Fourth Quarter: Winter
Ostensibly, it's time for another newsletter! (?)
Introit
Somehow it’s (over)due to write another newsletter. Not too much to say, mostly just been muddling through. Very hard to find the words to speak about how hard I’ve been spinning my wheels, and how little progress I’ve been making.
In terms of “things I’ve been up to,” mostly it’s been drawing blood from a stone in terms of helping to enforce our first union contract at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Personally, morale hit an all-time-low today, when I discovered I make less than over 90% of other AV Technicians across the country at MAM. I’d need to make an addition $10/hr more in order to reach median. So that’s cool.
As Nnamdï says, that ain’t enough no more. The price went up.
Overall, things have just been stressful. Putting in the elbow grease to make things better is good, but it doesn’t really account for how often things don’t go right, or how long it can take for things to go right. Here’s my life in photo-essay, followed by some media recs.
Life in photos
Bought these bowling alley carpet running shoes in the late fall, since I’m the kind of person who has a gym membership now. Come see me at the downtown Planet Fitness?
I’ve been trying to move my body more often because it feels good. Running has never been something that interests me, but I have gotten fairly into lifting weights. I’ve also joined a bar volleyball league! Come see me at Fat Daddy’s on Sundays til August.
A positively angelic photo of me from New Years’ Eve, shortly before I made an complete fool of myself by [redacted] for an hour straight into [redacted] and breaking [redacted] in the process. Sorry James and Beka!
One thing that will give me solace is that when I die I’m fairly certain my ghost is going to haunt a Colectivo and bully the management relentlessly. Honestly, through all the stress one thing that has gotten me through it has been working in solidarity with other folks around labor. Also dunking mercilessly on fragile rich people who think their wealth gives them more rights than any other human. Fuck you, jerks!
In true farcical fashion, immediately after doing protected concerted activities outside of the Shorewood Colectivo, my car’s starter died and it needed to be towed. Here’s a photo the time I got to be the "main character!” It was pretty funny, honestly, even though I am so incredibly tired of repairing this thing.
I had my golden birthday on January 29, 2022. I turned 29. I had a huge party — around 40 people were there, and it was all made possible because we were responsible, got tested before hand, and got vaxxed beforehand. It was an honour to share space with so many people.
Whenever I have a big get together like this, I like to imagine it like a shattering of boundaries of various areas of my life. High school friends, college friends, politics friends, work friends, general life friends, music friends — I am the intersection point of these spaces, and I find it very exciting to get to blur those lines. Thanks for everyone who came and who made it a great night!
Here’s a picture of Togo, my friends’ cat. This is a very special photo because he’s normally a monster. He’s still a baby, to be fair. But this was a really quiet special moment where he was being a normal person for once.
Stopped off in Madison a couple weekends ago for some much-needed decompressing with friends, going gay clubbing. Overall a great weekend, with a moment of wandering along the lakes and connecting with the great weather.
Had to stop in Aztalan on the way home, because it’s such a special place to me, especially in the “off season” so to speak. All those dried grasses.
Lastly, most recently, a shot from a recent trip up to Port Washington, a favourite decompression spot of mine. It’s not the prettiest view, but there’s something special about Port.
What’s next?
I just feel like I’ve been spending a lot of time dreaming. Of a more sustainable life, of free time, of being paid what I’m worth, of owning a home, of healing the hurt that so many people around me are experiencing.
Parts of life not caught on camera:
a truly blissful moment wandering down State Street in Madison, just watching people;
returning to tabletop RPGs with a set of friends in a truly fun campaign setting;
the volleyball league I mentioned earlier, combining old friends and some new;
working full-time with the state at my fundamentally stable job (no really it’s actually just super stable it’s crazy);
an army of houseplants that is slowly but steadily growing;
and more?
Come get a drink sometime! We’ll catch up.
Media I’ve been consuming
This is an amazing, in-depth investigation of various home styles from around Milwaukee, and how those styles illustrate social upheaval, war, political decisions, and much more.
Back on my cosmic bullshit.
On the ethics of designing buildings that kill people.
And a little NEAT fun.
Love,
Warren