The Readers We’ve Lost

Since we started putting out our daily email (subscribe here!) around New Year’s, we’ve been fortunate to have many people subscribe.

Eighteen of them, though, have unsubscribed.

Here are those eighteen.

• Someone who subscribed during the 2000’s Bangers Bracket nomination process and still follows us on Instagram, I think. No hate. Maybe the email wasn’t for them. Appreciate their votes. Unless they unfollowed us on Instagram, too. Might have to check on that sometime.
• A friend whose music I’ve recommended to others. Not a close friend (obviously), but I would still say a friend. Probably likes Jeter, though. Seems like he likes Jeter.
• Another one of the 2000’s Bangers Bracket subscribers. Can’t really blame them. We don’t blog about Cascada as much as we should.
• A friend and at times a mentor who I’ve known for nine years and have traveled with extensively, with whom I share an active group text involving just him and my own brothers. Hurts, man. Hurts.
• A friend of friends with whom I’ve consumed a few of the favorite beers of my life (we went to the best burger place in a small city in Indiana together in 2012 in a group and I didn’t get carded even though I was 17). I don’t think this guy subscribed himself (think he was put in by a friend trying to get him to join the Have I Told You Guys About Maurice? book club), so factor that into your judgment of him.
• Someone with a very cool email address I cannot reveal for privacy reasons who I think subscribed during the NIT Bracket Challenge.
• My second-best work friend (or so I thought) at the job I quit to do this more fully.
• Another two NIT Bracket Challenge and/or 2000’s Bangers Bracket nominations subscribers. Respect. Sad, but respect.
• One of my six best friends from high school. Was once among the most important people in my life. Guess that’s not the case anymore.
• Someone who subscribed, got one email, and unsubscribed, leading me to believe they may have gotten spammed, though they may have just hated the World’s Fair vision board, which was our lead story that day.
• A friend of a friend who is from Europe and therefore could have been put off by any number of things (not the World’s Fair vision board, though—this was before that).
• A friend of friends whose location I have in Find My Friends because of a weekend in here in Austin five years ago this fall (we wore Hawaiian shirts, but we did it spontaneously). He was another book club subscriber who didn’t subscribe for himself (to my knowledge).
• One of the rare subscribers to give a reason: “The NIT is over.” I love this guy and I hope he resubscribes next year but then unsubscribes again when the NIT’s done. Single-minded focus on the NIT is something we need more of in this country.
• Two more Bracket Challenge and/or 2000’s Bangers Bracket subscribers.
• A former teammate of mine who was once a brother figure. Guess that passed.
• A friend here in Austin with whom I recently shared a lovely dinner. Not sure what I said. Not sure what Fargo said. Not sure she knows I know she unsubscribed.

Those are the eighteen. Those are the ones who’ve abandoned us. Those are the ones we’ve lost.

Pour one out. (And subscribe here!)

Note: Since publishing, a few of you have reached out to express condolences. Don’t! These eighteen are the ones who need those condolences. They’re the ones who lost us. #StrongerTogether #Bark