Good morning!
Welcome to Issue 44.5 of Digestable, your daily mouthful of real things happening in the world, minus alarmist pandemic news.
Today’s news, fermented:
The Gowanus is getting de-mayonnaised for developers and the people of Flint have still not received justice.
But at least there’s a snowy owl in Central Park.
(via)
Caro's Advice Corner
Dear Caro,
I recently started seeing this guy and things have been going well. We've been spending a lot of time together, which I really appreciate because somehow, despite the shitshow of the outside world, we always manage to have a good time. Here's the problem though: I'm running out of ideas of how to have fun dates in the middle of a pandemic! Given that it's also winter, we're almost always indoors. Netflix and chill? Check. Listening to music? Check. Cooking together? Check. Now what?! I want to keep things going and until this pandemic disappears, I feel like this is about as good as it's gonna get for us. So I'm hoping you have some ideas or suggestions on how to keep romance alive in times of doom and gloom... and extremely repetitive boredom. Please help!
Thank you in advance,
Pandemic Sweetheart
Dear Pandemic Sweetheart,
These are unique times that require unique solutions to almost every situation we face. Dating during a pandemic, both for new and older relationships alike, has posed quite a creativity challenge. Luckily for you, one of my love languages is quality time (here is a quick primer for those who don’t know what the love languages are) and I have had to think a bit outside of the box to really get the most out of the quality time I spend with my partner during the pandemic. So fear not, here is my short list of creative pandemic date ideas:
Go on a nature or neighborhood walk together. Now I know it’s winter, and it’s been getting bitterly cold out, but hear me out on this one. Grab your warmest coat, mittens, scarf, and hat. Get yourself some thick wool socks and warm boots, and go on a walk! If you have a car and access to nature, I HIGHLY encourage you going on a stroll together through a wooded area. Not only is this a great way to get out of the house, but nature is proven to make us feel really good during stressful times (and a pandemic is the ultimate stressor). If you don't have a car or access to a park near you, then opt for the neighborhood stroll! How well do you know the little corner of the world you’re living in? Get out there and find out!
Do a paint or craft night. Now I knowww that couples crafting sound kind of….corny, but hear me out! Order some supplies from your local craft store, whether they be a canvas and paint, or perhaps some other type of craft, and make a night of it! There are many great YouTube instructional videos to paint certain things. Having your own paint night is such a fun way to get your creative juices flowing while spending time with your special someone. So grab some tea or your favorite drink, and get painting! (or embroidering, or painting pottery -- there are lots of local potters that sell mugs to paint!)
Take an online cooking lesson. Now I know you mentioned that you’ve cooked plenty together, but have you both gone out of your comfort zones? Have you both attempted to prepare a food you were both unfamiliar with? This is a great opportunity to seek some virtual adult cooking classes! Seeing how you both follow instruction is a great test of teamwork and a fun way to learn about each other. There are SO many options out there, and for an added bit of fun, make it a candlelit dinner! Make a special evening out of it and dress up your dining room and even dress up yourself.
Scavenger hunt. Ok now I am just throwing ideas out there, but it could be fun to set up a scavenger hunt indoors, with perhaps a gift waiting in the end for the winner? Or you can even invite other friends to join in virtually in their own homes and race to see who can find certain items in their homes first.
Virtual book author events. There are SO many great virtual book events happening right now. Another idea would be to find an event that interests you both, pick up the book and read together! You can make your own little book club out of it, and attend the author event as an added bonus!
Alright, Pandemic Sweetheart, I hope you are able to find a creative date idea somewhere in here! Just remember that with the right person, everything feels fun and special <3
Lovingly yours,
Caro
DJ M0RO’s low-key Music Show
If you couldn’t travel, how would you make yourself feel like you’re on an adventure, learning from new people and places? I’ve been enjoying the musical trip around the world that is Radio Garden, where I can combine two of my favorite things: music and maps. Go ahead and select a random city and experience a local radio hour that may lead who knows where. This unusual and slightly spiritual wormhole brought to you thanks to Digestable reader and radiant soul Elizabeth, with love. Let me know what you discover and if you have a new favorite radio station - as I write this I’m listening to Cladrite Radio out of NYC and relishing the transportation to another dimension.
And if you don’t feel like weeping, you shouldn’t click this link to How to Be at Home by Tanya Davis, who ten years ago predicted our need for an ode to How to Be Alone. The tone of her voice has taken on a new edge, and her words provide a powerful prayer for all of us coping with lockdown vibes. I can’t even begin to describe the impact this poem and animation had on my psyche. Take this as your reminder to take care of yourself, drink water, and tune out any voice that’s telling you you’re not enough.
**featured pod** From Emergence Magazine, one of my favorite audio-story sources, comes a new work by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In her essay The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance, you’ll be transported into a world where humans live in right relationship with nature, and ecology and economics are intertwined. If you’re looking for inspiration as to what we can build in the place of the (many) systems we seek to topple, this is a great story to help guide you.
*Hot Goss*
Brought to you by the superb Latifah Azlan.
After a jam-packed start to January, we're finally hitting a lull when it comes to ~*Hot Goss*~ so I went back and combed through past weeks' celebrity news updates and found a story that I somehow managed to skip while busy following up on BenAna's breakup and Armie Hammer's shit -- Kourtney Kardashian and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker are dating now!
Rumors of the new couple started swirling earlier this year after the two were spotted flirting with each other on Instagram (of course). Kourtney and Travis have apparently been friends for a very long time now and people have always wondered whether there was anything romantic going on between them, but I guess this was the year that anyone had any sort of evidence to base the speculation on. But now they're officially dating and.. I don't entirely hate it?
Kourtney's last boyfriend was 26-year-old model Younes Bendjima, with whom she had an off-again, on-again relationship for several years. I don't think anyone's too surprised that that relationship eventually fizzled out. And while at first glance Travis and Kourtney may not have much in common, a deeper look at the experiences they've had in life paints a very different picture. Travis and Kourtney are both in their 40s with children, had successful reality tv shows, and are generally at the same place in life, I think. Plus, they've been friends for a while so they clearly know each other well. I kind of want this to work out? I don't know, I like them together, which is not a reaction I would have expected to have had someone suggested this pairing to me a few years ago.
I know there are some people who are still rooting for Kourtney to reunite with her former love and father of her children, Scott Disick, but I think that ship has sailed. They'll obviously be in each other's lives forever, by virtue of having kids together, but romantically, I don't think there's any flame left to rekindle. Plus, that was not a healthy relationship and Scott is not the healthiest of people. He's also either terribly jealous of the fact that Kourtney's dating Travis or has barely reacted at all -- news coverage seems to be split on this. Regardless, Scott is still maybe dating Amelia Hamlin and, well, that's a whole ass thing I wish wasn't happening, seeing as Amelia is 19, but you know... Scott.