Greetings, earthlings. I’m just debating with myself if I want to see the Aaron Sorkin version of the 2020 election or some kind of animated version. Right now I am just so sick of hearing Donald Trump’s voice that I might skip the movie entirely. We’ve lived through it and I feel like an unpaid extra, as I’m sure many of you do.
The election is imminent. By next week all who vote will have voted, and then we will know or we will wait. Let’s hope and maybe pray that Americans stay calm through the tabulation process. The pandemic prevents us from having Election Night parties, which is just as well. Some of my guests from Election Night 2016 still haven’t forgiven me for the outcome.
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Lisa Birnbach and Alexandra Pelosi
The documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi is my guest this week. And her newest movie, “American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself” encapsulates the various ideological siloes we have now in this country. Starting with the vanity of people of all ages and walks of life who spend vasts amount of time portraying their most favorable selves in pictures they post online, to the protests that have posited one side against another – immigrants, gun lovers, BLM protestors, and more in a travelogue of this year. What a year. What is particularly amazing is that this one guileless woman with a camera goes into crowds all alone – without a crew – and gets people to talk to her.
But before you meet Alexandra (and yes, her mother is the Speaker of the House), here is my list of 5 things that made my life better.
1. Voting. I always take voting seriously. We went to vote early last Saturday, the first day of early voting in New York. The lines lasted many hours. The vibe was positive. Intentional. Respectful. Democracy at Work.
2. My mother had a humor piece published. With my brother Norman’s help, she wrote FUNNY WOMEN: Sleep Tips by a 90-Year-Old Insomniac. I am reprinting it here. When I called to congratulate her, she was uncharacteristically modest, but then said she barely remembered writing it, which is kind of key. Please read it.
3. Decluttering. It’s now or never. I pick now. I have a million excuses of why I can’t, but I just have to. My desire to get rid of things has become almost a physical ache. Stay tuned to hear more about it.
4. Merino wool. I feel sorry for wool. It’s become such a stepchild since everything knitted is now knitted in cashmere. But before cashmere there was Merino, there was Shetland, there was mohair, virgin wool, Icelandic wool. These wools had textures and oomph. Now everything is cashmere and soft and glamourous and expensive. I’m liking those other wools. Fortunately I still have sweaters from the previous century.
5. Fake Melania. I don’t know if you heard, but people are looking at pictures of the Trumps from their campaign trips over last weekend, and many think that Trump traveled with a Melania stunt double. It’s crazy, so crazy, but maybe just possible. This version of Melania 2.0 smiles much more openly and broadly than the original and even holds Trump’s hand.
Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi
Alexandra Pelosi’s 5 Things:
NYC’s Washington Square Park and the people that frequent it and help make NYC a better place
Dashwood Books and other small businesses that make NYC NYC
Cheap box cake
More About Alexandra Pelosi
The 5 Things That Make Life Better podcast is recorded and produced at The Field in NYC https://thefieldtv.com
My team is Shpresa Oruci, Michael Porte, Sam Haft and Boco Haft.