Roberta: Hi everyone, it’s Roberta.

Ryan: And this is Ryan and this is the midweek news

Roberta: On Artblog Radio.

Ryan, I didn’t realize Instagram served you up stuff that was old, but apparently, they do, because I got a notice on my feed that was a month old, which I didn’t notice at the time. I was so excited that the Guerrilla Girls were going to have a solo show, their first ever, in Los Angeles. And I thought, oh, that’s great for the news. And marked it for the news. And today I am looking at it closely and seeing that the show opened in November, like middle of November, so it’s probably over at this point. Anyway, congratulations to the Guerrilla Girls.

Ryan: Yeah. It’s interesting how the algorithms do that. It’s not chronological as you would expect,

Roberta: Well, it should be. How hard would it be to add that into your algorithm? I mean, come on. You can write an algorithm for anything. So make it time-sensitive guys, not just whatever the buzzwords are that you want to feed.

Ryan: Well, this is definitely the algorithm’s plan.

Roberta: What, to make me look foolish because I didn’t catch that it was a month old? Haha.

Ryan: I’m not sure that was necessarily their intention. That was just kind of the outcome.

Roberta: Well, on to the news. I don’t even know if it’s newsworthy or not, but I have three Christmas cards this year from artists. That’s sort of unheard of (in my experience).

Ryan: Oh, that’s nice. I like the RAIR one.

Roberta: Yeah, the one from RAIR is really excellent.

A peace dove made out of 2.5 tons of drywall and carpet for the olive branch and a tire for the eye. You’ve got to see it to believe it. But then there is a lovely little card from the Stockton’s — a cartoon drawing of a bent over one-branch-stick-tree with huge ornaments that are colorful and have graffitti on them, and it says Happy Holidays from The Stocktons. And another came from Beth Heinly. It’s a collage with a poem, with stamps, all kinds of stampings on the other side. Yes. Three Christmas cards that are art cards. I’m very happy to have them. (shows cards to Ryan)

Ryan: Nice. Those are good.

Roberta: That reminds me — not of a Christmas card, but, a Mother’s Day card by my daughter, Stella. (shows card)

Ryan: Oh, wow.

Roberta: There  are bright orange and pink flowers on a white card. The flowers are fabric stitched on to the card.

Ryan: That’s really pretty!

Roberta: Isn’t it pretty?

Ryan: Did she hand-deliver that or did she mail that?

Roberta: Oh, no, she hand-delivered it. I mean, she lives nearby, so, from her hands to mine.

Ryan: I was curious of how expensive that would be to mail.

Roberta: Oh, well,  it’s fragile. It’s big. I don’t know.

Ryan: Yeah. A couple dollars. Yeah,

Roberta: couple bucks.

I love homemade cards.

Ryan: Yeah. Cards are nice.

Roberta: Do you make them in your family, Ryan? Do you make homemade cards for birthdays and events?

Ryan: We do. Yeah. That’s definitely been a tradition of ours for a long time.

Roberta: Cool. And what are your materials, your go-to materials? I mean, are you standard materials like paper and glue and that sort of thing, or do you go fabric and glitter and all over the place?

Ryan: I try to avoid glitter in craft projects, as the person who’s required to clean up. You know, I encourage my people to clean up after themselves, but inevitably, glitter goes everywhere. I just kind of have to, I’m already planning the cleanup as I get everything out.

You have to take all those things into consideration and so glitter’s not out, but I’ll show the other bins first. I think there was a season of googly eyes. Those had a phase. There’s been other little tactile things, but generally it’s paper, and they’ll sketch and use a bunch of markers and colors and sometimes they’ll paint on there, like actually use an acrylic, which is sometimes fun.

We’ve done watercolor cards a few times. Things of that nature.  Water based paint. And then paper,

Roberta: No potato stamps? Did you ever do potato stamping with your kids?

Ryan: We’ve done a few of those things. Stamping is fine. Generally the cards that we make, if it’s for birthdays, we’ll, we’ll make them and just like leave them on the table for the person.

But if they’re, if they’re being mailed, then we started thinking about let’s see…that’s 12 at a dollar a card.

Roberta: Yes. Mailing is expensive

Ryan: Except for my mother who will be less. IThere’s certain people who love certain things and you know what they like and certain things that they don’t like. We go and buy nice pre-made cards for my mom.

