#41-45 + The Return To This Newsletter Format

I'm back. People are still subscribing here instead of Beehiiv and I miss the communal feeling I got here so decided to return to the world of Substacking.

The last post here I made was about how most social media platforms are flawed. This is a given. Despite seeing that the creators of Substack did eventually remove some Nazi advocates here, it’s likely that this will forever be an issue. Moderation is challenging when anyone and everyone wants to get their voice out.

The fact is, I left Substack which included unsubscribing to folks I followed. I missed them, it’s easier to make comments here and despite the very last post saying, “hey I moved to Beehiiv,” I still kept getting new subscribers here.

Perhaps for some, they will see this is as selling out or a compromise. But I guess this is just the nature of the beast when it comes to making decisions about where to post. What it comes down to is the fact that I prefer the Substack platform when I started the 5 Years Project. Beehiiv is great too. I’ve heard excellent things about Buttondown. Hell, I could just write on Medium. I like the ease of posting on Substack, the look of it, the fact that I could read other writers and support their work. Here is where I’ll stay, promise.

I’m still on X (hardly posting but still there) and Facebook remains my least favorite platform outside of posting photos but I’m still there too. Maybe there’s a cult-like mentality surrounding what we choose to support. Everyone else is there, so might as join the party, right? I left here and feel a bit like a hypocrite for coming back, but I did some research first and made peace with how things are when it comes to the world of sending newsletters.

I’ve always wanted to be an active writer and with so much on my plate, that still remains a challenge. Since January, I’ve only churned out 6 additional pieces which I am linking to here for safe keeping. This was going to be a weekly project, but I still try to keep up with my podcasting endeavors as well as seeing new releases that I plan to write about here for content. Not to mention, the possibility of trying to promote physical media more too.

I’ve always been a busy bee, possibly giving myself too much to where not all of it will be high quality. But I’d like to keep trying. Anyway, I’m extremely grateful to the readers and new subscribers here. Hopefully this doesn’t make much of a difference because you’ll still be getting emails like you were from Beehiiv. Hopefully you understand why I came back here, and I look forward to getting back to some more normalcy and consistency especially in the months to come. Here are numbers 41-45 and two guest posts from Beehivv in case you want to catch up and read these at your convenience.

#41: Fearless (1993) (a rewrite)

Guest Contributor #7: Dan Solomon

#42: "Just What I Needed" - The Cars

Guest Contributor #8: Jason Simpson

#43: Shutter Island (2010)

#44: "Brittle Boned" - Julien Baker

#45: Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Much more to come soon!