It's Hump Day, Boston.
๐ซ Reminder: Valentineโs candy is 50% off today.
๐ Whatโs on tap today:
Another round of shutdowns
The drought is over
Cute baby alert!
Up firstโฆ
DATING
Cure the post V-Day blues

Illustration: Katie Cole
No luck on Valentineโs Day? Boston-based dating coach Michelle Wax is here to help. She works with men and women in their 20s and 30s looking for love, so if you want to make sure you have a Valentine in 2024, hereโs her advice:
๐ฎ Connect to your future self. Wax has her clients visualize what kind of relationship they want to be in a year from now, so they can reverse-engineer how to get there. Getting into a relationship should be treated the same way youโd getting a new job โ you need a plan! She has a free visualization exercise if you want to give it a go.
๐ Get clear on what you want. Start asking yourself: Who is this person and what are their qualities? And then start becoming that list. โWe attract what we are being,โ Wax said. โSo if you want someone who's optimistic [and] confident,โ ask yourself: how are you showing up to your dates?
๐ธ Diversify your dating portfolio. Your dating portfolio is just like your investment portfolio: the more places you invest, the greater opportunity for return. Plus, it takes the pressure off from one specific area. So if youโre only using apps, try speed-dating, meeting people at an event, or even becoming a local at a bar.
๐งโ๐ผ Donโt treat the first date like an interview. Itโs fine to ask where theyโre from and what they do, but Wax has her clients come up with two to three questions theyโd love to know the answer to and have them ask their date. โYou get some really interesting answers,โ Wax said, โand it allows you to stand out.โ
๐ Sheโs pro second-date unless thereโs a major red flag. โYou never know what happened in that person's life that day,โ Wax said. โThey could have an upset stomach โฆ They could not be feeling good. Something could have happened in their life that isnโt allowing them to show up in their best way.โ
โค๏ธ And just remember, youโre not alone. โDating is such a vulnerable area of life,โ Wax said. โAnd I think it can be one of those things where we can feel like something's wrong with us if we're not hitting the results we want.โ But rest assured, โthereโs plenty of people who want the same things you do.โ So donโt be too hard on yourself and just enjoy the process. Your person is right around the corner.
TOGETHER WITH NOBEE
New year, new lease

Image provided by Nobee
What's a telltale sign youโre apartment hunting in Boston? If your answer is an empty wallet, itโs time to start working with Nobee. Change the way you rent and use Nobee's platform to save tons of money on move-in costs. Plus, you can book showings directly through the app, which means you never have to get ghosted by a real estate agent again. Download the app today.
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe
๐ Another round of mini MBTA shutdowns. And theyโre not just on the weekends this time. The MBTA announced March service changes on the Red, Orange, Green, and Mattapan lines, along with the Newburyport/Rockport and Haverhill Commuter Rail lines. Itโs quite the laundry list of changes, so make sure to double check the dates before you head out. Luckily, the MBTA still managed to read the room, as there wonโt be service changes on St. Patrickโs Day weekend.
๐ฐ More casinos are in hot water. Remember earlier this week when I told you that two casinos already broke the sports betting rules? Add another to the list. MGM Springfield recently accepted bets on two Harvard men's basketball games and self-reported the violation. While the Gaming Commission expects these kinds of violations to keep occurring, theyโre still figuring out exactly how to penalize the casinos when they happen. So TBD on that.
๐ง Good news! The drought is officially over. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared Monday that every region of the state has returned to normal conditions (thanks to a particularly rainy January). In case you forgot, the drought started last spring with 94% of the state seeing severe or extreme conditions during parts of the summer. You know what they say: January showers bring an end to drought โฆ ers?
๐ค Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are shipping up to Boston. The comedic duo announced their first tour together in their three-decade friendship, and will stop at the MGM Music Hall on June 9 for their โRestless Leg Tour.โ Fey described the show as โevening of comedy, conversation, improv, maybe a little slow dancing between us. We donโt know yet, but itโs gonna be awesome.โ Presale for the four-show tour starts on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m.
ONE LAST THING
Cute baby alert!

Image courtesy of Brigham and Women's Hospital
Babies in fun outfits make everything better. And these little nuggets at the Brigham and Womenโs Hospital NICU only prove that thesis.
Brigham's NICU posted photos of the babies in Valentineโs Day onesies and accessories on social media this week. Itโs a yearly tradition for the unit, according to NICU medical director Dr. Elisa Abdulhayoglu, as dressing up the babies for holidays provides a sense of normalcy and joy to the families of the little ones.
๐ฅบ Thanks for reading! โTheyโre so damn cute.โ โ Katie Cole, B-Side Producer
๐ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].