The Everywhereist

We are in Paris this week. PARIS. It’s positively amazing. Everyone is wearing sensible flats and looks like a 60s-era movie star. Plus, every single bakery we see is, by definition, a French bakery. Despite being able to say roughly 20 words in French, I am pleased to say that I know how to order cake, cookies, and tartes with surprising ease. Priorities. I have them in order.

And as part of those priorities, I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you. I did not intend for Tuesday’s post to be the love fest that it was. I merely wanted to talk about some issues that had been troubling me. Your responses were incredible and overwhelming. I’m truly humbled and honored. Thank you all.

I’m now off to shove more sweets into my mouth. You enjoy these links.

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This profile on pickpocket Apollo Robbins is fascinating (note: he’s a sleight-of-hand artist, not an actual thief). Ditto for this video that reveals how he pulls off some of his feats.

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In the U.S., we spend roughly twice as much of our GDP on medical procedures as other developed countries do. The New York Times takes a look at why this might be true, starting at the, um, bottom: the price of colonoscopies.

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It’s supposedly going to be sunny this weekend in Seattle (I am cautiously optimistic). I might need to take my French books outside to study. Because next week? We’re leaving for Paris.

Or maybe I’ll just prepare for that trip by preemptively eating croissants. You enjoy these links.

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David Sedaris, on the joys of having a guest bedroom and the problems that arise when your visitors know too much.

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In case you need a bit of perspective, “Here is today” gives a great visual of how the last 24 hours fit into the history of the time.

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We’re home for the weekend. We’ll be here for one and half full weeks, which feels downright calming. No need to dig through a suitcase, frantically searching for clean underwear (instead, I’ll frantically search in a drawer, like a civilized person). No leaving a tip each morning for housekeeping (instead, I’ll just live in the filth that I worked so hard to create).

There’s been a whole lot of crazy going on this week. It’s nice to be home.

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A bridge in Skagit Valley (a few hours north of Seattle) collapsed yesterday. Apparently quite a few of the bridges in my state are in equally bad condition. The upside? Though three cars plummeted into the river, but not a single person died. #happyending

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The news coming out of Oklahoma wasn’t nearly as good. Tornadoes tore through the town of Moore on Monday, killing 24 people, including 7 children. I know that news is absolutely unbearable, so if you don’t wish to read that story, consider browsing this photo gallery of survivors being reunited with their pets after the tornado.

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It’s Friday, folks. I’ve spent the entire week at home, and we’ve had sunshine nearly every single day. And if that wasn’t awesome enough, today is the 51st anniversary of the first issue of “The Incredible Hulk.”

I’m going to see if I have any torn purple jeans (I want to wear them while I wander around my house, smashing things). While I do that, you enjoy these links.

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Given how many talented designers Rand and I are friends with, I often take for granted how difficult it is to design beautiful stuff. But this blog, dedicated to all things ugly, is an excellent reminder: Whoever Designed This is An A**hole.

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The New York Times has some interesting (and proven) ways to defeat jet lag. Get ready to unleash your inner rock star: most of them involve wearing sunglasses on planes.

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It is going to be 80 degrees in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. EIGHTY FRIGGIN DEGREES. The weather is so nice that one school has cancelled class due to sunshine. No, I’m not even remotely kidding.

I am getting out from behind my desk right this second, and heading out to enjoy the day (after safely slathering on some sunscreen and putting on a hat). This links were hastily put together because, really, all I wanted to do was go out and play.

But they’re still worth a gander. Enjoy.

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Foreign Policy culled together the top 500 most powerful people in the world (the list includes presidents, past and present, dictators, and even leaders of drug cartels). I can’t tell if I was more surprised to learn that Henry Kissinger still has influence, or that he’s still alive.

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Paul Miller writes about the year he spent offline without the internet. And what it felt like to return to this world wide web of ours.

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I just got back to Seattle yesterday, after spending a week in Los Angeles with family – including my 9-month-old nephew. I have now have a suitcase full of clothes smeared with baby food and drool, and I’m completely exhausted. After a week. A friggin week.

But people who become parents do this sort of thing FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

I don’t how they do it, but I salute them. Without their efforts, none of us would be here. They deserve cupcakes and backrubs and looong vacations.

For those of you (parents or not) who have enough time to browse through them, I give you the week’s links. Enjoy.

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Photographer Haley Morris-Cafiero takes photos of people who mock her for her weight and appearance. Read her explanation of her work, and you’ll be infuriated by how cruel people can be, and awed at her courage and sense of self.

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In the wake of the Boston bombings, The Atlantic explains why there are so few Chechens in the United States.

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Good heavens. It’s been a rough few days. I hope you are all well. I hope you are all safe, and warm, and that your loved ones are, too.

Stuff remains crazy this morning, as it has been all week. I’ve tried to find some fun, pithy links to include in this roundup, but those have been hard to come by this week. It hasn’t really been a fun, pithy week, has it?

While it seems like today would be a great day for diversions … but I keep frantically looking for more news coming out of Boston. Here’s my best attempt at the links for this week.

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As usual, the Onion makes a few poignant comments about this week.

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Donald Glover talks about some of the responses he got on his campaign to be the next Spiderman. And really, why the hell can’t Peter Parker be black?

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I needed a good laugh or three this week. Below are a few links that made me smile.

I hope you enjoy them, too.

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There is an adorable little mouse that is totally awesome. It eats scorpions and howls at the moon.

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Roger Ebert passed away last week. This prescient post about how he doesn’t fear death (written a year and a half ago!) is beautiful, heartbreaking, and comforting all at once.

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Just when I thought I couldn’t like the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs any more than I do, they went ahead and banned smart phones and camera devices from their shows. That’s kind of badass, is it not?

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