The Fracture: November 2023, Part 1
Vague publishing news, our own "Roaring 20s," and dangerous drives with Tame Impala
So this episode of “The Fracture” is a bit long because I skipped out on my October Part 2 edition. I was planning on sending it out on October 31st. My younger two wanted to go trick-or-treating, but they also felt too cool for trick-or-treating. I wasn’t in the mood. Do you want free candy or not? And my oldest? Somewhere with his cross-country team running around our town during their annual costume run.
After we got home and settled, I read over my words (I always have a running Fracture draft going), and they sounded like rubbish. I was also in a no-one-cares rut.
So after mustering up some keyboard confidence, I now have a lot of ground to cover. Here’s what made me flinch and crack as I discover who I am, stringing words together into something sensical.
The links
This would be the most epic link, but it's not ready yet. I got a very big acceptance before Halloween. I pitched my piece, was asked for a draft after being cautioned by the editor that they only accept 1 out of 100 submissions, and got the YES! Contract signed, bio submitted, photos to accompany the piece sent.
This is:
exciting,
a little scary,
kind of scandalous,
a reason to get back into therapy again,
and a reminder to practice my “Don’t read the comments” mantra.
Hopefully, no one in my small corner of the universe will read it, but, then again, I really don’t care about people knowing about the real me at this point… but I really need to prep myself in therapy. I have time because it goes live around February.
There is a confidentiality clause in the contract, so I’m keeping it hush-hush. Yes, you’ve heard of the publication. 😬
Moving on…
I guess I’m feeling kind of outrageous because I’m on a social-media-cutting frenzy.
I deleted my Twitter account. It’s just not the same and will never be again. With the sex bots and drama addicts, I noticed I was doing a lot of account management like blocking and muting rather than connecting and discovering. I also just deleted Bluesky. I really wanted it to work, but discoverability was difficult, and I always forgot I had it on my phone. It’s wild that I’ve come full-circle and have embraced Meta again with Instagram and Threads (which I’m kinda loving) after deleting FB and IG in the middle of the pandemic. Feel free to connect with me because I would love to see what you’re up to!
But the social media landscape is just not the same. Wired looks into the growing trend of first-generation social media users opting out.
NPR is bringing to light a casualty of war that is often not talked about, veterans (Ukrainian, in this case) who struggle to connect in sexual relationships because of their injuries.
With the Israel-Gaza conflict growing in intensity, we’re becoming more divisive here at home on college campuses, in our neighborhoods, and, of course, online with cancel culture in full swing. What does this mean for healthy discourse? For the Huffington Post, Candace Frederick writes:
“But we’re not living at a time when healthy debate and historical context, or even uncomfortable conversations about complex topics, is encouraged and examined. Too many of us enjoy and even participate in the spectacle of relentlessly dragging and even doxxing someone online. But what has that gained us, besides a culture of cruelty and fear?”
In a CNN opinion piece that touches on Barbra Streisand’s memoir admission that she really hasn’t had much fun in her spectacular life, Holly Thomas gives a rundown of how depressing life has been in the past few years, a period of time that was supposed to usher in the new “Roaring 20s.” However, she looks optimistically to 2024, and so do I.
The music
I normally offer two songs, but I have three (and some extras) this time because it's my Substack, and I get to do whatever I want on here.
"Would I Lie To You?" - Charley & Eddie
This came on while running into Safeway. I'm a sucker for these late 80s-early 90s swoony, R&B but kind-of-pop songs. Other greats for this playlist include:
"Don't Disturb This Groove" - The System
"Close To You" - Maxi Priest
"Nite and Day" - Al B. Sure
"I'd Die Without You" - P.M. Dawn
And anything from Color Me Badd
***
"You're a Cad" - Bird and the Bee
Featured on my burlesque playlist, "You're a Cad" is a fun, cheeky selection. My playlist also includes their sensual "Please Take Me Home," a song that exudes sexy desperation and rescue. Inara George is heavenly!
***
"Sundown Syndrome" - Tame Impala
I wouldn't be a hip millennial mom without eventually having a Tame Impala song featured, right? (I can *hear* my fifteen-year-old roll his eyes.) This one is my go-to during early, pre-dawn runs when I have no idea what to play to get me moving. I've also blasted this song with the windows down, weaving through tight turns at dangerous speeds, through the Clatsop State Forest on the way to the Oregon coast via Highway 26. So fun. (Also done with Prodigy.)
The random
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Reading for book club. The damn similarities... without the seven husbands, of course. Left with the story.
The series Loki has ended. The damn similarities... without Ms. Minutes, TVA manuals, and Owen Wilson's adorable nose, of course. Left with the stories.
This month in burlesque: the art of removing a stocking.
Started NaNoWriMo off with a bang and impressive daily word counts. I'm still active each day, but I'm definitely losing some steam. Rehashing certain seasons have made me want to pull out my hair and kick mailboxes. Instead, I finally blocked someone.
And lastly, with the world seeming louder, more demanding, and unrelenting, how will we contribute a different kind of output?
Being calm and understanding during these difficult times has become my output. Trying to learn something from everyone I meet.
Naturally I have a comment. All social media is on shakey ground and it struggles to bear the weight of its users' expectations. Despite being toxic at times you can still use it to seek out your people. Find them and hang on tight.