I'm hoping consensus says 3/18! And your sitting-down-with-my-best-friend-tell-me-everything style of writing was a revelation to me, after majoring in English and reading only dead British men writers (Dickens Seminar anyone?) You taught me that a writer's voice is everything. Best lesson ever.
I’m so excited! I’ll be wearing my Sassy Tee AND my circa 1989 Sassy sweatshirt! I might also still have a Sassy makeup brush somewhere. I’m voting for Tuesday 3/18 bc my Feminist group meets on the 26th and in these times, I can’t miss it. 😘
The sassy makeup brush!! If you reveal that at the party, you will be crowned something! And you have the sweatshirt and everything. And you have a feminist group and can't miss it. It's like you are a dream scenario of everything I would have ever wanted you to become when I started this whole thing back in 1988! thank you!
Omg Chia Pet! Can’t wait for our Zoom hang—I vote for 3/26. My Sassy T-shirt is chillin’ with my sister in California for awhile (there was no shipping to Canada, but I’ll pick it up next time I visit!).
I'm so sorry for all the confusion getting your shirt to you. You highly deserve it and will wear it beautifully when you do finally get it. Thanks for being cool about it. And see you at the party!
Oh, no problem at all! By the way, my 17-year-old niece opened the package and said, “What’s Sassy?” My sister told her about the magazine (she used to read it too). I’m so sad neither of us kept them. I had every single one. Our daughters would have loved them.
Yes, yes yes we should! And especially since you're reserving so early, you can absolutely sit next to Michael. He's the sweetest, and has the best most calming energy to be near, so you are lucky. OK, funeral playlists!!
So…bittersweet? Which I love. Ok, I’m going to start putting it together and will share here when I’m done. I want to see everyone else’s too (unless this is getting too macabre).
So sweet, that whole story! For some reason, I want to say you can tell it at my funeral. But that's just where my mind went. I think you guys have been possibly too encouraging about my stream of consciousness-ness! Anyway I love the story and thank you for it!
Well damn, was that a (pre) invitation to your funeral? You bet I’ll get up and share that story. (Can I sit near Michael Stipe?) I know there’ll be a fabulous playlist as well. Would it be a weird exercise for each of us here to create our own funeral playlist? Should we do it?
I wanna come! I don't have a Sassy tee, but I'll do my best!
And I want to see your (allegedly) bad writing! I'm sure it's not even so bad! Or even if it is, yay! It's like that thing we have all done (or maybe just me?) where you say something disparaging or mildly unkind about yourself to others so they can't hurt you because you've already ripped off the Band-Aid. Or something like that. Once you share the embarrassing thing, its power is diminished.
Also, stream of consciousness writing is great because that's just you, writing like you talk. Or think. Or something. You get it. Kind of like this piece of crap I'm writing right now!
Anyway, you're known for being authentic and just putting it all out there, which is why we all like you.
"Kind of like I'm doing right now!" just made me so happy. Ha! Thanks for not only telling me not to worry, but jumping right in there and demonstrating yourself. I love that - and you! And if you scroll up, you'll see where I found that old draft and pasted it. I wondered if it was too nonsensical and I also wondered if it was too whiny and negative. So many ways to second-guess ourselves!
Yayyyy! My Sassy t-shirt is already there on whichever evening you choose! And I want to see your version of bad writing (that I’m positive isn’t bad at all)!
OK, I unearthed the old version and it would only let me copy this far into the draft (count yourself lucky on that!). Here's what I wrote...
Hello, all you sweet sweeties!