Roberta: If mom likes, and you’re sensitive to that. That’s nice.

Ryan: Yeah. Like those Papyrus ones that. You can get most places that are…

Roberta: Oh, like blank cards. Those are great. One way to get some nice blank cards is to donate to the Sierra Club.

Ryan: Oh, that’s true.

Roberta: They have very nice cards. There’s botanical drawing cards and there’s animal cards, photos of animals. And they come with envelopes. I highly recommend that, just make a donation to the Sierra Club, which probably could use your money anyway,

Ryan: So they can cut down more trees and make all those greeting cards.

Roberta: Oh, ouch. That was not where I was going. Ryan, haha.

Ryan: Oh, that’s funny.

Roberta: That’s true tho, what you say. I enjoyed that.

Ryan: Yeah. And you know, the other thing like other place is Trader Joe’s always has pretty classic, reliable, really affordable, but fun silly cards.

Roberta: Yes.

Ryan: Not really three-dimensional in any way, but if you need a fun little silly, cheap, cheap card.

Roberta: So, and also today trying to get into the holiday spirit. I don’t do a Christmas tree anymore, did it with the kids. That’s over and done with. So I really don’t put up Christmas paraphernalia, stockings or holly or little candles in the window. You know the ones you can get that are electric. None of that.

But a long time ago when I was still doing a tree, and I’m talking five, six years ago, maybe. I decided I would buy some little teeny Christmas lights, colored ones and white ones, and I never used them. We didn’t have a tree at that point and they were sitting in a drawer and I said, I’m going to haul these out and see if they still work. And they did.

And so they’re sitting on my dining room table in a glass bowl and they look kind of jolly.  So that’s it for my Christmas decorating.

Ryan: That sounds good.

Roberta: Lights in a bowl.

Ryan: Lights in a bowl. Obviously Christmas is the 25th and Hanukkah starts the 25th and Kwanza starts the 26th. It is funny.

We need to like, we need to break these up. We should start having Christmas in the summer.

Roberta: Isn’t there a song Christmas in July or something like that? It’s already prebuilt into your program.

Ryan: Yeah. You know, the “Scanda-whovians”, they have that midsummer Christmas-like festival.

Roberta: And so they dispense with a December festival?

Ryan: Yeah. I mean there’s still that now, but that December festival, I think, how much of that is more recent in the last a hundred years? There’s a lot of holiday lights. Best of it is, you don’t need to have them in your house and there’s plenty of other places that are having them.

Roberta: Yeah. I forget what street it is in South Philly that has lights across the street and all the houses have lights all over them. It’s a real thing. People go there and close the block and you walk and you talk to your friends and neighbors.

Ryan: Miracle on South 13th Street.

Roberta: Yeah? I was going to say 13th Street. Is it really? 13th?

Ryan: Yeah.

Roberta: Huh. Okay.

Ryan: Yeah, that’s up through New Year’s Day, I believe, and I think they take them down then.

Roberta: Yeah. Look on your Instagram, everybody. There’s photos on Instagram.

Ryan: Yeah. I’ve done it a few times. There’s certain times of the year where we’ve rented out Theater Exile and, and used that around that time of year, and so those, the lights will be hung and illuminated. So I’ve seen it  a few times. It’s a fun little break from your day too, when you’re rehearsing and prepping and hanging lights.

Roberta: What are the cross streets?

Ryan: Morris, Reed, something like that. It’s like 1, 2, 3 blocks.

Roberta: Cool. Maybe we should meet people down there. Hey, want to a rendezvous down at 13th Street and see the miracle?

Ryan: Oh my goodness. That’d be funny. And I was just reading, I don’t know why this came up so late, but Zoom etiquette. Have you ever looked at Zoom etiquette? It has to do with personal space. So like when people are close talkers, they get in your business, you have this natural tendency to step back, especially if they’re new people.

In your fear of people, you keep that arms length distance away. That’s the safety zone, so you can run for it if needed. But I was reading something similarly that if you are sitting too close to your camera, on Zoom, people will have that same feeling like you’re in that more intimate zone. Like you’ve come too close, you’re a close talker.

You need, you need to step back. I got self-conscious in another meeting, like what is the distance from my camera to my face? So it’s, it’s interesting, these subconscious and subliminal tones that we’re sending to one another, these nonverbal communication cues.

