Farewell ToT

Hello folks,

I’m writing this brief post just to say thank you for reading this newsletter during the past couple years. I’ve really enjoyed writing it, and have enjoyed feeling like I was sharing music with people who wanted to hear about it and/or read about it. It was something I needed and wanted to do, and it’s been really helpful to have done.

In spite of that, I’m stopping — for a few reasons, all of which feel good to me. Firstly, I’ve realized that I don’t need to know everything in order to enjoy a great deal, stopped listening to so much music, and don’t have as much to write about. Secondly, I’ve for many months and increasingly felt like I don’t want to know and say so much as I want to wonder and search, and it’s hard to imagine just asking a bunch of questions about music and calling that a newsletter. And finally, most unexpectedly, when the school where I work changed their cell phone policy for students, I completed a long-in-progress conversion of teaching practice to using no screens at all in the majority of my daily life, and I’ve found that I just can’t stand sitting at a computer screen any longer. The times when I have to are my least favorite times.

I’m fortunate that I live in a place where there are many opportunities for in-person interactions, and I’m looking forward to talking with people in my community about music instead of writing about it. If you ever want to trade a mixtape with me, though, I’d love to do that. Just email me, andrewmstallings@gmail.com. It would make me happy.

Thanks again for all the reading!

Andy