Before I even get started, did that greeting bug you? Also, how much does it bug you when someone speaking to a room full of people uses “y'all” to address the group, when they would never say that word if they weren't in a public speaking situation? Fitness instructors do it all the time and it feels like they're trying to be cute to distract you from the fact that they're telling you to do something horrific. It's right up there with the excessively cloying “just sayin’” (often grossly followed by a wink emoji) and something I saw in a New York Times review the other day, and see way too often: A writer, pausing mid their own sentence to add, “um, well,” when it is highly not necessary. It's kind of like the way NPR announcers will do a stutter start to their questions in a high pitch as though to indicate that they are really, deeply THINKING about what they're going to ask
Here's the thing about stream of consciousness writing, and I hope I can articulate it: it's an unvarnished view of whatever is going on in our minds and that is oftentimes where the real gold is; I mean, I understand (especially when you are the one driving the train, so to speak) that there are times when we need to polish and clean things up, but trying to make our opinions or thoughts palatable for the masses is just not as interesting, and if there's one thing you have always been, it's interesting and engaging and thoughtful, which is what has drawn us to you in the first place.
Be weird! Be opinionated!
And FWIW, I am so on board with everything you wrote!
I AGREE!!! Perfect comparison. The kind of person who says just sayin' is passive aggressive and cutesy and dishonest and I can't stand them. (There is someone in my life who does this and they may see this and realize it is them, but that's cool.) Wow, I am venty today!
Ohhh this is stream of consciousness writing, which gives me insight into how your brain works, so I actually love it. I love when it feels like internal dialog comes tumbling out!
Thank you! That is what it is. And I actually think that all of those types
of topics are interesting to discuss. But when I bring them up, in writing or in conversations, they often clearly are not. I will think that I have uncovered some universal hidden truth that everyone will relate to and then even sometimes my very best friends and my mom don't. Ha ha life!
Begging that Tuesday 3/18 is the date of choice! I have ballet class on Wednesdays, and I cannot Zoom from pointe class. (Dancing on pointe at age 52 is hard enough already, adding tech will be too much!)
You do pointe!! That just inspired me to take again. I studied ballet and one year someone threw away two pairs of pointe shoes so I took them from the trash and taught myself how to use them. I was not good.
Even more revealing than bad writing, we should get really vulnerable and show each other our feet! Mine are so crazy looking, a child once screamed and hugged her mother when I was barefoot.
I used to dance when I was younger and returning to ballet in midlife has been amazing. My teacher is AMAZING and if I ever write a book, she'll be a whole chapter. You should definitely consider taking dance classes again. I'm weirdly proud of my gnarled feet?
I know exactly what you mean. Like when someone giving you a pedicure or handling your feet for any other reason says "you must be a dancer." Pride! But mine do look particularly bad.
As of now, either date would work for me. I will make it either time. I'm so thrilled, Sassy was my life growing up and has certainly influenced my path! I'm constantly acting sassy even now, why stop?!
I had to list the 3 women most influencial to me in essays, etc when I was younger, and I would list Hilary Clinton, Oprah, and Jane Pratt! I'm excited to chat with you, Jane!
That's absolutely incredible and thank you for putting me in that company. I have actually met both of them (spent more personal one on one time with Oprah) and they are so so worthy, from a personal perspective also. Anyway, you are the coolest and I'm really looking forward to seeing you. Xo.
Oh man, I'm sure. It didn't even occur to me that whoever comes to my storage unit with me is going to have to deal with my emotions around all of it also. What a prize!
Oh I’m sure it’ll be a delightful journey through your collection…with the occasional emotional landmine. But being surrounded by others that recognize the specialness of the items and being able to share their stories is gonna be clutch! ♥️
I'm hoping consensus says 3/18! And your sitting-down-with-my-best-friend-tell-me-everything style of writing was a revelation to me, after majoring in English and reading only dead British men writers (Dickens Seminar anyone?) You taught me that a writer's voice is everything. Best lesson ever.
Best compliment ever. Thank you!
I’m so excited! I’ll be wearing my Sassy Tee AND my circa 1989 Sassy sweatshirt! I might also still have a Sassy makeup brush somewhere. I’m voting for Tuesday 3/18 bc my Feminist group meets on the 26th and in these times, I can’t miss it. 😘
The sassy makeup brush!! If you reveal that at the party, you will be crowned something! And you have the sweatshirt and everything. And you have a feminist group and can't miss it. It's like you are a dream scenario of everything I would have ever wanted you to become when I started this whole thing back in 1988! thank you!
