Music Texts with Bish

BONUS: Two months later, in December 2025 from Kay.

What the hell??!?!

The award for grossiest sandwich imaginable, possibly even worse than Gidget's Heartbreak Special goes to.......this bizarre dream I had back in 2020.

Early July Texts with Bishop

June 2026 Donations

HeadCount

Turning fans into voters!

HeadCount is a national, nonpartisan organization that uses the power of music, culture, and community to turn fans into voters. We meet young people where they already are – at concerts, festivals, and online – to make it easy to register to vote, learn about elections, and take action. Our country’s future depends on younger generations showing up in democracy. HeadCount gives them the tools to join the conversation.

Every time we register a new voter, it's a win. Since 2004, we’ve registered over 1.7 million new voters in partnership with artists, actors, athletes, brands, and creators. Our award-winning digital campaigns have driven over 10 million voting actions, while our nearly 100,000 strong national volunteer squad can be seen at thousands of festivals and live events each year.

I got an email from Righteous Babe Records, since I'm on their email list, and here's what it said:

Fandiem is giving away a trip to meet Ani in Santa Cruz + soundcheck access! 

Donate for your chance to win flights + hotel, tickets for Ani's Santa Cruz show on Aug 15, the chance to meet Ani at her pre-show soundcheck, a signed item and more.

Your donations help Ani support HeadCount and promote participation in democracy through music.

With your donation you are entered to win:

✈️ Round trip travel to Santa Cruz, CA, and a 2-night hotel stay for two (2)

🎫 Two (2) tickets on Ani DiFranco’s guest list for her show at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, CA, on Saturday, August 15, 2026

🤝 Meet Ani at her pre-show soundcheck

✍️ Ani DiFranco-signed album or book

🛍️ Ani DiFranco merch pack

🏄 Enjoy the West Coast with a surf lesson or beachside lunch for two (2)

🚗 Gift card for local ground transportation

After submitting my donation I thought, hmmm.....who would I take.... DUH! I'd take Bishop because, even though he's not a mega Ani fan, he is hardcore involved in the power of the vote. Plus it would be a nice getaway for him and it'd be downtime together. I mean, I know I won't win. It's just fun to imagine two full days with the coolest cat to ever rock the globe.

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

James

In Fall of 2024 Bishop and I did a little book club together and read Percival Everett's James. Well, he read the book-book and I listened to the extraordinary audio book version, narrated to perfection by Dominic Hoffman. We met up on November 10th to discuss it over lunch at the old Healthy Garden in Collingswood.

12 April 2022

26 March 2024

22 September 2024

Our Song

14 May 2026

Textin' It Up with Bish

Here is yesterday's text messages with Bish, where I gave my opinion on this week's episode of Abbott Elementary:

May 2024

May 2025

Texting with Bishop

What was I doing the other night at quarter after one in the morning? Scrolling through old text messages sent to and from Bishop.

(Watching the original Hawaii Five-O)

(For the rest of this texting exchange - see here.)

*covet her wardrobe

January 2026 Donations

Girl Scouts of America

Lucy's Girl Scout troop was selling cookies again and I managed to help her sell to Bishop, Alan, Bella, Melanie, Wayne, MeMom and Pop and of course, vegan ones for me!

When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you are creating opportunities for Girl Scouts to learn, grow, and thrive through the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. From learning how to interact with customers to creating budgets and taking orders, the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches Girl Scouts invaluable skills that they’ll need to succeed throughout their lives. 

The Girl Scout Cookie Program provides opportunities for Girl Scouts to practice and develop their entrepreneurial skills, giving them an edge compared to their non-member peers, according to a study by the Girl Scouts. 

Plus, Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local! From trekking through the deep woods to traveling the world, you're helping fuel new experiences and adventures for local Girl Scouts all year long.

Girl Scouts build a better future for themselves and the world. And the Girl Scout Cookie Program makes it all possible, thanks to your support. 

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

BONUS!

I looped pals in to supporting Lucy's troop. Bishop's reply via text made me smile.

Random Texts with Bishop!

I love when I search a word in my text messages and fall into a rabbit hole of past convos. These with Bishop had me smiling and laughing to myself at how weird we are together.

