Gearing Up for End Times Fun

As the apocalypse draws nigh, I seriously consider having more fun... while actively opposing patriarchy, capitalism, fascism, and bigotry...and staying sober.

Helloooooo friends. I promised to make this edition of the newsletter slightly less dour - so we won’t discuss politics. JK JK! If at present, you are only looking for suggestions on how to survive Trump’s America and unable to consume any other content (believe me I get it), scroll down to the bottom - you’ll find a fairly comprehensive list I compiled while feeling utterly helpless and - as one family member put it, experiencing a “deep existential scream”. Huzzah! (that’s not what it sounded like).

For those who aren’t skipping to the recipe - I do have a few updates on creative projects of late. So without further ado, in vaguely chronological order…

Law & Order Season 24, Ep. 8 - THIS WEEK!

I finally landed the NYC actor’s rite of passage booking on L&O - and it only took seventeen years! Blink and you’ll miss me, but I’m in the very first scene of ep. 2408, at 8pm on Thurs Nov 21st. I’m telling two very handsome detectives that a man who was clearly shot in the back - has indeed, been shot in the back. I can report that they take very good care of their actors on set - everyone was lovely.

“Not Dead Yet” : a Darkly Comedic Short

The first weekend of November, a fantastic team of humans shot a very funny script upstate in Accord, NY. Writer/Director team Sara Ford and Cameron Dingwall (they’re also partners in life!) invited me to come onboard as their other main producer. Sara and I have known one another since CMU days, and my classmate and friend Kristolyn Lloyd was already attached to the project. Two weeks later we added Brian Morabito, another CMU grad, to the cast. ‘Twas a wee filmic reunion! Check out my IG for more BTS.

'“Cliff & Ronny’s only job is to bury dead bodies for the mob. But what do they do when the body isn’t dead yet?”

I had a blast on this one - the location was stunning, the crew was made up of super talented commercial industry vets - so they were kind, communicative, and efficient. Really excited to see how the edit turns out.

Goldhaven Cast Album Released!!!

In mid October, our cast album for The Dastardly Thornes vs. The Town of Goldhaven came out! Many thanks to Spaceman Sound , our recording engineer Kegan Zema, and obviously Nate Weida and Ben Holbrook for making it all happen! You can listen to it petty much anywhere you get music - Apple Music and Spotify, among other platforms. Here’s a clip of me and Laura Galindo aka The Voice from Heaven, singing “Mah’s Diary” -

Greenwood Photoshoot (Just for FUNsies)

Our friend Morgan Skelton, one of the most multi-talented folks I know - likes to take pictures of ‘folks in cloaks’… especially out in nature. So Ben and I, close to our one year anniversary, went on an adventure with Morgan to Greenwood Cemetery - a special place for me, as my great-great-great-great grandfather “Captain Duncan” is buried there, along with most of his children. I didn’t even know until I moved here that my mom’s family was in BKH / Clinton Hill/ Bed Stuy most of the 19th century, until they moved upstate. Anyway, Morgan took some fantastic photos, and we had… you guessed it… FUN!

…And… The List No One Wanted to Make…

Okay. This is obviously by no means exhaustive… but my form of coping with the madness has been to do a lot of research the last two weeks on resources, self-help practices, community movements, and volunteer opportunities. In no particular order, here are some choices I’ve made to help me stay even-keeled for the tough months and years ahead. It’s a start at least.

1) Divesting in Big Business (namely, Amazon)

The irony here is that in 2016 I did the same thing. I went cold turkey off Amazon for a year. But then we had a pandemic and it was oh-so-easy to order those groceries - so I got hooked again on the cheap, convenient, fast service. But you gotta ask yourself, do I need it that quickly? And why is it so cheap? Could it perhaps be that Bezos is killing small businesses all over the country because no one shops locally anymore???!

2) Invest in Local Businesses and Farmers

I was spending $100/week on average on Amazon (mainly groceries). So I’m committing to buying staples at my local grocer, and I’ve also joined the Greene Hill Food Co-op and am continuing to get a great CSA from the Catskills every week which I share with a friend. Both options are still affordable, and convenient - they just require me to (gasp) leave the house??

3) Limit Screen Time & Social Media

This has also been a decade long journey - but something new I’m trying in these last few weeks is taking a page from Glennon Doyle and acknowledging that I have a full blown addiction to my phone - and therefore, in recovery terms - am powerless to put it down. So I made the investment in a really simple app-blocker app (ridiculous, but whatever it takes) called Re-focus , and it’s working great so far. Also, I decided to change my screen to B&W settings… and I’m shocked at how effective that is in distracting me less. The journey continues, but these feel like positive steps!

4) Embodiment and Nervous System Regulation

If there’s anything I’ve noticed as a teacher (and human) during the pandemic, it’s that we all got more socially awkward. I have both experienced and witnessed a discomfort with staying present in the moment, and physically embodied; especially when interacting with new people, places and things. The body does indeed keep the score, and our bodies have been tasked with carrying a lot of fear of late. I thought dissociation was far less common than it, in fact, turns out to be. We are doing it constantly - especially (see above) on our phones.

Here are some things I’m working on: aside from a daily prayer and meditation practice, and fairly regular journaling - I use insight timer, which has thousands of fantastic guided meditations and live support groups. In terms of physical exercise, I joined my local recreation center ($150/year membership) which has an olympic pool - and a weight room, which I hope to put to use.

And lastly, when I’m activated by anything from a sensational news story, to some small detail of my day not going as I’d planned… I use my AA tools - I call a fellow, or pause. I try to let myself feel my feelings. I might hum or vocalize to stimulate the vagus nerve. And if I can’t move through it, I’m getting better at adding various grounding exercises to my toolkit - here is a helpful list.

5) Find Community, and Educate / Organize

First of all, I’m embarrassed to say that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to local AND national politics, government systems, and policies. To try to make up for lost time I ordered “A User’s Guide to Democracy” which will hopefully fill in some of the gaps.

Everyone has been talking about community, and the importance of knowing who your neighbors are… so I’ve been specifically looking for organizations in Brooklyn and Bed Stuy to join. Read 718 , and 350 Brooklyn both seem great.

NYC Parks has a volunteer opportunity map. Planned Parenthood has many opportunities to get involved, from working on campuses, to escorting folx to their appointments, and Thrillist has a list of NYC volunteer groups in 2024 that cover everything from elder visits to river cleanup to helping youth transition out of shelter systems. Patagonia also lists mutual aid groups that need support locally and across the country.

Nationally, the ACLU is always a great option for service work, and I found an organization called Advocates for Youth based in DC, that works to empower and educate teens and fights against sexual, gender, and reproductive discrimination.

Articles that have given me hope:

The World Resources Institute (on how the climate fight continues with or without the federal govt.)

Wagingnonviolence.org (sources and examples of societies who have and are resisting authoritanian regimes)

The Commons Library ( the most comprehensive “to do” list I’ve seen so far for 2025 and beyond)

Signing Off

Ok, well that should do it, for now. I welcome all thoughts and fact checks.

Thanks for reading all - I think one of the most common suggestions for this new era is to pace oneself, and clearly I’m failing at that. I may just go sleep for an entire day…

‘Til the next edition!