Laura's Newsletter - Issue #2

Issue #2 already? Or Issue #2 at last?

Issue #2 already? Or Issue #2 at last?

I’m back!

Hi friends! It’s been a little over four months since my last newsletter, so I thought I’d say hi! How’ve you been?

In honor of the upcoming holiday season, let’s just call this the Holiday Issue. Why not.

What I'm doing

It’s an interesting time for social media. On Facebook, I see more and more people starting arguments, reposting memes from mystery accounts, and getting their accounts hacked; Instagram, which used to be a place to celebrate photography, seems fixated on self-promotion and copying TikTok. Finally, Twitter, the last place online that seemed moderately fun and a way to connect with thoughtful people, was thrown into chaos by Elon’s takeover.

I’m trying to spend less time on social media (hence this newsletter, as mentioned before); it has its place, of course, so I find myself shifting platforms as an alternative to abandoning it altogether.

Below are some other smaller and less noisy platforms where I’ve been hanging out:

Discord | Your Place to Talk and Hang Out — discord.com Discord is the easiest way to talk over voice, video, and text. Talk, chat, hang out, and stay close with your friends and communities.

BeReal. Your Friends for Real. — bereal.com Every day at a different time, everyone is notified simultaneously to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes.

Log in - CounterSocial — counter.social CounterSocial is the first Social Network Platform to take a zero-tolerance stance to hostile nations, bot accounts and trolls who are weaponizing OUR social media platforms and freedoms to engage in influence operations against us. And we're here to counter it.

What I'm reading

I just got my copy of Jerry Saltz’s latest book, but haven’t had a chance to finish and subsequently review it yet. Here are a few others:

I started reading this book many years ago, before Bourdain's passing, and somehow never finished; after watching the FX/Hulu series The Bear I suddenl...

Laura (Los Angeles, CA)’s review of Lips Unsealed — www.goodreads.com Of course, I had to read Belinda’s book after finishing Kathy’s. Her writing style is quite different, but it’s not fair to compare them: their experie...

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So — www.goodreads.com Afterparties book. Read 1,273 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted, ...

Laura (Los Angeles, CA)’s review of All I Ever Wanted: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir — www.goodreads.com Just finished “All I Ever Wanted” and I can’t recommend it enough. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Go-Go's or rock memoirs in general, Kathy is as re...

Laura (Los Angeles, CA)’s review of Be More Chill — www.goodreads.com I guess picking up this book is long overdue, since I've been a huge fan of the musical ever since it became a viral hit following its run at Two River T...

Laura (Los Angeles, CA)’s review of The End We Start From — www.goodreads.com Ugh I don’t know.I mean, I really wanted to like this book because it addresses climate change, and the narration does capture some of the urgency and t...

What I'm watching

‎Emily the Criminal (2022) directed by John Patton Ford • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd — letterboxd.com Emily, who is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record, gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to deadly consequences.

Where I've been, and where I'm going

New York City

Last month, I made a brief trip to NYC. I got to see The B-52’s perform at the gorgeous Beacon Theater on their farewell tour (and meet up with a coworker!), attend a play stage managed by one of my former Theater Arts students (accompanied by my dear friend Andrew), visit my actual place of work for the first time after a year and a half of working remotely (and meet a few other colleagues) and finally hang out with my dear younger brother and sister-in-law seeing Hudson Yards, the Oculus, and the 9-11 Memorial.

Highlight reel below courtesy of 1Second Everyday, an app that I supported back when it was a mere Kickstarter campaign a decade ago. I highly recommend it!

1 Second Everyday - Your Video Diary — 1se.co Imagine a movie that includes every day of the rest of your life. Let 1 Second Everyday help you remember your journey and create the story of your life. Get started with 1SE today!

Spoiler alert: I’ll be back in NYC next April. Just can’t stay away, it seems. If anyone’s in midtown, let’s get coffee!

I’ll also be in the Southwest sometime in the spring, and in Paris for a month next summer. Long story, but I’ll save it for the next issue.

What I've been making

I’ve been trying to keep up with my art, more for therapy than anything else. In October, I participated in “Inktober”, a monthlong drawing challenge on Instagram. Challenge is an understatement: it was particularly difficult (especially while traveling) not only to draw every day, but to follow the prompts. I’m glad I saw it through, and actually noticed a bit of improvement in my drawing style. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but that’s ok. It’s just drawing. I made compilations of my drawings in the reels section of my Instagram if you’re curious. Some of the imagery is a bit on the dark side, but there you go.

This month I started a #100Days writing challenge. No prompts, no maximum or minimum word length, just consistency. I’m only on Day 4, so we’ll see. Have you ever done a challenge like this? Let me know how it went!

I follow some NFT artists on Twitter, and have been inspired to make a few of my own NFTs. What the heck, right? I also sell some of my designs on merch at Redbubble, which you probably already know (and thanks to those of you who have bought things). No pressure, but it’s out there.

Laura Rebecca on Instagram: "this guy over here. 3 ways. #art #illustration #cartoon #retroart #drawing #remarkable2 #digitalart" — www.instagram.com Laura Rebecca shared a post on Instagram: "this guy over here. 3 ways. #art #illustration #cartoon #retroart #drawing #remarkable2 #digitalart". Follow their account to see 129 posts.

one day I promise | Foundation — foundation.app digital abstract painting

Laura Rebecca on Instagram: "It’s hot 🥵" — www.instagram.com Laura Rebecca shared a post on Instagram: "It’s hot 🥵". Follow their account to see 129 posts.

Ok, I think that’s more than enough for now. Let me know what you’re up to, and what you think!