It’s really funny. So now I’m trying not to be self-conscious about my distance, but I’m trying to make sure that my distance, my camera looks similar to yours so that I’m not sitting too close or too far away. because then you might sense that I’m trying to be distant or stepping back in some way and that I’m not engaged in the conversation.

Roberta: Well, I’ll tell you what, Ryan, you have a spectacular sweeping urban landscape background in your Zoom, and so that alone creates distance in a way.  And also puts you in a picture that is a broader picture than most people have when they’re on Zoom, which is an enclosed space. Like, I mean, look at mine. I’m in a corner sort of, and I’m relatively close to the wall, and so you can see all the stuff that’s on the wall close up, whereas yours breathes a little, which is nice.

Ryan: Yours has that personalized art. It’s things you’ve got hung on your wall. It’s kind of shows who you are. Mine feels like I’m announcing a parade, like who’s the next float coming around?

Roberta: It does feel like ABC news.

Ryan: I have to right that, yes, there should be a news ticker. I thought about blurring my background, but the distance of the wall makes it kind of funny.

And there’s a lot of distance there. So. Digital background of the Philadelphia skyline, but I’m overlooking the Schuylkill River. It gives a nice distance, but it feels like, okay, coming up on the Google News, here’s. X, Y, Z float and…

Roberta: Well, you could audition for that, Ryan. I’m sure they’re always looking for someone.

And since you have all this experience being great announcing on camera with a great background, I think you could put that on your resume.

Ryan: You know, I figure with all the Zoom work that we’ve all been doing over the last few years, I feel like we could all get on TV without issues.

A million people are watching you? Okay, great! And you’ve gotten used to looking at yourself now, and…

Roberta: It’s funny. What does that say about society and civilization? Holy moly. We’re all just…

Ryan: All exhausted our 15 minutes of fame. Yeah. In Zoom.

Roberta: so let’s relax about it. Wow.

Ryan: Well, obviously this is the holiday edition of the Midweek News when there’s not really a whole lot happening.

City Hall is shut down, the stock market’s closed. Everyone’s taking a break. So what are you going to do and spend your time doing? Well, you have to talk about your Zoom calls. Something on the level of 70, 80 plus percent of communication is nonverbal. So what is that? I’m saying like, Brittany, you can’t see my hands, right?

So they say you should show your hands, show you’re friendly, and you’re engaged.

Roberta: Wait, on Zoom you’re supposed to show your hands?

Ryan: Well in, in person. You’re supposed to show open hands and gestures and inviting, like there’s some really interesting YouTube video tutorials talking about people who use more hand gestures versus people who don’t.

You’re far more likely to be viral than not because your hand gestures are showing that you’re engaged and you are a trusted, reliable source and competent in what you’re talking about. It also shows that you’re warm and inviting, doing a lot of work.

Roberta:  I’m sorry, trusted source? I have to X that one out. From hand gestures, you’re a trusted source? Sure. No, I don’t think so.

Ryan: Yeah. One of my favorite comedians, Eddie Izzard, she says, you just got to keep confirming and denying things, so it doesn’t matter what you say. Just keep confirming and denying. That’s what I’m thinking as well. So, coming into 2025. Body engagement and how people perceive me and just these random casual events and, and happenings.

Twenty something years ago, I was a flight attendant at one point, and I worked for a travel airline called Ryan International Airlines. And it wasn’t based on my name and it’s not the Irish company. It’s a Kansas based company that did vacation packages and different things. So my route, I was based in Chicago at the time, so we’d fly from Chicago to Cancun or Chicago to the Dominican Republic or some beautiful, gorgeous place. It’s terribly cold and freezing and windy, windy, cold in Chicago and it’s January and then you fly to Cancun, it’s 75 degrees and you’re like, oh yes, I’ll take some of this. So that was my day, that was my week and a pretty, pretty sweet gig.

I remember there’s a couple times I would be sitting in a jump seat, so because we’d be running a fairly full staff, it was not a, a short crude flight. So there was like five, six of us and I’d be sitting in a jump seat, which means I’m. Facing another passenger. So, because it was a fairly large plane, it was 7 57.

And so we, so I would be facing a passenger and there’s a couple times people said, is everything okay to me? And I thought, why, why are you looking at me thinking, is everything okay? Am I exuding a concerned face or making you worry in some way? And you know, a couple times. So I, I had to start being more conscious and aware of what’s the face I’m making.

