TueDo List: Solo Outings + Carlene Bauer + Strange Juice
Plus: Dolly Parton goes rock, Carrie is back, and we're putting on Silver City Pink
THIS WEEK
We have a bit of a theme this week; it’s all about going out solo, whether we find joy in it as Heather Whaling shares in her story, or as in my post where I venture out by myself and unexpectedly meet a new friend. Tomorrow is the first day of summer (and hey, my birthday! 🎉) so I hope you revel in the sun and do something that’s just for YOU. — Margit
📖 READ: Lorrie Moore tackles grief. It’s not retire, it’s refire. The “never right” age bias at work. Why do periods go haywire in perimenopause? “In my dreams, I live a slow life filled with poetry.” Your daytime nap is helping you live longer.
🤣 LOL: Names for your middle-aged dad band. Grimace is deeply weird. A vintage beatnik makeover (boo!) We didn’t have birthday parties in the ‘80s?
🎧 LISTEN: Loving this hopeful tune from Boygenius. When Pete Townshend breaks the ukulele. New sweet, sad ballad from The Pretenders. Dolly Parton does “Magic Man.”
👀 LOOK: RIP Teresa Nervosa. The subversive self-portraits of Iiu Susiraja. Diamond lips? Well, you could just wear Silver City Pink.
😋 YUM: Reba McEntire’s “Strange Juice” cocktail might go well with these watermelon fries, a new summer snack. And for summer comfort: one-pan miso chicken and rice.
🛒 ADD TO CART: We love our tinted moisturizers and our cute, comfy sandals.
📺 WATCH:
Wednesday. Secret Invasion: Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury, the Avengers mastermind, in this dark spy thriller (Disney+).
Thursday. The Bear, Season 2: It’s not a reopening, it’s a rebirth (Hulu). Love it, hate it, And Just Like That is back for a second season and the return of Kim Cattrall 👀 (HBO Max).
Friday. Asteroid City: World-changing events spectacularly disrupt a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention circa 1955 (Theaters). The Perfect Find: A 40-year-old’s fashion career comeback hits a snag when she falls for a much younger coworker (Netflix).
Saturday. No Hard Feelings: Jennifer Lawrence stars as a broke woman about to lose her childhood home who agrees to date a wealthy couple’s awkward 19-year-old son — and hilarity ensues (Theaters).
STORY: The Unexpected Joy of Going to a Concert On My Own
By Heather Whaling
Last weekend, I found myself with an unplanned Saturday night alone. My son was heading on vacation with his dad earlier than I’d anticipated (we co-parent), which meant I had an evening with no commitments and no responsibilities. O.A.R., one of my favorite bands to see live, was in town, but no one was available to go with me at the last minute. I couldn’t go by myself.
Or could I?
TN10: Carlene Bauer, Novelist
Basic bio: Meet TueNighter Carlene Bauer, an inspirational writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Her latest book, the novel Girls They Write Songs About, is a phenomenal power ballad to the beauty of female friendship. Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, it will be out in paperback this week.
Beyond the bio: One of the misconceptions about getting older is that, as soon as you hit 40 or 50, you magically stop caring what people think about you. It does get easier to not give a @#&!*, but it might take some of us longer to fully free ourselves from wanting the approval of others.
What makes you a grown-ass lady? Knowing when to get the hell out. Be it a party or a relationship…
IT’S ME, MARGIT: Broadway Binge Buddies
By Margit Detweiler
It’s always around this time, right after the Tony Awards and before my birthday, that I get bit by a Broadway bug. I’m swept up in the impractical desire to see every possible Broadway show I can afford. Of course, theater tickets are astronomically expensive, but I still manage to splurge on a few (“it’s my birthday”!) Going to the theater is one of the greatest pleasures of living in New York City. And in a world that feels inches away from becoming an AI hellscape, live theater feels like a fleeting, transformative, IRL experience…
Happy First Day of Summer TueNighters!
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