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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

And perhaps occasionally deciding that I'll spend my train journey unproductively is part of it. I'm already dreading the catch-up I'll have to play to make up for this stolen half hour. But life is so short, and sometimes you just can't answer one more fucking email. /13

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

So how do we socialise when we're time and energy-poor? I wish I knew. Chronic illness and freelance schedules killed my social life years ago. But I am holding on to the things I can, like insisting on spending as many Sunday afternoons as I can watching films with my husband. /12

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

Is a return to greater social media use part of the solution? I don't think so, at least not in its current form. People like me (forged in the flames of the webrings and chatrooms) will always use it, I suspect. But more widely, I think the solution is not social media but socialising. /10

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

They'll gradually start to care if/when the wide lack of leisure time impacts your capacity to be a good consumer, unless they can think of things to sell you that aren't impacted by or even exacerbate your time/leisure issues

*cough*AI*cough*

/9

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

Class and privilege come into this, of course. Wealth insulates you from this (to a greater or lesser extent). The situation benefits those to whom wealth flows, and for the most part they don't care if you have no peace or leisure - at least not yet. /8

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

The rates of pay I'm being offered these days are lower than three years ago. Not just adjusting for inflation, actually smaller numbers. Makes it necessary to take on more jobs, more demands, and hacks away at leisure, community, family time. Me and everyone else I know. /7

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

...and I'm trying not to make life harder than it needs to be for all my over-busy, under-leisured collaborators who need responses from me, or of whom I need to ask things. This constant scrabbling to make ends meet and relentless pressure devalues us all. /5

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

I'm writing this on a train to Paisley to open Poisoner there. There was a time when I'd have seen a train journey with patchy WiFi as legitimate social media noodling time, or reading time, or music listening time. But the tasks don't stop coming, because I'm over-busy and under-leisured... /4

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

It feels like "if you've got time to lean you've got time to clean" but applied to *everything*. Taking a second to let my brain shake itself out is a different demand from replying to your in-depth question that needs an attentive answer - I'm not ignoring you, I'm just on a different task atm. /3

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

I find myself not sharing thoughts/observations/jokes I once would have because I know if I raise my head above the parapet on socials I'll get flooded with messages from people who notice I'm online. It's not ill-intentioned, they're just trying to get things done, but it's exhausting. /2

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 2d

I keep seeing thinkpieces about why people don't post so much on social media any more and yes, some of it is toxicity and fear and greater awareness of our digital footprints - but it's also being over-busy, under-leisured, and subject to constant time pressure on everything. /1

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 4d

It's 13c, not warm but not actually cold either. I have thermal leggings, 2 pairs of socks, thick jumper, compression gloves and scarf on, and I'm sandwiched between a hot water bottle and a heated blanket with another blanket on top. Yet my hands are icy cold. Thermodynamics is not the boss of me.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 5d

Amidst all the enshittification, there are still the wonderful people who have been diligently uploading otherwise unobtainable episodes of 1970s TV horror onto YouTube and for these intrepid souls I will always be grateful.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 6d

No humans watch it, they just get their preferred chatbot to summarise it for them so they've got more time to spend doing menial shit for billionaires.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 10d

While we're on the subject please stop asking for 1 page CVs, particularly if you want to know about more than one aspect of my practice. I'm busy and multifaceted, I defy single-page explanation.

Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 10d

FFS arts organisations, if you want ambitious pitches give me a word count that allows for ambition. I can pitch you complex things that will blow your minds OR I can pitch you things you can easily grasp in 500 words, but not both.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 10d

FFS arts organisations, if you want ambitious pitches give me a word count that allows for ambition. I can pitch you complex things that will blow your minds OR I can pitch you things you can easily grasp in 500 words, but not both.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 13d

Thanks for coming Allan! Glad you liked it.

Allan Wilson @allanbw2.bsky.social · 13d

I really enjoyed 'The Glasgow Poisoner', this week's @playpiepint.bsky.social presentation at Oran Mor yesterday. Tom Cooper and @jenbitespeople.bsky.social's musical cleverly explores the story of Madeleine Smith, whose 19th Century murder trial ended with a Not Proven verdict.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 14d

A few Edinburgh pals have told me they plan to catch the show at the Trav - but we're not doing the Trav, so it's Glasgow, Paisley or Ayr! So either catch it in one of those places, or pin your hopes on it coming back and finding an Edinburgh home in the future.

The Stage @thestage.co.uk · 14d

★★★★ Review: The Glasgow Poisoner – Witty, revisionist take on a Victorian murder case 👇

The Glasgow Poisoner review at Òran Mór, Glasgow

Read our review of The Glasgow Poisoner at Òran Mór, Glasgow: Witty, revisionist take on a Victorian murder case

www.thestage.co.uk

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 14d

Neil Cooper @neilcooper.bsky.social · 14d

My Herald review of The Glasgow Poisoner, Tom Cooper & Jen McGregor’s musical

Oran Mor Glasgow until Sep 26 playpiepint.com/the-glasgow-...

Paisley Town Hall Oct 7 www.paisleytownhall.org/whats-on/a-p...

Ayr Gaiety Oct 15-16 thegaiety.co.uk/events/a-pla...

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...

'A gothic confection with fabulous showtunes'

Theatre, The Glasgow Poisoner: A New Musical, Òran Mór, Glasgow. How to get away with murder? One answer to this age old driving force of pulp…

www.heraldscotland.com

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Reposted by Jen Bites

Grobian Syboe @grobiansyboe.bsky.social · 18d

It would be easy to post "beds are high-key slept on". It might even gain some traction, it's got the right words in the right order. But no, it would lessen us both - It would be as if we were chewing at the cud in the field, contented only by the thoughtless motion.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 19d

I see so many posters I don't much care for, but I really like the tag line on @scottishopera.bsky.social's Boheme poster. It's a fantastic cast (I would listen to Hye-Youn Lee sing anything) and I'm quietly devastated that I just signed a contract on a job that means I won't be in Scotland for it.

Poster for Scottish Opera's La Boheme, showing Rodolfo and Mimi embracing with a tag line reading "live burns brightest on borrowed time".

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Reposted by Jen Bites

Tom Cooper @tomcoop.bsky.social · 20d

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/2547819... our musical, with book and lyrics by @jenbitespeople.bsky.social and music and lyrics by me, opens next week at Oran Mor, then tours.

Crime which scandalised Glasgow turned into new musical for city theatre

It was a court case which scandalised Glasgow and more than 160 years later, it still fascinates people today.Wealthy Victorian socialite Madeleine…

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · 19d

We're in the final stages of rehearsal and this is a truly stunning cast.

A Play, A Pie and A Pint @playpiepint.bsky.social · 21d

Sneak peek into a new musical based on a scandalous true crime from 19th century Glasgow 💀

Join us next week for The Glasgow Poisoner, as we try to work out once and for all - was the infamous Glaswegian socialite Madeleine Smith, innocent or guilty?

On at Òran Mór from 22-27 Sep. Don't miss out!

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · Aug 30

Aw, I liked Veronica! I remember finding it more sad than scary, but it was very good. Might have to rewatch it.

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Jen Bites @jenbitespeople.bsky.social · Aug 22

Hi @fedscottheatre.bsky.social and @scotsocplaywrights.bsky.social, I've added you both to the Scottish Theatre Starter Pack! Links pinned at the top of my page, the pack you're in is here: go.bsky.app/MeeNqsN

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