Super what? Super who? Super when?
Welcome to my halftime show. I’m drinking water and writing at a bar in DUMBO with my back to the television; I keep forgetting there’s something else happening today. (For those who celebrate—enjoy!)
My Sunday counterprogramming: not one, but two live shows.
Act 1: Simon Rich’s All In with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Annaleigh Ashford, Tim Meadows, and David Cross—at the absolutely majestic Hudson Theatre. Ostensibly the show is all about love, but it’s also a hilarious take on masculinity and parenting. I was a little on the fence about going, now I’m All In. (Up until Feb 16!)
Act 2: Our queen genius, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, is doing her thing at Joe’s Pub tonight. Can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.
In the spirit of this newsletter being a creative outlet for joy, even when everything hurts, five moments from the week that made me feel a little bit super.
In between snow storms, it was just warm enough to log my first bike ride of 2025. I’m a happier human when moving through the world on two wheels. We have to take care of our own bodies to take care of each other.
I got my (accurate) passport back. And increased my monthly ACLU donation.1
The kid and I drove all the way out into the middle of Queens yesterday to sign up for new library cards. For the non-NYers, there are three library systems covering the five boroughs. We’re now proud card-carrying members of the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Library, and the Queens Library, which unlocks access to some of the largest collections in the world. Reading is not the only form of resistance, but it’s an important one.
On the way to the Queens Central Library, the kid and I got into a long discussion about Sondheim’s Company. This all started earlier in the week after she requested listening to more “Jon Bailey”—because she, like all of us, fell in love with his Fiyero in Wicked. I took a swing and showed her the clip of him singing “Getting Married Today.” Listening in the car, she noted that the song sounded a lot like Into the Woods (!!!) before going deep on why Jamie was so anxious to marry Paul. Oh, kid. Welcome to Sondheimian complexity! Welcome to Being Alive. (This is probably the start of a whole other essay. Perhaps a sequel to 17 Reasons for ‘Being Alive’?)
The kid and I spent Sunday morning making art in our studio.2 I continue to be in awe of how clear and confident she is about her creations. Multiple times while painting, she said out loud, “Wow, this is so good.” and “Look at this!” And then, upon finishing, she asked to frame the piece and hang it on her bedroom wall. May we all channel a bit of this nine-year-old artist's chutzpah into the weeks ahead. The world needs our commitment.
xx Kyle
The Being Alive Book Club is reading Sabrina Imbler’s How Far the Light Reaches this month. Sabrina will join us for a conversation about creatures and queer bodies on Feb 24th.
https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/transgender-and-nonbinary-people-take-trump-to-court-over-passport-restrictions
Your kid's art is So Good! I'd hang it up on the wall, too.
More to add to this week's super list: Laverne Cox properly pointing out which 1% is causing the problems on The View, picking up brand new trans books from the bookstore, therapy, thousands of protestors standing up for gender affirming healthcare, long talks with old friends, receiving a handwritten card in the mail, snow.
What's on your list this week?