IT'S NATIONAL LUCKY PENNY DAY 🙄

I'm generally not a believer in superstitions, and as such, I do not own a lucky penny or other "lucky" items. If I were to buy into luck though, I'd say I'm not really one to attract it.

Maybe I'm unknowingly in possession of a cursed penny? Or, given the cashless direction we're headed as a society, a cursed credit card? Do curses modernize, or do they cling steadfast to antiquated technology only to be cast into the dustbin of discarded cultural artifacts? I guess we'll never know, mainly because I cannot be bothered to look into this for you. Sorry!  

See, cursing a space is way more practical than cursing an object that might fall out of use. Very forward thinking.

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A congrats is in order to our team member Madeleine, who scored her first viral'ish videos on TikTok (here and here). If you want to keep up with the funny video content Boredwalk is putting out, be sure to follow us on TikTok, Youtube, or our new video-focused Instagram account.

Want a few May 23rd famous birthdays and historical facts? Of course you do!

• Born on this day: singer-songwriter Jewel (1974), actor/comedian/writer/producer H. Jon Benjamin (1966), and botanist/taxonomist/physician Carl Linnaeus (1707) who formalized binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms.

• It was on this day in 1785 that Benjamin Franklin announced his invention of bifocals.

• On this day in 1980 horror film The Shining was released, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, based on the novel by Stephen King.

• Finally, it was on this day in 1934 that bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed by federal agents.

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Alrighty! Scroll on down to learn about fellow Boredwalk fan Andrea M.! If you'd like to be featured in our next Monday Q&A segment, reply to this email and let me know!

We'll be back in your inbox on Wednesday morning with links to fun distractions! If you're in a shopping mood, be sure to use the code YAY10 at checkout to save 10% on orders of $100 or more! Until next time...

Peace, love, and curses,

Meredith

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Andrea looking ready to (politely) decline offers in her Hard Pass v-neck tee!

1. What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?

My actual day job is Public Relations Manager for a ballet company. My dream day job is to be a ghost hunter with the Ghost Adventures crew while also running a sanctuary for black cats with sassy attitudes.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve?

Poor grammar. Your/You're and There/Their/They're are absolutely hills I'm willing to die on.

(Editor's note: I'll be by your side on said hill.)

3. What keeps you up at night?

In a literal sense, I have two cats who seem to think that the bed belongs to them so there is no respect for personal space, and I also live across the street from train tracks, so that's fun.

But in a bigger sense, thinking about the dumpster fire that the world has become isn't really helping me sleep at night, either.

4. What's a book you think the Boredwalk community should read?

Please read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In fact, read all five of the books in the trilogy (I know a trilogy means three, but in this specific instance the trilogy has five books). Douglas Adams was a genius.

5. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

I'd like to be able to read thoughts and also move things with my mind. Also, invisibility and time travel would be really nice. And teleportation because I'm always running late and gas prices are insane. Can I just have them all and then get rid of the ones I don't use?

(Sure, we won't stop you.)

6. You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity; what do you choose?

They are constantly surrounded by the faint smell of cat pee but they can't figure out where it's coming from. It's not enough to be nauseating, but it's enough to be noticeable by the people around them.

(Oof, that's a good one!)

7. What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?

I want to kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. I have a lot of things I want to do but that's been #1 on my list forever.

8. Clear up a misconception (about your job, where you are from, or some other topic you know a lot about).

I'm a born and raised Chicagoan (I live in Massachusetts currently) and people need to know that Chicago is not just guns and murder and violence. It's such a beautiful city with so much history, and no matter what you want to eat or what you want to do, you can find it there. I'm more terrified to go outside at night where I live now because I might encounter the bear that steals my trash than I ever was in Chicago.

9. Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?

You can go to my Instagram (@theindiecity) to see pics of me and my little menagerie of pets (my two cats, Sawyer and Finn; my two fish, Dude and Bro; my guinea pig, Clark Gable; and my hedgehog, Quillizabeth Bader Reiki Sharp) as well as other stuff I find amusing.

And if you're ever in the Berkshires, you can find me at work; at home watching RuPaul's Drag Race and Ghost Adventures; or asleep in my bed. But if you find me asleep in my bed, please get out of my house because that's creepy and you're clearly guilty of breaking and entering.