about karen, the writer of this Substack
I’m a 30-something San Francisco native who currently works in communications in the public sector and is involved with social and philanthropic groups in the city. I love SF sports, hanging out in bars, live productions, astrology, memes, and manifesting my best life with a little help through books, podcasts, apps, and other content.
Learn more about me + read some of my older and current work on my website!
what’s the deal with this Substack?
I originally started this Substack with the title Track 5 (Karen’s Version) as a coping mechanism after an ex-boyfriend suddenly broke up with me over text message in February 2023. I’m a Swiftie, so the title of the Substack is a reference to where Taylor Swift places her most vulnerable tracks on her albums. And Karen’s Version is a nod to the re-recordings of her older albums. It originally started as a project in vulnerability, so it made sense!
I relaunched this Substack in January 2025 under a new/old name the sf bae diaries, which I originally registered on WordPress during the early days of COVID. I wanted to bring more authenticity to my online presence, and I missed my old days of truly connecting with an audience through personal essays, entertainment reviews, and other long-form content. Blogging about my life and the world around me is something that has given me joy and purpose for decades, and I want to return to that because eventually, I’d love to write at least one book.
Expect words on everything that touches my life and possibly yours: dating and relationships, friendly connection, being very online, giving back to the community, the San Francisco city life, the travels to other cities, growing in my career, adulting, mental health, my sports obsession, how my past continues to shape who I am today, and more!
I may be a little bit vulgar and sarcastic and although I strive to be real and honest in all things, I still have boundaries and will do my best to keep a very healthy level of privacy and safety for my own sake and the sake of people around me.
If we are not already friends IRL or through the World Wide Web, I hope that you can feel a little bit of a friendly spirit through your computer/phone/tablet screen as you read the words that come through here. Look forward to connecting with you!
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Subscription tiers
The Bae’s Baes (Free): All public posts and Notes with limited commenting access (Public posts are automatically pay-walled after six months)
Nosey Baes (Paid [$5/month or $30/year]): Become a Friend With Benefits. Your first three months are free once this tier launches if you buy me a coffee and I reach five coffees! Subscribers in this tier will be treated to exclusive [SFW] content, access to the full site, fun opportunities to interact with the community, and more. Full list of benefits will be revealed when the tier launches and will be constantly evolving.
regarding the comments section
Commenting will be open to all on some posts but will be limited to paid subscribers on all posts once the Nosey Baes tier launches.
You do not have to agree with anything I write or anything your fellow commenters write. In any case, please be respectful to the community. Anything perceived as hate speech, doxxing, or spam will be deleted and depending on the severity of the first offense, you will be blocked from the community.
I have the right to delete and limit comments at any time.
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Please note that thoughts in this newsletter and on this site are my own and do not reflect and represent those of my employer and organizations I am associated with. Please also do not substitute any advice / glowing endorsements given in this newsletter for professional advice.
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Whatever you decide, thank you for stopping by!
