Tomorrow is my 37th birthday, and oddly enough, it feels like both a decade and a week since my last birthday.

I spent my 36th birthday flying cross-country to a conference in San Francisco whilst simultaneously raising money for Running Start’s HBCU Summit, one of my favorite non-profits. Much to my astonishment, by the time I landed in the early evening, y’all had raised more than $20k for young women in politics. (Thank you!) I’ll be doing another fundraiser for them tomorrow.

Although I typically use this blog/newsletter to publish essays, I wanted to do something different today: I wanna offer y’all some opinions I’ve formed in the past year. These don’t necessarily represent growth. It’s not that serious. It’s more like a snapshot from my vantage point. Without further ado:

* I truly have no desire to hear another thing about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship, and I'm not sure why anyone does. It’s become tedious. I think they’re both good folks, and I hope they find peace through means that don’t involve mass media.

* Aaron Rodgers should retire, not just from the NFL but from public life generally. He had a good run once upon a time. That run is over. May he embrace a peaceful retirement far away from any cameras or microphones.

* I think Martin Scorsese is probably right about the effect of Marvel movies on the state of cinema, but I just don’t have the energy to care about it.

* We must do all in our collective power to prevent the comeback of low-rise jeans.

* It’s 2023, and some of you fools are still surprised to find out that Mariah Carey writes her own songs and it’s very weird and you should feel foolish for being surprised.

* There are few things funnier than tennis players losing their s**t over pickleball enthusiasts.

* When the transphobes started going after trans women in competitive chess, claiming we have an unfair advantage over cis women, that should have been the moment everyone went: “Oooooh, so, y’all are definitely dipshits, and this was never about fairness.”

* If I never hear another thing about the alleged use of vibrating anal beads in world class chess tournaments, it’ll still be too soon.

* I used to believe that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are the best chips. I was wrong. It’s actually Lays’ Salt & Vinegar. Check in with me next year to see if this changes.

I hope y’all enjoyed this lighthearted post in the midst of many serious pieces I’ve written lately about the world.

If you’d like to wish me a happy birthday, please consider a paid subscription and/or just buy me a birthday drink, which I will gratefully accept.

Love y’all. Here’s to another year around the Sun.

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