Five Things That Make Life Better, Redux

February 29, 2024

First let me say I am as surprised as you are to see a new entry here. I gave up my podcast and blog in May of 2021. After the pandemic shutdown I had moved the production from a great audio studio in midtown, Manhattan to what had been our little home library, now cluttered with padded wall panels to dull the noise coming through our windows.

I thoroughly missed the engagement, missed the sense that I learned something from every guest, and miss the optimism of the focus of my show ever since. But I’ve not been idle these last several years.

As many of you know, I was pressed into action by my friend E. Jean Carroll in her effort to bring her assailant Donald Trump to justice. A four-year process ended in a trial last April and May in which a unanimous jury found for E. Jean, believing her and her two contemporaneous witnesses (of which I was one). The victory was glorious. Then the very next evening Trump went on to defame E. Jean at a CNN “town hall.” And he didn’t stop.

A new trial -- this one solely devoted to his defamation (and during which he constantly defamed E. Jean Carroll on his social media network) was held in January. He was found guilty for maligning her, wounding her reputation, and doing so with malice to the tune of $83.3 million dollars.

I remain dazzled by the passion, hard work, and erudition of the lawyers at Kaplan, Hecker, & Fink – not to mention the ingenuity of their paralegals and clerks. I was moved to tears by the valedictory remarks by Judge Lewis Kaplan, who was grateful by the second jury’s thoughtful commitment to performing its civic responsibilities. And E. Jean is the most courageous 80 year old I know. The outcome was wonderful, particularly because she wants to donate most of the money to help fund women’s causes.

I am not planning on writing much more about this experience, though I have been asked to. I was a vital accessory to the trial, but that story is my friend’s to tell. I am eager to move on with my own life, and want to feel free to let it follow a new direction.

So why am I here? I’ve left Twitter, Facebook, and almost all social media for the last two years or so. (Having all your online posts subpoenaed will do that to a person.)

But I have frequently heard from you, who have discovered my podcast or blogs online in the last year or so. At the risk of sounding like Sally Field at the Oscars (Google it, youngs), you liked them. You really liked them.

That means something to me. I’m looking towards new ways of connecting with you. I am writing something that I hope will turn into a book. In the meantime, here is my list of 5 Things that Make Life Better for Me:

1. My family. The love I have for them is deep. We’ve been through a few crises lately, and it feels like we’ve only grown closer as a result.

2. My friends. They are in my corner and I couldn’t be more grateful. I know I couldn’t be luckier in that department.

3. A TIE: Escaping the endless stressors by reading a book. This is a classic. As is my morning coffee. Still the only way to really start the day.

4. Joe Biden. History will remember him as one of our best presidents. He’s 81years old. But so are my crushes Paul McCartney and Harrison Ford. Let President Biden and his team continue -- but mostly allow him to save democracy for the next four years. There is a solid bench of younger, talented people ready to do the same going forward. Let’s just get through this election cycle to prevent Donald Trump from using the White House as a cudgel against any American who isn’t a member of his strange and angry cult.

5. My favorite story is the one about Dr. Ruth Gottesman, the 93 year old former professor at and current chairman of the board of the Albert Einstein Medical College in New York City. Dr. Gottesman announced this week that she was donating $1 billion dollars to the medical school – located in the Bronx, the city’s poorest borough -- to endow free tuition in perpetuity. Watch the video of her announcement here. It just might make your day.

https://www.youtube.com › watch

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Ep. 150 - Abigail Tucker - Brains, Placenta and the End of an Era.

May 21, 2021

This is the 150th week of my experimental podcast that was only supposed to be a trial balloon for a few months. Our outro says, “Every Friday, if she remembers,” because it was that kind of informal vibe that got me here in the first place. Little did I know I would be compelled to produce a(n optimistic) podcast for almost three years. I never skipped a week, even if I couldn’t book a guest, or someone dropped out. I felt it was a calling to come up with the damn list – even when the world was crying out in pain over a disease that claimed so many lives, even when our country seemed poised for another civil war.

Five things – five measly things -- don’t seem like much. That short list was a vehicle, you could say, for my own mental health.

