<!-- buttondown-editor-mode: fancy --><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><em>“I fell asleep while reading it.” —Jim Christensen</em></p><hr><p><strong>Hi.</strong></p><p>My name is Mike and this is my newsletter.</p><p>Every week I answer one of your questions. The question can be about anything you want, but I'll only answer it if I think I can give a good answer.</p><p>To ask a question, just <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mikemonteiro.com/ask-a-question">fill out this simple form</a>.</p><p><strong>Why the hell should I subscribe to this?</strong></p><p>Well, you shouldn’t. You should go outside and plant a garden. You should start a band! You should go explore every part of the world you’ve ever wanted to see. You should learn Italian, French, or Tagalog. You should volunteer your time to an organization that works with disadvantaged youth. You should go teach an ESL class for immigrants at the local community college. You should spend your time tracking down abusive priests, like some sacred Avenger.</p><p>Those are the things you should do. And I encourage you to do them.</p><p>Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter because you want to. In addition to doing some of those things above.</p><p><strong>How often will this shit hit my inbox?</strong></p><p>Weekly.</p><p><strong>Do you charge for the newsletter?</strong></p><p>Nope. The newsletter is free. You can, however, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://buttondown.com/monteiro/buy">gimme $2 a month to show your appreciation</a>, and because you want to support independent writing. But everyone sees the same thing. I don’t have special hidden stuff for paid subscribers.</p><p><strong>Who did that drawing in your newsletter header, and is it supposed to be you?</strong></p><p>My friend, the wonderful Kate Bingaman-Burt. And yes.</p><p><strong>Is there any hope for the world?</strong></p><p>No, but there's a lot of work to do.</p>