Happy My Birthday To You

Hi Y’all!

Happy my birthday week to you. On Friday I turn 61. I love birthdays. I love getting older. I can’t believe I’m still alive. I feel really good about that. This week instead of my usual pick-a-topic-and-overthink-it routine, I’m offering a virtual piñata of treats for y’all, mostly things I’ve seen, heard, read or otherwise experienced in the past week that brought me joy. Because this post is photo and video heavy you’ll need to click through to read the whole thing. WORTH IT. Trust me.

It feels a little confusing to be this giddy right now, knowing that we are about to slide into a political circle of hell that Dante himself could not have fathomed. Perhaps my cheerfulness is denial. Perhaps it is surrender—not bowing down to the asshole about to destroy democracy, but rather surrender to the truth that I, personally, can’t fix anything on a federal level. So I’m keeping it local, looking for ways to contribute positively, and maintaining a solid inventory of what’s going right in my life, lest I again succumb to the unsustainable levels of anxiety fostered by the last election cycle.

So let’s dig into the fun stuff. First of all, I just passed my 25th Sobriety Anniversary. I feel really, really great about that. I wish I’d never had a drink in my life. I don’t miss drinking one bit. But I still have Strong Beverage Habits which include far too many Topo Chicos and Mr. Peabody green smoothies from Juiceland. The fine young people at the location I frequent most often—in the Frost Bank Tower—informed me that once per year they get to choose one customer upon whom to bestow a Thank You Keychain. Well guess what? They picked me. So for the next year I can use the keychain to score 50% off my every order. Considering I drink about 200 green smoothies annually, this is a significant gift.

Next order of business! The other day I caught an IG reel posted by Austin City Parks about…wait for it…the IMPORTANCE OF LEASHING YOUR DOG. It felt like a birthday gift from ACP to me. And it features Austin Icon Kevin Russell aka Shinyribs. Here you go:

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A post shared by @austincityparks

On the ranch front, I got to indulge in my favorite holiday season ritual—feeding the museum Christmas trees to my goats:

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A post shared by @spike.gillespie

I have finally settled on a new visual art project that I think will keep me entertained for the foreseeable. Using my kindergarten-level printmaking skills, I carve out very rough rubber stamps which I’ve been using to make festive flags. Not exactly prayer flags but similar. Let’s call them Hope Flags.

[That’s Nick Cave on the pink background.]

I had an absolutely ridiculous exchange—not the first and surely not the last of its kind— with some stranger who saw my ad on Craigslist offering space to rent for van life/camper people. So ridiculous, in fact, that I seriously thought one of my best friends was punking me. But he swears it wasn’t him. Here’s the exchange for your enjoyment.

Craiglist Lunatic: How much space is available? Is it shaded? I am working on a large solar system on my trailer to charge my electric car. It will need about 5-6 feet on either side of the trailer and car when unfolded. What utilities are included if any?

My Reply: That’s not going to work.

Lunatic Reply: Why won't it work? I am flexible. The solar panels will be 8 feet off the ground so they will not be in the way, I just need airspace for a large wingspan. If the parking spot is a very narrow alley I can leave them folded and not use them at all when parked on the property.

My Reply: I allow basic campers and vans. That’s it.

Lunatic Reply: The trailer isn't very big, it's entirely hand built by me from an empty box trailer, and it's an eco friendly project. I hope you select tenants based on shared values of communal living and self sufficiency with nature, rather than their make and manufacturer. I can send you pictures of the vehicle if you are concerned about it aesthetically clashing with the surroundings. The hammock stand on the roof is removable. The cage is for my cat and has a kittie door to it. The solar panels have not been installed yet.

My Reply: no pets.

Lunatic Reply: He's very polite and he's an indoor cat 😺

—End Scene (I stopped replying)

The other day my friend Preston told me there should be a museum for my t-shirt collection. That inspired me to share with you part of this collection. I imagine some people will find some of the shirts offensive, immature, etc. To which I say—excellent! Long before I started offending people with my bosomy slogans, George Carlin pointed out the absurdity of the Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV. Wearing my t-shirts is an ongoing, fascinating, informal anthropological study on my part, as I observe reactions to how I choose to practice my First Amendment Rights. I do think that most of those offended are the same sort who have no trouble dropping Christian references (Have a blessed day!) in their everyday exchanges and/or sporting various articles of clothing proclaiming their support for a racist rapist insurrectionist convicted felon, which frankly I find far, far, far more offensive than simply stringing together four letters in a particular order.

Looking back over Year 60, I’m feeling pretty good. I certainly made plenty of missteps and backslides but I also feel like I’m continuing to mostly move in the direction I’ve set for myself: forward motion, positivity, less flipping off Austin’s growing contingent of aggressive shit head drivers. I’m going to keep aiming for this personal North Star and do my best to keep my chin up and work for justice. I’ve also designated Psychology and Philosophy as my Deep Dive Topics for the new year. Nothing particularly new there—I’m passionate about both topics. But this year I will pursue them with focused intent.

Toward that end, here’s a short YouTube video by Jonny Thomson, a former Oxford professor who doles out philosophical bon mots in a very palatable manner. I stumbled on him recently and am absolutely hooked.

And finally, I hope you will enjoy this selection from the series Mercy Mondays. Mercy came into my life on Bruce Springsteen’s birthday last year when she was three months old. Now she is just about seven months old and NOT DONE GROWING YET. She brings me endless joy and has helped my heart heal from the devastating loss of my psychiatric service dog Milo last May.

As Queen for the Week (Month) I command you to please do something nice for yourself. Thank you so much for being here.

Love,

The Birthday Queen

NOTES:

Any week is a great week to bump up to a paid subscription if you can swing it, but if considering a paid subscription as your birthday gift to me is the nudge you need, let’s roll with that today. A mere $5 per month from you helps me so very much. It also helps if you share this with others.

My next FREE writing workshop at the Hampton Branch Library in Oak Hill is Tuesday Jan 7, 2025 from 5:30-7:30. It always fills up so if you want to reserve a spot you can do that RIGHT HERE.

Want to buy my new book, Grok This, Bitch? It’s $10 for an e-copy or $30 for a print copy (postage included). You can Venmo me to get your copy. Please be sure to include your email/snail mail address. Thanks!

And thanks to everyone who has donated adult clothing, shoes, bedding and toiletries to help out the homeless Neighbors I help feed on Thursdays at the Central Presbyterian Church. If you have donations drop me a line and we can schedule pickup/dropoff. It’s going to be a really cold week in Austin—coats and blankets extra appreciated.