THE WAITER JUST TOOK MY TABLE AND GAVE IT TO JESSICA SIMPS: REID #162

Transitioning from girl to nb/transf*g is so interesting b/c gay guys r sad ur no longer their girl diva...

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SHORT:

Transitioning from a girl to nb/transf*g is so interesting b/c gay guys r sad ur no longer their girl diva and lesbians r annoyed b/c ur too much of a diva and no longer butch so you end up just as a weird-sort-of-not-quite diva like… P!nk*

Flyin’ around town like NANANANANANANANANANANANANUH

(*no offense! i actually luv her music! it sounds like Mario Cart ate a cigarette! i used 2 crush “Who Knew” on Wii American Idol)

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MEDIUM:

We went to karaoke this week for Jess’s birthday.

I requested to sing “So What” by P!nk (because it includes my favorite set of lyrics: THE WAITER JUST TOOK MY TABLE AND GAVE IT TO JESSICA SIMPS, SHIT!), but “time ran out” before I could perform it.

Strangely, there was plenty of time for Jess to perform “Phantom Of The Opera”, “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, “Shallow”, and about 15 to 900 One Direction songs.

I did manage to grab a mic during “Life Is A Highway” (first song I ever looked up the lyrics to) and thrilled the crowd with my baritone range as Mater and Lightning McQueen raced across the screen.

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LONG:

The day after Jess’s bday, we woke up to applause (because we live on the New York Marathon route).

I went outside and hired the crowd to come back every morning and cheer when we get out of bed.

I stood and watched the runners, thinking about the time I ran the Chicago marathon in 2018 and it was pouring rain and my uncle (who I ran it with) kept being like, “Mile 22 is the mile of TRUTH! It’s when sh*t gets REAL! You can’t HIDE! From yourself! Or others! At Mile 22!”, and I was like, “okay” and then, like clockwork, at mile 22, he was like, “so r u gay?”

Classic!

Hope someone had that identical experience this year in NYC.

After watching the runners, I went and saw Sad Boys In Harpy Land at Playwrights Horizons. It’s one of my favorite shows I’ve seen in a long time. If you live in NYC, go see it.

Then I had Cookie au Lait ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery (Snack Of The Week).

Comment below ur Snack Of The Week.

On a more serious note, this week, a person who I grew up with passed away. We started diving together in elementary/middle school, transferred to a more competitive club together, and ended up attending the same university (a few years apart). He was the sweetest, warmest teammate. I remember him, at age 11, talking about how he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up so he could “protect people”. When he got to college, he devoted his time outside the pool to helping children with sick parents feel safe, loved, and included. He made everyone around him feel that way. Without even trying.

I’ve received texts from dozens of people this week who knew and loved him — people I haven’t connected with in a long time. I feel guilty for not staying in better touch with them and am incredibly thankful to have them in my life. It feels cliche and trite but necessary to say: check in with people! Re-connect and reach out. I am thankful that this newsletter allows me to do that in small ways, and I plan to make more of an effort elsewhere.

Thanks for reading, and

C U Next Tuesday

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Thank you for subscribing. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s not – it’s a lot like when people slip on ice. If this is your first time reading, check out the archives.

Sincerely,

Reid Pope

@rpopegram | @rpopetweets

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Bonus Jonas Zone:

max dressed up for Jess’s bday