Week 34, 2026: Of tarts and bras

Ever had a conversation so unpleasant it led to the creation of a new project in your to-do list app? Shaky hands, hot cheeks, new project in Things 3.0. That’s when you know it’s serious. Anytime I think I have made progress towards being okay with feeling misunderstood, I am reminded that I have a long way to go. Onwards and westwards. Outside of The Drama, I have had a very pleasant week. On Monday, I showed up five minutes early to a friend’s flat with chocolate-covered pretzels. She had kindly invited me into her cozy home and affable circle for book club. As she made tea, I said hello to the other comrades and we soon got chatting about Animal Farm. It was probably notable that I was happy to go long stretches of time just listening but I did manage to bring up the Arab Spring. We all went down to the back garden to smoke afterwards and I repeated the golden rule in my head so I wouldn’t be impolite. I’d smoked before but never in a group setting and it was important to me that…