The number of times I've brought a book to the bath and only looked at my phone...
or gotten too sweaty for reading.
There are many things I do in life to please my invisible audience. Having been couch bound with a strained back for three days now, apart from a short shuffle to CVS for lidocaine patches and Aleve AND a failed attempt to retrieve an avocado pit from the floor, I’ve been using Instagram story and my invisible audience as my outlet for social interaction. Well. And now this Substack. Oh. And my poor boyfriend who had to sit on the couch while I read aloud some of my old blogs and forced him to listen last night. Yesterday I prepared myself a bath full of epsom salts and mustard powder. I set up my bath table thingy and placed upon it a book, a bowl of oranges and a Negroni. The book posed for a photo with the oranges and the drink but remained shut until I got too hot and had to vacate the bathroom. My back was definitely helped by this bath but I was obviously more pleased with the opportunity to take a picture of the book and the oranges and the Negroni. I’m an artist, you see. I even brought an extra lamp into the bathroom to read by (god forbid I turn on the overhead) but alas, I looked at my phone the entire time. I think I am sometimes too in love with the idea of something and less enthralled by its actual execution.
Since posting my first entry here yesterday, I have gotten messages from a few friends who’ve been so encouraging to this new endeavor, I could cry. This space feels so familiar to me, it reminds me of when I first discovered blogs around 2006 and couldn’t believe how many cool people existed in the world. It’s reignited in me the enjoyment of writing and sharing my words and it’s inspiring me to try new ventures as well. This place makes it easy to start a podcast and to post videos, two avenues I’ve been very much wanting to run down. Are those things you’re interested in, invisible audience? I suppose I shouldn’t call you invisible, as I just mentioned the encouragement I’ve been receiving makes me feel like I could burst, so I guess I’m just plain asking. When I started blogging forever ago, I was inconsistent and too bashful to actually engage with anyone online but I’d like to do it differently this time. I’ve been seeking a creative community and it feels like this may be the place. I’d love to hear from any and all of you who enjoy reading my posts. I’d also like to mention that my little Substack, “Yeah, I’d Hang Out with Her,” feels to me like my own personal mix of a live journal, a blog, a tumblr, spotify and a youtube channel, just so you sort of know what you’re gonna get by being here. Regardless, I’m so very happy to have you. To my friends who’ve already pledged money towards a subscription even though I haven’t even set up paid subscriptions yet, the validation, encouragement and excitement you’ve given me is beyond compare and I am forever grateful.
I think I may hobble into my kitchen now and attempt to make a coffee cake while hunched over with this lidocaine patch on my back. And then I might take a bath and read. See you soon.
P.S. I added that voice note as a last minute sprinkle and I think I kinda like it? But instead of just narrating the entry maybe I’ll just start adding a little voiceover intro to the beginnings of my entries. The world is our oyster folks.
So cool that I can listen to you read this. YAY!