This week I went back and forth with friends about the possibility of Chicago Public Schools actually having in-person classes this fall, and all we could determine is that sitting around and solving the world’s problems is not as satisfying when talking to each other via Skype. And then I made a concession to health by trying to use Greek yogurt as a dipping sauce, and while it’s tasty with chocolate chip cookies, I don’t feel like I’m doing it right.
Let’s take a break from striving for perfection and admit that some of us are stumbling around (and as the philosophers of Erasure once asked, “… if I should falter / would you open your arms out to me?” )
My editors echoed this sentiment of sorts with this week’s note about how to deal with our event listings. I read this note and participated in the discussion we had on Slack with some gusto because, I mean, my official title is Listings Coordinator. I know it’s a little off-putting or perhaps even frustrating to some of you, but we still cannot tell you what to do in this situation. Except—if you’re going out there, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. Try to stay at least six feet away from others. Tip more than you’ve ever tipped a service person before. And if you decide to stay home and/or have some extra dollars, you can still support people who make the job of entertaining you their livelihood by donating, sharing, subscribing, or buying merchandise.
Look at and listen:
- Let’s start with that Erasure song:
- I appreciate the Empty Bottle for posting a bunch of the playlists and rooftop concerts created for their ongoing Music Friendly Distancing series
- I tremendously appreciate Garth Johnson of Extreme Craft for keeping his screenshots of the wonderful 1973 book Rosey Grier’s Needlepoint for Men on a public Flickr page
Virtual and in-person events coming up:
- Proof of Love, a play by Chisa Hutchinson performed on Zoom from 7/22-7/26
- Laetitia Sonami and Zeena Parkins performing at Dreamstream, a virtual benefit for the Experimental Sound Studio (Sat 7/18 starting at 7 PM)
- Streaming From Isolation with the Stylin’ Out Network (livestream sets from DJ Jillian X, DJ Quicktastic, and DJ Virgil7 viewable via the group’s Twitch channel on Wednesday nights at 8 PM)
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