Yesterday I went to brunch and the ballet with two of my dearest. In the process I was around thousands of people. I watched them. I got to know everyone in my vicinity in my own quiet, introverted way. I named people. Formed attachments to humans who may not have even noticed I exist. I … Continue reading masking monday: showing up
This column first appeared in the September edition of Gal Pal’s monthly publication. If you want to read Dear Cami as soon as it’s released, you can subscribe to Gal Pal's Museletter. The theme for September’s Museletter was Power… There are so many ways to talk about power. Today, I want to start with the … Continue reading this month’s letter comes from Cover Story…
There are times I do not want to be perceived. Whole stretches. Weeks when I am strictly available to my tiny family and no one else. I’ve always been like this: I withdraw, go hermit, disappear. In chat apps you can flip yourself to “away.” Your dot dims. People can still ping you, but the … Continue reading do not see me…
I started the morning with a video a friend sent me. In it, a guy was talking about his workout attitude. He had been all-or-nothing. If he couldn’t do it perfectly, he wouldn’t do it at all. That hit me. Hard. I’ve been circling around this idea for years: literal thinking, binary thinking, the trap … Continue reading No One Sees the Dial
Manners matter. They did when I was seventeen and broke, working my very first job as a telemarketer… though the company dressed it up as “appointment setter.” I wasn’t closing sales, but I could calm nerves and soothe hurt feelings… and that was enough for Bobby and Josh, the managers, to keep me around. I … Continue reading Manners Matter. Rejection Stings. Silence Corrodes…
There’s this thing that happens when I’m playing Animal Crossing. I’m wandering around in my little pink dress and pink bear head, watering flowers, chopping down trees, and checking on my neighbors. Katt has a cold, so I take her some medicine. They’re all thrilled to see me. They gush, they sparkle, they tell me … Continue reading Masking Monday: Demented and Sad, but Social
I love horror movies. I mean, not every horror movie. Some of them are just… well, horrible. Yes, that pun was intended. No, I’m not even a little bit sorry. Because we’re about to enter the land that many choose to actively avoid—the land of horror movies. Not gonna lie: as I typed that last … Continue reading the horrors…
We’ve established here before that I called out sick from school. A lot. And when I was working from a physical office, I called out sick there too. The first time I was ever fired it was explicitly because I just could not reliably show up and pretend to be someone else 8 to 12 … Continue reading Masking Monday: The Good Friend Mask
Let’s talk about my face. Specifically, the one it makes when I’m not actively arranging it for the comfort of the general public. Apparently, that face says: “I’m mad.”“I’m tired.”“I’m annoyed.”“I’m such a bitch.” Here’s the thing: I’m not mad. I’m not tired. I’m not annoyed. (Okay, sometimes I’m annoyed, but usually at my email … Continue reading Masking Monday: The Face at Rest…
Some creatures come bearing joy. Others bring mayhem. Mine arrived and immediately began reorganizing the house—emotionally and otherwise. This week, he unearthed a long-forgotten tiki relic, possibly cursed (definitely ceramic), and claimed it as his own. I haven’t questioned his intentions. Mostly because he hasn’t blinked in four days. Day 29 The silence between us … Continue reading Creature Report: Entry 005 – He Knows What He Did
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