Hey!

I’m changing up the podcast a bit. Instead of talking about the topic of the newsletter, which I still read in the second half, I’ll be giving a brief life update. This week, that update is about picking up a parasite in France, lol. Literal hours after our last wedding festivity, Mo and I both fell ill, which, for me, lasted for an entire week and thus put a highly unpleasant tinge on our self-branded ‘mini moon.’ I’m pretty sure I got it from a poke bowl in Toulouse. Why am I eating a Hawaiian dish in Europe? A great question, and one I answer in the episode.

After, I read my newsletter about a reputation I developed at my last job for being the person who asks the hard questions. It wasn’t a bad thing to be known for, but… I have some thoughts.

Thanks for listening,FLD

Hey!

The second after you get engaged, social media slams you with wedding content, mostly in the form of tips and advice: you need a day-of coordinator, no one gives a sh*t about party favors, make sure the officiant steps aside before the first kiss, don’t steam dresses in the same room as hair and makeup, breathe. But no one (NO ONE!) prepares you for how scatterbrained and tense you’ll feel the week leading up to your wedding. I had a minor meltdown yesterday, which I describe in the first half of the episode. Then I read my newsletter about a fond memory from the early days of dating Moritz.

Thanks for listening,FLD

Hey!

I had my bachelorette earlier this year. It coincided with the fake-out TikTok ban in January, which only mildly interested a group of women in their early thirties.

Bachelorette parties used to be a one-night affair. You wore one outfit—not five—dined, danced, partied, and moved it along. But lately, they’ve evolved into a trip, a retreat, a religious pilgrimage. (The bride-to-be becomes a small deity.) Sincere kudos to the women who plan them, but in the midst of wedding planning, I opted for a cutie hometown bach ♥ instead. In this episode, I explain what that means and what I did for mine. In the second half, I read my full newsletter, as usual.

Thanks for listening,

FLD

Hey!

I wrote a heady piece this week because I felt like I was gazing at my navel for too long. For the record, this newsletter was written with a satirical edge. I do not lay awake at night mulling over why some people choose to write in all lowercase letters. I wish they wouldn’t, though! I read my full newsletter in the second half, but before that, I talk about texting pet peeves and the great irony of what I call “achieved effortlessness.”

Thanks for listening,

FLD

Hey!

Last week’s episode was a bit somber. This week’s is not! I read my full newsletter about the day I got married in the second half, but before that, I chat legal marriage logistics, my new last name, Liu-Dufner, and “show weddings.” I invested in a screen-style pop filter, so hopefully the audio is crisper. I think it is. A tip for new podcasters: get a screen pop filter, not the mesh one that goes over your mic.

Thanks for listening,

FLD

Hey!This is my inaugural podcast episode. I read my full newsletter in the second half, but before that, I chat about what to expect each week from this podcast, Up the Air (the 2009 movie where Anna Kendrick and George Clooney go around the country laying people off), and how I feel about losing my job in early January. I consider myself a seasoned writer, but a novice podcaster, so any notes or feedback on the episode are appreciated!

Thanks for listening,FLD