And Another Thing

Carly Martin

07 Feb 2025 — 4 min read

Here we are once again. You've opened your email and come to find it's been a whole two weeks since you got one of these. Maybe you're jumping for joy that your Friday commute is not just filled with deleting a weeks worth of the world's worst Associated Press morning headlines and Michael's reward vouchers. Maybe you're sighing and shaking your head, filled with deep regret that you subscribed to this newsletter. Maybe I'm projecting. Either way, I have lots of exciting stuff to share.

Ins and Outs for February

New month. New in's and out's.

ins

Twin Peaks
Making cookie dough at the beginning of the week and then baking one off as the need arises
Misandry
Workshopping my bio femme-queen drag persona Miss Andry

outs

Folding laundry
The ability to read a paper map
Being informed

The Reading Nook

We are a little more than halfway through Circe as of today. Currently, Circe is having a moment turning all of the male visitors to her island to pigs and I'm here for it. Meeting men where they are #inthetroph #girlboss

Cannot wait to discuss all of this and more with my coworkers at the work book club.

Ranking the Regulars

At work this week we discussed where some of our regulars would fall on an alignment chart. Many folks had many opinions, this is my final ranking with accompanying 1-2 sentence defenses.

Marty: Marty gets two plain bagels and a side of scallion with such frequency we at one time considered adding a "Marty" button to the computer. He always tips.

Mike: He is Exodus's top customer by like, a lot. He comes almost everyday and does not want to engage in any pleasantries. He orders differently every time.

Jacob: Jacob comes every once in a while. He's a commuter so he orders and then stares intensely between you making his small, hot, black coffee and the incoming Needham Line train.

Justin: Justin comes like 2-3 times a week. He doesn't talk much but he's usually wearing some kind of Act Up merch.

Kristin: Comes mostly on weekdays. I think she's a teacher. Sometimes her 5-year-old tells me about the neighborhood missing cat posters she's memorized the phone numbers to.

Dennis: We got Dennis's order sort of wrong once and now he always verbally checks if we actually remembered to put simple syrup in his iced tea this time.

Adam: Always the most excited to be getting his everything, not toasted, just pickled red onions.

Lenny: Comes most days. He usually gets two plain bagels, one for him and one for his wife. Uses a lightsaber umbrella when it rains. He gets the neutral designation because one time he told me to smile more.

Forrest: Two sentences is nowhere near enough to begin with Forrest. Most recently, he asked me if he could use the "little boys room" and then thanked me by saying that if I ever choose to transition to male and become an old man, that I'll understand why he urgently needed the bathroom.

For those of you who don't work with me or regularly listen to my vent sessions about customers, for whom that ranking chart was boring at best, here's my ranking of the bagel flavors we make.

Hard-hitting Photojournalism

This newsletter has, and will forever be, dedicated to bringing important local stories to the forefront. Recently in Boston, there's been just enough snowfall that neighborhood kids have been able to partake in wintery activities. I'm told by pals with much younger siblings and cousins with babies that kids nowadays do not think it snows in Boston in the winter, so this was huge. As such, the children of Jamaica Plain took to the streets to make snowmen of all shapes and sizes. Here are my findings as seen on my many walks.