FNC - It's time for parties!

FNC - It's time for parties!

InIt's Friday Night Chats time! We had some sunshine in Te Whanganui a Tara so I am the happiest I've ever been. Summer is coming! I believe it! I believe it! Let's chat!

It's been a good but busy week in the Writes whare. This weekend, my eldest is at camp. I am desperately hoping for sun tomorrow so I can have some beers!

I have been told I have seasonal depression, which to me makes no sense because how is anyone not depressed in winter? I HATE the cold. So much so, I've never willingly seen snow, and I will never willingly see snow. I hate being cold, and I hate winter, but I also hate autumn because it's cold too. And parts of spring. I really only like summer TBH.

And after all of the bleakness of this year, I am ready for two things:

1) sun

2) parties.

So, I have forced my friend to start an event company (as you do) with her partner, who is an amazing DJ. And we are having our first party! If you have been around for a while, you might remember my Wine Mum Nights and Not Your Work Christmas Party Parties.

Well, they're back! We have booked Scotty + Mal's for a Not Your Work Christmas Party Christmas Party and I am very excited about it. Tickets are here.

I am so ready to dance the night away!

Oh and Christmas of course. I love Christmas. Absolutely my fave time of year. After decades of working Christmas Day, I don't work Christmas Day anymore, and I'm so happy about it.

Me and my husband

Some cool news: The first-ever Moriori Language Week will be held November 17-23. My kids are Moriori, and they're very excited to create some videos to learn and teach Moriori ta rē (the language).

Some Moriori you can learn before then:

  • Kioranga - Kia ora, hello
  • Me rongo - in peace
  • Takina - Ka pai, good

What I'm reading:

I finished Don't You Dare by CE Ricci, and look, I need smut writers to come up with better names for characters because I cannot cope with reading about another Aspen. And having an Aspen, Keene, and Bristol all in one book is too much. But I still enjoyed it.

I have also been reading Dead Ends by Laura Barrowdale. I am a huge fan of hers. She's an NZ author who writes about very sexy things - I have recommended her short story collection Sex, With Animals before. Dead Ends It's described as"full of the horrors of domestic banality, parenting, relationships, and womanhood". It's very, very good.

Things I've been reading online:

Meet the Nutmaxxers Obsessed With Shooting Bigger Loads

Erasing Te Tiriti in education

‘Predators’ Review: A Damning Look at the Legacy of ‘To Catch a Predator’ Argues that We’re All Complicit in America’s Perverted Sense of Justice

Two true crime books on the mushroom trial are out – one is told by a fictional juror

AI is reshaping childhood in China - Government support and tech companies’ drive for profit fuel a rush to integrate AI tools, from robot tutors to chatbots, in education and caretaking.

Tim Curry on surviving a stroke and 50 years of stardom

A new start after 60: I realised I had autism – and suddenly my life made sense. I have never been so happy

Israel is still not allowing international media back into Gaza, despite the ceasefire

The 69 Best LGBTQ+ Horror Movies of All Time

I'm wondering how long the injunction will last and whether journalists will get too frustrated and break it - When will the urgent questions over the Tom Phillips case be answered?

What I'm watching:

I have watched a bit of House of Guinness on Netflix. I haven't got too deep but I like the soundtrack.

I was looking forward to see The Savant but it looks like it has been delayed indefinitely. It was a series about a woman hunting down incel misogynist white supremacist psychos online. After the spiritual leader of misogynists, incels, and white supremacists, Charlie Kirk, was shot, they decided not to show it??? Very weird. Apple postpones Jessica Chastain series about domestic extremism.

9-1-1 is back baby! And now Friday nights are 9-1-1 nights with both 911-OG and 911-Nashville on. Verdict on Nashville from Ham is that it's "very good". He has watched the first episode about 16 times since Friday.

What I'm listening to:

I have started listening to Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, which is described as a "compulsive sapphic reworking of Carmilla, the book that inspired Dracula, a captivating story of appetite and desire". It is quite horny so far, and that's despite nothing really happening.

I didn't listen to it because I hate the sound of my voice, but I was a guest on a podcast that went up this week. The podcast is called Parenting is Political with Sophie Moskowitz, and it's an NZ podcast under the Why Do You Parent Like That feed. It was the first episode, and I'm told people enjoyed it. It's on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the usual places if you want to listen!

I started listening to Black Summer about the 2019 Australian Bushfires. It's very sad and bleak. So I'm only listening to a bit at a time.

I’ve been listening to this beautiful song.

I wouldn't really know anything about what's happening music-wise without Chris Schulz' Boiler Room newsletter. And he recently wrote about Tom Scott, someone whose politics I like on Insta but whose music I haven't heard before. So I listened to his new album and I really like it.

What are you reading? Watching? Listening to?

How is the newsletter going for you now that it's on Ghost? Is it OK? 🙏

What are your plans for the weekend?

Tomorrow is Pipi's birthday! She is one! One year of demonic possession. She was born just a few days after Twinkle died. So it's been one year since we lost our big girl. It's been so painful, but I'm glad we have been able to get to a point of thinking and talking about her without crying (too much). And Pipi, for all her unhinged behaviour, brings us a lot of joy. I like to think Twinkle is bounding around somewhere and enjoying seeing us struggle to handle our little munchkin Pipatita.

My husband’s Father’s Day card written by the kids - really shows Pipi’s personality 😅

Thank you for your support this past year. I am so grateful you helped me through my grief about losing my best girl. Arohanui Emily x