Random Roundup
old stories, old movies, and feeling great about getting older
I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly. Why muck and conceal one's true longings and loves, when by speaking of them one might find someone to understand them, and by acting on them one might discover oneself?
~ Everett Reuss
Hey Friends,
I hope you’re breathing clean air and enjoying beautiful weather. I’m sipping an iced espresso on my back deck, grateful for a break in the rain, which we’ve been getting for 10 of the last 12 days. But I’m also grateful for the rain, so…
Such is life.
It was a weird spring, so having April-y weather in June wasn’t completely unwelcome. As we move closer to the solstice, this week of dark skies and cool weather felt like an opportunity to turn inward toward and reflect on a skipped season.
I can wax poetic about the weather all day, but I won’t. Instead, I want to share a random roundup of awesome things I’ve learned and rediscovered while camping out indoors. It’s a lovely little hodgepodge I hope you’ll enjoy!
Digging up internet skeletons — Jason informed me that some of his friends read old, old posts I wrote in old, old blogs. It sparked my curiosity enough to log into my old WordPress account, and boy did I find some buried gems! The quote at the top of this post is one of them. I’ve been blogging since 2009! I might re-circulate some stories here, so keep an eye out for that! I wrote so much more candidly before I “turned pro” or whatever.
And some handwritten gems — I read that Everett Reuss’s work was all published posthumously from his journals. It led me to flip through some of my old notebooks, and man, did I find some dark shit. I don’t think I want anybody reading them, much less publishing them after I’m gone, so I’m considering burning them. But, I don’t know. I found some hilarious stories I didn’t remember, like one about my father serving expired communion wafers with cheese at his Catholic School cafeteria. Then again, there’s some awful poetry, in which I call myself a “broken soldier.” so, yeah.
Photo by Julia Joppien on Unsplash Rewatching old movies — The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions (HBO Max) are even better than I remember. Now I want to re-read the books. Other good ones we watched recently are Dazed and Confused (this remains one of my fave scenes in any movie ever) and Almost Famous.
Speaking of Almost Famous — I finally realized where the opener for WTF with Marc Maron comes from! If you don’t know, you’ll have to watch it to find out.
Speaking of Marc Maron — This interview with William Shatner is GOLD. I love how active the dude is at 92, and the way he talks about Gaia.
On the topic of aging well — I’ve been feeling super jazzed about turning 40 and getting older in general. I know it’s the opposite of how I’m “supposed” to feel, and I chalk that up to some fucking amazing role models showing me how awesome growing older can be. Listening to Gala Darling’s podcast episode about how Aging Makes You More Beautiful and Badass is one such example and totally worth a listen.
And something new — The new movie Air (Prime Video) about the Nike/Jordan deal is so good. Bust out your favorite Adidas tracksuit and enjoy!
One last thing I feel doesn’t quite belong on the list, I’ve been adding some new songs to my Keep Ya Head Up playlist. Check it out if you haven’t already. I love singing along while doing chores!
Thank you for reading, and live long and prosper!
XoLauren
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