Coffee

In my day job, I'm a policy nerd and writer for hire.  It's rad!  Something I love is that from time to time, I get to meet with people over coffee.

A couple of weeks ago, I met a past colleague for a cup of Joe.  We chatted back and forth as we lined up by the café counter. 

Now, I wasn't always the beacon of sophistication you see today.  I made a light hearted comment to my colleague, that I was fourteen before I tried real coffee.  For years, I found it weird.  You see, I used to drink Greggs.  It was the key to many an all-nighter C plus university essay.

My colleague laughed along and said something like, isn't it great no one drinks instant coffee these days?  

There was a moment.  We looked at one another.  Maybe he saw the fear in my eyes.

And he said something like, 'But surely you mean the coffee in aluminium pods?'

Ever heard the phrase, if you're explaining you're losing?  

I found myself trying to clarify, defensively.  After all, it's not like I'm on the Greggs anymore.  I've grown as a person.  I drink Nescafé.  And not even Nescafé Classic: we're talking Nescafé Espresso.

He changed the subject.  

Part of me died that day, but apparently it's a part of me that no one will miss.

Anyway, where am I going with this?  I like coffee.  But what makes coffee great is the person you drink it with.  (Within reason.  I haven't yet met the person who could redeem Greggs.)  

Yesterday, I launched The End is Naenae as a Substack. 

I've been delighted by the people who've subscribed.  I want you to subscribe, whether or not you pay, because you get to like and comment.  And I've been humbled, deeply, by those who've chosen paid subscriptions.  The feeling of being a 'real' writer, even a fledgling one, is precious and hard won, difficult to describe.

When you set up your Substack, you've got a choice about who you include or exclude, depending on what they pay.  That didn't feel right to me – but I still want to acknowledge and thank the ones who've put their credit cards on the line, for the promise of some bitchin' future puns.

If you've taken out a paid subscription, or you're going to, I'd like to buy you a coffee.  So I'm going to email you.  No pressure, of course: this is deeply awkward. But if you're in Welly, and you've got half an hour and a soft spot for nerds, maybe we can hang.

And if you're not in Welly, there's always instant coffee and Zoom.  That would be Gregg-arious.  

This, e hoa mā, is what The End is Naenae premium membership looks like.  Think of it as the difference between Classic and Espresso.