Because it’s like four 30 in the, it’s four 30 in the morning, right? These are very early flights. So you get there, you got plane time, blah, blah, blah. But yeah, so apparently at four 30 in the morning, I’ve got that resting worried bitch face, I guess. Yeah, everything’s fine. Everything’s good. I mean, we’re going to Cancun.

What are you complaining about? What? I’m not worried. I don’t know what my face was at four 30 worried. I think I was maybe half asleep Still, you get used to that kind of time, but. It felt pretty early.

Roberta: That is another reason for you to be able to do a gig on ABC TV. You could do the early morning gig. You know they have to get up at 3:00 AM or something like that. Well, you’re used to that. You did that.

Ryan: But then I had to be doing that worried breaking news. This just did the freeway is shut down. You know something. Something fantastical like the reindeer have taken. And they do that from time to time.

I remember. I’m sure they could do that better with like ai, CGI stuff now. Reindeer taking over the interstate and following Santa and all that funny stuff. But yeah. Shall I get into my three things then? Yes, please do. So obviously the holiday season is, we are so deep in it and I’m, it’s, it’s great, but it’s also time to move on and on December 25th is the Washington Crossing reenactment.

So I think that one’s hilarious to put on the note. I know some people have never seen that, which is fine. It’s a funny thing. So they, there’s different sides that you could see it from on the river.

Roberta: You’re going to tell them what this is, right? So what exactly they are reenacting, right?

Ryan: So, George Washington crossed the Delaware River, and so this is, there’s actually a town called Washington’s Crossing. If you’ve never been, so every year they do a reenactment on Christmas Day. And I, it is going to be from noon to 3:00 PM and I, I think there’s diehards, but I think the weather will be dependent on how busy that is. But it’s, it’s an interesting time to see something like that. And if you miss it this year, it’ll be around next year.

Roberta: So, and this commemorates, if I remember my. Revolutionary war history, they’re crossing into New Jersey. Right? They’re not fleeing from New York into Pennsylvania, are they?

Ryan: Right, exactly. So this is the one when they had previously been defeated a couple times and they had to come back to Pennsylvania and then they, they go back across to attack Trenton and.

They did it under the cover of darkness and all of that kind of thing. But yeah, it’s back to Trenton and then then marching

Roberta: Scranton. because it was No, no. Marking. Trenton. Right. And, and then they had the, they surprised a fort, it was Hessian soldiers, you know the mercenaries from Germany.

And they immediately surrendered. And so that battle was won by George Washington. And then I think they marched down to Princeton and did a similar. Battle and won that one. And it was like they were on a roll. And that was considered a turning point in the, in the war.

Ryan: And it’s getting later.

And you know, it’s the holidays for them as well. They’re thinking the same thing and without their families feeling a little bit disheartened and then they come with a December 26th victory. So that’s quite something.

Roberta: Yeah. It is. It is No. And the, the soldiers were their volunteers. They were voluntary.

And they were on contract of some sort, whatever you call that when you’re a voluntary soldier under contract. And that was up at the end of the year. So they were very demoralized, the leadership because they thought they were going to lose all these soldiers because they couldn’t afford to pay ’em. And the war was going badly and no one was going to fund it.

And so this was a huge. Turnaround when they had these victories and all, a lot of the soldiers re-upped and there was money to pay them and they could keep going. Complicated to run a war when you don’t, 13 colonies, if you think about it, it’s amazing that they did this.

Ryan: Where did the money came from? You’re not printing your own money. You’re not really a country. So it’s, it’s an interesting thing.

Roberta: Indeed. Yes, yes. There was a, there was a video. Series on Ben Franklin. I forget if it was on Apple TV or what it was, but that showed you exactly well fictionalized version of how Franklin Wind and dined the French and got them to open their purses.

Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. He is a complicated character. He’s, he’s an interesting one. He is definitely one of those characters that people like to use for whatever purpose they like. You know, quote him for good, quote him for bad. He kind of fits both. Both roles pretty easily.

Roberta: My husband had to give a graduation speech at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches. It was, I think, at the Wharton School, not the big university-wide conclave, although I may be wrong about that. Anyway, the one thing they said he had to put in his speech was a quote from Ben Franklin.