Omg Chia Pet! Can’t wait for our Zoom hang—I vote for 3/26. My Sassy T-shirt is chillin’ with my sister in California for awhile (there was no shipping to Canada, but I’ll pick it up next time I visit!).
I'm so sorry for all the confusion getting your shirt to you. You highly deserve it and will wear it beautifully when you do finally get it. Thanks for being cool about it. And see you at the party!
Oh, no problem at all! By the way, my 17-year-old niece opened the package and said, “What’s Sassy?” My sister told her about the magazine (she used to read it too). I’m so sad neither of us kept them. I had every single one. Our daughters would have loved them.
Yes, yes yes we should! And especially since you're reserving so early, you can absolutely sit next to Michael. He's the sweetest, and has the best most calming energy to be near, so you are lucky. OK, funeral playlists!!
So…bittersweet? Which I love. Ok, I’m going to start putting it together and will share here when I’m done. I want to see everyone else’s too (unless this is getting too macabre).
Never too macabre! I will post this on Notes and see if we can get any other people to chime in too.
So sweet, that whole story! For some reason, I want to say you can tell it at my funeral. But that's just where my mind went. I think you guys have been possibly too encouraging about my stream of consciousness-ness! Anyway I love the story and thank you for it!
Well damn, was that a (pre) invitation to your funeral? You bet I’ll get up and share that story. (Can I sit near Michael Stipe?) I know there’ll be a fabulous playlist as well. Would it be a weird exercise for each of us here to create our own funeral playlist? Should we do it?
I wanna come! I don't have a Sassy tee, but I'll do my best!
And I want to see your (allegedly) bad writing! I'm sure it's not even so bad! Or even if it is, yay! It's like that thing we have all done (or maybe just me?) where you say something disparaging or mildly unkind about yourself to others so they can't hurt you because you've already ripped off the Band-Aid. Or something like that. Once you share the embarrassing thing, its power is diminished.
Also, stream of consciousness writing is great because that's just you, writing like you talk. Or think. Or something. You get it. Kind of like this piece of crap I'm writing right now!
Anyway, you're known for being authentic and just putting it all out there, which is why we all like you.
"Kind of like I'm doing right now!" just made me so happy. Ha! Thanks for not only telling me not to worry, but jumping right in there and demonstrating yourself. I love that - and you! And if you scroll up, you'll see where I found that old draft and pasted it. I wondered if it was too nonsensical and I also wondered if it was too whiny and negative. So many ways to second-guess ourselves!
Yayyyy! My Sassy t-shirt is already there on whichever evening you choose! And I want to see your version of bad writing (that I’m positive isn’t bad at all)!
OK, I unearthed the old version and it would only let me copy this far into the draft (count yourself lucky on that!). Here's what I wrote...
Hello, all you sweet sweeties!
Before I even get started, did that greeting bug you? Also, how much does it bug you when someone speaking to a room full of people uses “y'all” to address the group, when they would never say that word if they weren't in a public speaking situation? Fitness instructors do it all the time and it feels like they're trying to be cute to distract you from the fact that they're telling you to do something horrific. It's right up there with the excessively cloying “just sayin’” (often grossly followed by a wink emoji) and something I saw in a New York Times review the other day, and see way too often: A writer, pausing mid their own sentence to add, “um, well,” when it is highly not necessary. It's kind of like the way NPR announcers will do a stutter start to their questions in a high pitch as though to indicate that they are really, deeply THINKING about what they're going to ask
I 100% love this!
Here's the thing about stream of consciousness writing, and I hope I can articulate it: it's an unvarnished view of whatever is going on in our minds and that is oftentimes where the real gold is; I mean, I understand (especially when you are the one driving the train, so to speak) that there are times when we need to polish and clean things up, but trying to make our opinions or thoughts palatable for the masses is just not as interesting, and if there's one thing you have always been, it's interesting and engaging and thoughtful, which is what has drawn us to you in the first place.
