“Because we’re listening to the same thing, it gives us something to reflect on together,” says Allegra Oxborough, an NPR listener in Brooklyn. “We’re listening to the radio a lot together now. Things are slower, and you can actually be present with your activities.”
Filmmaker Allegra Oxborough has been spending more time at home with her husband in their Brooklyn apartment, since the pandemic started. Listening to the radio together and discussing what they hear over tea or dinner has become a new ritual for the couple.
Kind of obsessed
Usually I wake up around 8:00 and workout. When I’m done, I make a cup of tea and my husband and I will sit down and listen to the radio together and comment on everything they’re saying.
We listen to Brian Lehrer on WNYC and are kind of obsessed. I’m in love with Brian and the guests he brings on. The show feels like a news source and like a companion in our space.
Creative motivation
I’m a filmmaker, and most of my client work requires travel and shooting on location. Now that that can’t happen, I’m forced to be in this more creative phase which is really fun.
I have friends who miss being on set or out in the field, but I think for me I’m having time to focus on projects that have been on the back burner.
Staying connected
There’s something now in the news happening every day that feels like a universal experience. With the pandemic, we’re in this little enclosed world inside our home. On WNYC we listen to local programs and to the BBC World Service. Listening to the news makes me feel more connected to my city, to the country, and to the world.
Cooking and listening together
After work, we’ll have a drink or do a happy hour visit with friends online. At 7:00 we always lean out the window and clap for essential workers. Usually around that time we’ll start making dinner and turn on the radio which is in the kitchen.
Now that we’re both at home, we cook together almost every night. Sometimes we’ll make rice and beans with avocado or a baked Japanese sweet potato or curry. We listen to Marketplace, All Things Considered or Radiolab on Tuesdays.
Because we’re listening to the same thing, it gives us something to reflect on together. Before this, we would listen to podcasts separately. We’re listening to the radio a lot together now. Things are slower, and you can actually be present with your activities.
Favorite part of the day
Listening to the radio and making dinner until bed is my favorite part of the day. That’s when I feel like, okay, I’m satisfied with the work I did today or we took a really long walk and my body is tired. It’s when I’m relaxed and down to hang.