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It probably goes without saying, but I ask a lot of questions. Mostly because I'm curious about other people, but also because I’m scared to answer them myself. I’m worried I won’t say the right thing. In this case, the right thing is defined as whatever will make the other person happy. That's a habit I learned as a kid. Unfortunately, when I focus on making someone else happy, we both end up unhappy in the end. Part of the impetus for starting Other Peoples was to flip that habit ln its head and practice saying what I want for a change. Describing what I think would make me happy still feels gross, like I'm doing something bad. But if Rihanna can be bad, then so can I! So, this week, instead of telling you what I think you should be drinking, I'm going to tell you what I'm going to be drinking.

It just so happens to be my birthday this week, and I'm going to celebrate with homemade pizza and a bottle of Julie Balagny’s 2018 En Remont. I need to stop picking wine bottles that force me to butcher the French language. This bottle has been taunting me for months. Each time I catch a glimpse of it, my mind wanders to the steeps slopes of Fleurie and the permaculture-filled paradise I imagine Balagny’s vineyard to be. Her En Remont is made from Gamay, like so many of the wines from Beaujolais, but it’s far from the sickly-sweet or astringent versions you may have been turned off by in the past. It’s hand-harvested from vines more than twice my age and promises a subtle lingering like the early spring sunrises we’ve been teased with as of late. I can’t help but smile when I think of pouring a glass to go with the far-from-refined Detroit-style pizza I’ll be making for my birthday. Finding a bottle of this in your local shop won’t be as easy as some of the other wines I’ve recommended but text me if you’re up for the challenge, and I’ll see if I can conjure some magic with an Other Peoples Approved shop near you! ( 🇺🇲 313.825.4670 or 🇨🇦 647.370.6832 )

In keeping with today’s theme, I figured it’d be fun to reveal my answers to the recent tough questions, if for no other reason than to show that I’m right there with you facing the challenge each week. While it might be boring or, at worst narcissistic, I hope it’s a reminder that sharing what you think is a risk worth taking, even if you look a little foolish in the end.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the questions!

If we asked childhood you what job you wanted to do, what would you say?

A veterinarian. I know that sounds like the most stereotypical thing for a little gay farmboy to say, but it's true. I have a vivid memory of standing in the barn and watching with fascination as a veterinarian tended to one of our sheep. I also remember my Dad seeing this and saying, “Look, he must want to be a vet when he grows up.” There’s a good chance that childhood dream had more to do with pleasing Dad than with anything else. Regardless, it quickly vanished when I realized veterinarians often spend more time managing unruly owners than they do tending needy animals. I'm still not sure I know what I want to be when I grow up these days. There is a sense of purpose beating in my cold heart, even if it isn’t linked to a succinct five-year plan. Not knowing what I’m doing has led to so many exciting adventures in my life that I’m not too stressed about figuring it out anytime soon.

Describe an important teacher in your life - outside school?

The first person that came to mind was Linda Garneau, a dancer and choreographer in Toronto I crossed paths with in theater school. Yes, my parents paid good money to turn me into the charismatic creature I am today. Linda was never my teacher but always inspired me to lean into generous and creative impulses. We weren’t peers per se either, but she always welcomed me into her work and was one of the first people who seemed to suggest that my opinion mattered.

If you had to choose between a happy home life and mediocre career, or a successful career and mediocre home life, which would you choose?

This feels like a trick question! At first glance, a happy home life seems like the answer I’m supposed to give. Every self-care influencer I follow on Instagram would suggest as much. But I know how the dull ache of dissatisfaction with your career can darken an otherwise happy home, and it’s hard for me to believe that anyone who said they had a happy home life would call their career mediocre. I may be getting caught up in the semantics, but happy doesn’t seem to be the opposite of mediocre. And do you decide if my career is mediocre? Maybe your mediocre is my mind-blowingly amazing! Without rewriting the question, I’ll cheat and say I want both a happy home life and a successful career. It’s probably delusional to think I can have both, but some of the best things in my life have been driven by delusion. If success is defined by my satisfaction at work, asking for both feels like a very reasonable request.

If you had to live somewhere else, where would you live?

Breakout your rusty trombone and hand me a little fringed umbrella because we’re headed to the Big Easy. Randomness led me to spend the first two years of university in New Orleans, a city I was not prepared for in the least. Returning much later in life has given me a new appreciation for the laissez-faire attitude that permeates the humid, sometimes heavy air of New Orleans. Bourbon Street doesn't appeal to me, but the hidden corners of the French Quarter and weeping willows of Audobon Park are excellent fodder for my over-active imagination. This question has been on my mind a lot lately, and there’s a good chance I’ll be putting my answer to the test in the Fall.

I think that’s enough about me for now. I’m grateful you offered me a chance to practice acknowledging what I want in life. I'm off to make pizza dough that's going to ferment for three days before it bakes to a buttery crisp crust which should pair perfectly with that bottle of Gamay I mentioned. If you have any feedback or want help finding said bottle, text me! ( 🇺🇲 313.825.4670 or 🇨🇦 647.370.6832 )

Until we talk again, I hope you'll keep being curious enough to ask questions, find the courage to answer them, and what the heck, even have the audacity to give a sh*t about other people's answers too!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit otherpeoples.substack.com