remix album from katie dey, “urdata" ! In the last few weeks I've gotten more loose and free and impulsive w/ my bandcamp purchasing and am enjoying myself :^)
Ok, I think that's it from me for this right now! I'll probably be sending out the January newsletter nearer to the end of the month, and it'll have, like I said, more of a focus. We'll see! I imagine into the future though I'll fold in some of these media bits too. I'm looking forward to sending out more words in the future!
Anyway,
Cheers!
fran