An interview podcast wasn’t a revolutionary idea, though when I heard the crazily popular Joe Rogan do an interview, I knew I was a better interviewer. I at least cared more about my guests than he did, and I didn’t want a platform to use to show off my wealth or manliness. (Because you all know about my manliness, right?) This program was about the guest and it was also about us knitting together a dialogue about surviving through a difficult time. Those four years were dark. We didn’t know who we could trust and if our government was poised for good or for ill. And as we all know, it was it ill.

In 2017 we civilians couldn’t have seen this pandemic on the horizon, but the rot that set in was mind-blowing. By 2018 it was this podcast or hiding under my comforter. And little by little we grew, garnering interesting and well-known guests who would be prized on any platform, let alone a humble podcast. The Lockdown helped podcasts, as we all know by now. Especially by procuring authors who were denied their proper book tours. They in their multitudinous visions had so much to say and so many fascinating ideas: Applying the FBI code to one’s own life, downsizing to be a humanitarian, the mental disease that corrupted the Trumps, how even the shrewdest among us could still be blindsided in search of love, the wealth and culture gaps that were actually fomented by liberal journalists, the obsolescence of men, and so on. All the shows exist on in our archives that you’ll be able to access on my website, lisabirnbach.com.

This is the end of that chapter, but of course the beginning of the next one. I hope to take you all with me – wherever I happen to land. And you can always find me on Twitter, Instagram, and at my website. If I really miss the exercise I will continue to blog or perhaps do a 5 things list there. Let me know if that interests you.

But for now, let me introduce this weeks guest, and the five things that make my life better. (Actually they are numbers 746-750, if you’re counting.) (I was.)

To WATCH it on YOUTUBE where you’ll see the full unedited interview - Click HERE.

My guest this week is Abigail Tucker. science writer and mother of four (4) count ‘em 4 children, has studied how moms’ brains are transformed forever. She’s written a new book “Mom Genes: Inside the new science of our maternal instinct”.

She’s smart, she’s sassy - and she knows what makes a mother tick. You’re going to enjoy this conversation as much as I did !

1. (#746): The people involved with the Five Things Podcast, particularly Shpresa Oruci and Michael Porte. They kept me on it when my confidence was flagging.

2. (#747) The fans of Five Things. In addition to Ellen Angell Sholk founder of the Five Things That Make Life Better Facebook fan page, there are others of you who’ve let me know how much they enjoy this portable entertainment/comfort. I do hope I am not letting you down.

3. (#748). My guests. Quite an impressive list, if you ask me. I don’t want to brag so please consult the pod’n’blog tab on my website – lisabirnbach.com to see our V.I.P. list.

4. (#749) Customer service phone numbers that get you directly to a person. I sound my age – or my mother’s – but I trust a stranger more than I trust voice mails and prompts. I don’t mean to go all Zappo’s on you – I don’t need a three hour conversation about Asics sneakers and the virtues of DHL vs. FedEx – but a real human voice – even if you know the call is routed through another continent to someone who is not remotely named Kevin no matter what he says provides at the least the allusion that your issue will be solved.

5. (#750) Cherries. It’s that time of the year, and the first cherries are the best. Because we had to wait for them. Because we couldn’t conjure them up in the winter. Because a tiny red pellet is such a vibrant burst of flavor.

Abigail Tucker’s 5 Things:

1..Escape to the Chateau

2. Sea Buckthorn

3. Tuff Girl Fitness

4. The Global Babies Series

5. Hot Vanilla

More About Abigail Tucker

MOM GENES: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct published by Gallery Books.

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.

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Ep. 149 - Al Franken - The Once and Future Senator?

May 14, 2021

You will not want to miss this week’s podcast. My old friend Al (that’s Senator to you) Franken is my guest, and we caught up. I don’t know about you, but when I even hear his voice, I feel reassured. I’d rather he were in the Senate than not in the senate, but I’ll take what I can get.

And as Spring turns to summer, a podcaster’s thoughts turn to other things, like lilacs and peonies, weddings, babies, and the beach. At least this podcaster’s thoughts do. I am still in Los Angeles, reveling in my family and not having to run anywhere – just hanging out. When we all had dinner together the other night, my #Exhibits ™ laughed hysterically together – it was precious to see that unbridled joy. I will hold that with me for a long time. Sorry, #ExhibitC to not have had you with us.

