I'm Taking Lots of Drugs on my Birthday
Officially in my mid-40s tomorrow
This past Thursday, I was attempting to hoist my 70lb 7yr old into his bed from the floor, and I did something to my back. “Something,” in this case, means “caused excruciating pain.” I don’t remember what happened on Friday—I stumbled through, not really able to bend over to brush my teeth or to pick anything up from the floor. It feels a little on the nose to have a back injury a few days before one’s 43rd birthday, but lol, happy birthday to me. I went and got a very intense massage, which made it feel better until it felt worse, and, long story short, I now have a cabinet full of drugs. I have sleeping pills! And muscle relaxers! And other things I don’t quite understand, like giant stickers that smell the way Newports taste! So if you’re looking for a party, come see me.
This is what the party looks like:
Watching Jury Duty:
This is, I believe, an Amazon show, and so it has to be very good for me to recommend it. But it is! It is. If you haven’t seen the trailers or heard anything about it, allow me: it’s a mockumentary about jury duty, and the whole cast is made up of actors except for one sweet man named Ronald. It shouldn’t work, but it does. James Marsden is perfect, and so is everyone else, and the last episode made me cry, which may or may not have been the aforementioned Valium. So sweet, so funny, I loved every second.
Watching Wednesday:
Do you remember the first television show or piece of pop culture you felt like you had to watch because people at school were talking about it? Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered when I was 10, in 1990, and I talked to my friends on the phone before and after every episode. Last week, my 9.5yr old came home and asked about Wednesday, because people were talking about it at school. A dark high school show?? Don’t have to ask me twice! We binged the first 5 or 6 episodes this weekend, and I’m all in.
Seafaring Books:
I’ve been in a seafaring mood, and so David Grann’s new book The Wager was just the ticket. Shipwrecks, treasure, lots of men with titles trying to desert each other on islands, recommend. I also just read Sara Levine’s VERY wild lil novel Treasure Island!!!, and the two worked very well together. Treasure Island!!! is a book that booksellers love—a cult classic, if a book from about 15 years ago can be a cult classic—and I’ve been meaning to read it since I worked at BookCourt. Those fucking exclamation points! Heavenly. There’s a parrot murder scene, let me put it that way. It’s wild and funny and truly captures the zaniness of a manic twenty something. Read them together for extra ship lingo!
I leave for Australia on May 1st. Let’s hope my back is okay by then, because otherwise, how am I supposed to pick up a koala and smuggle it into my suitcase on the way home??
Please drop any recs for Melbourne or Tasmania (!) in the comments, as well as back pain tips.
p.s. My paperback launch is sold out, but come hang with me on May 20! There will be free snacks and we can chat! It’ll be fun. Books Are Magic Montague, 2-4pm, 5/20. Mark your calendars.
p.p.s. You can always preorder my paperback, too, if you’re feeling frisky. I was feeling frisky yesterday in the ER and ordered myself and the aforementioned 7yr old matching velour sweatsuits. If you want to match us, there are a lot of Suzie Kondi separates on the Real Real. You can join our cult.
A Brooklyn-based, sixth generation Tasmanian here! They will be so thrilled to have you there, as Tasmanians are known voracious readers! Here are some suggestions in addition to everyone else's great tips:
- First up, dress warm! Even though it's part of Australia, Tasmania is really, really cold this time of year (the next stop south is Antartica, after all). We also don't love central heating like the US does!
- At MONA, be sure to find the Madonna room. And take the ferry to get there!
- In Hobart, grab a coffee at Jackman & McRoss in Battery Point and then stroll around the neighbourhood to marvel at the adorable fisherman's cottages. Then walk down the Kelly Steps into Salamanca Place (the markets are on Saturdays).
- For more delicious baked goods, head to Pigeon Whole Bakers.
- If you have time, take the ferry to Bruny Island and be sure to stop at Bruny Island Cheese.
- Great restaurants in Hobart include Dier Makr, Institut Polaire, Peppina, and Fico.
- A quick roadtrip from Hobart is Richmond, a quaint little town that looks straight out of England (we're a colony, after all) and has the best sweet shop (and also a bakery!)
- For cute native Australian animals, head to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Definitely go up to the top of kunanyi, but see aforementioned tip about dressing warm!
- Another short day trip is Russell Falls in Mount Field National Park, which are stunning—stop by the Possum Shed on the way for lunch and sit on the deck where you might spot a platypus in the creek below. They have a great Devonshire tea there too.
- For bookstores, head to Fuller's, Hobart Bookshop and the Dymocks in Centrepoint (and tell them Mikki Brammer said hello!).
Hope you feel better soon!
Nothin' like back pain, being on the floor and not being able to move a quarter-inch without keen suffering, and believing that, well, the rest of your life will have to be spent right there. Oh yes. But what I really wanted to say was thanks for the shout-out for Treasure Island !!!--you don't see it mentioned often, but I thought it was a certified hoot.