🎓💅 Jennifer Coolidge's life advice

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

📸 Dying to hop on the print vending machine trend? For five quarters, this new mini art vending machine in Porter Square Books’ Seaport location will spit out a pint-sized print of Boston that’d be perfect on your mirror, in your phone case, or as a tiny postcard.

🐶🧘 And don’t miss our FREE PUPPY YOGA class. This Friday, we’re dropping 34 members-only tickets to a free Puppy Yoga session. Become a member to snag your spot!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Nor’easter, incoming!

• 30% off flights to Europe

• Mass.’ most popular baby names

Up first…

COMMENCEMENT 2025

What would Jennifer Coolidge do?

Why are hordes of celebs and CEOs descending upon Boston this week? It’s graduation season, baby! And one perk of living in a huge college town is the incredible array of commencement speakers.

Here’s a sampling of the best life advice from this year’s addresses:

💅 “Just frigging go for it,” Norwell native and iconic actor Jennifer Coolidge said to Emerson’s graduating class. Coolidge’s speech pulled from a hilarious childhood anecdote (she even dropped a spot-on Boston accent), but the central message was serious: Don’t spend your life worrying about what other people think, even if it requires being a little delusional. When you find the thing you want to do, “you really have to psych yourself up into believing [in] absurd possibilities,” she said. “Be your own champion.”

⚾ “Follow your dreams with a sobering element of realism,” legendary Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione said at Stonehill’s commencement. After a storied career at Fenway, Castiglione emphasized the importance of reaching for a career “you can reflect on later years and say, ‘I did pretty much what I said I wanted to do,’” but also recognizing that it often doesn’t come easy. “It is not always a linear path to success,” he said, but don’t underestimate the sheer power of “staying the course and persevering,” and showing up at your best every day. 

🤝 “Empathy is essential,” actor and BU alumnae Emily Deschanel said to BU’s class of 2025. Empathy, including self-empathy, is “one of the most important tools we have,” to face the world, especially as a new grad (or, in her case, on season one of Bones). “You are a human being who will make mistakes, you will fail,” she said, but growth will only come if you’re “gentle with yourself.” She continued: “Empathy isn't weakness … It’s about understanding what led to those choices so you can respond from a place of authenticity.”

🎶 “Keep telling your truth to the world,” said musician Sara Bareilles. Her and André 3000’s speeches to Berklee’s graduating class had similar takeaways: Great art requires the truth. Art is not about “let me take your order,” André said. “Your job is to stay true to what you’re feeling, stay true to your instincts,” whether the crowd is booing or screaming your name. Why? In an increasingly chaotic world, truth “is the medicine” that will guide us, Bareilles said. If you dedicate your life to finding and telling the truth, “you can trust it will guide you to the next right thing.”

QUICK QUESTION!

🎓 If you could’ve had just one of these stars give an address at your graduation, who would you pick? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌧️ It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … nor’easter. And it’s coming in HOT tonight. As of Tuesday evening, forecasters are expecting up to two inches of rain and 50 mph wind gusts across much of Southern New England, including Boston. It’s all going to start late tonight, and it likely won’t slow down until well into Thursday. The good news? The worst of it will be over before the long weekend. Then, we’ll see some spotty showers and temps in the low 50s before things clear and warm up for Memorial Day. Keep up with the latest here.

🏚️ Mass.’ shelter crisis is winding down. On Monday, Gov. Healey announced that all the hotels and motels Mass. is using for its emergency shelter system will be shut down by summer’s end — six months ahead of schedule. Since the peak of Mass.’ shelter emergency, when there were over 100 in use statewide, shelter hotels have seen their fair share of controversy. Now, thanks in part to a series of crackdowns on shelter stay limits and more stringent application requirements, there are just 32 left. That said, advocates warn the needs of homeless families remain high.

✈️ Calling all thrifty travelers: Low-cost airline PLAY is offering a 30% off sale on some summer European flights from Boston until May 27. Here’s the deal: The discount applies to flights to Iceland, Aalborg, Berlin, Billund, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, and Paris, from June through October, but only during certain windows. Ex: From July 23 to 31, Wednesday flights to Copenhagen and Dublin are on sale, but from Sept. 2 to Oct. 14., it’s Tuesday flights to Iceland, Copenhagen, London, Berlin, Paris, and Dublin. Grab your tickets here!

🎶 The Hatch Shell is getting groovy tonight. The Esplanade Association’s GroundBeat Concert Series is BACK at the iconic outdoor venue tonight with a free hip-hop, neo-soul, and R&B concert at 6 p.m. And if the music doesn’t entice you, maybe the free empanadas from Bocadillos for the first 100 customers, plus complimentary lawn games and picnic blankets will! Can’t make it tonight? They’ll be back for three more concerts through June 5. Here’s the schedule.

THINGS TO DO

Mid-week plans

🍗 $1 Wings x B-Side Trivia | Wednesday, May 28 | Sam Adams Boston Brewery | Get $1 wings and play free trivia with us, hosted by the B-Side team! B-Side Members get a free beer!

🏃 B-Side x We’re Not Really Runners | Wednesday, June 4 | Charles River Esplanade | We’re meeting up with WNRR for a 3-mile run (or walk!) and drinks at Night Shift to follow. B-Side Members get a free drink and a B-Side sweat towel! Registration link coming soon. 

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 The Dating Game Live | Friday, June 6 | Aeronaut Somerville | B-Side is teaming up with Aeronaut to host a modern version of the classic 60's game show The Dating Game! B-Side Members get a free drink.

At B-Side events like the ones above, members get perks like discounted entry, free drinks, B-Side swag, and more. Stay tuned for more meetups, and become a member to get your perks!

ONE LAST THING

Mass.’ most popular baby names

If you’re reading this and your name is Olivia or Noah: Sorry to say it, but ya basic! 

Mass.’ annual list of its most popular baby names just dropped, and Olivia and Noah topped the 2024 edition, with 339 Olivias and 514 Noahs born.

This is big news for Olivias: It marks the name’s return to the top spot after “Charlotte” disrupted its four-year streak in 2023. Meanwhile, Noah has held onto the crown since 2020. As for runner-ups, Liam, Oliver, James, and Henry round out the male’s top five, while Charlotte, Emma, Sophia, and Amelia snagged the top female spots. 

For next year, keep an eye on names like Willow, Rose, Elena, Lillian, Ayla, Thiago, Carter, and Elias, which all saw jumps up the list of 20+ spots since 2023.

Check out the full lists here.

— Written by Gia Orsino

🍼 Thanks for reading! Thankfully, Gia’s name still isn’t on the list, which means her unique name complex remains intact for another year. <3

💸 The results are in: 60% of B-Siders say they want to learn more about investing and wealth building. One reader said, “I’m interested in learning how to ruin rich people's lives.” Talk about a dream assignment. 

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].