The Awkward Edit (Feb 20, 2025)
(A newsletter about podcasting, creativity, and embracing the awkward.)
I’m writing this from frigid Cape Cod, where Geoff and I are spending the week with his mom and stepdad. If you’ve never experienced Cape Cod in the Winter, picture Antarctica—except with more Dunkin’ Donuts and fewer penguins.
Geoff, my Viking husband, is thriving. He drove me to the bay to show me the jagged ice floes, where even the salt water had frozen. And then – he got out and WALKED on the beach.
I, meanwhile, am still in the car, bundled in every layer I packed, wondering if my health insurance covers my toes.
So, the good news? I don’t need to go to Antarctica anymore.
The bad news? Geoff may have just added it to his bucket list.
Back at the house, now fully defrosted and fairly certain that I will survive, I burrow under a blanket and take in my surroundings. This place isn’t just a cozy haven; it’s a time capsule of pre-internet entertainment. Every corner is stacked with books, board games, and puzzles that smell like childhood summers and long, rainy afternoons.
This morning, I spotted a musty old tome called 150 Ways to Play Solitaire - Complete with Layouts for Playing by Alphonse Moyse, and my nerd heart leaped. I imagined a time before smartphones when I might have been bored enough to work through every last variation of solo card play.
Upon closer inspection, some of them appear to be ESP games. If this newsletter doesn’t go out until Friday, assume I’ve achieved full telekinesis and am currently moving objects with my mind.
Speaking of games, I finally found a group of friends brave enough to gamble with their dignity and play the Well, That Was Awkward Party Game at our friend Hal’s birthday party. (Thanks, Hal!) What started as a fun, slightly awkward icebreaker took an unexpected turn: by the night's end, we weren’t just laughing—we were talking. Like, really talking.
We’re taught to curate and polish every inch of our lives—to present the version of ourselves that’s most likable, least complicated, algorithm-approved. But what happens when we create spaces where it’s safe to be messy? To be weird? To tell the truth without bracing for impact?
That’s what happened around Hal’s table. One awkward confession led to another, and soon, laughter blurred into something softer, weightier, realer. And in those moments, I remembered something: awkwardness isn’t what stands in the way of real connection—it’s the way in.
This theme of embracing our unfiltered humanness also runs through this week’s episode of Finding Harmony. Harmony Slater sits down with Carmen Yagüe to talk about feminine energy—what it means, what it isn’t, and how to move through the world in a way that feels natural instead of forced. If you’ve ever felt like you were pushing too hard, contorting yourself into shapes that don’t fit, this conversation is for you. Listen here.
Want to push your friends to the brink of social regret (in a fun way)? Grab your free download of the Well, That Was Awkward Party Game and prepare for an unforgettable night.
ALSO: Season 2 of the Well, That Was Awkward Podcast is brewing, and we need your help. Spill your best (or worst?) awkward story in a voice memo (like this listener did), and maybe we’ll feature it!
Here’s the FORM to submit your stories.
Meanwhile, I’m freezing my tuchus off in Massachusetts, missing my pal Mendy, and clinging to her latest awkward story for comfort.
Enjoy!
Mendy’s Awkward Corner
By Mendy St. Ours
Intimacy is awkward.
There’s exactly one being on Earth who has seen me at my absolute awkwardest and still loves me. Plenty of people love me, sure. But only Lolo has witnessed me throw a tantrum because my favorite pants won’t fit over my winter-ass. Only Lolo has watched me ugly cry on the couch because I noticed everything in my living room is slightly leaning—a sure sign I’ll never afford nice things. Only she has seen me dunk an unspeakable assortment of finger foods directly into the mayo jar.
Lolo is my silent witness. And if her little fat paws could type, she’d be writing Bree to spill all the tea on our private awkward moments.
Her favorite job is my morning sentinel. I wake up at an ungodly hour for work. It’s lonely and dark. Lolo hops out of bed and follows me through my entire routine, giving me the “rubs.” The loo, the kitchen, the sink, the closet—she trots ahead, always knowing my next move. When I grab my keys, she heads back to bed, her duty complete. I’ll find her in the same spot when I return.
But Lolo doesn’t have a Google Calendar. The technology is a bit much for her. (She’s only 12.) She doesn’t know a Saturday from a Monday. So when I don’t get up at 5:45 AM on a precious weekend morning, she meows loudly to wake me. The only way to get her to stop is to awkwardly pantomime my workday routine. I stumble through a fake morning—loo, pretend making coffee, fake getting dressed, grab my backpack, jingle the keys. It’s only a short (and very stupid) 8 minutes, but, being superior to humans, she understands that time is an illusion. She buys it. And I can go back to sleep.
Then there’s Dwayne. The neighborhood dude-cat. His owner believes in letting dude-cats keep their balls. Dwayne desperately wants to be boyfriends and girlfriends with Lolo. He whines at our big picture window and, sometimes, backs his fuzzy ass up and no kidding–squirts it.
GRODY!!!!
Lolo loses it. She growls, attacks the window, and I join in. I bang on the glass, hissing and yelling, “SHE’S NOT INTO YOU, DWAYNE! STOP SPRAYING YOUR ASS WATER AT US!”
But our most private, most awkward moment happened when she was a baby. Fresh from the SPCA.
I woke up one night to a strange sensation—tiny little knives kneading my back and…a tugging.
See, I have a mole on my back. It’s gross. It sticks out. Strangers have even suggested I get “get that thing looked at.”
And that night, my sweet, innocent kitten was suckling it.
I didn’t know what to do! It was weird and disturbing but also…kind of flattering?
Now, I love that mole.
And ever since, whenever someone awkwardly calls out my mole, I do my favorite thing: Make it MORE AWKWARD!
“Oh that’s my CAT nipple. I like it.”
Thank you Lolo. For everything.
That’s it for this week. Keep it awkward, sages!
xo Bree
P.S. Thank you to the reader who purchased a paid subscription to the Awkward Edit last week! Your donation paid for 2 months of the software it takes to create our podcast. Thanks for keeping us awkward!
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