Welcome to Substack, Scungy!
Let's get real.
Hey Scungy,
Yo, it's Norio, your long-lost partner in crime.
Hold up and read this whole thing, man. Don't even think about ghosting me, alright?
It's been an eternity since we kicked it, and I'm feeling it deep. Going from you being my neighbor, just two blocks away for, like, forever, to this... it's messing me up.
You've been my ride-or-die since the first grade, and when you said you were bouncing, I knew it would mess with me, but damn, I didn't know it would hit this hard.
You seem all right from what I've seen, but I know you're good at putting on a front. I used to be a pro at spotting those fronts, but now, without our daily hangs, I'm kinda lost. So, what's the real deal, man?
So, check it – I got this wild idea to start a project with you, right here on Substack. I sent you an invite, so don't chicken out. Consider this a double dog dare.
We're gonna spill the beans and write to each other right here, out in the open for the world to see. Why? Got a few reasons:
1) It's anonymous. I'm throwing our nicknames in there, so we can keep it on the down-low.
2) We'll stay tight, spill the real talk, from the boring stuff to the crazy bits. Selfish? Hell yeah, 'cause I need this, man.
3) You're the word wizard. You always talked about minoring in creative writing or English or some fancy stuff. Unlike me, you got skills. But now, it's out in the open. Write here, Scungy. Let the world peep your game.
4) I need the practice. I'm not the ace you are, but if I wanna get into a good school, I gotta step up my writing game.
Real dare time - I spilled, now it's your turn. Let me know what's going on in that head of yours. Don't hold back, spill it. And tell me all the small stuff, even the crap you think don't matter. Remember those talks we had that seemed pointless but were everything? Might be a bit tricky in writing, but give it a shot.
And speaking of talks, what's up with our phone calls? Used to chat about everything, now I get one-word replies. Am I missing something?
Man, I sound like some desperate ex instead of your wingman. Pathetic, right?
So, you in? Let me know. Now, let me hit you with what's poppin' in my world.
Mom and Dad are thinking about buying a timeshare in Aruba. They realized they're about to be empty nesters, so they're living it up. Can't blame 'em, but I hope they at least toss me a ticket to one of their tropical getaways. Didn't know I was cramping their style since day one.
Oh, and Dad copped a new Tesla with autopilot and self-driving features. That thing's a beast, inside it feels like you're in a deep space shuttle prototype. Won't let me behind the wheel yet.
School's winding down, a few months from graduation. Everyone's chilling, like a weight's lifted. Even Gupasse – caught him at two island parties, man! The school geek, double-fisting keg water. You'd be proud of our Portsmouth Urkel!
Aveg and Traila split, again. Got all the dirty deets.
Aveg found out Traila took another girl to a wedding as his "plus one." Dude swears it wasn't a date, just two pals with invites. But it was Sasioc, and you can guess Aveg went nuclear. She's been crushing on him since forever, and everyone knows it. Total crap move. Traila lied, said he was going solo, and Aveg was cool with it until she found out the truth. Now the whole school knows the messy deets.
Sasioc's acting like they're a thing now, and you can see Traila regretting his move. Trying to distance himself, but it's a mess.
That's the scoop from Portsmouth High. Aveg's hurting, Traila's a tool, and Sasioc's living in la-la land. Nothing's changed.
What's the vibe like up in Boothbay? More ridiculous than small-town New Hampshire?
Two of my asteroid-over-Venus pics made it into Sky & Telescope last month! Dad's finally taking notice of my "hobby" and hooked me up with a Slooh telescope subscription. Bragging to the fam about my pics, man. Shocked me, honestly. He's accepting the fact that I ain't going to law school.
Hear about the solar storms last night? Crazy, right? Everything went dark, no word from NASA, and SpaceX feeds are down. Reddit's losing it with the tinfoil hats. Couldn't see jack with my telescope and the UNH observatory's closed. Headin' to Isles of Shoals tonight for a better view, less light pollution.
Maybe I should roll up to Boothbay instead.
Hit me back soon!
Later,
Norio
