For one whole day last weekend, New York City had sunshine and I felt like a new person. Everyone was out at Union Square - the chess players, the handmade vendors, the experimental musicians, the pigeons playing red light, green light- it was wonderful. We had friends in town who wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, so we took the Staten Island Ferry across the Hudson River back and forth to Staten Island, and let me tell you, the breeze off the water and the blue skies brought me back to life.
Here’s a photo I took from the boat.
This week’s OOH LA LA! list includes: late-night food delivery, soft lighting, and learning the proper use of the term “this shit slaps.”
After a late night of catching up with our friends in town, we decided to order DoorDash delivery. My friend was absolutely delighted that the empanadas we wanted could arrive straight to my apartment door, hot and ready to eat, in 17 minutes. Her excitement reminded me of the magic of late-night food delivery in New York City. We live in the future!
Culturally, I think we don’t talk about lighting enough, and it’s a really big deal. I’m taking a nighttime playwriting class in a space with bright fluorescent lights and by the end of it, my eyes are exhausted! This experience has really made me appreciate all the soft lighting in my apartment. There are no overhead lights in any rooms here, so I’ve got loads of lamps including one with a dimmer, and several with color-changing lightbulbs. At night, I love to turn the bulbs to pink which makes my room feel like a cozy jazz club. What bliss! We need to talk about this more.
A GenZ friend was kind enough to give me a lesson on the proper use of the term “this shit slaps.” I had thought you could change out “shit” to any other noun - i.e. this pad thai slaps, this blue sky slaps, this t-shirt slaps - but no, this is wrong. The phrase is “this shit slaps” and you’re meant to say it when it’s clear what shit is slapping. Hope this helps!
Also, also, also! “This shit slaps,” is another way to say, “Ooh La La,” am I right? “This shit slaps,” is about naming what you’re excited about at the moment, about declaring that this shit brings you pleasure, and about sharing it with others. OMG. It’s absolutely so OOH LA LA and I’m obsessed!!!
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings.
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XOXO,
LJ