Last year my partner Jack and I left the Washington D.C. area and moved to a small town in Virginia. While I love the mountain views and proximity to family, there’s a lot I miss. Most of all, my community.
My foray into making friends here has been slow (I’m socially anxious), which has been hard (I’m an extrovert). I have a few leads, but as is the case for many of us, growing connections as an adult is… fraught. It’s hard for me to reach out, in part because I’m quick to assume people are too busy or not interested.
Alas, apparently finding community takes effort?! So I’m buckling up and taking this recent episode from It’s Been a Minuteto heart.
IBAM host Brittany Luse leads a beautiful conversation about dinner parties; why they’re worth the hassle, how to make them memorable, and why they are so good for deepening friendships. Confession: I have never thrown a dinner party. I feel unequipped. I’m not a talented chef, my house is covered in dog hair and, as discussed, I’m an anxious gal.
But, inspired by this episode (and my desperation of course ❤), I’m going to give it a shot. Brittany and her guests do a great job of lowering the bar. They make the case that almost anything is better than nothing, and have several low-stress ideas for pulling off a great evening.
Wish me luck!
Cheers,
🍴Julia
P.S.
Do you have any dinner party tips of your own to share? Let us know!
The week’s best episodes
…to share with your most promising acquaintance.
🐘 This episode would never work in print
And that’s the whole point. On this episode of Consider Thisthree former newspaper reporters discuss the depth and nuance of audio journalism — including the ability to share what it sounds like when an elephant snores.
📖 Writing definitions for slurs is a tricky business
The folks that make Code Switch are word nerds. In this episode they go “semantic spelunking” and look at how dictionary writers philosophically wrestle with contentious words.
🖼️ Decorate your space with intention
If you’re still perfecting your home decor (same), this episode from Life Kit is incredibly helpful. Interior Designer Vern Yip has actionable advice for compromising with your partner or roommates, choosing the best paint colors and finding inspiration everywhere.
➕ Makin’ my way downtown NPR Music is taking a look at the songs that span generations, and refuse to fade away. This week, it’s “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, which I can’t believe came out 24 years ago. (And now I’m sure that piano riff will be stuck in my head all day.) To get access to this bonus episode from NPR Music — plus sponsor-free listening — sign up for NPR+.
One to Watch
You might think of video games as the antithesis of the natural world, but Hidden Levels from WBUR’s Endless Thread and 99PI adds a whole heap of nuance to that take. Nature and video games influence each other, believe it or not…
@99pi/Instagram
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