What is this?
Weekly essays exploring my micro-oddities and mini-failings with a wider look at whether they really matter. The answer is mostly no.
This is for you if:
1. You’ve ever woken up at 2am and spent the next two hours agonising over some small thing you did 20 years ago.
2. You’ve never opened a medicine packet at the end without the leaflet in the way.
3. You have to put your left slipper on before your right one. (Maybe that’s just me.)
I should also say that this is not self-help. Think of it as the equally catchy-sounding ‘self-stay the same as you are as you’re probably mostly fine’.
And sorry, but who are you?
Annabel Port. I used to work in radio. I won an award for this 12 years ago and I’m still banging on about it as it’s been downhill ever since. You may know me from the Adrift podcast. If so – hello. Welcome to my second home that is less French farmhouse and more divorcée bedsit.
How will this differ from your ‘Not Fully Functioning’ bit of the podcast?
If you’ve got a good memory you will be hearing again about my many foibles but in much more depth. They will form the melody but now there’s a full orchestra. (Or rather a full one-man band.) There will also be some never heard before stuff. (That I might have said before but have forgotten.)
Okay, what do I have to do?
Subscribe and you will receive a new essay in your inbox every Wednesday. You can also find them on the Substack website and app. Apologies in advance for the little yellow rectangles you’ll see dotted around my work. They are a little nudge for readers to subscribe. Look! Here’s one now.
And you expect me to pay for this?
Good grief, no! Not expect. Just deeply hope. I’ve made the monthly subscription as low as possible and then taken 50% off. Times are hard but if you can spare £2 a month (also known as around 50p a week) I’d be very grateful. Think of it as buying me two-thirds of a bag of Tilda’s brown basmati rice (the 500g bag) every few weeks.
All essays will be free initially to give you time to decide if it is worth it. After that, there will be some paid subscriber-only content. Paid subscribers will also be able to hear an audio version of each piece and use the comments section to chat with me and others. Founder members get all of the above as well as having their name immortalised in gold on the Founder Members Honour Board.
Why do you keep saying ‘essay’ and not ‘newsletter’?
Because it makes me sound more serious/professional/clever/like I have an appropriate job for someone in their 40s.
Alright, you’ve persuaded me. Sign me up!
Wonderful! Here’s another little yellow rectangle for you to click on.
I’m a free subscriber but want to have a fancy upgrade to paid. How do I do this?
Wonderful! It’s very much appreciated. Here’s a little yellow rectangle for you.
