- These huge outdoor inflatable installations are a delight. (colossal)
- There will be a Barbra Streisand memoir. (Town & Country)
- There will also be a Legally Blonde 3, with a screenplay by Mindy Kaling. (Town & Country)
- Burt Bacharach died this week. I loved so many of his songs. Here’s a remembrance of his time in and out of the legendary Brill Building. (Vulture)
- How to help the people of Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of horrific earthquakes. (The Cut)
- Check out Everything is Fine this week: we’re talking everything from mortality to mascara and it’s quite a ride. (Apple Podcasts)
- My pals over at Go Fug Yourself have a new Substack called Drinks With Broads that is delightfully entertaining, and well worth exploring. (Substack)
- Funny. (McSweeney’s)
- A rather fascinating account of the iconic East Village Eye‘s archives going to the New York Public Library. (New Yorker)
Thank you, Kim and Jenn, for bringing up death––it’s something we don’t talk about, but I wanted to mention something I did that made me feel…not better, but more grounded about my death––and that was getting my “papers” in order: will, medical power of attorney, etc. I was also advised by my estate lawyer to put together my desires for my funeral––you don’t want that in your will because it is normally read AFTER you are buried/cremated etc.––so you want that information separate and easily found so your wishes are carried out. Plus, TALK to your children/relatives/friends about your end of life and post life desires. Anyway, after I took care of all of this I felt lighter. Also, if you have children under age 18 then it is imperative you have something official about who you want to be their guardian etc. Sorry to sound so preachy, but I just had all my official documents updated (something to do every five years because things change) so all of the legal stuff is splashing around in my head.
This is such a good reminder, cw, not preachy at all! Not to sound morbid, but no one gets out alive, after all, and getting your affairs in order is such a gift to those left behind. My mom left her affairs decidedly not in order, and it was…hard.
This autumn when my parents were supposed to be finding a new place to live, we discovered that a) both were having health problems (for one parent, memory loss) and b) they had not done any serious packing for the move. So, my husband (the hero of the story), Q.Morgendorffer, and I had to pack, amongst all the other stuff, over sixty crates of books in about a week. It hit me then, it will probably be Q.Morgendorffer and his lovely wife’s fate to deal with all my books someday. So, I am resolved to compose an inventory list of all my books and manga so that Q has a clue on how to manage it all. I mention all of this because this site is definitely populated by Bibliophiles of a Certain Age who may be contemplating something similar. Does anyone have any advice on compiling an inventory list for books, including out-of-print volumes? Or, is it simply a matter of plugging away at it, book by book? (Side note: I wonder if the librarian GOACA are sitting pretty in this regard, or if like chefs and home cooking, librarians don’t card catalogue at home. Yes, yes, I know collections are digitally organized now, but I’m sure any OG librarians who may be reading this haven’t forgotten the charm of the old wooden card catalogues…) Anyway, I appreciate any wisdom y’all have to share on this topic.
Wow, what a great idea, D.! I only *wish* I were a librarian. If I find out anything, I’ll let youses know. (I am in a deep hole on organization myself. Must begin digging energetically. )
I often read The great roundups a bit late so my comments are tardy. So want to put it out here for the shirts with gap problem – these are amazing for a polished look with no issue
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Kim, I have an author recommendation for you, since we seem to have very similar taste and you love the Brits. Check out Barbara Pym. She’s a Brit who wrote really funny social comedies from the 1930s-60s about the lives of British villagers, mostly middle aged women, and they are GREAT and so funny. I haven’t been so obsessed with reading everything by an author in years, but her books are just purely entertaining and extremely well written. The books are fairly short, too, and they have the best titles (Excellent Women, Civil to Strangers, An Unsuitable Attachment, Crampton Hodnet, e.g.). I really think you’d love her.
Ooh, sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the tip, Liz!
In this vein, Angela Thirkell is also excellent and prolific. Her books can start slowly, but they are laugh-out-loud funny and extremely compassionate.
If people are at all into mysteries and English telly, you might check out Hetty Wainthropp shows on Britbox. They are not quite as grim as most mysteries, and you see parts of England that aren’t often shown (or so it seems to me). I wish we had more of that sort of thing here. (I haven’t watched the Poker Face show yet – looking forward to it.) … … … And I’d love to know what people here make of “Wagatha” and “Anatomy of a Scandal.” … … … Also, yes!!! to bubbles, and poofy things. Finally some public art I don’t hate!! (jk, i only dislike about half of it ) I wonder if those are the people who did the giant blow-up rabbits. Must goggle it. Giant inflatable rabbits – the world needs more of them! Thanks again, Kim!!
I think we’ve had quite enough of inflatables up here: four in one week, LOL!