Tap, Lottery, QR codes, Tailor, 'An Organ'

Friends,

I know there are a lot of awful things going on in the world. But I hope this weekly newsletter can bring at least a glimmer of respite and joy.

1️⃣ Tap

Last weekend, my partner, TJ, and I were staying at a hotel in Williamsburg. It’s only one stop to Manhattan on the L, about 3 minutes on the subway, but we left 45 minutes to get to the theater for our 3pm matinee. When we got down to the platform there were thousands of people and no trains. Someone looked up from their phone’s Google map and shared that the trains were stopped due to police activity.

TJ and I raced back to his car, drove it over the Williamsburg bridge, parked on the Lower East Side, and ran down into the Delancey Street F train platform as the F train was pulling away from the station. It was nearly show time, we were definitely going to be late, but we decided to at least try to get in.

While we waited, a crowd formed around a small wooden stage. And within seconds the incredible tap dancer, Ja’Bowen, was improvising a tap number that made the possibility of missing a Broadway show not a miss at all. It wasn’t until we were on the Uptown F Train that I remembered reading about Ja’Bowen in the NY Times back in 2023.

If you are in NYC, it’s worth a visit to the F train platform to experience his dancing.

2️⃣ Lottery

I love going to the theater. Perhaps more so, I love entering digital ticket lotteries for Broadway.

Success, in any realm, typically involves varying ratios of skill and luck. Procuring rush tickets can feel like a crap shoot. Until you master the skill! And I am skilled at this kind of luck.

A few weeks ago, TJ and I were driving to NYC. I had my light phone hooked up to a hot spot to get Wi-Fi on my old “airplane mode” iPhone. Both of those devices resting on one leg, while TJ’s phone rested on the other. I had the TodayTix app open on both and as soon as it turned 9am, I pushed the button on each screen’s app, one with each thumb and voila, we had two tickets to that day’s performance of Sunset Blvd.

Last Saturday I entered a slew of digital lotteries for Sunday’s Broadway show line-up and we ended up with two tickets to see Maybe Happy Ending.

(Yes, we made it to the theater only a few minutes late and they let us in. Ja’Bowen and Broadway?! An incredible two-fer.)

I didn’t know much about this show before trying my luck at tickets, but after reading the NY Times review (linked in that last sentence), I was intrigued. For a show with the premise “can two robots fall in love, can they be together?” it is subtle, remarkable and profound. Did I sob over a song about a lightening bug? Yes, yes I did.

Today I’ve entered for lottery tickets to see Sherie Renee Scott’s final bow as Audrey in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. Like Ariana Grande, Sherie is “the culture that made me say that culture is for me.” I’ll keep you all posted if I score.

^{Note: that last link is a TikTok video. I knew the clip existed somewhere and this is the only place I could find it. While I am not a fan of the platform, they do make it possible to watch videos from a web browser and the one that I have linked is pure delight!}

3️⃣ QR Codes

I still have my old iPhone. It doesn’t have a phone number, just a WiFi hook-up with my iCloud account and a few apps. I rarely bring it out with me, unless I am going to an event that requires digital tickets for entry or I’m entering multiple Broadway ticket lotteries at once (see #2).

Though more and more people are switching over to dumb phones, we are still in a smart phone world and far too many activities, institutions, even restaurants (!) require that you scan a QR code to give or receive information.

Yesterday, I was asked to scan a QR code to sign an updated waiver at an exercise studio. I told the person at the front desk that I didn’t have a smart phone. I was ready for an exasperated sigh or an eye roll. (This is typically the response). Instead, she told me that it wasn’t a problem. She handed me a small iPad and the form was already up on the screen ready to fill out.

As I was inputting all of the necessary info, she shared that she doesn’t think it is right that there are places that expect every single person to have access to a smart phone and she agreed that QR codes can create obstacles and barriers.

I share this in case the QR code is a top concern for ditching your smart phone. It can be a hassle, but usually there are workarounds!

4️⃣ Tailor

Finding a new job is really tough! I’m sure this isn’t new or surprising info. For the last seven or eight months, I have been job hunting and feeling far less skilled and far less lucky in this department. But I’m always iterating. New resume formats. Creative cover letters. A ortfolio. A personal website.

This article from The Guardian was a huge help in reformatting my resume in a constructive way. Once I had a version of my resume that felt like the best representation of my skill set and career history, I started to tailor it slightly for each job that I applied to. I only made this change in the last few weeks, but I’m already seeing results. It was also confirmed on one company’s recruitment website that they prefer a candidate tailor their CV to highlight their alignment with the role.

It takes some extra time and patience, but tailoring it is!

I’m also a fan of tailors! I needed to add an extra button hole in my dog’s winter coat so that the leash could slide through from her harness. I took the coat to a tailor and they gladly took on the project. Every time I put her coat on, I admire the well-crafted button hole. It looks like it has been there from the get go and makes our walks so much easier.

Team Tailor!

5️⃣ ‘An Organ’

I’ll leave you with this outstanding conversation between Fresh Air host Tonya Mosley and filmmaker/artist/documentarian RaMell Ross. Among many fascinating things, he talks about the camera becoming an organ of the human/character that it is documenting and how this changes the narrative. If you love to geek out about artistic practices and new ways of storytelling, you will love this episode!

Week 3 and I’m still having fun writing this weekly newsletter. Woohoo!

Cheers,

Hillary