You're a Badass
Issue 54
6:00 am. Bed. Darkness. Cats. Coffee. Humming of modern day in the distance. Keys clack. Woman types the following on her laptop:
Dearest Darlings, welcome to Issue 54. Each time I begin The Letter, when the page is snow-covered, I write to you as if we’re here together — starting a journey. But, by the time the page is full of ants, this bit, the one I’m writing now and you’re reading whenever you do, is old news.
The moment in time when I typed these words has passed and therefore their relevance is lost. That is, unless we agree right now, their relevance is not lost and the purpose of this spot is exactly that, to capture the moment I’m in when I begin this letter — not when it’s comple. Are we on the same page? With that new understanding between us, let’s move on to this week’s letter. Now we have this sacred space going forward.
By now, you know Issue 54 brings a new format (above). Let’s see how she lands. Do tell.
While I don’t particularly like how she looks, I’m willing to sacrifice her appearance for depth. Looks are not everything, you know. Personality is far more important, lasts longer, and only gets better with age (that last one is debatable :)
In any case, we’re experimenting. Come along…
J. Lo and Hi 👋
Several + several + several + several years ago (19), I dressed as J. Lo for Halloween. It was a makeshift costume, to say the least. Nobody in this photo is wearing much of anything recognizable — in fact, would you ever know I was J. Lo?
J. Lo must have been relevant at the time. She’s still relevant, but for different reasons. Today, we know her as a badass (she always was). Here, my costume depicts her as having a bad ass. See the difference?
You’re a badass.
You have a bad ass.
Words being words. I love them so.
Cut to today. Jennifer Lopez is a bad ass and doesn’t have a bad ass.
Her documentary is excellent. She was mocked, repeatedly. People didn’t take her seriously. (I think I may have contributed. I’m sorry, J. Lo. I’m sorry.)
PS: Abby, the girl next to me, appears to be dressed as Lorena Bobbitt. Do you remember?
How Do You Make A 13-Year-Old Happy?
Give him your credit card and ask him to research and buy you a television for your bedroom — on the spot.
(Yes, I’m putting a TV in my bedroom, and I can’t wait. I’m trying to watch more TV. Rather than sitting still, sinking into a good show, I buzz about the house and take care of this and that. I had a TV in my bedroom at my dad’s growing up. I have very fond memories of it. Truly.)
After Owen asked a few questions, off he went. Twenty minutes later, I had a TV on order.
In my request, I showed Owen I implicitly trusted his judgment. I honored his skill of researching good deals on great products and mirrored that not every decision needs to be weighty. Also, who doesn’t love spending other people’s money?
As the kids grow, we can rely on them for things we don’t want to do, and they do — research and buy televisions, for example. It’s worth having children just for these moments — and a few others ;)
My professional consumer chose the 32” Class The Frame QLED HDR Smart TV (2022) in white.
Google Docs on Command
Do you use Google Docs? Did you know in your browser window, you can type “doc.new” and a new Google Doc appears?
My friend Christin shared this hack and blew me away. She said it might save .02 seconds of my life. No way! I say I’ll save 2 seconds, at least, and I love it. I hope you do, too.
Never AZoom
I aZoomed this feature was evident by now. However, it’s come to my attention that not all humans know about Zoom’s beauty filters. Allow me to help.
Open your video settings.
Look at “Touch up my appearance” and decide how smooth you want to be. Easy does it. You don’t want to be someone you’re not. Also, look at the difference between “Mirror my video” and not. It will be obvious which to choose by how you see yourself. One version will scare you. The other will look familiar.
Now, the advanced settings — lipstick, eyebrows, mustache, and beard. Have at it.
Of course, there’s always real lipstick. I’ve been wearing a shade I found in my mom’s makeup, worn to its nub, so I replaced it with one of my own.
Did you learn something? I sure hope so. Also, you’re beautiful without these darn filters. I know it and you know it. So take my prescription with a grain of salt. Make it mean something to you.
Thanks for sharing the tip with others! I learned product.new opens up Stripe yesterday 🤔
I think you look more like Brittney Spears