July 2024 Slug Club
Hi sluggy friends, it is hot out there !
‘Tis the season to lay on the rocks by the water and stare into the clouds. I personally like to set up my mermaid lagoon next to the river, eat my weight in watermelon while talking nonsense to my friends with my sun hat over my face. Some days though, work keeps me in my hidey-hole all day until the sun goes down. Then I can emerge to buzz around outside like a deranged night creature. Both kinds of days are welcomed, as they really make it feel like summer.
Here is some stuff I need to say:
My Grandma Rose used to eat tomatoes out of her garden like an apple. She would close her eyes and let the juice run down her face and neck. Young people need to see their elders enjoying themselves.
Day Cake. I am not sure who taught me how to day-cake, I honestly think it is just a human impulse that we should not deny ourselves. A Day Cake is the kind of cake that is one layer, usually with no frosting that you make and leave on the counter with a knife next to it. It is important that this cake is not for a special occasion and that it never gets put away. It just sits on the counter and disappears slowly, one sliver at a time.
It is permitted to get plates out if you have a surprise visitor and you want to make theater out of the occasion. However, Day Cake is best enjoyed in your hand when passing through the kitchen and into the garden. It is for eating while standing and waiting for water to boil for your second cup of coffee. Day Cake is special because it’s for nothing special at all.
I saw Ty Segall play at Neumos in Seattle in 2017. I was not planning on seeing this show but was visiting my friend Stefan (shout out to an original sluggy 🤙). He was going, so I bought tickets to join him . At the time I was not very familiar with the music but the show was great. The band was clearly having a blast. At the end of the show I witnessed something that still makes me emotional to think about. Ty noticed a young man in the crowd that was singing every word to every song, and he invited him to come on stage to take the mic. This ecstatic fan ended up staying on stage for 3 more songs, playing lead guitar and ending the set with furious cheering and applause from the entire band. EXPLOSIVE HAPPINESS. How generous is art!? How deeply can it move you!? In this case I can say that it almost made my heart explode. Thinking about the band giving a fan this experience and seeing the crowd erupt with excitement and joy at this guy losing his mind with happiness makes me smile still! This moment gives and gives and gives! So slime on my sluggy friends and express yourself! It is brave to show your heart to others, we need these moments so badly.
I am big on making a big deal out of no-big-deal stuff. Using all your powers to turn a truly medium time into a party feels important to me. There is no greater feeling than flipping the fearmongers and corporate machine a big old bird by celebrating normal stuff! Resist! We need to teach each other how to enjoy our world.
My mom taught me to lay on the warm trampoline and eat whole peanuts from the shell. When you are done with your snack you jump so hard that the shells fly into the grass. This is important work. This is making a celebration out of snack time. This is what we are doing.
So get out there and slime around ! Write some fan mail, sing your favorite songs with your friends, make art, eat Day Cake.
“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.”
-Rumi