Happy Friday, friends, and welcome to my cluster of not terrible, but sort of off-putting, day-after symptoms from my second shot! My left armpit and teeth (?) are throbbing and I feel stoned, but otherwise, I seem to have avoided the more severe side effects that everyone else I know has encountered.
Mostly, though, I’m just extremely grateful to finally be fully vaxxed, especially after chatting with a friend who is trapped in his parents’ place in Mumbai, where things are very dire at the moment. (Having license to take yesterday afternoon off from Zoom to watch Jurassic Park AND The Lost World, while slugging Gatorade, was just the icing on the cake.)
And here’s hoping many of you all are feeling a little bit safer these days, too, at least with respect to Covid-19, because unfortunately, no amount of mRNA research can fix the violence perpetrated by law enforcement, mass shooters, and racists that is the evergreen headline in this country.
Given all that’s going on, maybe you relate to this oft-forwarded NYT article that put a name—“languishing”—to the baffling state of listlessness that people are experiencing, even as some of the worst aspects of the past year are objectively improving. Personally, I’m hoping that just getting out and about will jog my brain back. And I did notice that my mood was much improved after a Prospect Park reunion with friends on Sunday, and a sunny walk in Greenwood Cemetery this week, complete with a lucky, three parakeet sighting.
What are you all doing to ease the transition? What are you most looking forward to as restrictions loosen? And how are you coping with the day-to-day feeling of blah, if that accurately describes your current emotional state?
The good news is that if you are looking for stuff to do, the city is slowly coming back to life, and opportunities to keep yourself occupied abound this week. Tonight, BAM’s virtual Word. Sound. Power. 2021 event brings an array of hip-hop MCs and poets, including Sa-Roc, Okai, Nejma Nefertiti, Peggy Robles-Alvarado, and DJ Reborn, to perform in a live concert celebration that is sure to kick the weekend off with a bang.
And tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day, which brings many ways to support places like Greenlight, or PowerHouse Arena, or whatever your favorite local bookshop happens to be. Lovers of Shakespeare can head to Ditmas tomorrow afternoon to celebrate the Bard’s birthday at Shakespeare on Stratford, a free outdoor performance of sonnets, madrigals, and Afro-Haitian dance with the Brave New World Repertory Theater.
Looking for a dining experience that doesn’t involve, um, your own stupid kitchen and its dumb dishes perpetually piled in the sink? Reserve a spot at Niche Niche, a rotating dinner party in SoHo that’s hosting BBQs this Sunday and Monday nights with Michelin star chef Bryce Shuman.
Or maybe you miss having some healthy competition in your life, in which case you might consider signing up for the shuffleboard league at The Royal Palms, which starts on Monday night, or the virtual Triviadome hosted by Alamo Drafthouse on Wednesday.
If you’re lucky enough to have access to outdoor space, this is a great weekend to plant some bee-friendly plants, and our own Jordan Galloway has some great tips on that for you.
Oh, and the Oscars are finally happening this weekend, so you could catch up on movies you missed, or you could give a listen to Death At the Wing, a new podcast from Adam McKay about the disturbing amount of NBA players who met untimely deaths in the ’80s and ’90s.
And, while we’re all on pins and needles waiting for Celebrate Brooklyn to announce whether it will be hosting in-person concerts in the Prospect Park Bandshell this summer, take note of the fact that tickets to a series of 1:1 concerts that BAM is producing in the Navy Yard in early May go on sale at noon on Monday, and will likely sell out fast.
Otherwise, enjoy the next seven days, everyone, and do try to get outside if you can—it really does help. That weird cold snap seems to be on its way out, and we’ve got sunny skies ahead, just as some new guidance suggesting that wearing masks outside may not always be necessary arrives. So, what are you waiting for? Fresh air and vitamin D awaits, not to mention springtime blooms, peace of mind, and top-notch people watching!