As I have hinted prodigiously, we will be wrapping up the Five Things that Make Life Better podcast. Next week will be our final episode. It has been a wonderful few years (148 weeks to be precise) (but who’s counting?) filled with terrific conversations and ideas from thoughtful, funny, important, and smart guests. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. I’ll talk more about the lessons I’ve learned and what might be next for me next week. For now, here are my Five Things that Make Life Better

NOTE: If you are reading this, this is my written Blog. To LISTEN, please SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio – or wherever you get your Podcasts. To WATCH it on YOUTUBE where you’ll see the full unedited interview - Click HERE. And if you’d like to rate it as well, PLEASE DO! It helps get my podcast noticed.

1 . A kiss from this guy: My Grandexhibit ™ is a bit of a lover boy, and getting a kiss on the cheek is guaranteed if you ask for one. Which I do. He is cute and when he sees me his eyes light up, which is exactly why I flew to California.

2. Santa Barbara: #ExhibitB and I went on a daytrip, to a place she likes, a place I barely know, and a place many wealthy Los Angelenos have decamped to during the pandemic. I wanted to meet my Instagram friend, Olivia Joffrey who writes, paints, draws, and makes beautiful caftans inspired by her peripatetic mom. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of us. She gave us some tips for walking around Santa Barbara and while we were walking I noticed that the air smelled great. Even through my mask. It’s very very pretty – like a west coast Palm Beach but much less precious. We didn’t see Oprah, Ellen, or Megan Markle, but we saw Sharon Osborne, so you see my drift.

3. Recording my podcasts with my son. #ExhibitA is a musician and a voice actor, among many other talents, and he has a recording booth at his house and one at his office. The sound quality that you’re listening to right now is superb. Usually I record at home just when a siren is whizzing past.

4. Palm trees. They make me happy. They are code for a sunny warm place, even if it happens to be misty and grey. I’ve loved them since I was a little girl and my parents took us to the Caribbean on school vacations.

5. Inspiration. I am feeling open to new projects, new flavors, styles, and ideas. (Don’t worry; I traveled with two Lacoste shirts and a bunch of button-down shirts too. Some things will never change.)

Al Franken’s 5 Things:

1. Friends
2. Policy
3. Laughing and comedy
4. Grandchildren
5. His wife, Franny

More About Al Franken

Website: www.AlFranken.com

Twitter: @AlFranken

Facebook: @teamalfranken

Facebook: @senatoralfranken

Podcast: The Al Franken Podcast

Instagram: @AlFranken

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.

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Ep. 148 - Kenneth Cole - A Cool New Voice for Mental Health

May 6, 2021

My guest today is Kenneth Cole. You may know him as the cool designer of shoes, accessories, and clothing for men, women, and kids. Or you may know him as the provocative advertiser with public service messages and billboards. Or you may think of him as a phenomenal HIV Aids activist. But today, I want us to think of him as a mental health advocate. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Kenneth will be here to introduce his newest project, The Mental Health Coalition. and howareyoureally.org. And to share his 5 (or 6) things.

Greetings from the Left Coast. If you’re wondering, it had been eight months since I Iast saw, hugged, squeezed, or kissed my #Exhibits, and that baby, and that was too long. So here I am, in a bubble of family and loving it. (Apologies to buddies, but for now the exhibits are all I can handle.)

“All I can handle” is a concept that is new to me. I have always wanted to do everything all the time. More people! More fun! More life! More stuff!

I know I am an extrovert – that happened during college, I guess, and then the interest around The Official Preppy Handbook just insisted that I stay that way. (It was always funny to run into my orthodontist, Dr. Brendan Boylan, on the street somewhere in New York – any time from my 20s to my 40s – and hear him say, “But Lisa, you were always so shy!” He was right.). From the time that book was published in October, 1980 until essentially the pandemic, it has been a busy busy life. Some years busier professionally, some years busier personally. The last 14 or 15 months have stripped away all that busy-ness. And I’m asking myself how much do I want to do now. Is being busy the same as being fulfilled?

