taking a breather: why i'm hitting pause for labor day week 🏖️

because even your favorite queer puerto rican needs a siesta sometimes

tl;dr: your friendly neighborhood chaos merchant is taking a week off for labor day. no new posts from today until september 8. i'll be back, refreshed, and ready to serve more queer realness on september 9.

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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

hey mi gente! 👋🏽

guess what? your favorite hot mess express is about to make an unscheduled stop at relaxation station. that's right, folx – i'm taking a breather for labor day week.

now, i know what you're thinking: "edgard, how will we survive without your weekly dose of queer chaos and boricua brilliance?"

first of all, you flatter me.

second, i promise the world won't end just because i'm not spilling tea for a week. (though if it does, i'll feel really bad about my timing.)

why i'm hitting the pause button

i’ll be real for a second. lately, i've been feeling more burnt out with work than a forgotten tostón on the grill. i also am in the second week of school. and have a lot of other commitments to take up. and my brain's been working overtime, trying to come up with fresh ways to make you laugh, think, and maybe occasionally snort coffee through your nose here in substack. (sorry about that, by the way. i'll venmo you for the dry cleaning.)

but here's the thing: creativity needs space to breathe. and right now, my creativity is gasping for air like i do after attempting a single push-up. it's not pretty, folks.

plus, i figured you could all use a break from my constant oversharing and terrible puns. (who am i kidding? you'll miss my puns. they're pun-believably good… i’ll see myself out…)

what this break means

for one glorious week, starting today, there will be no new posts on "essays from the heart; and other things." i know, i know – how will you get your fix of queer musings and puerto rican pride? may i suggest rereading some old favorites?

on friendship: the greatest love of my life

i'm not an aesthetic, i'm just a mess 🫠

on trauma dumping

when purity politics poisons progress 🙄

beyond the binary: my two-year party as a non-binary boricua 🌈

what to expect after the break

when i return on september 9, expect me to be refreshed, recharged, and ready to serve you the quality content you deserve. or at least, slightly less sleep-deprived ramblings. baby steps, people!

who knows? maybe this break will inspire some new directions for the blog.

reflections on the blog's journey

before i sign off for my little vacation, i just want to take a moment to say gracias.

seriously, from the bottom of my cafecito-fueled heart, thank you for being on this wild ride with me. your support, your comments, your willingness to put up with my endless stream of consciousness – it means the world.

looking back on recent posts, i'm proud. from deep dives into puerto rico to late-night rants about friendship, it's been quite a journey.

invitation for feedback

speaking of journeys, i'd love to hear from you. what content has resonated with you? what would you like to see more of? less of? (if you say "less puns," i will respectfully disagree and then make a pun about it.)

feel free to drop your thoughts in the survey above or in the comments. or write them on a paper airplane and launch it in the general direction of san diego. i'll keep an eye out.

wrapping it up (like a good burrito)

so there you have it, mis amores. your favorite queer puerto rican is taking a siesta for labor day week. don't worry, i'll be back before you can say "¿dónde está la biblioteca?" (which, incidentally, is a phrase i use way more often than you'd think.)

mark your calendars for september 9th, when i'll return with more queer chaos, boricua brilliance, and probably at least one story about something embarrassing that happened to me during my time off.

until then, stay fabulous, stay hydrated, and for the love of all that is holy, please don't do anything i wouldn't do. (which, let's be honest, leaves a pretty wide range of activities open.)

hasta la próxima, mis amores! 💖

edgard✊🏽🌈

p.s. if you see me posting during my break, no you didn't. mind your business. (jk, love you, mean it.)

p.p.s. seriously though, take care of yourselves. rest when you need to. you deserve it.