Lisa Birnbach and Goria Reuben
Hi, it’s Lisa Birnbach with a lovely guest who has such a beautiful voice. It’s actress, musician, writer Gloria Reuben. You know her from “ER” where she played Jeanie Boulet, and from Mr. Robot, and is currently starring with Kevin Bacon in “City on the Hill”, but did you know she is a long-time environmental activist who is now president of the Waterkeeper Alliance? The Alliance has over 350 member groups around the world whose collective goal is clean water wherever they are. I’ll let Gloria tell you more.
Meanwhile, as the good weather tries to break in to our previously scheduled program of gloom, doom, and procuring vaccines, the return to a new and nuanced “normal” is greeted by two mass shootings. Oh right. We’re allowed to go places after a year of staying put. We’re back at the supermarket. So why are the guns back? Is it a somewhat latent hate for Asian people, or for manicures? What makes someone want to kill ordinary people at the grocery store? Is this who we are? The American love of guns and violence is not my America and I find it discouraging that they have reappeared so soon. The silver lining of sequestering was the number of mass shootings went way down. No one was gathering.
Of course gathering is happening, in a safely managed way by some people, and in a chaotic and stupid way in Miami Beach. When my family is all vaccinated and then some, we will get together, and I cannot wait. I don’t know where or when, but I can feel its imminence, and that is great.
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While I anticipate those hugs and squeezes, let me tell you my five things that made my life better this week.
1 Girl Scout troop 6000. I was a girl scout for a year. It was very hard to get badges when you lived in a big city and didn’t have a place in nature to do scouty stuff. But imagine if you live in a city in a shelter – you don’t even have a permanent home. Troop 6000 is the Girl Scouts first ever troop for these girls, and it warms my heart that this community exists for them. So, I’ve been buying Girl Scout Cookies for people from this troop, and when you order them, you can order extra boxes to donate to food pantries. It’s not the same as getting kale and radishes to eat a healthy salad, but it helps. A link to their order form is on my website, at lisabirnbach.com https://www.girlscoutsnyc.org/en/whatgirlsdo/gs-troop-6000.html and the cookie page is on that page.
2 Sunglasses. I just adore sunglasses. I have since I started wearing contact lenses in high school. The minute I didn’t have to wear spectacles, I was able to wear trendy, chic, or funny sunglasses, and I did. I was known for it on campus. Now I cannot resist trying on sunglasses. (See my Instagram from the olden days.). I try not to spend too much on them as I lose them regularly. Also, it’s hard to find good ones since I have a tiny head.
3 The videos on Food52.com. I find them inspiring, even if I don’t end up cooking or baking what they are demonstrating. Food52 has a chef called Emma LaPerruque who makes recipes that are highly yummy. Recommend! Food52 videos featuring Emma LaPerruque
4 Ruggable rugs. They hit me hard on Instagram – well-padded washable rugs. They must have figured out I had a puppy. (You can imagine how I feel about all the algorithmic spying these companies do.). But we did need a new rug for the kitchen, and what do you know – the Ruggable runner works perfectly – right size, softness, print, everything. I wish I could say now, “Please go to Ruggable and put in my code,” but they don’t know me. Anyway, it makes my life better. https://ruggable.com/
T.L. Solein and Dennis Kardon
5 Two Instagram accounts I like. One belongs to an artist I met years ago, T.L. Solien who I have re-met over our mutual friend Dennis Kardon’s Instagram account. I bought a painting on paper that he made in the 20th century. About every week or so, Tom curates photographs of 10 rooms he’s found in real estate listings from everywhere and anywhere. No comments or locations are mentioned, but the selection is always odd and satisfying. I find myself looking forward to it. And Dennis is a fine painter himself (we recently bought a drawing of his) who analyzes paintings by other artists and himself concisely on this platform. It’s a teensy bit of art criticism, which he does well.
Instagram accounts of TL Solien https://www.instagram.com/tlsolien/
Dennis Kardon https://www.instagram.com/denniskardon/
Gloria Reuben’s 5 Things:
1. Swimming in the ocean
2. Honest, deep, soulful and long-lasting friendships
3. Playing the piano and singing
4. A day when I watch the sunrise and the sunset
5. A good hot soak in a deep tub, while sipping champagne.
MORE ABOUT GLORIA REUBEN
Twitter: @Glo_Reuben
Instagram @gloreuben
Waterkeeper Alliance Website: https://waterkeeper.org/
Instagram: @waterkeeperalliance
Twitter: @Waterkeeper
Facebook @Waterkeeper
The 5 Things That Make Life Better podcast is recorded and produced at The Field in NYC. My team is Shpresa Oruci, Michael Porte, Sam Haft and Boco Haft.The Field in NYC.