@buttondown.email.monteiro@rss-parrot.net
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**Hi.** My name is Mike and this is my newsletter. Every week I answer one of your questions. The question can be about anything you want, but I'll only answer it if I think I can give a good answer. To ask a question, just subscribe and reply to one of the newsletters. **Why the hell should I subscribe to this?** Well, you shouldn’t. You should go outside and plant a garden. You should start a band! You should go explore every part of the world you’ve ever wanted to see. You should learn Italian, French, or Tagalog. You should volunteer your time to an organization that works with disadvantaged youth. You should go teach an ESL class for immigrants at the local community college. You should spend your time tracking down abusive priests, like some sacred Avenger. Those are the things you should do. And I encourage you to do them. Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter because you want to. In addition to doing some of those things above. **How often will this shit hit my inbox?** Weekly. **Are you going to eventually charge us for this newsletter?** Nope. I can’t imagine asking you to pay for this. I might promote some stuff at the bottom of the newsletter. Don’t get me wrong, I very much want your money. But not for a newsletter. **Who did that drawing in your newsletter header, and is it supposed to be you?** My friend, the wonderful Kate Bingaman-Burt. And yes. **Is there any hope for the world?** No, but there's a lot of work to do.
Site URL: buttondown.email/monteiro
Feed URL: buttondown.email/monteiro/rss
Posts: 10
Followers: 1
How to get to tomorrow
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-get-to-tomorrow/
Published: April 25, 2025 00:50
Overturned cop car. 2023(?) This week’s question comes to us anonymously: How can we stay positive about the future these days? I cannot get excited about the future. It’s too vague a term, and filled with too much uncertainty. There be dragons. But I can…
How to write with the Devil’s hand
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-write-with-the-devils-hand/
Published: April 17, 2025 00:34
Detail from a painting I finished a few week’s ago. This week’s question comes to us from Jonathan Stephens: You recently wrote, “...since my brain and your brain work differently, I’m going to tell you how I do it, and you can take what works for you."…
How to build a better mosh pit
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-build-a-better-mosh-pit/
Published: April 10, 2025 18:56
This is an old one. 2022 maybe. This week’s question comes from me, actually: Do protests work? Depends what you mean by “work,” but let me tell my story and let’s see if we can come up with a satisfying answer. I’ve always been more comfortable as the…
How to make a book
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-make-a-book/
Published: March 28, 2025 23:10
This is Give Trans People Drugs and Money. Just finished it. It’s made of wax and razor blades and feelings. It’s 46x30. It’s born of the idea that we are here to help those who need us, without question, without imposing our morals or ideology on them,…
How to organize your books
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-organize-your-books/
Published: March 22, 2025 23:08
Something in progress, should be finished next week. This week’s question comes to us from Ashley Worsham: What is the best way to organize books in my home office? TL;DR: however you need to organize them in order to find the one you’re looking for. Let’s…
How to hide a painting
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-hide-a-painting/
Published: March 16, 2025 03:02
This is from 2022, I think. 18×24. This week’s question comes to us anonymously: Has it always been this bad or is the bad stuff just more exposed now? A while back, my friend Anil Dash tweeted (skeeted? posted? I can’t keep up and I don’t really care)…
How to drink from garden hoses
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-drink-from-garden-hoses/
Published: March 8, 2025 00:06
This is 5 Tall Union Signs. (I think I’ve posted it before, but it felt right today. So you have to deal with it again.) Today’s question comes to us anonymously: Can I be happy even if I hate my job? Absolutely. Let me tell you about the corner of…
How to ask for stuff
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-ask-for-stuff/
Published: February 27, 2025 23:40
I auctioned a couple of these off on Bluesky last week and we raised $1.2k for Trans Lifeline. Thanks to everyone who bid. 🏳️‍⚧️ This week’s question comes to us from Jason: I was raised by a couple of very passive people. Because of this, I am deeply…
How to draw an orange
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-draw-an-orange/
Published: February 22, 2025 00:35
New thing I’m in the middle of. Going to get bigger and annoyingly more complex, but the message will stay clear. This week’s question comes to us from Minky: I stopped making drawings for a couple of months and now everything I do sucks. What should I do?…
Why aren’t we protesting in the streets?
https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/why-arent-we-protesting-in-the-streets/
Published: February 15, 2025 00:35
Yeah, I’ve posted this one before, but it felt appropriate today. This week’s question comes to us from Simo Ferraro: Why aren’t people protesting in the streets this time as much as during the first Trump term? First off, I’m not sure that’s completely…