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Review Brooks & Crowley
July 2020
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CELEBRATING BOSTON COMEDY Happy International Joke Day!
If you paid your $10 to enter and acted like an adult, they knew you weren’t there to fight. You were there to shut the news off, escape the internet, and let someone be funny. It’d lift you from whatever moment you were in, whatever mindset, so you could just laugh. You can always tell when a new guy from out of town hadn’t been part of the Boston comedy scene before. New York comedians usually walk into a lion’s den! Their whole flavor of stand- up is different. For example, everyone loves Jerry Seinfeld, but his brand of observational comedy would’ve never originated from Boston. Boston comedy is definitely self-aware, but it’s also confrontational. It is no holds barred, and you don’t take prisoners. Comedians from both areas are self-deprecating and critical of total strangers. Yet our crowds are fairly diverse in background — whether by ethnicity, class, or education — so whenever you're in a comedy club, the sense of humor relieves tension and brings people together. That comedy culture isn’t very common in other cities, and it makes our crowds great for comedians to test out material. You can tell from the incredible comedians, comedy actors, and writers who thrived here: Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Steven Wright, Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, Patrice O’Neal, Dane Cook, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, and Joe Rogan. The list goes on. Most people already know the people on that list, so I will give a recommendation of someone who isn’t on it but deserves to be: Sebastian Maniscalco. He actually didn’t grow up here, but
“A friend of mine has a trophy wife, but apparently it wasn't first place.”
–Steven Wright
I have good news! International Joke Day is on July 1. But it seems like we all really needed it to come sooner. While my family and I have been doing well, this year has been famously terrible for the country at large. It’s as good of a time as any to remember one of Boston’s core influences on American culture and national television (pre- pandemic, anyway): our sense of humor. Comedy is something we take for granted growing up around here. If you were free on a Thursday night and you knew a comedian was showing up at a joint nearby, it was easy to go after work and hang out there. Going to a stand-up performance or a comedy club was something people would just do. It didn’t matter if you were a Harvard student or a brokenhearted Red Sox fan who needed some local humor about how terrible the season was going. (They’re doing way better now, but back then? Man, comedy was all we had!) You had a drunken heckler sometimes who’d be yelling at the stage, but the comedian would exchange riffs with them and shut them down. That’s the Boston comedy scene for you. There’s another reason why comedy clubs have always been popular in Boston too. Nobody ever carded you. They weren’t really night clubs, and they weren’t really bars, but they had drinks. You could go there even if you were underage and order a drink without anyone asking questions.
his mannerisms and comedy fit the scene so well that it’s shocking he grew up anywhere else. If you like very confrontational humor, Bill Burr has some of the most tightly written jokes you’ll ever hear; none of his sets are ever meandering, and he’s an amazing performer. Lastly, you have to check out Steven Wright. I’d seen him up to 10 times before he became famous, and you should’ve seen the way Boston crowds would react to him. He’s a clean comedian that looks like the craziest professor you could imagine, and he killed it almost every night. I like to say that in Boston, we push comics to their full potential before we unleash them to the world. We’ve been a driving force in American comedy for decades. So, this year, celebrate International Joke Day by sharing a few laughs with your loved ones. Maybe crack a few extra jokes of your own, even if your daughters give you that look. –Steve Brooks
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Keep Your Brain Young
3 Tips for Good Brain Health From Harvard Medical School
As we age, our bodies change, including our mental functions. Cognitive decline is one of the biggest fears of aging, but it’s not inevitable. Though we’re still learning new things about how our brains work, there’s a lot of scientific research that shows how to keep your brain young. If you want to keep your mind sharp throughout your lifetime, then follow this advice from Harvard Medical School. 1. GET A GOOD WORKOUT. Exercising regularly helps all the muscles and organs in your body, even your brain! A good workout can lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels, which help your brain and your heart. Harvard Health Publishing, a website of Harvard Medical School, also notes that “animals who exercise regularly increase the number
of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen- rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought.” 2. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. Poor mental health can lead to impaired cognitive function. Chronic anxiety, depression, and exhaustion tend to cause low scores on cognitive function tests. But test scores aren't necessarily a sign of future cognitive decline, and Harvard Health Publishing urges readers to maintain good mental health and get restful sleep, as they are “certainly important goals” for improving cognitive function and overall well-being. 3. STAY CONNECTED. It’s not enough to focus on yourself. In order to maintain your long-term cognitive health,
you should also focus on your connections with other people. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.” Make new friends, stay in touch with family members, and maintain positive relationships in your life. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is certainly true when it comes to your brain health. Do what you can today to protect your mental functions tomorrow.
Should I Look to Buy New Property Soon? How COVID-19 Has Affected the Boston Housing Market
LASTLY, TALK TO OTHER LANDLORDS/TENANTS. The best way to stay in the know is to (digitally) connect with the community. Several universities are going to provide a hybrid of online and in- person classes, while others haven’t declared whether they will fully open. Over 70,000 foreign students call Boston home, and it’s still uncertain how the pandemic and the school system’s reaction to it will affect them. Hopefully we will have more answers by July, and certainly your friends will too. You’re not alone — a lot of people are looking, even if they aren’t buying. BostonPads.com, a website for Boston apartments, saw an increase of traffic by 56% from April to May. Stay connected, and if you ever have any trouble, give Brooks & Crowley a call.
