#34 The Offcuts
Diet coke, theatre shows, 365 birthday girl
I haven’t written much this week. Thursday’s newsletter was a reshare of a post from last year. I’ll use the excuse of coming back from holiday, as it was my birthday yesterday. But I have managed to pull a pretty good Offcuts together for you if I do say so myself. The Offcuts is fun more than anything else. A chance to draw on influences high and low and get a little weird. I hope you enjoy! P.S. send thoughts and prayers for my hangover.
As well as a distinct lack of writing this week, I’ve matched that with a lack of reading too. My TBR newsletter pile is steadily growing in my inbox. I told you last week I’d be reading The Coin, and I loved it. It’s playful in structure and form. It’s funny, cutting, and disgusting. A very worthy read. I also started to listen to the audiobook of Stephen Fry’s Odyssey last week. You know I love stories and retellings of the classics, and his fourth and final instalment of the Mythos collection has been great so far. I could listen to anything read by Stephen Fry. I’ve started creating Bookshop lists and will add more things, but link to both books is here.
Things up next to read:
- So You Want to Be a Ghostwriter?
- The Subscription Economy
I might not have been reading much, but I have been listening - to Charli XCX’s remix album.
On Thursday, I’ve got tickets to see The Real Thing at The Old Vic. I nabbed them during London Theatre Week so the seats are pretty good for what I paid. I am after all an incessant bargain hunter. The story is a play within a play, that follows the lives of the characters as they intersect across personal and professional relationships. I’ve heard good things and I’m excited to see Bel Powley on stage.
I went back and looked at what song was number one when I was born and Fairground by Simply Red was in its second week at the top spot on 12th October 1995. I gave it a listen and of course I recognised it. It is the epitome of the 90s in a way that is so distinct and yet indescribable. Don’t get me started on the video.
Okay so I’m locked, loaded and back on the TikTok train. Choo choo. It is by FAR the most addictive social media platform out there. I simply cannot tear myself away from it. Sucked into the never-ending vortex of an extremely well-targeted algorithm. Alas, I have been posting across all social media for my 30-day trial to promote my writing and Substack. I think surprisingly I’ve actually found it the most rewarding in terms of creating content and the platform I’ve been most creative with. More on that when I do a round-up of the 30 days. So yes TikTok is super spicy and a super spicy TikTok I saw this week was Dua Lipa making her moderately spicy Diet Coke drink with added pickle juice and jalapeno juice. I woke up one day a couple of months ago and just decided I wanted to be a DC girly. Ever since, most evenings I prepare a little glass with a straw and have a DC with a slice and ice. (Slice of lemon but it doesn’t sound as slick). So personally, as a member of the DC community, I found Dua Lipa’s actions pretty heinous. As did Gordon Ramsey.
Don’t worry, it’s not all brain rot. You know I love observing humans doing human things and this TikTok of commuters playing charades across the tracks made me feel warm from the inside out.
I didn’t plan very well for my birthday and had nothing to wear. I’d left it down to the wire so on Thursday, I ventured out to shop IRL. Honestly, I don’t remember the last time I deliberately went out with intention to shop, try things on and buy something. As opposed to finding myself mooching when I’m out and about. It’s nice to know that some things never change. It’s with great displeasure that I report fitting room lighting and mirrors remain as horrific and fear inducing as ever.
I tried searching for some wisdom relating to birthdays and something from Dr Seuss came up that felt perfect. “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you. Shout aloud, I am glad to be what I am. Thank goodness I'm not a ham, or a clam, or a dusty old jar of gooseberry jam. I am what I am, what a great thing to be. If I say so myself, happy everyday to me!”
Love this Mary, really looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the Subscription Economy!
Enjoyed this a lot. Fairground is an absolute BANGER. You just made me google what my birthday song and....'End of the Road Boyz II Men'.
Happy birthday for this week, Mary!! Another year older, wiser and even more funny and fabulous on Substack. Sounds like you've had a good one! I hope the hangover isn't too bad this weekend.