THIS WEEK
WATCH: Sick of Netflix? The (virtual!) Sundance film festival starts Thursday. Saturday’s eight-hour ‘80s Radical Sabbatical with Grandmaster Flash, Kenny Loggins, and oh god, aerobics. If you loved The Underground Railroad, you need to see the trailer for the upcoming series. Freaks and Geeks is now on Hulu. There goes our weekend.
READ: Just as I Am, Cicely Tyson’s memoir, comes out today, as does Joan Didion’s latest, Let Me Tell You What I Mean (read an excerpt here). My dad died of COVID and a Zoom grief group helped me heal. An incomplete oral history of Asian Americans and our ineffable love of new wave. How The Color Purple raised me. Doctor, please help, I’m feeling optimistic.
ADD TO CART: This shattered glass ceiling ring and everything in the “Midlife Crises, Menopause, and Getting Older” section of a new Seattle bookstore that categorizes books by emotions.
ENJOY: This appreciation of INXS. Celebrate 40 years of Duran Duran. DEVO, Bowie, Lemmy, and others as marionettes. A Hamilton-inspired tribute to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Raiders of the Lost Cat. A new Ani DiFranco album. Ogle the clothes in Kamala’s closet.
(Photo: Robin Wright in Land via Sundance)
ADVICE: I'm Lonely! Should I Connect with My Ex?
Welcome to our new advice column where we try to answer all of your burning, confounding questions. Never fear, a grown-ass woman is at the helm! We’ll also get advice from experts (since we may not always have the best answer.) Share your own advice in the comments.
“Dear TueNight,
I had a couple glasses of wine and friended an ex or two on Facebook recently... eek. Now I’m thinking that was a mistake. I don’t know if I really want to connect with them or if the limited social contact in quarantine (and a nice merlot) is getting to me. Should I go back and unfriend/unfollow them?...”
Obsessed: Memory Foam Knee Pillow
I always thought I was a side sleeper. Recently, waking up with more lower back pain than usual, I decided to investigate.
The first thing I learned: I'm not a side sleeper. I'm a head-turned-sideways-on-the-pillow, neck-twisted-awkwardly, body-lying-flat-with-one-leg-thrown-out sleeper. I tried using regular pillows to help me stay on my side instead of sprawling, but they feel bulky and don't stay in place when I flop around in my sleep.
Then I discovered this amazing contoured leg pillow. (Not to be confused with MyPillow!)
This piece of wizardry in small pillow form does indeed contour to my thighs and knees, keeps me on my side instead of a twisty sprawly mess, and stays in place all night. I've been sleeping with it for the past month and I've noticed a major difference in how my back feels when I wake up. Who knew a little memory foam between the knees would help me sleep better and reduce my back pain?
— Jen Roventine
Here’s to staying home, TueNighters!