Dec 14, 2022·edited Dec 14, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin
I’m a paid subscriber to ten Substacks (and wish I could bankroll a ton more but rehab for your kid is hella expensive so I’m not as filthy rich as I’d like to be). Like Amran, I believe in supporting writers and their work, and when I’m reading a piece that brings me to that moment of “This creator is doing some really cool work here” then I hit that upgrade button.
That's awesome of you -- bankrolling rehab and Substacks! I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Holly. You may not be filthy rich, but you are generous. I could be wrong about this because I've never been filthy rich, but I think it's a lot better to be generous. It's better for your soul, and honestly, it's probably better for other aspects of your life too.
I agree wholeheartedly, Michael! I've seen what financial windfalls do to people. Nope. Not interested. Sometimes I think about all the fancy things I could buy or trips I could take if I hoarded my money, but I know I'd never be happy with that lifestyle. I have a favorite quote that helps me remember this:
"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” - George Bernard Shaw
3. I am a paid subscriber to almost ten Substacks. First, my family is fortunate to have financial security. And second, as an alleged "artist" myself, I think it's crucial to compensate writers for their work. And third, I don't watch TV and basically read all day, which means the dollars spent on Substack newsletters happily supplant my streaming budget.
Congrats on this big step, Michael! Well earned. Soon you'll be able to load your garage with sports cars.
I support every word of this, Amran, except for the word "alleged." I don't think you need to hear this from me (or anyone else), but you ARE an artist. I know that word can seem a tad earnest to writers, especially writers who write funny material, but art is art, and you shouldn't lose sight of the fact that what you're doing is taking your feelings about some aspect of life or the world and turning it into a story. That's art! You're an artist, no allegation required.
Honestly if a Hemsworth ever comes after my woman, I would just shake my fist in anger towards the whole of Darwinism and pray she makes the wrong choice
I aspire to reach your level of consciousness (and monetary value), Michael. Accolades. The day someone starts throwing money at me for anything I do creatively is the day I start throwing it at someone else. My goal is to break even for the next 30 years and then live off my husband's public school teacher pension. 🙄
Would your spouse be open to some kind of time share arrangement on the Hemsworth brothers? I can offer her access to my Marvel Universe Crush Vault in exchange for Chris H. (as George Kirk in the opening scene of Star Trek). ❤️🔥
Sucks about your car. May I suggest having someone throw a rock through the back windshield? That was enough to "total" my husband's Honda Civic ten years ago.
My wife is open to the Hemsworth time share, as long as you don't AirBnB the Hemsworth bros because AirBnB sounds good, but the price is always more than you think, and after the cleaning fees, you wonder why you bothered.
As for your car totaling suggestion, I like where your head is at. I think I'll need to do more damage, though. Maybe I can park it in one of the canyons and get someone to roll a boulder onto it. Problem solved, right?
I had to Google Ada Limon, so I'm clearly a degenerate bottom-feeder. But there's hope. I like poetry, which is a start, and I can edit my celebrity crush google doc.
Hi, I like the way you’re handling you’re Substack--sharing your writing for free and also opening it up so that people can support you with paid subscriptions. For me it takes awhile before I will pay for something, but then I’m pretty loyal. I don’t have a lot of disposable income, but during times I’ve had more money, I tended to pay what I could for people who were creating more beauty in the world. We need more humor and optimism, so I hope to contribute to your newsletter soon!
Also, I don’t know if I committed and substack faux pas--I shared a bit about your writing in my newsletter. Should I have reached out to you ahead of time? I hope it was okay that I didn’t!
Hi Tali! You didn't commit a faux pas at all! In fact, I really appreciate the shout out, so THANK YOU!
And I'm glad you enjoy the humor here. One reason why I wanted to keep it free but offer a paid option is because I know that everyone needs a laugh, but not everyone has the extra money to support laughter. That's OK! And that's why I went with this business model.
That crypto gelt hurts my soul too. And like a lot of stuff with crypto, I don't really get it because you can eat real hanukkah gelt, and OK, not everyone loves milk chocolate, but it's still fun to pile up a stack of chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and gamble the night away, right?
Haha it was fun to see my name in your newsletter! Sorry the idea didn't pan out. Apologies to anyone who visits mine from your link...I'm buried in non-writing projects and have not been able to update it as often as I would like!
I’m a paid subscriber to ten Substacks (and wish I could bankroll a ton more but rehab for your kid is hella expensive so I’m not as filthy rich as I’d like to be). Like Amran, I believe in supporting writers and their work, and when I’m reading a piece that brings me to that moment of “This creator is doing some really cool work here” then I hit that upgrade button.
