3 Things: Bill Buford, Ann Friedman, and Smart People Talking Calmly

Hey there!

Another week. We did it! Things are still strange and challenging, but we're still here. We're still moving forward. Growing up in an interfaith household (my mom is Jewish and my dad is Christian), Passover/Easter was always a big deal. We'd do a big seder and then do a big Easter lunch too. Some years, I ate Easter ham with a side of Hillel sandwich. Not traditional, not kosher, but delicious. 

I was sad to not be with my family this week, but I'm also grateful for technology that lets us see each other's faces. And I'm grateful everyone is in relatively good health and spirits. I'm also glad that we got to have two holidays that insist on the possibility of good emerging from struggle. That sometimes terrible things will happen in the world but when we get through them, there's joy and opportunity on the other side. I've found that very meaningful this week. Maybe that's helpful for you too. Or maybe you're just using this week as an excuse to order Peeps online and then eat them whole. Either way is fine! You do you. Just make sure to chew.

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, April 11th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! I'm hosting another edition of my Zoom game show where audience members from around the internet compete for prizes with celebrity guests. Link

- Monday, April 13th at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
BUTTERBOY. I'm telling some jokes at the best comedy show in Brooklyn, which is now the best livestream on the internet. Hosted by Jo Firestone, Aparna Nancherla, and Maeve Higgins. This week features me, SNL's Melissa Villaseñor, Jordan Carlos, Manolo Moreno, and more. Link

- Tuesday, April 14th at 5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! The weeknight edition of my gameshow. It's been fun, so I think I'll keep doing the show on Tuesdays and Saturdays as long as people are enjoying it. Sign up to play or watch this edition of the show here: Link

This week’s list

GREAT:
Bill Buford is an amazing food writer. I've loved reading his stories from the kitchen for a long time. This week, he has an absolutely incredible piece about Bob, a man who ran a small neighborhood bakery in Lyon, but made the perfect French bread. It's everything I want from a story right now: an escape to a different, simpler world. A world filled with perfect baguettes and friendly strangers. And since it seems like everyone I know is baking bread today, I imagine there's going to be a lot of interest in the story of a true master. Baking Bread in Lyon


FUNNY:
Ann Friedman is not a comedian, per se. She's a journalist and a podcaster. But she often makes me laugh a lot. One joke I think is just about perfect is her pie chart explaining "How Are Extroverts Coping Right Now?" I can't tell you how many people I've told about that chart and laughed at how perfectly it nailed me. Particularly the slice that says "Mentally replaying a pleasant 3-minute convo we had with the neighbor from a safe distance." I honestly have done that at least once a week. You can see more of Ann's pie charts here, or sign up for her fantastic weekly newsletter, or buy her new book about maintaining friendship despite distance. Everything she does is worth checking out.


INTERESTING:
Last but not least, here's a project that I've been working on for the past few weeks. I've been feeling overwhelmed by the firehose of news and information and wishing that I could hear about what matters from the experts directly, so I called a few friends up and put together a video I'm calling Smart People Talking Calmly. I interviewed an immunologist and a clinical psychologist about how to stay mentally and physically healthy and why they feel like there are real reasons to be optimistic about the future. Also a book recommendation from Karen Chee! Check it out here and please feel free to share: Smart People Talking Calmly  
(Edited by the talented and generous Matt Porter)


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Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: SXSW Short Films, Alyssa Limperis, and Shaina Feinberg/Julia Rothman

A quick true story: Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for the first time in two weeks. The line to get into Trader Joe's curved around the block. It took me almost two full hours to get in. The spirit in line was of camaraderie and mutual amazement at how quickly the world has changed. When I was about halfway to the front of the line, an elderly man pulled into the parking lot in a pickup truck and got out with a walker. He maneuvered, with much effort, along the line and towards the entrance. Everyone around me in line was visibly concerned about him but we were glad that he wasn't going to stand out in the sun and was instead going straight to the front.

But when we turned the corner and could finally see the entrance, the old man was sitting at a picnic table alone. He hadn't gone inside. So I was worried again. After some discussion, the couple in front of me and I agreed that we should insist that he cut us in line so he could get groceries. I walked over and offered and he looked at me with an amused grin. "What are you talking about? I OWN this place. I'm just watching the business roll in!" 

Immediate huge laughter from me and everyone else around us in line. A perfect set up and a perfectly delivered punchline. Good to know that even in these weird times, I can get absolutely roasted by an elderly businessman. 

