Psst ... hello! Scottie Andrew here, back for another round of all things good while AJ's away.

When my spirits are low and the weather's keeping me inside, I sing, loudly and often. Because this week was a particularly dreary and gray one, I transformed my apartment into a karaoke bar. Wielding a fake microphone like a queen would her scepter, I performed my heart out to a crowd of none. (In my mind, though, I'm commanding the stage like Freddie Mercury at Live Aid.) I belted out hits from Lady Gaga to ... well, more Lady Gaga. Her songs give me a boost when I need it, and this week I needed a big one. There's something about singing that, for me, invites a little light in. For you, baking or running or crafting or something more unusual may do the trick. Wherever your karaoke bar is and whoever your Gaga may be, I hope you've found habits that bring you peace. Your activity of choice probably bothers your neighbors less than mine does.

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

They're getting their neighbors in need vaccinated
Scoring a vaccine appointment once you're eligible is something of a crapshoot. It's harder still for eligible Americans who run up against language barriers, shoddy internet access and a lack of nearby vaccination sites. It's often up to volunteers, then, to register their neighbors for vaccines. CNN spoke with everyday folks who scour pharmacy websites for appointments, unpaid work they do in addition to their jobs, to connect people of color with vaccines. Vivi Zayas is repaying the favor after a stranger scored her father an appointment, and now, she devotes her days to registering Spanish-speaking immigrants for vaccines. Brenda Robinson, who leads the Black Nurses Coalition, goes door to door in Albany, New York, to register her neighbors. Peter Ng has become an advocate for elderly residents of Los Angeles' Chinatown, asking the health department for more vaccines. It's difficult but necessary work, Zayas says, to immunize people who haven't had luck on their own: "If you don't know how to do something, then you find out and you get the problem solved."

A substitute teacher's students become family
Jose Villarruel left an impression when he was Steven Nava's substitute teacher in high school. Villarruel, or "Mr. V," as students called him, made an effort to get to know the kids he subbed for. He'd ask them about their days and what they'd eaten for lunch, and he'd crack jokes while taking attendance, Nava said, kind gestures that made his classes fun and memorable. Nava didn't know then that Mr. V lived in his car, something he's done for the last eight years to save money to send to his family in Mexico. Nava, now 21, recently spotted Mr. V sleeping in his car early one morning and decided then to raise enough money to get his beloved substitute a more permanent place to stay. So far, he's raised more than $27,000 for the 77-year-old, due in part to Mr. V's new fans on TikTok. Mr. V was stunned by the donation, telling CNN he accepted the gift "with an open heart." He plans to use some of the funds to visit his wife and children, but in California, he no longer feels alone — Nava and his other former students have become like family themselves.

Chimps make long-distance friendships work

This time last year, Zoom meetings were still fun — remember the novelty of them, the ease with which you could join, not having to wear pants with zippers? Now even a virtual conference call feels like it's asking too much. If only we could share the wonder that these chimpanzees feel during their daily Zooms. The chimp troops at two Czech zoos video chat each other every day, eight hours a day, and somehow don't get bored. Both troops are stuck on mute — there's only so much to talk about with a fellow great ape — but they watch intently as their chums on the screen eat, sleep, groom and go about their business during regular work hours. They even grab snacks before they plop down in front of their screens and watch the action unfold. Their keepers aren't clear whether the chimps will end up lifelong friends or whether they treated the experiment like one long reality show binge-watch. Sounds like a win either way.

Raise a glass to...

Torri'ell Norwood, a 16-year-old who learned CPR and then used the procedure to save her best friend's life the very next day. Torri'ell (pictured right) hadn't expected to use her basic life support training so soon, but the night after her first class, her car was sent careening into a tree by a reckless driver. Torri'ell and two of her friends had already exited the car when she noticed her best friend, A'zarria Simmons, hadn't followed behind. So she quickly ran through everything she'd learned the day before: She pulled an unconscious A'zarria (pictured left) from her seat in the car, careful not to cut her with glass, then checked her pulse. When she couldn't hear her heartbeat, she started performing CPR. After 30 compressions and two rescue breaths, A'zarria regained consciousness. She came away from the accident with some forehead stitches, but she said she wasn't surprised that Torri'ell was the one who saved her life. "She will always help any way she can, to help anybody," A'zarria said of her best friend. Torri'ell, for her part, told CNN excitedly that she plans to pursue nursing to "go to the rescue" again and again.

