🥺It's all about to change🥺

Time for me to overshare on the internet 💋

[Usually, this post would only go out to our paying supporters, but I wanted to fill you all in on some big life changes for me/ SYSCA 🥺]

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To my literal favourite people - I saw the above sentiment yesterday and realised it’s about time I get on my oversharing bullshit again, so I thought I’d give you a bit of a life update (and one that is going to affect your usual newsy schedule - so it’s not just a self-indulgent spill.)

This year (thus far) has been one of the most chaotic and untethered in my life, but in the best way possible. It’s also been incredibly fast past, kinda shmoozy (turns out a gal from Blenheim is just not built to be sipping negroni’s with CEOs while they talk about how to get people’s attention on LinkedIn) and dare I say… it’s been revelatory of the life I want for the rest of my 20s.

You see, this year (and I’m sure a lot of you are going through the same) most of my friends moved away. We’re 25, we lost a couple of years to the panny-d, and we realised that we have one life, so fuck buying a house or staying in a job we hate! We need to see the world! I really didn’t think this would be me (ask any of my friends!) I was adamant that I would be comfy in Auckland doing this thing here, forever. My friends ALSO know that I get incredibly itchy feet, and that perhaps wouldn’t be the case…

One such friend was someone you know incredibly well, our very own Bel, who sat me down over a bowl of polenta chips and a fizzy wine, and very seriously asked me if I wanted to move to Portugal with her. I think she said something along the lines of “what’s left for you here?” and apart from a handful of my gorg friends (including Dunc who helps talk me through all my anxieties about running a media business in 2023) I was kinda like… not much! And with that, our twin flames made a plan. Ya gals are moving to Portugal!

Quick note on Bel: I thought when I turned 20 that I would NEVER make a friend like the ones I have from my hometown/uni who I could picture knowing me inside and out, and who matched (and calmed) my energy in the most unbelievable way. Still reeling that I did in fact find that friend, sitting at a desk in the office four rows away from me, usually hooning a ginger ale or writing for the newsy in her lunch breaks. Ugh!

Swoon over - fast forward through a LOT of hellish visa stress (we still don’t have our visas but more on that to come now that the secret’s out) and we’re looking at a September move, which means I now have to start getting my shit together, packing up my life, doing all the admin I’ve been putting off (like getting a warrant of fitness for my car… and my teeth.) And in between all of this, SYSCA must keep running (of course!)

You all know this, but right now I’m trying to make sense of the news cycle each day, writing/recording 2-3 podcasts a week (more lately with Own The Feels and Book Club!), writing a newsletter every day, TikToking, Tweeting, Instagramming (for the Book Club gram now too!), just generally keeping the social shit pumping (and dealing with all the goddamn trolls), writing presentations for speaking events, speaking at them, and then joining Rubes (thank GOD for Rubes) for all our day-to-day things like… oh trying to pay the bills? We also have a giant and life-changing project that we need to start working on which as you can see, I currently have NO time to even think about. All of this is to say that even if I don’t want there to be, there are going to have to be some changes for a little while. These will be minor, but:

• The newsy is now going to drop in your inboxes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday (and Sunday for No News Is Good News)

• I’m not going to be writing a diary entry anymore, because I feel like I’m keeping you updated on Close Friends (it’s way more intimate and fun)

• In saying that, the weekly newsletters will have more of a diaristic feel in the intro (and more pics for you because life is about to chaaaange)

• Everything else will be as normal as it usually is (not that normal)

I’m so excited that now I get to fill you all in on the highs and lows of this move (Close Friends is really about to pop off) and bring you with me!! Ah, pen pals!!

I just love you all so much - thank you for making this my job, and just, thank you all for being my friend.