HELLO, MONDAY, WE MEET AGAIN!
Well I'm back from "vacation," and by "vacation" I mean traveling while trying to put out fires at Boredwalk remotely and dealing with my own unending string of travel misfortunes.
Our trip misadventures were plagued with car trouble, credit card number theft, canceled plans, and other annoyances that seem to follow us anywhere we go, but if you want the gory details you'll have to check them out in an upcoming podcast episode, it's all too much to type for this space today. Once I have some distance from these travel travails I'll be in a better headspace to debrief you on our trip. Comedy = Tragedy + Time, and all that.
In other news, it's National Tattoo Day! It may come as a surprise to some, but I have zero tattoos. This might seem unusual given that I'm the artsy type and artists often have ink of their own. I have never felt like there was one piece of art I wanted to wear forever, which is why I never got one.*
*Also, what if at some point I want to do crime in my next act?! Tattoos will only make it easier to identify me, and I'd like to keep my options open.
Humans throughout history have been getting tattoos, though; archeologists have found evidence of tattooing that goes back to at least 3250 BCE! The first tattoo shop in the US opened in 1846. As of 1975 only 40 tattoo artists were known to be operating in the US, but the number ballooned to 5000 by 1980. These days you can find tattoo shops in nearly every city around the US.
Thankfully 18 year old me had the foresight to know any permanent decision I made at that age would likely be full of ragrets.
GIF via We're The Millers
Moving on, would you like a few famous July 17th birthdays and historical facts to kick the week off? Of course you would! Have at them:
• Birthday cake all around for: actor David Hasselhoff (1952), actor Donald Sutherland (1935), Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoh/Folk Implosion singer-songwriter Lou Barlow (1966), actress Phyllis Diller (1917), German politician Angela Merkel (1954) and actress Billie Lourd (1992)
• Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California on this day in 1955
• The Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC) was adopted on this day in 1998
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Alright! Scroll on down to learn a bit about fellow Boredwalk fan Antonia! If you're feeling even moderately outgoing and would like to be featured in an upcoming Monday email (and are a customer with some Boredwalk tees, tanks, hoodies, towels, bags, or books to show off), just reply to this and let us know and we'll send you some fun questions!
We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, historical tidbits to acknowledge, and fun links to entertaining content! Until next time...
Peace, love, and ink,
Meredith
Antonia attracting existentialists left and right with her Unyielding Melancholy v-neck tee.
My actual day job is technical writing for a national laboratory, and I really enjoy it. I actually did my dream day job for many years — writer/illustrator — but I'm terrible at self-promotion and wanted a steady paycheck.
Unkindness.
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. If you enjoy it, you can read my book, 1348: the End of the World.
Teleportation! I love to travel but getting to the places I want to be takes too long.
There are never any clean spoons.
I really want to spend some quality time in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Slow the f*#k down! (I was in such a rush to get to the next thing that I didn't enjoy the ride.)
New Mexico is, in fact, part of the United States. And, contrary to popular belief, it is not solely populated by high school teachers with meth empires.
1. What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?
My actual day job is technical writing for a national laboratory, and I really enjoy it. I actually did my dream day job for many years — writer/illustrator — but I'm terrible at self-promotion and wanted a steady paycheck.
(Editor's note: that is the rub, isn't it? There are a lot of extremely talented creative people out in the world, but it is SO hard learning how to effectively market creative work. Ten years into this Boredwalk thing and I'm STILL trying to figure it out.)
2. What's your biggest pet peeve?
Unkindness.
3. What's a book you think the Boredwalk community should read?
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. If you enjoy it, you can read my book, 1348: the End of the World.
4. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
Teleportation! I love to travel but getting to the places I want to be takes too long.
5. If you could curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity, what would you choose?
There are never any clean spoons.
6. What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?
I really want to spend some quality time in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
7. What is something you wish you could go back in time and say to your younger self?
Slow the f*#k down! (I was in such a rush to get to the next thing that I didn't enjoy the ride.)
8. Clear up a misconception (about your job, where you are from, or some other topic you know a lot about).
New Mexico is, in fact, part of the United States. And, contrary to popular belief, it is not solely populated by high school teachers with meth empires.
(Can confirm! One of the aforementioned travel travails we suffered was a truncated visit to Santa Fe due to car troubles in Arizona preceding our arrival, but New Mexico was one of the most beautiful states we drove through on our trip. Hoping to get back for a proper exploration someday!)
9. Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?
FaerieChilde.com is my website. It is seriously in need of updating and I'm working on that.
PS - Boredwalk is my go-to for gifts for my coolest friends…
(Well that's just delightful news to hear!)
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