To be honest, I don’t yearn to go out to the movies, I don’t feel like eating indoors at restaurants, and I don’t need to go out all the time. (Going to theater, concerts, and museums – yes, I can’t wait.). We will see how it all shakes down, I suppose. For now, I continue to stock up on masks and hand sanitizer. Those have become habits.

But now it’s time for my five things that makes life better.

1. HUGGING my family. It feels so good. I feel the dopamine and the oxytocin surge through my body. (Not really, but you know what I’m saying.)

2. Trying new foods. Whether it’s via recipes or ordering deliveries from restaurants, I’m developing a fondness for spicier food – (I’m a late adaptor), and cauliflower, and almond paste. Go figure.

3. Caring friends. I am so fortunate to have wonderful friends. They know who they are and why I love them.

4. Pavé the Way ™. My friend Joan Hornig worked for years in finance, and then pivoted to jewelry design after 9/11. She pioneered the concept of offering a percentage of profits to charity – but get this – 100% of profits – yes, and the charity is any one that the customer wants. On her website you will see a long list of organizations that have raised funds through her sales. Now she has developed a line of whimsically designed and titled tools – encrusted with tiny diamonds – to be worn as charms or ear studs – that are perfect graduation presents that pay it forward. Check out her website. I am truly impressed.

5. Elta sunscreen. My dermatologist first told me about this brand. They make the largest variety of medically-approved sun protection. In NY I am semi- conscientious about wearing sunscreen all year long, but here in California I never forget.

Kenneth Cole’s 5 Things:

1. My Family

2. Meditation

3. The formation of the Mental Health Coalition

4a. Having been Vaccinated 4b. The perfect mask

5. Bacon

More About Kenneth Cole

The Mental Health Coalition

Website: TheMentalHealthCoalition.org

Twitter: @mentalhealthcln

Instagram: @mentalhealthcoalition

Facebook @mentalhealthcoalition

KENNETH COLE

Twitter: @kennethcolereal

Instagram: @kennethcolereal

Instagram: @kennethcole

Facebook: @kennethCole

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.

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Ep. 147 - Marla Aaron - the bright & shiny jeweler who has changed lives, starting with her own

April 29, 2021

Hi. My guest today is one of the coolest people telling stories -- and lots of them – on Instagram. Marla Aaron, now a kind of famous jeweler – she was interviewed in People Magazine last week – is bright and shiny person herself. She had a big corporate job for years and then realized she wanted to make jewelry instead. You will hear her story and learn about her activism momentarily.

I lost a dear friend over the weekend, Janie Furse. A Texan, she grew up in a small town outside Houston. We met as teenagers at Andover (Phillips Academy) Summer Session in the olden days and thanks to her diligence (before the internet) reconnecting during college. I introduced her to the son of family friends, a real New Yorker, and she married him. She ended up living in NYC – which was perfect for her smart, sassy, clever, feisty self. Janie never lost Texas but she was a quintessential New Yorker too, working on the rewrite desk at the Daily News and the NY Post for years. She has two wonderful daughters, who have been through so much these last three years since Janie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She even hiked over 100 miles on the Camino San Compostola in Spain with her daughter Meredith, 8 months after surviving a brutal surgery and chemotherapy. She lived to the hilt. I’m so privileged to have been her friend. I’m crushed that her life was so short. But she instructed me, “No boo hoo.” I’m not crying, Janie, just have something in my eye.

I want to say something here about ambition. It’s a word I’ve grown to dislike, as it suggests to me men with greased back hair and ruthlessness. But ambition – unlike greed – is good. I used to call myself ambitious. Janie went to Columbia Journalism School to became a journalist and she did it. She worked hard at it. Sometimes someone can be so good at what they do they make it look easy, but that doesn’t mean it always is. I’m watching my #Exhibits (including Star and Izzy) as they progress in their chosen professions, and see them accumulate successes and credits. They are ambitious, but not killers. They are gracefully moving up in the world, and have plans. Plans are applied hope. Plans are optimism.

I sometimes wonder if I’ll be aged out of the loop, but an 89 year old costume designer just won the Oscar, as did 83 year old Sir Anthony Hopkins, so perhaps, the loop is large and forgiving, at least for the talented.