Ryan: There you go. That’s, that’s why Did they need that?

Roberta: I don’t know. Okay. because everything is Ben Franklin in Philadelphia.

Ryan: That’s interesting. I didn’t Is that true for all graduation speeches? Is that just a thing they stamp on there

Roberta: in Philadelphia? Maybe. I don’t know.

Ryan: All right. Well, that’s my first one. So if you’re interested in that on Washington’s Crossing should might be a lovely day. Along there, if you haven’t been to New Hope in a while, that’s a great reason to get up there.

That area has changed a lot in the last few years. If you haven’t noticed. Washington’s crossing reenactment. December 25th, noon to three.

Coming up on Friday, December 27th, the Gardens After Dark. At Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, they will do a bunch of colors and lights. That is a ticketed event. Could be really fun to see as well. That’s coming up. There’s a lot of lights. This one also helps support a local arts organization. It should still be really, really interesting. Lots of fun stuff. Great time for the holidays. That’s Friday, December 27th from five 30 to eight 30.

I also am a, I listened to that NPR show wait, wait, don’t tell me. And one of the hosts and the Daily Show is Dulcé Sloan is going to be at Punch Line Philly. So I don’t usually talk about comedy, but this one looks like it’s going to be a, a lot of fun. And that’s coming up also on the 27th and 28th, Friday and Saturday. That’s at Punchline Philly.

There are a few other really interesting shows that are, that are happening Disney on ISIS in town. There’s a Stomp show. Stomp is at Miller Theater. If you haven’t seen, Stomp, Stomp is surprisingly tons of fun, super popular, was on Broadway for a long time. Sometimes has regular, you know, shows that bounced in and out is, is really enjoyable. So lots of really great shows still happening. Maybe bigger shows, less specifically artsy underground, independent shows that, that are not happening quite right now.

But there’s plenty of interesting, fun things to do and hopefully you can get out. And the weather’s not too abrasive. It’s supposed to be back to more normal temperatures coming up. So that’s very exciting. And those are my three picks. So Washington’s Crossing and Gardens After Dark and the Dulce Salon Show.

Roberta: That’s a nice list. I like that. I love Wait, wait, don’t tell me. It’s hilarious.

Ryan: It is.

Roberta: And the Daily show too. They’re both good. We should mention coming up is on Artblog is the Liberta Awards. Yes. I think we’ve told you about this before, but every year we do a wrap up of our take on what happened during the year, the past year, and we make some predictions kind of pie in the sky.

Crazy. Alice in Wonderland predictions of what’s coming up. What we’d like to see coming up. And we have fun with it, so it’s a fun piece. We also mentioned in passing a lot of the factoids that happen during the year, like people who left one institution and, you know, coming’s and going’s on the organizational circuit.

And we have, it’s our one listicle of the year. Is that even a thing anymore? I guess that Forbes, which has lists? I’m not sure people still do. End of the year lists anymore, but we do one. But it’s our only one. We don’t do lists other than this. Anyway, that’s coming up. We hope to get that to you this Friday, the 27th, and so that you can peruse it over your leisure over the weekend and running up to the first of the year.

And this is our last podcast. In December and in 2024, isn’t that correct?

Ryan: Right. The next will be released on the first.

Roberta: On the first January 1st. So Mummers parade?

Ryan: Oh boy. Yeah, hopefully the weather is nice for that, obviously. Did the rain or shine, but it’s more fun with shine.

Roberta: Absolutely. And warmth.

A little bit of warmth. And warmth.

Ryan: Yes. I’ll take the warmth. What’s the forecast right now? Safe? 52. Oh, wow.

Roberta: Oh, that’s balmy. Yeah, that’s a little too balmy.

Ryan: It could be as long as it’s not rainy. because sometimes those come with rain. It looks, looks dry. Fingers crossed.

Roberta: Cool. All right, well do we have anything else we want to go out on Ryan?

Ryan: A high note? We should go on a high note.

Roberta: On a high note. You want to sing a high note for us? (sings a high note)

Ryan: There you go. There it is. Ladies and gentlemen.

Roberta: Okay, this is Roberta saying thank you for listening. Come back next time.

Ryan: And this is Ryan, and this has been Artblog’s Midweek News. Thanks for listening everybody. See you next year.

Roberta: Bye-bye.

Ryan: Bye-bye.