THIS WEEK
READ: How a sickly squirrel offered me unexpected comfort. On forging Black identity in 1968. How pen pals are saving me in quarantine. How my mother taught me to love Black hair. Joyce Carol Oates’ new book of poetry, American Melancholy, comes out today, as does Kink, a volume of literary short fiction. Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown is just getting started. RIP Mary Wilson.
ENJOY: Kim Gordon’s daughter stars in her new video for “Hungry Baby.” A family parody of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Serena Williams' tribute to Flo-Jo. Not your typical Valentine’s Day cards. Cat lawyer is everything we ever wanted in an internet.
ADD TO CART: Black History Month Vans. A Kamala Harris multifunctional face mask.
CELEBRATE: Time Magazine’s celebration of the power of Black art. Samantha Jones may not be part of the Sex and the City reboot, but Samantha Irby will be in the writers’ room.
FOLLOW: Because of Them We Can and the “Blacksonian.”
WATCHLIST:
Friday: Judas and the Black Messiah; Allison Janney, Wanda Sykes, and 100 other famous people in Breaking News in Yuba County; Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo in Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar; Brandy and Whitney Houston’s Cinderella.
Saturday: Regina King hosts SNL.
Sunday: Get sex advice from Margaret Cho.
ADVICE: To Dye or Not to Dye?
By Heather Graham
Dear TueNight,
I was having a conversation with my friend that turned to the topic of hair dye. I’m thinking of covering my grays with something a little less boring. She told me not to bow to the societal pressures for women to look young no matter how old we are. But when I look in the mirror, I feel like I’m living in some old lady’s body who I don’t even know. Is she right? Should I embrace my gray?
— More salt than pepper
OBSESSED: My Avocado Guy
While some self-medicate with herbs, my quarantine drug of choice has been avocados. (We all cope in different ways. No judgment.) My candyman is Miguel Gonzalez, aka Davocado Guy. And I will never buy from anyone else. Ever.
You have to understand that these are not just any avocados — they are PERFECTLY RIPE. They are LUSCIOUS. They are MIRACULOUS. Creamy, firm, and the loveliest shade of green inside — with not a brown spot in sight. And someone brings them Right. To. Your. Door. And there you are with the best guac your chip has ever dipped.
When I first discovered Davocado Guy, early in quarantine, I had some questions: Does he really just deliver avocados? (Yes, but also limes). And why are they so superior to every other avocado but still the same price? I started digging around and found this New Yorker article and another one in TimeOut. TLDR: Miguel is highly-secretive about how he sources and maintains such perfection, but it has something to do with Mexico and temperature-controlled warehouses and poking them ever so gently to monitor ripeness.
Now my guy has a website with a super cute logo. You can order as needed or subscribe for weekly deliveries throughout 3 of the 5 boroughs and parts of Long Island. And when you use this link, you’ll get a $2.50 credit — that’s one free, perfectly marvelous avocado (or 5 limes, if you’re into that). You’re welcome.
— Robin Marshall
❤️ V-Day Plans ❤️
Valentine’s Day during a pandemic looks a little different this year. Or, er, does it? If you’re wondering how to get your heart on this year, here’s what the TueNight crew is doing:
Jen: Assuming it's above zero, my husband and I will be braving the Minnesota cold to go for a walk on a trail lit by luminaries and roast s'mores around the campfire. If it's too cold, we'll do our normal kid-free jam: order takeout, binge Netflix or Hulu, and cuddle under piles of blankets.
Heather: I may have a Galentine's date with a very good, very old friend who is also single and she's in my pod. I'll probably make salmon and an apple pie.
Margaret: My friends and I rejected this Hallmark holiday in high school. Thirty years later, we still make a point of wearing all black on February 14, even though some folks are happily married.
Margit: Nothing special, my love is 24/7/365 for my husband 🤮, but now that you've asked: Make dinner, hot chocolate for dessert, watch the entire fourth season of Search Party. That sounds pretty good to me.
What are you doing? Give us ideas! Please! Join our discussion on Facebook:
(Image: Shutterstock/Derek Springsteen/Thrillist)
Happy Galentine’s Day, Tuenighters!