Worrybirds,
My first novel, Rogue Logistics is out to beta readers and the feedback has been great so far. It’s a breezy thriller about Zing! Warehouse employees trying to survive a delivery drone uprising. Can’t wait to share it with you!
For any new subscribers, my name’s Jed and I created the Get Afraid Journal. If you want to get in touch, hit reply.
Try it for the Story
🦐 Cook Something Wild (Warning. This one’s kind of gross.)
We had an old pack of shrimp in the freezer. I’m not a fan of seafood, but I’ll eat it every once in a while. Usually we buy shell-off, but these shrimp were shell-on and needed to be deveined. My only experience with this attribute of shrimp is the line in Tommy Boy, “Ugh, why do you always have to de-turd these things?”
Anyway, I tossed my shrimp in a colander and stuck them under cool water to thaw. Then I peeled the shells off (including their legs!!!) and then I ran a knife down the back to gain access to the “vein”. I did alright on the first try, but on the second one, I ruptured the digestive tract and black grit oozed out.
To adapt, I learned to lay the little shrimpers down on a plate to anchor them and then I sliced along the side of the tract. Still gross, still very time-consuming. Took me roughly half an hour to do like 15.
Peeling the little gooey worms out with my knife and fingers was disgusting and I will never under any circumstances do it again.
— Jed
Spooky Good
🎸Patrick Stump Got Real
The vocalist from Fall Out Boy was having a rough time in 2012. He’d lost weight he wanted to lose and reinvented his style, but he was squandering cash and the response to his new work was abysmal.
The reality is that for a certain number of people, all I’ve ever done, all I ever will do, and all I ever had the capacity to do worth a damn was a record I began recording when I was 18 years old.
I’m assuming that album was, From Under the Cork Tree based on the ubiquity of the songs Sugar, We're Goin' Down and Dance, Dance in 2005.
Anyway, by 2012 he’d put out a solo album that was failing miserably and touring was a disaster.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the fervor of the hate from people who were ostensibly my own supporters (or at least supporters of something I had been part of). The barrage of “We liked you better fat,” the threatening letters to my home, the kids that paid for tickets to my solo shows to tell me how much I sucked without Fall Out Boy, that wasn’t something I suppose I was or ever will be ready for.
Fans seem difficult. Make the same thing and they’ll complain you’re repetitive. Try something new and they’ll say it’s not as good as your early stuff.
Rumor has it, Pete Wentz reached out after reading Stump’s essay and they started making music together again. Leading to more albums, world tours, and success. I love that he pushed through the dark times and kept creating.
I guess everyone experiences self-doubt and failure. Even rockstars with an unhealthy obsession with hats. I hope things are going better for Patrick now. The last time I saw him, he was on an episode of The Price Right.
Happy Anniversary
It’s been a year since the Get Afraid Journal came out. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Make something spooky good? Let me know, and maybe I’ll feature it next time.
See you fearly soon.
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