First Letter from Karen

Hi. Hello. Hey. Hi. Hi. Hi.

I’ve been missing my peeps, and social media isn’t fun anymore. I was reminded that my website had a newsletter function. While I’ve always been reluctant to send out a newsletter, a few days ago I got a Breaking News alert from People Magazine that Josh Hall is dating someone new.  I was unaware of his split from Christina Haack.  More to the point, I don’t know who either of these people are.  But the article gave me the confidence I needed to start my own newsletter. 

It’s still a work in progress. Feel free to make gentle suggestions but know that I am a fragile flower so keep it kind.  As you know, I love sharing my thoughts on the noteworthy and the banal. And I have so much stuff to recommend. I’m a huge consumer of food, books, tv, and all that, I may throw in a little self-promotion, although I realize this entire venture is self-promotion.

We’re off to a terrible start.  2025 is already horrific and we haven’t even gotten to the inauguration. For a moment, I even forgot about the New Orleans attack because I’m so busy trying to keep up with which neighborhoods in Los Angeles have been destroyed.  To those of you who live or have people there, I don’t even know what to say.  This is unimaginable.  The deaths, ravaged neighborhoods, poisoned air, and the impossibility of starting over while trying to preserve memories.

 I can’t help but think of all the houses that have been destroyed as Jimmy Carter lies in state.  I just donated to Habitat for Humanity in honor of the work he did with them.  Can you write to me and tell me what we can do if we have money to spend or hours to give?

 On the lighter side: my distractions

Try: Trader Joe’s Cornbread Crisps. All the flavor of cornbread in the crunch of a chip. 

Books:  If you loved The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, read her sequel, called. . . The Sequel. And if you haven’t read The Plot. Read it first. It’s a completely fun and well-written psychological thriller and The Sequel will suck out of context.   

Binge: Season Two of Shrinking after you binge Season One. It’s a total, you laugh/you cry package. And an added bonus is watching Harrison Ford play a crank.

Go See:  A Real Pain. Even though the movie was probably an hour and half, I feel like I could spend ten hours discussing all the topics: generational pain, luck, holocaust, family but also many laughs.  Jesse Eisenberg is always interesting, and Kieran Culkin is phenomenal.  Jennifer Grey is in it, too.  Extra tip: read HER memoir. 

Something I learned: According to SFGate website, hotel booking sites like Booking.com and Expedia and Kayak offer different rates to customers, depending on which city they are browsing from. So, if you happen to be in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, do all your bookings. Or, get a VPN.

Our next Ruthless show is Tuesday, January 28th at 7:30pm! Click here to buy tickets.

The Inaugurate This! Edition  
Tuesday, January 28, 7:30 pm
@ New York Comedy Club 236 West 78th St. NYC

OUR AWESOME GUESTS:
AJ Jacobs
(Best selling author, The Year of Living Biblically, the Puzzler Podcast)
Lenny Marcus
(Fallon, Letterman, Louie, Amy Schumer Show)

P.S. Did you know that Ruthless Comedy Hour now has a Ruthless Advice Column?

Twice a month, Cindy and I provide answers to desperate New Yorkers.  We have no expertise at all, but that doesn’t stop us. Check out our most recent column here.