FNC - Big things coming!

Please imagine me saying that in an influencer voice!

Hi! It’s Friday Night Chats time already! It’s been such a busy busy week huh? I can’t believe it’s already Friday. Let’s chat about the week and what we are all reading and watching and listening to and uhhhh doing!

Please excuse any and all typos!! If you want you can let me know and I’ll fix them - I usually have more time to go over FNC but I had a bit of a family emergency and it was a whole deal. Also this is early because I’m at an event! Hope that’s ok!

As you read this I’ll be at Meow where I’m doing a community hang. I’m very of the opinion that being together helps us feel less hopeless and useless. I share a post about that earlier in the week. If you missed it - it was called A Beautiful Mess.

It was a three post week this week because I also wrote Five things you can do for your community in five minutes.

I would like to now add that you can easily sign this Letter of Demand to the government - The letter of demand signals the intent of the Palestinian Solidarity Network in Aotearoa to pursue legal accountability for the lack of actions taken by the government, and key government ministers, in their roles. PSNA is deeply concerned about New Zealand failing to uphold our legal responsibilities under the Genocide Convention which requires the government to take actions that “prevent and punish the crime of genocide”. Read it and sign it here and please share.

The other thing that has kept me busy is I’m launching a spinoff to Emily Writes Weekly. It is very early days but it feels like there’s a demand for an unapologetically left platform in Aotearoa. I have too many stories to cover here and I don’t want to overload people with multiple posts every week. But more than that, I’d like to commission young journalists and writers - there’s few places now where they can publish. So, this week we did some filming and it was super fun and I’m excited to tell you more when my ducks are in a row!

I’m also adding a new bit to Friday Night Chats which is: What am I eating?

Look, I had a pancreatitis attack because I ate pizza and drank rose on my birthday. I think I’d told you that after my surgery I couldn’t tolerate rose and I was devastated.

Well, I had like four days of agony after my birthday and mates - I have learned my blardy lesson. So now I am in my soup era. I am just having different kinds of vegetable soup each night. And I’m trying to heal my guts. If you’re reading this and you see me out tonight eating pizza, rip it from my hands!

What are you eating?

What I’m reading: I bought some Bookety Book Books that were on sale - Pure Flame by Michelle Orange, My Pen is the Wing of a Bird: New fiction by Afgan Women, and one book which was not on special but won the Palestinian Book Award: Against The Loveless World. I will sadly probably not read these but I will try.

My to-read pile is embarrassingly high and I have to do the blurb for a memoir (I don’t have to but I want to) so that has to take priority.

Other things I’m reading -

I have been making my way through this wild series - TRASHLEY. I don’t even know what to say about it! I am up to like part seven haha.

The Queer Awakening of Bridgerton (finally)

The American Novel Has a Major Problem With Fat People

Doll Parts: My Queer Coming-of-Age with Courtney Love

God Bless Paul Mescal!

A nonprofit founded by a right-wing billionaire was a “key contributor” to a recent video produced by MrBeast’s charity arm - Just what we need.

Loved this photo essay of Wellington flats. It’s also quite bleak: “Pippa and Katie have had several issues in their current flat: mouldy curtains, a gap under their front door that lets the cold in, a bedroom door jamming and they say an ivy plant grew up from a gap in Katie’s bedroom wall”. 

This lady had a skydiving accident. I’m kind of obsessed with reading about skydiving accidents for some reason. Well, to be fair, it’s not just skydiving accidents. It’s any accident. They always say they had a positive demeanour and that’s how they get through. I would never survive.

I watched the avalanche documentary on Netflix Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche which was amazing and like the skydiving accident - I just can’t believe people survive. My husband and I joke (but we are also kind of serious) that he should leave me and take the kids if there is a zombie attack because I’ll only slow them down. I’m just not going to make such an enormous effort you know? It looks exhausting.

What else I’m watching:

I smashed Bridgerton (Netflix) and I thought it was glorious. Just fantastic. My husband and I have exactly one show we watch together - and that’s House of the Dragon on Neon.

It’s so bleak. I am obviously not recommending it. But I am happy it is back because judge me I deserve it but I am hooked.

I can’t remember if I said last week but I watched Eric on Netflix. Also bleak. Do not recommend.

I am watching After The Flood on the TV3 app next.

What I’m listening to:

Absolutely so hooked on Bronwyn the Hedley Thomas podcast I talked about last week that I’ve considered subscribing but The Australian is shit and the only good thing about it is Hedley Thomas.

Fun fact: Hedley's stellar journalism career began as a junior sports reporter working alongside my Dad at the Gold Coast Bulletin in the 1980s. He maybe held me as a baby. WHO KNOWS?!

Anyway, Bronwyn will make you scream. It’s one of the most infuriating podcasts I’ve ever heard in my life. I just want justice for her so bad.

Palate cleanser - my cat Bruce coping with being loved intensely.

In other news, my eleven-year-old tried 2 minute noodles for the first time (I haven’t kept them away from him, he just never asked for them) and truly, they blew his mind. Comments included “this is amazing!” and “there’s so much!” and “the noodles are so long!”. The simple joys eh?

In terrible news, he has to go to an orthodontist. And my god. I rang all eight orthodontists in the Wellington region to get prices to compare and choose the cheapest place and the price variation was so wild! Also some are like - a consultation is $110 and you’re like ok, that’s not bad. But then they say ‘and X-rays are $220’ like…OK well, a consultation is $330 then. Because otherwise I’m paying you $110 just to judge his teeth needs based on…I dunno….vibes? Like of course he needs an X-Ray.

In other, other news, my youngest has suddenly developed an interest in Eurovision and wow. It’s a lot! We have watched the 2009 Eurovision twice for some reason and 2009 was not a good year for fashion or possible anything.

What are you listening to? Reading? Watching? Eating? What are your plans for the weekend?