A bright idea

Remember when we all had to learn about the stock market earlier this year because Reddit users poured all their money into GameStop? Yeah, I try to forget about that, too. Until now, that is, because the members of the same Reddit community that knocked Wall Street off its axis are using their unrealized income to donate to endangered gorillas. Redditors from WallStreetBets have raised more than $330,000 for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund by symbolically adopting baby mountain gorillas in east-central Africa. They're not stopping with the apes, either — the stock traders plan to donate some of the profits they made from their GameStop stock to retail employees out of work, neighbors with unpaid medical bills and local non-profits. Finally, a story that only 2021 could've produced gets a happy ending.

You gotta see this

Surfing already requires a degree of balance I do not possess. Surfing the same waters as a mammoth manta ray is downright Herculean. To be fair, the surfer snapped in this photo probably didn't see this sea creature leap out of the water behind him, but even so … THE BRAVERY! Manta rays have recently been spotted in droves around Satellite Beach, Florida, where this unassuming surfer was photographed, but marine researchers aren't entirely sure why. They might be mating or feeding, or, amateur theory here, they're warning us to stay out of their ocean. And you know what? I hear them, and I will obey. When the world's largest ray sends you a message, you listen. They sure do look spectacular from afar, though.

Wanna get away?

Don't mind me; I'm just dreaming of the gorgeous islands of India while I await my vaccine. India's home to more than 4,600 miles of coastline, each island different than the next. Minicoy, off the southwestern coast, boasts cerulean waters and untouched coral reefs. Pamban Island is best known for its Ramanathaswamy temple, a sacred place for devout Hindus. St. Mary's Island (pictured above) rests on lava rock columns and is considered a "birder's paradise." Some islands cater to tourists; others don't allow visitors to stay overnight to preserve their natural state. Back to daydreaming I go.

Who knew?

Cheese can be dangerous, and not just to the lactose intolerant. This is casu marzu, a delicacy from the Italian island of Sardinia. Looks safe enough, right? Wrong! The Sardinian soft cheese holds the Guinness World Record for most dangerous cheese. It's so fearsome that the Italian government outlawed it in the 1960s. All that just because of some maggots.

About those maggots — they hatch inside the cracks that form in tamer cheese like pecorino. When they're born, they digest the proteins of those cheeses and transform them into something softer, creamier and insect-ier. The result is casu marzu (and, potentially, a visit from the cheese authorities?). Gastronomes eat the cheese au naturel or ground up so the maggots blend in with the cheese, and the earthy, spicy taste, they say, overcomes any disgust they initially feel. "The maggot infestation is the spell and delight of this cheese," one gastronome told CNN. Isn't it fun to feel a little dangerous sometimes? Insect consumption isn't unusual in many countries, anyway, and some research suggests that eating the insects might even reduce carbon dioxide emissions from animal farming. Yum, maybe.

Impact your world

The spike in anti-Asian harassment came to a devastating head this week and, understandably, has made many Asian Americans fear future violence. Educated bystanders, though, can help protect those being harassed with the proper training. CNN's Impact Your World suggests allies looking to be better bystanders take free trainings with Hollaback!, an organization that fights harassment. Here's what Hollaback! suggests you can do to support a victim.

Distract. Try to deescalate the situation by approaching someone who's being harassed and draw attention away from them.
Delegate. Ask for help from someone else on behalf of the person who's being harassed. Ask the target of the harassment before you call the police, though.
Delay. After the incident is over, check in with the person who was harassed and ask what they need.
Direct. If it's safe to do so, speak up about the harassment and make clear to the harasser that what they're doing is wrong.
Document. If it's legal in your area, document the act of harassment — it may be of use to the victim. But ask them before sharing it anywhere.

Read these and more tips in CNN's Impact Your World guide to supporting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders against harassment.

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

TripAdvisor's top all-inclusive resorts for a post-Covid trip

From a picturesque mountain lodge in Chile to an oceanfront oasis in Mexico, here are 25 award-winning resorts you'll want to add to your post-pandemic travel bucket list.

Shameless animal video

There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.

Meet Fady, an aye-aye with the face of an angel and the eyes of someone in perpetual shock. Aye-ayes are bizarre nocturnal lemurs known for their oversized ears, bushy tails and charming buck teeth. She's not this small anymore — five years after this was filmed, she gave birth to her own baby, Winifred, who's just as cute as her mom. (Watch Fady's weigh-in here.)

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