You Are Doing A Good Enough Job

This is the first week of the school year in my eighteenth year of teaching. (I did take two years to go to grad school, but I taught classes throughout my time there, so I’m counting ‘em!) Some things have changed, and a lot of things have stayed the same. Things that have changed are mostly technology-related. Generative AI has been a nonstop conversation for the past five years. This letter will not be about that.

I’m always having to cut my unruly tomatoes that still have some fruit on them, but the green ones do ripen in this little yellow bowl if you give ‘em enough time! Dear Erins, Happy Beginning of the School Year for all who celebrate. I’m writing this post while waiting for my students to finish a hand-written survey that I give them at the beginning of ea…

Alright, friends, this 10 Things is EPIC. And that is because, below the paywall, I have finally weighed in on the whole Adult Braces thing. That’s right: a full five months after the fact, I have my hot take. I don’t usually write anything controversial, which is why I paywalled it.

Welcome. There are (checks notes) ten new folks this week, and that is a lot for a small community of fiercely engaged readers. (No pressure at all, by the way — we take any level of engagement here. It’s just that the people reading this newsletter are my favorite people. And that’s you!) We are officially entering our sixth season of The Pai…

Gather ‘round, children, as I am about to tell you the Tale of the Great Ninja Slushi Machine Collective. This tale will mostly be told in screenshots of group chats, because that will give you the opportunity to literally see how a collective can manifest and come together to do something truly great; something heretofore unimaginable. Or, maybe it was always imaginable. Two summers ago, I read a Strategist review of the Ninja Slushi. “Definitely worth the money,” goes the review.

I’m just returning from a week in South Carolina, where it was too hot for me! I can’t believe I’m saying that; I thought it wasn’t really possible for the weather to be too hot for me. Several summers in sweltering New Orleans had me swearing I was immune to wet heat. But I think it’s specifically Sitting In A Car heat that makes me feel sens…

Surprise! A little bonus content for you this week, in the form of a wonderful list of things to do and think about and make and change from ‘zine-maker extraordinaire Kaitlynn Webster, a.k.a., The Mindful Narcissist.

I am very, absolutely too much, affected by the bees. We got our first bees in April 2018. That was a good year for the bees. They were generally manageable; Luke invited friends over to help him do hive checks; all of our bee gear was crisp and fresh and white, unmarred by the wax and mold that would accumulate over the years. We harvested honey late that summer, and then the winter was cold and the hives died. Which we had expected. Onward. It was never easy again.

I’m working on a (I THINK BEAUTIFUL) field guide of your recommended plants from last time — I’m doing them in watercolor, so it’s taking some time, but when it’s done, I’ll format it as a printable ‘zine and maybe even print some of them and put them in the mail? Chicago has been in the clouds of wildfire smoke on and off for the past five d…

I have so many things to recommend! I am just dripping with them! I didn’t even get to Toy Story 5, which I liked a lot, and would recommend for a kid! Less scary than previous Toy Storys! My four-year-old made it through, easily. Below the paywall: my favorite summer music find, and also I finally found shorts I love and I am buying a hundred pairs. Enjoy! ENJOY: Keyboard clicks and Clicky keyboards I am writing this to you from a keyboard that clicks in an very, very satisfying way.