Small Update

You can now "buy me a cup of coffee," or the rough equivalent, each month if you are inclined.

This post will include the following:

1. An Announcement

2. A very funny video

3. Information about the Early Bird Discount

4. Reasons why you don’t need to become a paid subscriber

5. A list of the Substacks I subscribe to and throw money at

An Announcement

I have decided to turn on payments for this Substack. It's not big as announcements go, really. However, you now have the opportunity to throw money at me if you would like. Whether it is to reward me or to get me to stop posting is up to you. Now, you can support my online writing habit for about the price of a coffee.

A Very Funny Video

(In case you haven’t caught on, I am a big Bill Hader fan.)

Information about the Early Bird Discount

I have decided to run an Early Bird Discount, which locks you into 20% forever. This is available until October 21st.

Is that Japan time (GMT+8), EST, PT, or based on the location of the Substack servers? I don’t know. So don’t wait until the last minute.

That is between one medium or large Iced Macchiato a month from Dunkin Donuts.

As a New England boy in West Nowhere, Japan, I miss my Dunkie D’s. I will settle for Starbucks if I have to, but I am Team Dunkin’ all the way.

Sadly, the closest Dunkin Donuts to me is 392 kilometers away (243.6 miles), so I will settle for the nice Iced Starbucks Lattes they have in the convenience store out this way. Or maybe an ice cream for me and the wife. That has become a bit of a vice since I gave up drinking.

Reasons you don’t need to pay

For now, you gain nothing but good Karma and a postcard from Japan.¹ I am not putting anything behind a paywall yet, so there is no immediate benefit to becoming a paid subscriber except for locking in the discounted price. I know. I am a terrible salesman.

However, if you did become a paid subscriber, it would most certainly make my day.

The only other benefit I have to share with you is for Founding Members. Becoming a Founding Member costs 39 cents/day. That is $142.35/year. I will make a personalized video letter for Founding Members from Santa for your family².

Yes, this is me, and the beard is real. I keep the beard year-round to remind me to maintain the Christmas spirit every day.

A list of the Substacks I have found worth paying for (so far)

• Authorstrator
  She baited me with her beautiful watercolor art and hooked me with Zombie Shark Highway!

• Coffee Times
  Winston strikes me as ‘good people,’ and I enjoy his writing.

• Create Me Free
  THE place to go for information on Mental Health and Art.

• Great Books + Great Minds
  I love books, bookstores, and coffee shops, but he takes these passions to another level.

• Happiness Is A Skill by Brooke Siem
  A fascinating approach to mental health and happiness.

• The SneakyArt Post
  Simple decisive drawing that will annoy you with how easy they seem to draw. Another ‘Stack that pulled me in via the art but hooked me with the content.

• Sober Soulful
  Such a way with words. I was a paid subscriber before I even read a second article.

  (The real reason I have turned on payment is to subsidize my growing paid subscription costs.)

1. To receive a postcard, you must email me your mailing address or the address of the closest coffee shop, bookstore, or library that will accept postcards for you. 😉

2. While being Santa is strictly a volunteer thing for me, I could not visit schools and such face-to-face during the COVID lockdown. As such, I started having the local schools send me lists of questions from the children. I made videos answering their questions in Japanese and sent them to their teachers. The following year, I decided to make personalized videos for a small fee for friends of friends to help subsidize the gifts we give to the local orphanage. So now I do this on the side each year to support my Santa habit.