Breaking News

In case you didn’t know, I’ve been writing into the empty ether for the past few months. Faith and I are in the process of starting a woodworking side gig to see where it goes. I preemptively made a Squarespace site, elmcitywares.com, which includes a blog, and I’ve been blogging. After decades of academic writing and publishing, I can’t begin to tell you how therapeutic it’s been to revert to this early 2000s form of writing for no reason, to maybe no one but me. It’s an extension of returning, via this new experimental venture, to a former life when my time was split between grad school intellectualism and hands-on carpentry work.

If this dispatch popped up in your email, it’s because you’re one of the seven or eight people I know and care about enough to want to share it with. You’ve been subscribed. I did it on your behalf. Without consent. But this and all future email newsletters have an “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom, in case you’re trying to closely guard your daily inbox volume. Understood.

The posts are almost always ECW-adjacent, but they usually also include reflections on our lives. In many cases, we don’t get to see or talk to you nearly as often as we’d like. Adult life sucks. Having sworn off social media for the last decade, because it became so insufferable, I, personally, am enjoying this mode of sharing more than I imagined. It’s both limited to the people I really care about and a way to be more deliberate about reflecting on and sharing what I’m thinking and feeling as Faith and I continue this life-building project together.

In addition to the “Unsubscribe” button below, there is also a “View Original Post” button, which takes you to the website blog and its backlog. If you feel inclined to read some of those other posts, the empty ether will be less empty. You’ll be filled in about us, and we’ll feel more in touch with you. We hope you’ll reach out in whatever way you can. When you do, return the favor. Fill us in on what you’re thinking, feeling, and going through.

Thus concludes my inaugural newsletter to a few good friends. Now begins the charming juxtaposition that has defined the most meaningful relationships of my lifetime: lots of love and a predictable dosage of sarcasm and jest. Bring it on. I love you for it. My most recent post, “Turnpike Valentines,” is coming soon.

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