I want to be more ambitious now. Time is so precious.

But first, my five things that make my life better:

1. Communication. I am fortunate that I can write and that I like to write. If I have to I can write quickly. If inspired, I can drift into the flow which feels like I’m flying. And I can usually talk. I don’t take either of these things for granted.

2. My wonderful hair colorist. Angela Cosmai. I’ve followed her for more than 20 years. Wherever she goeth, I goeth. She has her own salon in Greenwich, CT and works in the city every week at Pierre Michel. With Angela I get not only expert color, but an ally with a wonderful heart. I cannot count the times I have cried in her chair, but never from her work. I look 100% better when I see her. http://angelacosmai.com/locations

3. Everytown for Gun Safety. How can we be the country with citizens who shoot when we get mad, or get drunk, or forget that our guns are loaded? How have we unlearned that we speak when we are upset and look for solutions that are peaceful and help us reconcile? Why do innocent people die every single day in America? We have to do better. We have to raise expectations that children in the poor communities will live to adulthood and older. Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Americans for Responsible Solutions (founded by Gabrielle Giffords and Sen. Mark Kelly), The Brady Campaign – they all are fighting to expand background checks and get guns off the streets. Please consider their essential work. We can’t wait for things to get worse.

4. Eating outdoors. Now that we are vaccinated and still masked and careful, being outside at one of New York’s restaurants has the feel of being at a festivity. Flowers and shrubs and fairy lights and heaters – it is pretty and feels like a victory. New York has done very very well since last year when we were the epicenter of the disease. Eating outside is our pleasure and our due.

5. The vaccine. I hope every single one of you is vaccinated or on the way to being vaccinated. There is all the evidence in the world that the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will prevent death from Covid-19. Scared of the side-effects that you’ve heard about? They make you feel bad for a day or so and then boom! You’re protected from this horrible and deadly disease. Not everyone gets a reaction. People are taking the first shot but avoiding the second? That’s not a good idea.

Marla Aaron’s 5 Things:

1. Cabbage: It's remarkable. I have now even perfected serving it as an entree. Completely underrated food. Like the rutabaga but more of a crowd pleaser. I want to make everyone love cabbage--it's my side hustle.

2. Getting dressed every day. And I do mean every day except the occasional weekend day when I schluff around. I get dressed for me and for "you" because how we take the time to present ourselves to the world is an act of communication about who we are. This became more important as I saw the world around me falling apart as I was stuck at home during lockdown. I continued to methodically lay out my clothes, do my face--and that's when I sort of started "documenting it" on our Instagram. I was trying to create a cycle of perking people up--I perked myself up, I put that out there, I perked other people up perhaps. Caring about your clothing and jewelry is an act of beauty and grace.

3. A funny husband. I have one. I am very lucky. He makes me laugh a lot. Including at myself which is perhaps the most important.

4. Writing it down--I keep notebooks--lots of notebooks. They are an absolute mess. They are mine. I keep track of my business, my employees, my projects, my designs, my blood pressure. I use Hermes notebooks and I love them in an unhealthy way. My first was given to me as a gift when I was 23 by a former boss. But any notebook will do.

5. Acceptance. For myself and everyone in my life. Acceptance is magic.

More About Marla Aaron

Instagram @marlaaaron

Pinterest @ Marla Aaron Jewelry

Twitter: @marlaaaron

Website marlaaaron.com.

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.

Janie Furse
1957-2021

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Ep 146 - Jennifer Taub - On the Chauvin Verdict.

April 22, 2021

Lisa Birnbach and Professor Jennifer Taub

Welcome to the Colliseum My guest this week is Professor Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money, and a professor of law at Western New England School of Law.

Friends, Romans, Countryman, it’s your scribe, William Shakespeare’s birthday.

As friends and I were talking the other day, we believe that Shakespeare should survive any purge of “dead white male writers” that is currently happening as many school curricula reform to adapt to Critical Race Theory and teaching through Anti-Racist lenses.

Yes, we will be discussing race today. We should be talking about race every day and trying to understand how we can make our world more equitable and fair. The Derek Chauvin trial has ratcheted it up – the systemic racism that is woven into the fabric of our flag and our society can no longer be ignored.