19-21 April 2023

29 Jan 2024

18 Dec 2025

Looking Back on 2025

January 

• 25th - Lucy looked so sweet and pensive staring out the window while Dave pulled up James Blunt's "Monsters" video on YouTube. I wanted to record this small moment of Lucy and every time I watch it I wonder what she was thinking. Was she listening to the lyrics, did she see a bird in Nana Irma's birdbath, or maybe a squirrel bopping around the grass? 

February

• The Eagles win the Super Bowl! I only saw a clip of it at Mum's because I am still bitter towards the NFL after the way they blacklisted Koepernick. Still, it's nice to know that the hometown boys done did it again!

Syd and Ciarán celebrating in Philly!

March

• Lucy embraces her blue-light glasses and loves the black ones most cause her Dad and I wear black framed glasses. She's so cuuuuute!!

April

• farewell to sweet little Roark and hello to Phineas Erik!! The joy of not being in a constant state of fear if my car will get me from A to B is an overwhelming relief. I miss Roark sometimes, but Finn is a great, great car and I love him.

• New York with Amy!

• Make plans for a road trip to Ohio!

May

• 17th - Jax's 60s R&B concert was tons of fun!!

June

• 6th - Getting used to Finn. Putting the Bluey and Bingo stickers helped make this plain black car of mine feel more me, but it was my purchasing a sticky hook that I stuck next to my push-start button so that it could hold my keys that made Phineas feel fun, weird, and mine all mine. (I mean of all the things to update on a car, is keyless ignition really all that important??)

• 22nd - Braved the heat to have lunch with Bishop:

• 29th - Brunch at Sabrina's Café with Mel and Lauryn!

July

• 9th: The creepy guy at work got fired!

August

• Taylor Swift goes on New Heights podcast and I watch it live while texting with mega Swiftie Melissa out in Oregon. Then in the following weeks I watched as the world went bananas over how openly supportive and adoring Travis is toward Taylor. Down with toxic masculinity and bring on the real men!!

• Ended August by meeting Bella for lunch and four hours of non-stop chit chat. We cannot wait for our vacay in the Spring so we can talk without interruption!

(My god, I need to see a physician about those bags under my eyes!! HORRIBLE!! I don't even look human.)

September

• Started the month out the best way possible - going to Goldie with Kayla and scoring a fantastic hug and mini photo shoot with Miss Janine!! Then car selfies with Kay (check it out - I'm finally able to wear Grandad's old watch since Dave fixed it!) to round out a perfect day.

• Went to Trader Joe’s a few towns away on the 30th and the young (maybe 19-20ish) employee at the next checkout complimented my hair. I thanked him and did my usual silly toss of non-existent hair over my shoulder or fluffed up the curl of a flip hairdo that I certainly don't have. He then said, "It's splendid." Cute! Then about twenty seconds later he realised he used a word that hasn't been in fashion since the turn of the last century and shaking his head ashamedly laughed at himself while saying "splendid???" I told him he sounded like my Grandad. On the way out I hollered over my shoulder, "Have a splendid night, mister!" Splendid! I need to help bring that word back in style.

October

• The Life of a Showgirl drops! Stay up til midnight October 3rd to hear the album from start to finish with zero interruptions. It's a god damn masterpiece.

• Later in the day of the 3rd I headed over to Mum's for a mini-gathering with Amy, her mother, Maggie, and family friend, Ivy. It was so great to make Amy laugh until she was in tears. I reminded her of the time her mother nearly strangled me when we were kids on a road trip and I got it into my head to ponder what the world would look like if it were hot pink. "What if pickles were hot pink? What if the zoo was hot pink? What if the pavement was hot pink? What if antelope were hot pink?"

• Became obsessed with watching Drumeo videos on YouTube, especially Chad Smith (talk about dreamy...) and Mike Portnoy. I even got Bella into it!

