Lisa Birnbach and Liz Garbus
We are living in a golden age of documentaries, and I’m pleased that filmmaker Liz Garbus is with us this week. She has been a director that people have taken seriously since her first commercially released documentary, and has about 35 films to her credit since then. “What Happened, Miss Simone?” (2015) about Nina Simone was nominated for an Academy Award and won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Feature. Her newest release, “All In: The Fight for Democracy” is on Amazon Prime and is about the relentless determination of the right to suppress votes in the South. It “stars” Stacey Abrams. Liz is right on the zeitgeist. Liz has just completed a documentary about Mayor Pete and is executive producing one about Dr. Fauci. She’s one smart cookie.
This is a wobbly time we’re experiencing. We are allowed to go out more, feel more hale with our vaccinations, but be mindful of the new variants and the fourth wave of Covid infections and fatalities. What does that mean? It’s a kind of mixed message and I personally am not really comfortable eating indoors yet or going to other people’s houses. So many interesting articles have been published recently about our collective malaise mixed with a huge dollop of anxiety. Some friendships, they say, won’t survive the separation. Others have formed or grown more intense as people have maintained connections on Zoom, Facetime, texts, and phonecalls. I see that.
I’m starting slowly to see people again – outdoors – and it feels wonderful, but somehow risky. It’s going to take time for me to be fully at ease as we return. And to tell you the truth, which I always do, I am confused about clothes. I realize I’ve gained weight being sloppy during the past year. And I’ve begun baking. I’ve activated a long-dormant sweet tooth. My clothes fit, but don’t flatter. I’ve resolved to work on my bad habits—eat less, exercise more. The weather complies.
Clothing? I wear old – make that ancient – Dansko clogs with jeans, a t shirt, sweater, and jacket. Unimaginative. I could be me in the 11th grade, or freshman year of college. Nothing has changed. Except the masks. That’s where my personality shows these days.
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And now my five things that make life better.
1. President Biden. I believe he is doing an outstanding job. His head is down, and together with his talented and superior staff he is making big moves – some could even say radical moves to help regular Americans.
2. French wine. I have to explore other grapes besides my pandemic Riojas and Malbecs. This week I tried a Cabernet Franc which I quite liked. It had a deeper mouth feel than the Spanish and Argentinian reds. I will continue my scholarly inquiries and keep you apprised.
3. Watching my puppy play with other dogs on the street. It didn’t happen at first, but now Sheila loves fooling around with her fluffy neighbors, big or small. Almost none of the owners introduce themselves by name, only by their dogs’ names. Brooklyn, Lulu, Marty, Lucy, Teddy, Henry, Daisy -- we’ll see you again.
4. Lauren Zalaznick, superstar of the media world (first as a film producer, then at VH-1, ran Bravo and created the Housewives businesses among other reality shows) now edits a weekly newsletter, the LZ Sunday Paper, which is a cool roundup of stories you may or may not have found which are about or affect women. You can sign up for it here.
5. This joyful piece came from the most recent edition. It’s a photo essay from the Washington Post about 82 year old La Verne Ford Wimberly of Tulsa, OK, who dresses for Zoom church services every week. Enjoy it. I did. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/31/sunday-virtual-church-outfit/
Liz Garbus’s 5 Things:
1. My family & dog,
More About Liz Garbus
ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
A Film By Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes
Twitter @lizgarbus
Instagram @lizfgarbus
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.