it’s hopeless, it’s majestic

for some reason, it was a great day — was it eating candy mid-day? was it the combo of eating candy AND leaving briefly mid-day? was it adam liptak on the daily? we’ll never know. but that kind of buoyancy is rare these days. the first great thing:

second, this amazing obituary, “Angela Madsen, Paralympian Rower, Dies on Solo Pacific Voyage at 60” — her life, my god — this accident happens AFTER she’s been paralyzed AND homeless:

Then came an accident in the San Francisco subway in which she plunged headfirst from her wheelchair onto the train tracks. It left her with a mild brain injury but led her to realize that she had more to be grateful for than sorry about, and she resolved to shape her own destiny.

later she has cancer and double mastectomy! and she keeps going! IT IS INSANE. and i just loved this line:

With her legs paralyzed, she found freedom rowing across oceans. “It’s hopeless, it’s majestic, it’s exhilarating,” she said.

may we all die trying, like angela madsen.

ughhhhhhh

just spent an hour looking at the instagrams of martha plimpton and ione skye — which was not technically bad, and honestly was cool to see similarly aged ladies not afraid to look like regular cool aging ladies — BUT first how did i even get there? and also let’s be honest, not a great use of an hour. this is why i quit instagram a 100 hears, i mean years, ago.

still a treasure

our world is so strange right now

from the ny times “What to Do When You Need to Use a Public Bathroom During a Pandemic”:

If the toilet has a lid, close it before you flush so it traps the plume. Think of the lid as a mask for the toilet.

come again?

from a princess activity for kids:

good things

• getting into bed at the end of the day
• oat milk mexican mochas (what can i say)
• joyful protest dancing

this is some legit papier mâché

mars

(via claire foley)

there will be gray days and sunny ones

i don’t want to read this book but i do like the cover and this review by dwight garner — here’s a great bit:

I admire this book enormously; it’s a profound and intuitive work of immersive journalism. If I didn’t turn every page with equal enthusiasm, well, it’s a long trip. There will be gray days and sunny ones.

ps. cover design by abby weintraub; cover photograph by r.tsubin

old n’ tired

THAT’S ME! still feel lucky to have a body and a face, but it’s looking pretty ragged these days. i feel like i look more raggedy than my same-aged friends, lot of extra face skin — do you think it’s because i went back to school as an old person instead of stayed in known jobs and that stress exhausted my face? also if i lost weight would the extra face skin go away or just hang around? WHO CARES. also i guess i’m almost a month into my job and i’m worried that i’ve already blown my load with good ideas, and NOW WHAT.