11th

11/04

• 20th - After not seeing or hearing from Jackson for five months, I looked at my phone at 6:17pm and freaked the fuck out when his face flashed on the screen, alerting me that Jackson was calling. Since May, as I watched the weeks go by and receiving radio silence, I came to the conclusion that the day had finally arrived - Jackson was over me. He was thirteen and was no longer interested in hanging out with some old spinster who was weird and boring. I'd lost him like Nicole, Ashlee, Syd, and Zach. He'd outgrown me at last. When I answered the phone I was like the pathetic girl taking a call from the cool guy in school. "Hi!! Ohmigod I am so happy you called!!" I was on the verge of tears. Then he said, "So y'know how you are always saying that one day I'll be sick of you and I'll stop talking to you? And how I always tell you that will never happen? Well, I just realised, it happened. I'm really sorry." That's when the tears came a-flowin'. I told him that I was seriously crushed because since he was four years old, I've thought of him as one of my bestest friends and I love hanging out with him. So we chatted til 6:30 and set a day to reunite and get lunch together. The day after I would get back from Ohio, I'd pick him up and we'd hit Doylestown for the day. I couldn't wait!!!

• 22nd - Fulfilled a dream since childhood and went to Amy's farm to hold newly hatched baby chicks (and quails, too!). Ever since seeing Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale holding a wee lil' chicken in The Wizard of Oz I have wanted to hold a fuzzy yellow chickie. They hatched the morning of October 22nd and I left work early, drove two and a half hours and fell in love with every baby birdie I got to hold. (But especially Eyeliner.) BEST DAY EVER!

•  Spent Halloween week in Ohio, visiting with some of my favourite people in the galaxy. I'm so, so grateful that I got to say goodbye to Maureen. 

November

•  Spent all day with Jackson!! I tried to reach Jax through my mother-in-law the night before and, not surprisingly, he had her phone.

...

• Amy’s to deliver cookies and see their latest Squishmallows. These kids are obsessed. The fireplace one is my fave.

• Elf with Isabella 

December

• Learn that I'll soon have to say goodbye to Goldie in Fishtown. Honestly, if I like something, it is a guarantee that it will disappear into oblivion. My fave Philly eatery joins the graveyard with Waterloo Coconut, LesbiVeggies, Healthy Garden in Cwood, So Delicious chocolate coconut milk, Hampden Junque, Blackbird Pizza, Govinda's, Blazing Salads and Vish in Dublin, Arcadi in Brussels, and Murphy's Loft, among others. But thankfully I got Morgan and Janine's addresses and phone numbers so we can continue to stay in touch.

 

3rd - IG text from Morgan:

• Autumn's lovely family (minus Mariah who lives out-of-state. But there in proverbial spirit!) looking picture perfect as always!

• Lucy being all sorts of cute!

• 28th - Princeton with Bishop!

• 30th - Finally booking the flights to Europe with Bella. We originally were looking to do ten days spread across Positano, Collepino, and Antwerp. Well....it got so god damn complicated and hella expensive so I came up with Plan B, which would involve aborting Italy altogether and just going to Antwerp via Dublin. I always wanted to rent a car and drive around Tuscany, ever since I was seventeen/eighteen years old, but the stress of setting it all up and all the road blocks we hit - the cost for the flight just to Rome, one way, was almost a grand, then there were no flights out of PEG airport to Brussels, so we would have to take a three hour train back down to fly out of Rome - it became overwhelming and not worth the mental and physical exhaustion. So Bella and I will get ten hours (if there is no delay flying out of Philly) in Dublin, which really amounts to seven, which is more than enough time to catch a bus downtown, hit up Kingfisher's for chips with salt and vinegar, Retro for fun clothes shopping, take pix of Love Lane and Temple Bar's street art, and maybe even dash in to the Chester Beatty, before hopping in a cab back to the airport to head over to Brussels. 

• 31st - Picked up Janine and her adorable brother Noah, then popped in to say farewell to Goldie Fishtown and Morgan. She was so upset about this branch closing and losing all her coworkers, but I just know that great things are in store for her and for Janine. The highlight, aside from hugs!, was when Noah referred to me as his "regular-in-law". Too cute!

Noah, Janine, moi, and Morgan!

• Squigs is ready to ring in the new year. We are both hoping that 2026 is the polar opposite of the shitshow that was 2025.