This Week: A Short One
What with the stomach bugs and the teeth, I'm keeping this brief.
Dear fam,
I wonder how this newsletter is finding you this week? I’m pretty spent, myself. On Wednesday afternoon I commented to my wife that I felt I’d finally caught up at work. So, of course, Thursday was a snow day and both girls were home with nothing to do all day.
Then, Thursday evening, Toddler started crying and wouldn’t stop forever (or so it seemed) because apparently when molars force their way through your gums like tiny insistent knives you want to cry.
We finally fell asleep around midnight. Then, at 2:00 am, I was woken abruptly by my wife — Big Kid had crawled into our bed and was now projectile vomiting. A lot. Everywhere. And that one is not an exaggeration. At one point, coming up the stairs with ice chips and Tylenol for Big Kid I found her sobbing, “This is not the best evening ever!” in the bathroom doorway, which would turn out to be the most insane understatement ever.
After going through three sets of jammies (each), two sets of sheets, several blankets, and having a shower in the wee hours one should not know, Big Kid fell asleep in my arms in the hall outside the bathroom. Where we remained until the sun came up (ish).
The laundry may never be done.
She spent the next day home recuperating, then we headed to our local synagogue to hear the live performance of an album my wife had produced, arranged, and recorded. Mid-concert, it became clear that Big Kid was slip-sliding back into her barfiness so I hustled both girls home and put them to bed while my wife wrapped up the show. Which was a huge success!
Then I ordered food and watched Is It Cake? because sometimes things are just too much dammit!
All this is to say — I don’t have much of a newsletter for you this week. But I do have some things for you! Links, for one. Plus three good things that happened this week at the Chaos Palace. Out of character, I know, but we do have to celebrate the wins sometimes, don’t we?
Win #1
On Thursday, my wife took both kids to play with a pal who also had a snow day. And, despite an argument over legos, when I hear Big Kid and her pal had “both been Elsa” and commented she must have been a great Elsa she smiled through her tears and said, “Yeah, I really was.”
That’s the confidence and turn-around-a-situation-ability we need to bring to this week, y’all.
Win #2
Today, Toddler put on her hat all by herself and, perhaps more impressively, spontaneously yelled “hitzlahti!” (I succeeded!) upon doing so! We’re managing to teach a language! And we’re managing to instill a sense of can-do-it and self-celebration in our kids!
Win #3
I had the wonderful honor and joy of publishing a Q&A with
on my Dreams of Chaos series, something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while now! You can read the whole conversation here:
Here’s a little snippet of our conversation, as well as a poem of hers I featured there and a link to buy her book of short stories.
How has your creative work informed the way you think about the world and vice versa?
I think the idea of revising has really informed the way I look at the world. If I’m not happy with the world as I see it, or if I am happy but I want it improved, I know that there is a way in the world to address it. As for my writing and my creativity, I do think about how and what people are reading now and what is important to potential readers now.
I’m gonna go get Toddler off the iPad and play some silly games with her. Maybe we’ll build magnatiles or read books or dress up as dragons. Who knows? That’s the fun.
Wishing you all a week of poetry, silliness, and minimal stomach bugs (if any)!
Love,
Mikhal
Welcome to the Chaos Palace is the space where I write about ADHD, queerness, Judaism, and how to navigate the mess that is the world. You can support my work by sharing this post with others, subscribing, or just clicking the like button. That makes the algorithm send my words to other folks who might enjoy ‘em. Or just read! That’s huge, too, and very appreciated! Thank you!
And now for some links…
reported on some terrifying attacks on transgender people in America here, here, and here. She also reported, however, on folks fighting back — as when multiple states sued the Trump administration this week for targeting transgender Americans’ civil rights! I’m so grateful to her for her tremendous journalistic work. wonders whether Trump has a legislative agenda. Honestly, same. Seems like he’s just kind of a vessel through which extremists can destroy people’s lives, but who can say? continues to crowdfund to support transgender people in red states who need financial help to great success. Go leo! Go community! writes about how Bishop Mariann Budde took on a room of leopards, ahem, politicians and did so with incredible grace. makes some interesting points about Elon Musk that I haven’t heard yet — and I’ve heard a lot of stuff about Musk’s variegated flavors of douche-baggery. Chappell Roan! AHHH!