Just some thoughts & questions (How are you?)

Hey there,

I’ve been a bit more quiet than usual here, so I thought I’d post a short update. It’s hard for me to just focus on the podcast in times like these. I’ve been quite upset and worried by the news coming from the US lately.

When Trump got elected, I swore to myself this podcast would be a ‘Trump free’ zone. Reality is grim enough, we all need to escape for a bit at times, I thought. I hoped the podcast could help people escape for a while and just…smile.

But things are even worse than I thought they would be. Sure,  I always expected what’s happening now, but I never imagined it would go so fast and so…I don’t even have the words.  It’s like one second the sky ‘s a bit grey, and the next it ‘s pitch black.

I know many of you must feel lost, angry, worried, … too. And I don’t want to add to your worries. But I can’t keep pretending it’s all good. The podcast will stay like it is now: Trump free.  He doesn’t exist in Emily and Lea’s world. Even I like to escape into that world every week, I  admit 😉

But I did become a bit more outspoken on Twitter, and now here. I guess I’m telling you all of this because I’m not sure how you feel about it. How are you coping with all of this? How can I help? How can the podcast help? What’s meaningful to you? What’s not helpful at all?

I’d really like to know, so if you feel like sharing, all feedback and thoughts are very welcome in the  comments.

Take care and #resist,

Sigrid

PS: Oh! The podcast!  I’ve written part 32 and am planning to record it tomorrow morning. I’ve been a bit sick and I hope my voice will be good enough in the morning. But I might sound a  bit more…Well, my wife calls it ‘nasal’ 😉

UPDATE: After reading the amazing comments below, I started a little test with a discussion board here. Come and join us!

 

 

 

4 responses to “Just some thoughts & questions (How are you?)”

  1. Harumi Kanashiro Avatar
    Harumi Kanashiro

    Hi Sigrid !!!

    First and foremost I want to thank you for your wonderful podcast. I look forward to each episode and not only smile but giggle, tear up, blush, awe and have all the other wonderful feelings when listening. 🙂 You are doing a great job! Keep up the great work!
    I’m a faithful listener from America. And I do agree, reality is grim. Even being an American BORN citizen, I do feel frightened about the future of my country. It’s unbelievable the things that are happening and so quickly. However, I’m a firm believer that the darker the night, the closer the dawn. Hope is my ally.
    I believe that it is the time to unite with our communities, form everlasting bonds of friendship, respect and embrace our differences. We should polish our lives to shine with wisdom and compassion. We should help one another to become the strongest and most united race in the universe, The Human Race!
    Thank you again for your wonderful podcast!

    An American Friend and Faithful Listener,

    Harumi <3

  2. laline Avatar
    laline

    Sigrid,

    I love having a Trump-free zone where I can go and just ignore the rest of the world for a little while. Especially when you make me laugh. Thank you!

    The thing I feel like I need most during this political mayhem is a connection with people. I live in such a conservative, religiously-charged place and politics have become so divisive, most of my family and friends are on somewhat precarious speaking terms. They are so tense and defensive around me, even when I’m not talking! And I have to be super careful about what I talk about at work, as well. Censoring myself gets so tiring. It would be nice to have a chance to just talk with people again.

    Okay, that sounds a little worse than it actually is, but you get the idea.

    I use your podcast as a way of escaping all of that and taking a few minutes to relax and put my nose into your characters’ business. Really, what you are currently doing is great. I especially love your sense of humor and how you’ve been adding in bits of your personality at the end. It adds a – what’s the word? – grounding element to it. A way to transition from make-believe back to reality, in a fun way.

    But since you asked….You know what would be most helpful? Invent a way where we could magically put ourselves inside a story – any story – and interact with the characters. I can totally picture myself sitting Lea and Emily down and having a little chat about building solid communication skills for a strong relationship. Or hanging out with Claire at the diner while we take bets on where Lea and Emily’s relationship will go next. I could introduce Tony to my Uncle Leo and they could have a contest to see who could out-stay their welcome the longest. And I’m pretty sure at some point in the narrative, my foot would just happen to accidentally, totally not on purpose – haha! – jut out at the right moment to trip Brad and make him fall on his face. Oops.

    So when you invent that magic, let me know. I’d be willing to fling money at a sparkly invention like that. 🙂

  3. Ivoted4HILLARY! Avatar
    Ivoted4HILLARY!

    Love the other response here, I couldn’t have said it better myself 🙂 and laline’s whole “interactive” bit is a super cool idea to imagine more about.

    I use this podcast for a quick “escape” too, and more than once I’ve caught myself thinking in everyday life, “Well how would Emily/Lea react to ___”… lol, like they were real people I could text, you know? 🙂 Good characters become that way, the more we get to know them (thanks Sigrid).

    I think it’d be interesting to know what Emily thought about, IDK, how to face the job market now, or what Lea thought about the Trump protests, etc…. or even just their theoretical “What If….” ramblings. I like the podcast’s storyline, and I feel like Trump’s fucked up enough in my everyday life that I honestly worry about letting him seep into this podcast. But I remember getting some good advice: “I’m not going to say it’ll be ok, because I honestly don’t know and fear it will not be. BUT now is the time to be the best person we can be every single day.” Sooo, perhaps it could be empowering to see how Emily/Lea/whomever handle a politicized subplot. They could give me new hope, a little inspiration, and possibly useful information for handling the shifts in my own world. And I do love seeing what characters are made of, which only happens when things get a little… how to put it?… dark.

    The politics: I understand what the last commentator meant about censoring herself, why, and the whole new undercurrent of fear in America. I’m constantly censoring too; it’s just really tense right now. But internal divisiveness still isn’t my biggest concern; it’s Trump’s stupid recklessness with our foreign relationships, and that’s what I’d like to share:

    I live next to MacDill AFB (US CENTCOMM) and some of their biggest civilian contractors, and my friends/family are involved with both. I’m terrified of a Trump-lead war. When I hear that we’ve pissed off the world with a horrendous immigration ban, that Mexico feels the need to remind the US of its sovereignty, that Trump’s cozying up to Russia (I’m a 2nd gen Ukrainian immigrant), that there are US product boycotts worldwide….. I have a knee-jerk response of fear and defensiveness.

    I want to yell, “Hey there are 320 million Americans here, somehow only one guy’s calling the shots now, and WE don’t like it either!! Trump won’t stop a war, and he’s planning to starve our economy already. Foreign threats and boycotts don’t matter to our new leader. And I know you have every right to be mad, but please remember, before you act on it, that there’s a major difference between who’s responsible and who’ll take the beatings.”

    Last note: I love the podcast, and it gets better every week. I like political cognizance, and I think there’s potential to do good by including some within an empowering, personal context.

  4. Sigrid
    Sigrid

    Just wanted to say: Thank you all for these comments. I’ve been thinking about everything that was said here a lot. I’m still thinking to be honest, which is why I haven’t replied until now. And even today, I can only say: thank you, these comments mean a lot to me. And…… thinking ^^

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