a brief update on Not Just Me
some housekeeping + general updates
Did anyone else think, despite hearing “fall back,” that we’d be losing an hour of sleep today instead of gaining it? I’m so thankful and so very tired. 😵 It’s the first Sunday of November and I’m wracking my brain as to how we’ve come this far into the year already. At the risk of sounding like every other person who’s temporarily forgotten how time works, it feels like January 2023 was just a few weeks ago. I’m soaking in the crisp Florida “fall” air and hoping it sticks around on the days it matters most (to me) ((on the weekends when I’m not stuck in the office)).
Acknowledging the heavy:
These past few weeks have been remarkably heavy. I hope you’re taking care of yourself, your community, and your thoughts and actions over what’s been happening in the world lately, especially within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Admittedly, I knew very little about the history of this conflict prior to the events that have been taking place since October. If you’re interested in exploring some ways you can give back or learn more in the midst of all that is happening, I’ve included a poignant post below created by
that has been helpful in my understanding:
Some housekeeping…
It goes without saying that things have been quiet here at Not Just Me, and it was a semi-planned occurrence. Truthfully, I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed and kind of lost in terms of what I want to do here. My Monday Mixtapes have been fun to curate, but the formula and frequency with which I’ve been executing them proved to be unsustainable with my current schedule. With each new week, I felt the quality of those posts decline.
My essays have taken a bit of a hiatus, and truth be told, the events happening overseas have been a huge reason why I haven’t felt led to post anything. Not to be self-deprecating, but who cares, you know? With so much brutality, pain, and anguish in the world, I just kept thinking nobody gives a fuck about what is happening in the world of a 26-year-old in Florida. And I understand that. I didn’t want to contribute fluff for the sake of offering a distraction or respite from all of the shitty stuff happening right now. Obviously, what’s happening isn’t over, and again I encourage you to follow the link above if you’re curious about some ways you can help or learn about the situation.
Moving forward, you’re going to notice some changes in the types and frequency of posts. Here’s what’ll be changing:
Monday Mixtape - From bi-weekly to monthly
After a few weeks of running this on a bi-weekly schedule, I realized I wasn’t able to give the posts the amount of effort I’d started off with, so I’m shifting this to be a monthly playlist. You’ll still get access to the Monday Mixtape playlist and the Monday Mixtape Archive, plus monthly posts announcing the newest additions. Also, rather than giving an overview + notes on every track on the playlist in the post, I’ll highlight a few favorites to really hone in on why and what I love about that particular song/artist. I’ll be putting those out at the start of each month, but this month’s post will come out next Monday, November 13th. It’ll be my “Ultimate Fall Playlist” to wrap up the Halloween/Thanksgiving season. Be on the lookout!
Monthly(ish) “Essays” - Emphasis on the ish and the quotation marks
I love writing these essays when I’m really in the mood for them, but recently, my creative juices have been at zero. This is me giving myself permission (and asking for your understanding) that sometimes I may bring you an essay I’ve planned and thoughtfully researched…and other times I may bring you a shitpost full of memes and links and random musings, haha.
A Special New Series In The Works…
I’ve been working behind the scenes on some new content that I’m genuinely excited to bring to you. More to come on this. 😉
I’d like to take a moment to thank each of you who have taken the time to share, comment, repost, and monetarily pledge your support; the latter of which is unreal. It’s so kind and deeply appreciated.
For now, Not Just Me will remain a free publication. I don’t know if/when this will change, but I’ll be sure to give you plenty of heads up if it does. Until then, every like, comment, and share with a friend makes my heart soar!
Thank you for all of the love over these past few months, and thanks for being so kind, supportive, and patient as I make these changes. I’m really glad you’re here.
Hope the rest of your Sunday is lovely,
Pam