Similarly but on a smaller scale, is the tumult of news and opinions surrounding the private schools in New York and elsewhere, who have all signed up for a re-education program that favors diversity, inclusion, and equity. People seem to be losing their minds over it. I recognize that these are the problems of the top 10%, but that school world was the one in which I was raised and the one in which I raised my own #Exhibits™.

You would think the sky fell. Letters of protest from faculty, administrators, and parents were either sent to the press or made public and there seem to be two sides, who – in the tradition of our politics were shockingly divided. I don’t know too many people who have kids that young, but to simplify the debate: There are many who appreciate the new direction of the curriculum, which is to learn about race and how white people have oppressed people of color throughout history. It is both academic – the story of marginalized populations – and it is personal – what have you done? – that makes kids think, and sometimes say to their parents, things that upset wealthy white people without whom these schools could not survive.

The other side says, you are force-feeding this ethos to my kids and they’re not reading To Kill a Mockingbird anymore. What happened to the education we were promised? And who are these people you’ve hired to transform our academy to a BLM school?

It’s ugly. Of course there is a welter of misunderstanding on both sides. And, as my stepdaughter pointed out, this is the first year! There are a lot of kinks to work out! Give it a little time! Maybe schools can modify the curriculum without metaphorical bloodshed. Maybe parents should trust the schools to make some good decisions. Just making billions in your hedge fund doesn’t mean you are a pedagogical genius.

The point is, white people, including children, need to understand the ways we make assumptions and belittle Black people. That’s just fundamental.

Before Jennifer Taub joins us, these are my five things that make life better.

derek-chauvin-has-been-found-guilty-of-murder-in--2-387-1619017675-11_dblbig.jpg

1. The Derek Chauvin verdict. It had to be. America witnessed the murder of Floyd George on all our screens. The “blue wall” of cops, who almost never in history have “turned” on a fellow cop did just that. The jury rendered its decision: guilty on all counts. Which doesn’t bring George Floyd back, but begins to make the police in this country more accountable.

2. Darnella Frazier, the 17 year old who used her cell phone to film the murder. Perhaps calling her the “heroine” of this case is inappropriate, but if she hadn’t filmed the cops’ brutality, there would have been no path to justice. I heard her interviewed, and of course, she still suffers mightily from the experience, feeling guilty that she didn’t do more, didn’t intervene. But of course she did plenty.

3. Since Joe Biden became president, 85 MILLION Americans have been fully vaccinated. Think about where we were a year ago. We only could hope a vaccine would be developed some day. And now, if you’re 16 or older, you can be protected against Covid-19. I think it’s grand.

4. I can see! I can see! My eye doctor, Marc Rosenblatt prescribed new contact lenses for me (they are bifocal, somehow), and I don’t need reading glasses anymore! Whoa! Just whoa! Thank you Marc!

5. This tableau vivant, which was sent to me by my dear friend, Kelly Curtis. (In college, some friends and I invented a game called “Art Impressions” in which we tried to do this more or less without props or proper drapery. My specialty was “Death of Marat” by Jacques-Louis David.

Jennifer Taub’s 5 Things:

1. Coffee

2. Her puppy

3. Poetry

4. Friendship

5. Sunlight

More About Jennifer Taub:

Professor at Western New England School of Law

BIG DIRTY MONEY: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime

By Jennifer Taub

Twitter: @jentaub

Instagram: @taubjen

Website iwww.jennifertaub.com.

Derek Chauvin Trial: Societal Shift or One-and-Done Anomaly? We need more than one guilty verdict to change America By Danielle Moodie — Derek Chauvin Trial: Societal Shift or One-and-Done Anomaly? We need more than one guilty verdict to change America
By Danielle Moodie

Will Smith hosts this look at the evolving, often lethal, fight for equal rights in America through the lens of the US Constitution's 14th Amendment. AMEND: The Fight For America

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.

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Ep. 145 - Nancy Jo Sales - Dating Apps. For Dates or Rapes?

