Welcome to the FuNkYaRd
The boxes are unpacked, the office is set up, and now it’s time to figure this all out.
Well, hello there, old friends and new friends, from the great state of Missouri. We’ve been in our new house for about 3 weeks and, amazingly, are rather settled after an absolute marathon of cleaning, painting, and unpacking. We’ve even had (socially distanced, masked or outdoor) houseguests twice! It’s been truly amazing how quickly “we don’t know anyone for 500 miles in all directions” turned into “except this person also moving to KC in January, and these friends in Lawrence, and this friend moving to Kansas for school, and these friends-of-friends, and and and…” We’ll be fine. The neighbors across the street already brought us muffins.
I’ve thought a lot about what I want this newsletter to be. A round-up of stories I published during the week? A glimpse into what it’s like when you’re just starting out as a freelancer? What cool science I learned during the week’s reporting? Just garden updates? (Let’s be real, some of you are just here for the Funkyard.) I think I’m leaning towards… all of the above, because I’m the boss and I want to do all the things. That’s why I’m here in the first place, right?
So I’ll send you something once a week-ish with a quick update on what’s new and interesting in the Funkyard. Let me know if you have any requests, otherwise I’ll just play with the format till we land on something we all like, OK? OK.
*Lin-Manuel Miranda voice* let’s go.
I’m working on:
Planning, planning, planning. I have many Excel spreadsheets and many questions. I haven’t pitched any stories yet, but have picked up a few assignments just through networking and being in the right place at the right time. It’s nice to have friends who need writers!
Stuff I wrote:
To tide you over till I have an actual byline, here’s a lil roundup of what I thought were the 10 most important sciencey things that happened in 2020 (that weren’t COVID-related) that I put together before I left Discover:
Here’s the Top 10 Science Stories You Missed This Year (While You Were Distracted by COVID-19)
Five things I learned this week:
It’s super easy to set up an LLC. At least here in Missouri, it’s just an online form, and then, bam! I am now the owner of Funkyard, LLC! (What to do with it now is another story…)
You do, actually, have to water your air plants. (I mean, super duh.) Some people recommend misting them, others recommend dunking them in water (“pond water, if you can find it”) once a week. I sent mine for a (brief) swim in our fish tank. The fish were v disappointed it wasn’t food.
If a package is too big (like, say, a 9x12 rug you’re returning), the UPS store won’t take it in person. You have to schedule a pick-up.
Pro interior decorators will paint a room a different shade depending on whether the room faces north, south, east, or west. That’s because the light coming in the window will be a slightly different color depending on which direction the window faces, which will affect how the paint color appears.
I’ve been incorrectly using “til” my whole life. As in, shorthand for “until” and if written properly would actually have an apostrophe (‘til)? Yeah, nope. Something possessed me to check, and “till” is actually more correct, says Merriam-Webster. Huh. #TheMoreYouKnow
*~*~FuNk StAtS~*~*
Backyard bird count: 18 species
Noteworthy sightings: Northern mockingbird, Carolina wren (lifer!), eastern bluebird
We’re watching: Cobra Kai on Netflix. It’s very cute, and not that long. Definitely worth a couple hours of your time. Re-watch Karate Kid first (it holds up!) for maximum context and nostalgia.
We’re playing: Diablo III and Divinity Original Sin 2 on PC
I’m reading: Borne by Jeff Vandermeer. Annihilation fans, I actually like this one better! It’s less creepy but still plenty weird, and I think reads a little smoother.
Work tunes: Currently obsessed with this 10-hour track of rainy Zelda tunes:
Earworm: You guessed it:
Up next for the Funkyard:
It’s high time to plan out our vegetable beds and order seeds! (A little past time, actually, since we want to order seeds... oops.)
See you next week!
xoxo,
A