NEW CALENDAR, NEW YEAR, SAME YOU (thank god)

you can make changes if you want, but please stay you

Jan 07, 2025

What a lovely break that was.

When last we spoke, I was at the precipice of a huge chunk of pre-holiday deadlines. Upon completing our last vital correspondence, (my thoughts on the always-relevant Miss Universe National Costume Pageant), I dove into said deadlines, and by the time I looked up for air, it was December 20th, and I had worked through the past two weekends. My editors had all put up their Out of Office notices and were snug as bugs in their beds, visions of sugarplums replacing those of deadlines and layouts. And so, knowing that they slept, I slept the peace of the just, the kind of rest that I hear you can only get if you never have children. And I don’t. So I slept.

And did a lot of things, frankly - completed half a dozen crochet projects, watched a bunch of films, enjoyed some seasons of brainrot competition reality TV (Project Runway seasons 18-20, if you’re curious), baked many many batches of cookies and savory meat pies, caught up on long phone calls with loved ones all around, and played an unconscionable amount of everyone’s new friend, Marvel Rivals.

(I’m not giving out my username en masse like that, I’ve played video games long enough to know that’s a dumb idea. But I’ll tell you my mains - Wanda/Hela, Adam Warlock, and Doctor Strange.)

It feels like it’s been a particularly slow start to come back from break. I thought it was me, but last week when I started reaching out to folks via email (and truthfully, when I started writing this) I got a lot of out of office emails. So, Three Kings Day it is!

Some Good News - I’ve decided to keep the store open! After putting in the work for nearly a month to get it open and put up all that inventory, I don’t want to take it down! I may have to make changes to it if I take books to a local event, but for now, I like it, and it’ll stay open. I’ll tally up some numbers at the end of January, and we’ll make a donation to a favorite charity of mine. I’d considered the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Doctors without Borders, and while they all do incredible work, I’m wondering if our donation would do more on a local level - say, a donation to one of the organizations I love that helps feed and shelter folks in Los Angeles who really need it. We’ll figure it out, and I’m excited to make the donation that you all helped me make.

As always, readers, you have a 10% discount with code SCORPIOROOM, and all orders $30+ have free shipping. (Paid friends of the ‘Stack - your code is in this post here and I’ve just bumped it to a standard 25% off any purchase!)

If you’re placing an order and can’t find a place to leave a personalization note or request, shoot the shop an email at info @ tinihoward.com (no spaces) and we’ll definitely see it!

HARLEY QUINN Vol 3: CLOWN ABOUT TOWN - 03.25.25

I’ve got a lot on my plate today, so we’ll close this out with a quick bullet list of things I’ve been enjoying over the past few weeks and feeling inspired by. Anything that’s been blowing your mind lately? A favorite video essay or documentary or fun fact? Share it below and let’s start 2025 off curious and creative.

The Wager by David Grann; this YouTube essay about sex, video games, and the people who start cultural battles where there are none; oil painting; All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell (I extra recommend this one for EUTHANAUTS fans, also the author is the daughter of From Hell artist Eddie Campbell!); this New Order/Joy Division retrospective vinyl Blake M Howard got me for Christmas; Conclave and my research rabbit hole about papal naming conventions; “commonplace books” and the slightly less well-known zibaldone notebook; recording dreams in a notebook as soon as I wake; Antiques Roadshow.