Be weird! Be opinionated!
And FWIW, I am so on board with everything you wrote!
I love you! And thank you!!
I love this.
And agree with the comment about the stream of consciousness writing - so much fun to get any additional insight into your incredible mind.
I feel like “just sayin” is the cousin to “I’m not xyz (racist, sexist, whatever), but insert xyz leaning statement here.”
I AGREE!!! Perfect comparison. The kind of person who says just sayin' is passive aggressive and cutesy and dishonest and I can't stand them. (There is someone in my life who does this and they may see this and realize it is them, but that's cool.) Wow, I am venty today!
Let it all out! Vent segments are the best.
Ok let me find the old draft and i will post it here. I'm psyched you want to see it. Be honest in your assessment of it though. I'm curious. Xox
Ohhh this is stream of consciousness writing, which gives me insight into how your brain works, so I actually love it. I love when it feels like internal dialog comes tumbling out!
Thank you! That is what it is. And I actually think that all of those types
of topics are interesting to discuss. But when I bring them up, in writing or in conversations, they often clearly are not. I will think that I have uncovered some universal hidden truth that everyone will relate to and then even sometimes my very best friends and my mom don't. Ha ha life!
That’s absolutely how it goes. Sometimes it is rambling, but every once in a while there is a flicker of gold that is IT! Haha.
Begging that Tuesday 3/18 is the date of choice! I have ballet class on Wednesdays, and I cannot Zoom from pointe class. (Dancing on pointe at age 52 is hard enough already, adding tech will be too much!)
You do pointe!! That just inspired me to take again. I studied ballet and one year someone threw away two pairs of pointe shoes so I took them from the trash and taught myself how to use them. I was not good.
Even more revealing than bad writing, we should get really vulnerable and show each other our feet! Mine are so crazy looking, a child once screamed and hugged her mother when I was barefoot.
I used to dance when I was younger and returning to ballet in midlife has been amazing. My teacher is AMAZING and if I ever write a book, she'll be a whole chapter. You should definitely consider taking dance classes again. I'm weirdly proud of my gnarled feet?
I know exactly what you mean. Like when someone giving you a pedicure or handling your feet for any other reason says "you must be a dancer." Pride! But mine do look particularly bad.
Oh! This looks like fun!
Join us!
As of now, either date would work for me. I will make it either time. I'm so thrilled, Sassy was my life growing up and has certainly influenced my path! I'm constantly acting sassy even now, why stop?!
I had to list the 3 women most influencial to me in essays, etc when I was younger, and I would list Hilary Clinton, Oprah, and Jane Pratt! I'm excited to chat with you, Jane!
That's absolutely incredible and thank you for putting me in that company. I have actually met both of them (spent more personal one on one time with Oprah) and they are so so worthy, from a personal perspective also. Anyway, you are the coolest and I'm really looking forward to seeing you. Xo.
Sooooo ready - Sassy shirt and all! I’ve been unearthing my own versions of storage units and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. 🎢
Oh man, I'm sure. It didn't even occur to me that whoever comes to my storage unit with me is going to have to deal with my emotions around all of it also. What a prize!
Oh I’m sure it’ll be a delightful journey through your collection…with the occasional emotional landmine. But being surrounded by others that recognize the specialness of the items and being able to share their stories is gonna be clutch! ♥️
Yes yes yes
So exciting! I vote for 3/26 too.
OK, taking note! Thanks for chiming in, Kathleen!
Fervently hoping for Wed. 3/26...
Either date works for me. I’ve got my Sassy t shirt ready!
Yayyyyy see you there!
Chia Pet is so good! How have I never heard that song before? I love it. Reunion tour please.
Let's ask Christina Kelly - she's the boss!
I can't wait for this! Thank you for thinking of introverts. I hope it's on Tuesday, 3/18. I have class on 3/26.
Hooray!! I can't wait!!
So happy you're coming!
Have we picked a date yet? I'm voting 3/18 if it hasn't been set yet:)