April 16, 2021

My guest today is the award-winning journalist Nancy Jo Sales. I’ve been reading her pieces for years, particularly in Vanity Fair, and she has written a new book which is a memoir with a strongly reported essay within it. It’s called Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno. It is juicy and disturbing, and it is published by Hachette and coming out next week.

My usual weekly thoughts and reactions to our times and my life have been disrupted this week. A dear friend who I’ve known since we were teenagers, has entered hospice care after years of dealing with a grave disease. I’ve been able to visit with her and her family, for which I feel deeply privileged, but it puts everything else into a vague fuzz. Her beautiful family is handling their fears and grief so well, with so much love and courage. What is there after all, but courage and love?

Meanwhile I have been sidelined by a relatively minor health situation, and I’ve spent more time in medical offices this week than I have at my desk. I am fine and I will be fine, but I haven’t paid much heed to what is going on in the world. In between appointments I hear of more senseless shootings. I wish America were better than that.

Maybe we really are two Americas, and the one with guns is populated by the Huns. I know that sounds glib. But it does seem like the moment enough of us had been vaccinated so that we could return to the marketplace, mass shootings were the first cultural activity that made a comeback as well.

Maybe I should take another pain killer and shut up?

Here are my five things that make life better:

1. Medical insurance. I have the luxury of medical insurance. I get to see specialists and get tests and I know there are so many Americans that don’t have equal access. At this point, most of my body parts have their own doctors, and I am so grateful for them. But I’m hoping that within the next year more people will have improved insurance, and won’t have to choose between food, rent, or medicine in their lives.

2. The sourdough bread my friend Fred introduced me to at Winner in Brooklyn. I will say no more as the line to buy it is already long.

3. Digital book tours. That’s what keeps this podcast fed. I know authors would rather meet their readers and interviewers in person, but for now, this works. And a podcast or a webinar can be more intimate than a live reading or event.

4. An old leather coat I have in the back of my front hall closet. I haven’t worn it in at least a year and a half, but as much as I try to clean out my closets, I often find I give away the thing I should have kept. I’m ashamed to say I got rid of a classic Burberry trench coat years ago. Was I thinking? So I saw a picture of a chic black leather coat today that made me want it, until I remembered that I have something similar. Which I will hold onto.

5. New York City’s endless scaffolds. I hate them. I love them. I hate them. They block so much light and architectural interest from the streets. But on rainy days – and we’ve had plenty of those recently – they are a godsend for dog walking. They are like mini dog parks. (Seriously though, real estate companies…. Can’t you just do the repairs already?)

Nancy Jo Sales

Nancy Jo Sale’s 5 Things:

1. Sake Bar Satsko

2. Edibles

3. Zazie, my daughter

4. Sturdy bookshelves

5. My treadmill

More About Nancy Jo Sales

NOTHING PERSONAL: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno

By Nancy Jo Sales

Published by Hachette

Instagram @nancyjosales

Twitter @nancyjosales

Website nancyjosales.com

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.

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Ep. 144 - Liz Garbus - Is Democracy Perishable?

April 9, 2021

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.

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,

2. Tana French mystery novels

3. @darth on Twitter

4. Settlers of Catan

5. Ice House Pond

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More About Liz Garbus

ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY

A Film By Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes

Amazon Prime

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.

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Ep. 143 - Annabelle Gurwitch - Am I an AirBnB? Who am I ?

April 2, 2021

Our guest this week, Annabelle Gurwitch joins the small – elite – 2 timers club. This is her second visit to the pod. In the year since she was last here, she has written a new book, launched a successful podcast, and been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. That’s a lot of things. In her new book of essays, You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility, Annabelle talks straight about a tightened belt and novel ways she’s discovered to make money. Her honesty about her life and the life of her non-binary child glistens. She’s working relentlessly – her drive, energy, and stamina are admirable, and her humor and intelligence are gifts to us all.

Did March end yet? It’s just a fact that it is too long. I noticed that last year, as we locked down mid-month. It is confirmed in 2021. Why don’t they make February a little longer? Make Leap Day Feb 31, then March could end earlier. Let me know what you think about that.

