Big snows always get me so excited. It’s the Texan in me, I think - I’ll never be desensitized to the joyous feeling of snowflakes falling all around me, crunching underfoot. In my 45 minute walk across Brooklyn in the storm, I saw so many things: skiiers, children dragged on sleds, someone getting a haircut in a barber shop, someone throwing pottery in a ceramics studio, a lot of bright snow gear, two open pizza shops with nobody inside, an open shawarma shop with a lot of people inside. As I left the house, I felt as though I was leaving on a quest, on my way to explore the great unknown, to conquer the trials that face me. And why not! What a nice way to live a life, as though every day can be an adventure, a quest, an expedition. All days can be adventures. I’m reminded of when my friend Isla and I went on a quest in our last week of college, our destination a nearby creek. In the pouring rain, every little object we came across became a sign of some sacred message for our journey. It made the moment of arrival that much sweeter, to dive into the river with our pockets full of pebbles and bones and other detritus. One man’s trash…

Drenched in rain or covered in a dusting of snow, inclement weather is always an invitation to soak in the joy of the journey. Yes, I have to walk over a hill of snow to cross the street. But that also means I get to traverse a mountain on my quest. It is, I think, the best way to make our way through the winter.

🌔 Eli Berman and Bonita Oliver at NuBlu Classic: Waxing Gibbous (Thu Jan 29 @ 7:30pm). Eli and Bonita will share music, vocal feedback noise instruments, baroque recorder, and good vibes. Opening for Awaz quartet; come be warmed by art in the midst of our cold cold days! $20 suggested donation.

🌕 Computer Care Café in Crown Heights: Full Moon (Sat Jan 31 @ 3pm). Nick and I are offering this spa for you and your device, building off a practice from the tomorrow soup days with raya <3. Engage in a ritual cleansing of your device (inside and out), while learning about methods for building a more lucid relationship with your technology. Care for yourself, too, with tea, pastries, and some light spa treatments. Please bring a device you want to care for—this is particularly useful if you are setting up a new technology ecosystem for yourself. I’m going to be setting up my new light phone! Free.

🌕 TWIST 4 year anniversary at H0l0: Full Moon (Sat Jan 31 @ 11pm). Bass and dub all night long, definitely staying for Doctor Jeep’s closing set. Gonna be melty. $34.

🌕 Snow Moon + Imbolc in Crown Heights: Full Moon (Sun Feb 1 @ 7pm). Not only is it the full moon, the first day of February, but it’s also Imbolc, a Gaelic pagan festival celebrating the midway point of winter. It may be snowy and cold outside (rumor says it will snow on the Snow Moon), but we’ll be warmed together as we light candles, sip tea, and honor the moon and the gradual passing of winter. Free, RSVP for address.

🌖 The Extraction Economy: Platforms, Power, and the Fight for Prosperity at The Forum at Columbia University: Waning Gibbous (Tue Feb 3 @ 5:30pm). Should be a good convo between Tim Wu and Julia Angwin about the wretchedness of our technological futures. Fight for prosperity, indeed. Free.

🌖 Break Up with Google at Wonderville: Waning Gibbous (Mon Feb 2 @ 7pm). I was always so inspired by my advisor in college who hadn’t used a single Google product for over a decade. Opting-out is possible! This gathering will help make it happen. Free.

🌗 Valentine’s Market at Peg’s Cavalier: Third Quarter (Sun Feb 8 @ TBD). I will be tabling with Mona and Colette at this market in Ridgewood sharing some of our zines/food from Consumption Book Club (which, btw, there’s still a few spots left for our next session at Index Greenpoint on Feb 15). Also, there will be a raffle to support fire relief for families affected in the neighborhood! Come get some art and treats <3. Free.