The TueDo List: The Crown + Sweater Obsessed + Sherri Franklin
THIS WEEK
Our devices are in do-not-disturb mode until we’re done watching Gillian Anderson in The Crown. Then we’re climbing into wearable sleeping bags to watch The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air reunion and the star-studded adaptation of Between the World and Me. Come for the stunning Viola Davis photos, stay for the interview. What writing a pandemic newsletter showed me about America. The most popular Thanksgiving side dishes by state. Send daily haikus to your BFFs. How to plan a virtual holiday office party that doesn't suck, and how to celebrate the holidays alone. Nine months into the pandemic, my bedroom has become my everything. SUPERHERO: Dolly Parton, who has a new Christmas album coming out, partly funded a COVID vaccine and went “undercover" on the internet. A must-read for dog people, a poem for cat people, and Advent calendars for both. Mood-boosting color from That’s Not My Age. The return of Tower Records, 53 whiskey cocktails to get you through winter, and the 1981 song that evolved into A-ha’s "Take On Me."
(Photo: Netflix)
OBSESSED: Bury Me in This Sweater
Dear Uniqlo,
We have a problem. You used to be a store I mostly avoided, except for your occasional Marimekko releases. You see, despite my friend’s insistence that I look to you for basics, I was always underwhelmed by your women’s clothes, which never seemed to fit me properly anyway. (One of my band names is Between Sizes.)
But last Monday, when my friend and I wandered into your Yonkers store, my eyes landed on this lambswool v-neck cardigan, in the most perfect shade of dark brown, and it was love at first sight. Never mind that it’s a men’s size large and isn’t particularly flattering on me; this thing is so warm – without being scratchy – that I have been wearing it every single day since. I’m so obsessed with it, I have even WORN IT TO BED the last three nights. My other sweaters now feel neglected and/or are seething with jealous rage. I spent 10 years in Catholic school as a kid, where I hated having to wear the same thing every day, and now – more than 30 years later – I’m doing this voluntarily? What have you done to me??
Sincerely,
—Margaret Crandall
PS: Can I get the same sweater in hot pink?
STORY: One Cookie at a Time: Carrying the Weight of My Anxiety
By Lynn Hepburn
I decided to let the adults have their own feelings – let them cry in closets – while I buried mine under chips, cookies, cake, whatever was at hand. The more I ate, the more I started to shrink in personality. I became shy and withdrawn, yet larger in body, an attempt to make myself harder to dominate and control.
(Psst: Want to write for us? Pitch us here!)
TueNight 10: Sherri Franklin
("Mochi says, Yes, no cavities!”)
Age: “Somewhere around 60.”
Basic bio: Sherri is the CEO of the San Francisco nonprofit Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, which has rescued and found new homes for more than 8,300 dogs since she founded the organization in 2007. She’s also a CNN Hero.
Beyond the bio: The freedom I have felt as I have gotten older makes me feel more free in the world wherever I go. There is so much power in going forward with a dream. The fear went away as I aged!
What makes you a grown-ass lady? I love speaking up for those with no voice, all animals. I believe that kindness wins and makes good things happen and that you do not show your power by being cruel or a bully.
1. On the nightstand: Ear plugs, my Kindle, and CBD gummies.
2. Can't stop/won't stop: Saving old dogs forever.
3. Jam of the minute: Songs from The Queen’s Gambit.
4. Thing I miss: Being at Muttville GQ with our team and all the dogs. (Because of the pandemic, all the dogs are in foster homes right now, but we are still saving up to 24 dogs a week!)
5. ’80s crush: Chrissie Hynde and River Phoenix.
6. Current crush: Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones and Joaquin Phoenix, yum.
7. Latest fave find: YouTube yoga classes by Erin at Five Parks Yoga. So good!
8. Last thing you lost: 15 pounds and my eyeglasses.
9. Best thing that happened recently: I adopted Bubby, a 12 year old Jack Russell, best cuddle bunny ever!!
10. Looking forward to: Being back at Muttville and worldwide exploration.
November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month. If you’d like to help Muttville rescue more dogs, you can donate here.
Cheers, TueNighters!