Congrats on that winning Tweet!
That's awesome of you -- bankrolling rehab and Substacks! I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Holly. You may not be filthy rich, but you are generous. I could be wrong about this because I've never been filthy rich, but I think it's a lot better to be generous. It's better for your soul, and honestly, it's probably better for other aspects of your life too.
I agree wholeheartedly, Michael! I've seen what financial windfalls do to people. Nope. Not interested. Sometimes I think about all the fancy things I could buy or trips I could take if I hoarded my money, but I know I'd never be happy with that lifestyle. I have a favorite quote that helps me remember this:
"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” - George Bernard Shaw
Really like that quote! Gonna need to keep it handy.
❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
3. I am a paid subscriber to almost ten Substacks. First, my family is fortunate to have financial security. And second, as an alleged "artist" myself, I think it's crucial to compensate writers for their work. And third, I don't watch TV and basically read all day, which means the dollars spent on Substack newsletters happily supplant my streaming budget.
Congrats on this big step, Michael! Well earned. Soon you'll be able to load your garage with sports cars.
I support every word of this, Amran, except for the word "alleged." I don't think you need to hear this from me (or anyone else), but you ARE an artist. I know that word can seem a tad earnest to writers, especially writers who write funny material, but art is art, and you shouldn't lose sight of the fact that what you're doing is taking your feelings about some aspect of life or the world and turning it into a story. That's art! You're an artist, no allegation required.
🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲
Yes!!!! I love this ❤️🔥🔥🔥
Honestly if a Hemsworth ever comes after my woman, I would just shake my fist in anger towards the whole of Darwinism and pray she makes the wrong choice
😆😆
I aspire to reach your level of consciousness (and monetary value), Michael. Accolades. The day someone starts throwing money at me for anything I do creatively is the day I start throwing it at someone else. My goal is to break even for the next 30 years and then live off my husband's public school teacher pension. 🙄
Would your spouse be open to some kind of time share arrangement on the Hemsworth brothers? I can offer her access to my Marvel Universe Crush Vault in exchange for Chris H. (as George Kirk in the opening scene of Star Trek). ❤️🔥
Sucks about your car. May I suggest having someone throw a rock through the back windshield? That was enough to "total" my husband's Honda Civic ten years ago.
My wife is open to the Hemsworth time share, as long as you don't AirBnB the Hemsworth bros because AirBnB sounds good, but the price is always more than you think, and after the cleaning fees, you wonder why you bothered.
As for your car totaling suggestion, I like where your head is at. I think I'll need to do more damage, though. Maybe I can park it in one of the canyons and get someone to roll a boulder onto it. Problem solved, right?
🫰🫰🫰🔥
ok, look, if your female celebrity crush ISN'T Ada Limon, you are a degenerate bottom-feeder and we have ways to deal with you
I had to Google Ada Limon, so I'm clearly a degenerate bottom-feeder. But there's hope. I like poetry, which is a start, and I can edit my celebrity crush google doc.
Hi, I like the way you’re handling you’re Substack--sharing your writing for free and also opening it up so that people can support you with paid subscriptions. For me it takes awhile before I will pay for something, but then I’m pretty loyal. I don’t have a lot of disposable income, but during times I’ve had more money, I tended to pay what I could for people who were creating more beauty in the world. We need more humor and optimism, so I hope to contribute to your newsletter soon!
Also, I don’t know if I committed and substack faux pas--I shared a bit about your writing in my newsletter. Should I have reached out to you ahead of time? I hope it was okay that I didn’t!
Hi Tali! You didn't commit a faux pas at all! In fact, I really appreciate the shout out, so THANK YOU!
And I'm glad you enjoy the humor here. One reason why I wanted to keep it free but offer a paid option is because I know that everyone needs a laugh, but not everyone has the extra money to support laughter. That's OK! And that's why I went with this business model.
Yeah 🫰🫰🫰🔥❤️
Congratulations on going paid! But please don’t accept Crypto Gelt as payment. Looking at it hurt my soul a little bit.
That crypto gelt hurts my soul too. And like a lot of stuff with crypto, I don't really get it because you can eat real hanukkah gelt, and OK, not everyone loves milk chocolate, but it's still fun to pile up a stack of chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and gamble the night away, right?
Haha it was fun to see my name in your newsletter! Sorry the idea didn't pan out. Apologies to anyone who visits mine from your link...I'm buried in non-writing projects and have not been able to update it as often as I would like!
It was a great suggestion!
I'll probably steal your new cat converter...
please don't