New York Times, Europe solo trip, lots of restaurant recs, and a casual rat infestation (the life and times of Shayna)
This article is a chaotic catch up for everything that's been happening and a heads up for some pretty big changes that might be coming to the newsletter
I’m almost at a loss for words for how much is happening in my life right now (which is very unfortunate in that I’m literally writing a newsletter). That being said, I’m going to break this newsletter into two parts. The first part will be a summary of everything that’s been happening in the wild world of my personal life, the second part will be some food and TV recommendations to help you quell your possible pandemic anxieties.
LET US BEGIN!
What’s going on with Shayna?
I’ve been hired by the New York Times!!
So this is a freelance position for one article with the potential to become a long term freelancer! It’s all very exciting and the money is REALLy good so I’m as happy as an organic clam about that :) So, technically, this is a piece for Departures. Do you remember that magazine that used to be in the reader’s pocket on every airplane seat? Well, it’s since been rebranded as a food and travel magazine for the 1% and it’s owned by the NYT. Anyway, this article is about a topic that’s very near and dear to my heart: live performance. American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is finally back in NYC after a 3 year (pandemic-induced) hiatus so they wanted a writer with a dance background to cover their grand re-entrance to the MET and that writer is meeeee! The extra crazy thing is that I might not even be able to share this article after it’s published. There’s an extremely expensive paywall behind all of the articles on the Departures website that I only have access to because I’m a writer for them. If I can share a clip then I will but I have no idea if I’m allowed to do that.
My apartment is infested with rats
Yes you read that correctly. Rats. It’s disgusting and insane and my management company SIXTH BORO RENTALS is nothing short of criminal. Not only have I been documenting everything on my TikTok (I’ll attach one of the videos here) but I might have started a possible class action lawsuit against my management company! This nonsensical, objectively comical housing mess has been going on for about 2 months so if you were wondering why I wasn’t writing my newsletter consistently, that was why. Between moving in and out of my apartment for my health, calling lawyers, the health department, the housing authorities and almost every other entity you could think of so I could live safely in the home I pay for, and working, all of my time was accounted for. But with the help of hundreds of comments and thousands of views, total strangers online (and a few close friends) I was able to navigate the wild west of rental litigation and even found a nonprofit in my area that’s willing and able to help me face my landlord and management company with confidence in a court of law. So if you, or someone you know, is in the Jersey City or Hoboken area and are having issues with your landlord or management company, reach out to The Waterfront Project. They are so sweet, knowledgeable, compassionate, supportive, and just down right good people. I couldn’t sing them higher praises if I tried.
Along these lines, I’ve also been hired as a freelance writer for Hoboken Girl (a local and very popular publication for the Jersey City and Hoboken area) to write about food, wine, and my rat infestation so I’ll be going into more detail about that situation and the lessons I’ve learned as a renter on that platform. That being said, if you want all the unfiltered details, you might want to check out my TikTok. JUST DON’T TELL MY MOM (I mean this in all seriousness).
I’m going to Europe!
I’ll be in Europe from May 5th to the 20th to see some friends, visit some new places, and scout out a potential new home. Yep, it’s true folks, I’m finally moving out of the country! I’ll be sharing more details about where I’m considering moving to and why with the paid subscribers (so you might want to join that club, if you’re interested). But I’ll be visiting Ireland, Germany, and Portugal for this trip. I’ll be reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends in person, and probably going on a date or two. For the excursions and adventures, I’ll write about them here. If you want to know any of the juicy stuff then you might want to become a paid subscriber. I’m also talking with an editor from National Geographic about possibly writing a piece when I get back so more updates on that to come!
*PAID SUBSCRIBERS: look out for that second, much shorter, newsletter with my travel plans at 12:12PM EST today! I have a really important question for you all.
GIMME YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS SHAYNA!
Geez, no need to be so grabby. I’m a delicate flower, after all. But, as a princess of my word, here are three recommendations for you springtime fun times.
I’ve never had lobster in my life before so, when I went to visit my friend who lives near Philly, she demanded that that be fixed. This food truck brand has been featured on Food Network and won Shark Tank, both for good reason. Now I’m not sure what other kinds of lobster taste like but their plain, straightforward lobster (that I ordered with a side of tater tots) was soft and slightly sweet, which took me by surprise. Thankfully I’m not allergic so I can spend significantly more money on this organization. Because they are a food truck and because they’re growing in popularity, Cousins Maine Lobster has several trucks roaming around the Philly, New Jersey, and NYC areas! Check the link above to find out when they’ll be close to you or if they have a brick-and-mortar storefront in your area. Full disclosure, they are not a Black owned business and, if they didn’t have great customer service and an amazing product, I probably won’t advertise them on here but DAMN it was delicious.
This is a hot pot restaurant located in Little Ferry, NJ, that is my mom’s first official recommendation to the newsletter. If you’ve met my mom, you’ll know that it takes a lot for her to want to spend her money anywhere, especially in food establishments. She’ll drive miles out of the way to get to one particular Chipotle because the management there is more to her standards than any of the Chipotles within a 10 minute radius. So when she told me that I had to go to this restaurant with her (and that she had already eaten there once a week for the past 2 weeks) I knew she meant business. All of the ingredients are fresh, the servers are incredibly kind (one server has made it a point to say hi to my mom every time she visits), and there’s hundreds of soup combinations for you to choose from. If you’re gluten free, they have about 5 different gluten free noodle options for you. If you prefer lamb, beef, seafood (including scallops, octopus, crab, etc.), they’ve got you covered. And, for the amount of food you can get, the flat fee for service is RIDICULOUSLY inexpensive. Plus they have a green tea ice cream machine so who could say no to that?
Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max
This show means everything to me. Everything. I was murder for this show…technically third degree manslaughter, but still, people would be gravely injured. This show has grown a cult-like following, myself included, in what feels like the span of a week. It’s a show about gay pirates. That’s all I want to tell you so you can thoroughly enjoy the ride that is this series. I love a good ensemble show in which every member of the ensemble is clearly fleshed out and fits specifically into the world that the writers have built. It’s also my exact brand of serio-comedy. The humor is undeniable from the very beginning, even though some people say that it starts off slowly. Personally, I think it started off strong and just got significantly stronger after a very important character was introduced in episode 3 or 4. As someone who loves love stories but is also sick of watching different iterations of the same kind of leading couple and romantic troupes, Our Flag Means Death is a breath of fresh air to my hopelessly romantic, yet darkly humorous, heart. BE WARNED: there’s only one season out right now, each episode is about 40 minutes long, and we’re currently waiting for HBO to sign off on their second season.
Old Enough on Netflix
If you’re looking for a burst of serotonin then look no further than Netflix’s Old Enough. It’s a Japanese show about children doing tasks. Sounds simple enough but, my god, it gives me so much cute aggression that I find myself squeezing pillows and funneling ice cream during this show. Each “episode” follows a different child (who’s between 2 to 4 years old) as they are given simple tasks by their parents to do in their community under the supervision of the production team. The “episodes” are anywhere between 7-21 minutes long and I don’t think I could handle anything longer, to be honest. You watch these children navigate their first experiences of independence while digging deep into their memory banks to remember the tasks that they do on a daily basis with the assistance of their parents. For example, in the first episode, we see a mom tell her 2 year old son that she needs him to go to the grocery store and buy flowers, curry, and fish cakes so he embarks on his mission armed with a bag and two tiny, very squeaky shoes. It sounds so simple but the levels of adorableness are through the roof. Trust me, if you like babies, this show is exactly what you need. Yes, you’ll be reading subtitles (if you don’t speak Japanese) but it’s more than worth it.