On March 9, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research at the National Association for Realtors, Lawrence Yun, predicted that home sales would be chopped by about 10% due to the pandemic. In Boston, this prediction has yet to prove itself completely true, since the real estate market here was booming pre-pandemic. We were experiencing record lows for apartment availability and vacancy rates. So, what should you consider right now if you’re looking to move out or buy property? FIRST, LAY OUT YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS AND STICK WITH A PLAN. This is the best time to determine exactly how much you want to spend on the whole process and assess your lines of credit. Also, if you aren’t moving in, decide ahead of time whether you’ll make money from rent checks
or long-term appreciation that you can cash out and resell in a couple years. Do not break away from these goals. There’s always the prospect of hidden expenses when buying a new property, so you need to feel prepared. You want to enter the marketplace confident and aligned with your financial expectations. BURDENS ON LANDLORDS AT THE MOMENT. Pre-pandemic, for example, the Boston apartment market had been doing better than ever. However, with evictions prohibited under the state of emergency (which could be lifted by the SECOND, KEEP IN MIND THERE ARE SEVERAL ECONOMIC
time you read this) and tenants staying home more frequently, there’s inherently more risk for landlords. Upkeep may become more of a financial strain.
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A Meal for Every Member of the Family Meals on Wheels Goes the Extra Mile
LAUGH OUT LOUD Meals on Wheels doesn’t just serve meals to the elderly and people with disabilities — it also serves those people’s pets. In 2019, Meals on Wheels Atlanta realized there was a huge need in their community to feed the pets of senior citizens. It stands to reason that if an elderly individual is unable to shop or cook for themselves, their pets may be in a similar Meals on Wheels doesn’t often get the credit it deserves. The international nonprofit ensures those who are unable to buy or make their own meals get the food they need to survive. Of course, for many recipients, the efforts of the organization go far beyond “survival.” For those who receive food daily or weekly, those deliveries may be their only source of social interaction. And during times of social distancing, the program became more important than ever.
predicament. And when someone’s pet is their entire world, making sure the animal is fed and healthy means everything. In response to this need, Meals on Wheels Atlanta began stocking up on cat and dog food, creating their own pantry to serve the local pet community. When volunteers made their rounds delivering meals to seniors, they made sure to bring cat and dog food along too. One volunteer with Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Larry Auberbach, had a unique experience delivering meals to Jeffery Jones and his dog, Grizzly. The volunteer told 11Alive News in Atlanta that Jeffery and Grizzly “have their own special relationship.” Larry loved Grizzly long before Meals on Wheels Atlanta started the pet pantry because he saw how much Grizzly’s companionship meant to Jeffery. Now, Larry
enjoys his service that much more since he gets to provide for Jeffery’s beloved pet, as well. On top of delivering food to seniors and their pets, Meals on Wheels Atlanta also delivers pet toys and pet beds, and they are happy to take in any pet-related food or items for donation. The organization says this endeavor was done out of love, not only for the people they serve but also for the whole family — wagging tails, fuzzy whiskers, and all.
Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites
Ingredients
• • • • •
1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp Tabasco, or to taste 1/2 lb salmon, cooked 1 tbsp minced shallots
• • • •
1 tbsp chopped chives Salt and pepper, to taste 1 English cucumber, peeled
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered for garnish
1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, paprika, and Tabasco. 2. Flake the salmon into large bite-size pieces. 3. Add the salmon, shallots, chives, salt, and pepper to the Tabasco mixture and combine. 4. Cut the cucumber into 3/4-inch slices. 5. Using a melon-baller, scoop out the center of each cucumber slice but leave the bottom fully intact so the filling doesn’t fall through. 6. Divide the salmon mixture and put dollops into each cucumber slice. 7. Garnish with cherry tomato. directions
Inspired by NomNomPaleo.com
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026 Inside This Issue
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Celebrating Boston Comedy
2
Harvard’s Tips to Keep Your Brain Young
Should I Look for a New Place Soon?
3
How Meals on Wheels Atlanta Stepped Up for Its Community
Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites
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Good News in Boston!
Good News in Boston! An 81-Year-Old Becomes a Mask Hero and a Boston Native Donates $1 Million to MGH
We’ve always believed that heroes come in all forms, and this pandemic has tested and proven plenty of heroes throughout society. Here are a couple stories about the local heroes in Boston that we can’t help but share.
have been circulating for decades with massive popularity throughout American media. While Taylor is still creating new records, that isn’t all he’s been up to lately. James Taylor and his wife, Kim, have been advocates for the medical field in the past, with some interesting links to the Massachusetts General Hospital in particular. James, for example, was born there, and his father served as a chief resident there as he completed his residency in internal medicine. And this year, the Taylors donated $1 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to support the COVID-19 pandemic. “Kim and I want to be part of this fight,” James Taylor told NBC Boston. “We have been so inspired by the courage and sacrifice of the health care heroes in the trenches who are working so hard to protect us all.” Thank you so much, Bostoners, for being so supportive of one another through this pandemic. Your good deeds have a real impact, and they do not go unnoticed.
81-YEAR-OLD CANCER PATIENT CREATES 8,000 MASKS
Therese Rusell is 81 years old and is currently battling breast cancer amid this terrible, life-threatening pandemic, but she didn’t decide to sit idly at home. Instead, she’s sewn over 8,000 masks and donated the majority of them. Some people buy a hundred of her masks every week just so they can donate them elsewhere.
JAMES TAYLOR DONATES $1 MILLION TO MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
One of the best-selling musical artists of all time, James Taylor, is also a beloved Boston native. His hit song “Fire and Rain” and covers of “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”
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