No one I know who celebrated had a proper Passover Seder – except Alan Zweibel from what I saw on Facebook. Ours was fragmented. Two were recovering from their second vaccines. My mother wasn’t feeling up to it. We were all hither and yon. Still the soup and brisket were on the table, along with matzah and wine, and my family was speckled on my computer screen like so many little postage stamps. It was unforgettably forgettable.

In puppy news, Sheila is now an untrustworthy sneak – poking into shelves for yummy treats like face masks, face mask filters, bottles of nail polish, and always – Kleenex. She is under house arrest now and wait – where is she? Oh good. Gnawing on something, but within my sight.

I mind but I don’t mind because spring is also poking out, and that is reason to smile. I’ve already spent as much time walking in the last 10 days as I probably did the last 5 months. Just moving feels good.

Here are my five things:

1. Perspective. Everything is not going to hell. Some things are pretty bad for a lot of people, but we still have hope. I didn’t get COVID, and I have healthy #exhibits.™ People are getting vaccinated at brisk rates, and for the most part, we are surviving a giant and deadly plague.

2. “Russian Doll”. I’m a late adapter to this Netflix series that I’d heard about last year. A starring vehicle for actress Natasha Lyonne, we binged it after the first Seder, and finished it on Sunday. It’s smarter than I am, so at first I just found it baffling. Now I’m obsessed with it and can’t wait for the second season.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80211627

3. Mark Bittman’s recipe for Creamy Vinaigrette. Upgraded my asparagus. Upgraded my whole repertoire. Made me less dependent on Paul Newman’s Own dressing in the bottle. I loved those for years, (maybe it was his picture on the label?) but I’ve finally advanced.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012696-creamy-vinaigrette

4. Maya Rudolph, who hosted SNL last weekend. I enjoy her so much – when I watch her, I feel like I’m watching a friend, which is different from how I feel with the other cast members, current or past. Is that weird? She seems like a good person. How she balances four children and her career seems like human Jenga.

5. Shtisel is back. Shtisel is back. Shtisel is back. Shtisel is back.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81004164

Annabelle Gurwitch’s 5 Things:

1. Young Jean Lee - Korean American playwright and her musical: We're Gonna Die

2. Say My Name - the power of hearing your own name out loud,

3. Primo Levi's Quaestio de Centauris,

4. TikTok books that make you sob videos

5. The Handshake

More About Annabelle Gurwitch

You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility

Published by Counterpoint

Twitter @LAGurwitch

Facebook @annabellegurwitch

Instagram: @annabellegurwitch1

Website: www.annabellegurwitch.com

Tiny Victories Podcast

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.

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Ep. 142 - Gloria Reuben - Why is 'Krista from Mr. Robot' Fighting for Clean Water?

March 26, 2021

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.

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

https://food52.com/recipes/search?q=Emma%20LaPerruque

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/

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.

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Lisa's Blog'n'Pod

Five Things That Make Life Better, Redux

Ep. 150 - Abigail Tucker - Brains, Placenta and the End of an Era.

Abigail Tucker’s 5 Things:

More About Abigail Tucker

Ep. 149 - Al Franken - The Once and Future Senator?

Al Franken’s 5 Things:

More About Al Franken

Ep. 148 - Kenneth Cole - A Cool New Voice for Mental Health

Kenneth Cole’s 5 Things:

More About Kenneth Cole

Ep. 147 - Marla Aaron - the bright & shiny jeweler who has changed lives, starting with her own

Marla Aaron’s 5 Things:

More About Marla Aaron

Ep 146 - Jennifer Taub - On the Chauvin Verdict.

Jennifer Taub’s 5 Things:

More About Jennifer Taub:

Ep. 145 - Nancy Jo Sales - Dating Apps. For Dates or Rapes?

Nancy Jo Sale’s 5 Things:

More About Nancy Jo Sales

Ep. 144 - Liz Garbus - Is Democracy Perishable?

Liz Garbus’s 5 Things:

More About Liz Garbus

Ep. 143 - Annabelle Gurwitch - Am I an AirBnB? Who am I ?

Annabelle Gurwitch’s 5 Things:

More About Annabelle Gurwitch

Ep. 142 - Gloria Reuben - Why is 'Krista from Mr. Robot' Fighting for Clean Water?

Gloria Reuben’s 5 Things:

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