Issue #43: Hello from the other side
Happy Thursday from day kajillion of social distancing, where I’m considering wallpaper that’s just the flames from the “this is fine” dog, so that my home can truly be an outward representation of my most inner self. Come on in, the water is near-boiling.
This week, we’re coping in the now and looking forward to the future, doing what we can while we do what we have to during these unprecedented times. I’ve been successfully sticking to my goal of moving once a day (a big hello to the dance cardio video I flailed to in the privacy of my basement yesterday) and mostly getting to something creative daily, even if it’s just a row of knitting. The rest, well, it’s parenting, work, evening Mario Karting while FaceTiming with pals, and deep breaths.
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Kase + Maggie
Quarantine has turned me into a Nick Hornby character. I’m making playlists so good, it’s like I’m trying to convince myself to go to homecoming. On Friday, The Weeknd released After Hours — 14 tracks that’ll make you dance in your underwear while thinking about what Bella Hadid looks like up close. If you’re not yet experimenting with music as a mood lifter, let me offer a few jams to get you on your way. Listening to “In Your Eyes” may result in looking up synthesizers on eBay, “We’re Gonna Make It to Kilby!” by Hot Mulligan hits the spot for anticipatory grief-induced rage as “stay inside!” is screamed multiple times and starting things off with Phil Collins’ “Easy Lover” and ending them with “Sussudio” might just be the parameters you need to achieve audio greatness. —MC
A nice bowl
My recent online purchases have been the dining equivalent of “all dressed up and nowhere to go.” On a few recent rainy days, my longing for company and cheer and the necessary belief that better times are coming manifested as an intense desire for a Nancy Meyers-esque dinner party, big gleaming swirls of lemony pasta and crusty bread served on colorful ceramics. In theory, there would also be salad. I guess. For now, the steps I can take are starting to build a collection of gorgeously mismatched jewel-toned dishes. Before [waves hands] all this, I ordered myself an East Fork Pottery bowl in their limited-run “prune” glaze for lunches at work. It came the week before I started staying home and never made it into the office. It looked so lonely and gorgeous, so I ordered it a few friends from East Fork’s seconds sale of slightly imperfect pieces, branching out into the lush teal “night swim” shade and officially starting my collection, piece by piece. Maggie has further ruined my life by sharing these enormous and beautiful Helen Levi mugs with me, and it doesn’t seem impossible that one will find its home with me soon, a balm against those dreary, lonely days spent daydreaming about a socially un-distant future. —KW
JukeBox online interactive boxing classes
No matter what happens, one thing I can promise you is that you will never, ever see a video of me doing pushups on the internet. I don’t know when our collective fight or flight response changed to include punishing upper body workouts, but here we are. When I’m not torturing myself with sprints (mostly because there’s no one else around to see me doubled over and panting), I’m working on my form with JukeBox, Brooklyn’s only woman-owned boxing gym. You’ll break a sweat and have a laugh in these live Zoom classes that require zero equipment. —MC
A batch breakfast
Faced with a whole day of hanging out inside, it’s hard to figure out what to eat, where to start. I kind of want to eat all the things, but also ... nothing. I’ve started making chia Bircher oat bowls from Whole Food Cooking Every Day, an admittedly more granola-y cookbook than I usually am drawn to. The base has all kinds of almond flaxseed hemp heart shenanigans, then I dump coconut yogurt and fruit on top, stirring in whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s filling and tasty and keeps me going for a while before I sink into the sweet embrace of Pop-Tarts and frozen mac and cheese. —KW
Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation
Shift workers and the service industry have been particularly devastated by this public health crisis, with restaurants being forced to pivot to delivery and takeout-only or temporarily shutter in hopes of weathering the storm. The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation is an advocacy group that has sprung into special action in the name of protecting restaurant workers during COVID. Their special fund is being allocated half to individual workers, a quarter to zero-interest loans for businesses and a quarter to non-profit orgs helping workers in the crisis.
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