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
- COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! Last week's Zoom game show was so fun that I'm doing it again. Come join audience members from around the internet to compete for prizes with celebrity guests. Tuesday, April 7th at 5:30 p.m. PDT / 8:30 p.m. EDT https://forms.gle/4jAQUrL5YpnkvYZ56

A WAY TO HELP:
- From my friend (and moonwalking Zoom gameshow participant) Dan Fox:

I'm working with my friends at NOV10 on a project to connect artists with NYC medical workers helping treat COVID-19. We want to send medical workers simple pieces of personalized art or creative things (drawings, songs, animations, sketches, etc.) that are as a dumb little pick-me-up in stressful times. If you are interested in creating a simple, one-off piece for a medical worker, sign up here: https://forms.gle/BYAcvZT66JWufAaT9

If you want to nominate an NYC-area medical worker (dr., nurse, building staff, admin, etc), sign up here: https://forms.gle/bqqzDVsfjMJ4pe8n6

This week’s list

GREAT:
SXSW is one of the most important film festivals of the year. And since it was one of the first big events to be cancelled due to coronavirus, a lot of great movies that would have premiered there could have gotten lost in the swirl. But, in a very cool move, SXSW is making all of the shorts that would have played in the festival available online for free. So you can do a little mini film festival in your living room! In general, I think it's a shame that people don't watch more short films since they're really fun (and if you hate one, guess what? It's short!). But the biggest obstacle is where would you find the films? Now, there's an easy answer: 2020 SXSW Shorts


FUNNY:
I genuinely think Alyssa Limperis is the funniest sketch comedian on the planet. I laugh at every single video she makes. She's been profiled in the NYT, called "the next Gilda Radner," and done multiple bits on Conan (and voices in the new Kevin Bacon podcast). Her best and most famous character is her mom. I definitely recommend exploring the whole oeuvre of Alyssa's mom videos, but for today, let's all enjoy the perfection of: Mom Stuck Inside.


INTERESTING:
Shaina Feinberg is a writer and filmmaker. Julia Rothman is an illustrator. Together they put together a beautiful illustrated guide with advice for hard times. "With New York's statewide stay-at-home order in effect, businesses are closing, people are hunkering down, and the economy is flailing. In scary times, perspective can be helpful. We talked to five New Yorkers—via Zoom video chat, of course—about surviving the worst moments of their lives." How We Got By


Thanks for reading! if you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay positive,
Chris

3 Things: Jazmine Hughes, Eugene Mirman, and The Oatmeal

Hey there,

I'm not going to lie to you, it's been a tough week. If you feel like you're the only one who's struggling as the world collapses, I'm right there with you. Not everyone is taking advantage of this time to do pushup challenges and bake perfect loaves of bread while finally finishing their novel. (Although, shoutout to all the books that we're going to read in the next few years with gratuitous and uncomfortably sensual descriptions of face-touching!) As for me, I'm doing my best to read the news less frequently and cling to a few routines at least. Like this newsletter! It's a thing that differentiates my Saturday from the blur of other quarantined days. 

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMED SHOWS:
- COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! I'm hosting a live-streamed game show where audience members from around the internet get the chance to compete for prizes with celebrity guests. Tuesday, March 31st at 6 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. EDT https://forms.gle/71r3HFEvjpU1pEG47

- MONSTER MASH! Carley Moseley's night of food-themed improv and comedy takes over the Internet. I'll be doing a bit on this show, which is always so fun. Wednesday, April 1st at 6 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. EDT https://www.brooklyncc.com/show-schedule/monster-mash-livestream

This week’s list

GREAT:
Jazmine Hughes is an incredible writer. She has a piece out this week in The New York Times Magazine about learning to swim and figuring out who she is (and who she wants to be). I can't possibly do it justice by describing it, so do yourself a favor and read the whole thing. It's so, so good and about way more than being able to jump into the deep end of the pool. "Self-definition is a grueling, delicious task. To be a teenager is to be a testing ground for the assembly of your person; to be a young adult is to have free rein to make mistakes. At some point, we make a plan that reflects the self-knowledge we’ve accumulated thus far — I am this, I like that, here are my intentions. But a plan is a limited comfort. What would happen if we allowed ourselves to deviate?" Learning to Swim Taught Me More Than I Bargained For


FUNNY:
Eugene Mirman is a comedian, the voice of Gene on Bob's Burgers, and one of the pioneers of "alt-comedy." Rather than just perform in comedy clubs and at big corporate festivals, Eugene has always found ways to make fun of the comedy industry's self-importance. He started his own comedy festival as a joke, which made fun of typical showcases like "Comedians to Watch." At Eugene's festival, that show was called "Comedians You'll See in a Cell Phone or Cream Cheese Commercial in 2-3 Years." But after a decade of running a fake festival, Eugene had inadvertently created an institution. And along the way, his life had taken some serious turns. Julie Smith Clem, a producer/director extraordinaire, who co-founded the festival with Eugene, put together a documentary about the show and Eugene's life. It Started As A Joke 


INTERESTING:
The Oatmeal is the brainchild of Matthew Inman. He's drawn wildly successful web comics, created a card game about exploding kittens, and written best-selling books. His work runs the gamut from fart jokes to a moving, emotional story about a plane crash to an ode to the mantis shrimp. All of which is to say that he's not easily put into a box. He's always creating something new. And this week he put together his lessons about creativity, which are very funny and also very useful for anyone who's trying to make something new or break out of a rut. Eight Marvelous and Melancholy Things I've Learned About Creativity


Thanks for reading! if you like these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.

Keep hanging in there,
Chris