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 sunny in my damp little corner of the world. The hippies are already congregating in the park, beating their damn drum incessantly. And this Sunday, despite we’re all going to collectively be an hour late to something. In short: spring is coming. Personally, I can’t wait (except for the damn hippie drum circle).

I’m going to go find my sun dresses and earplugs. You enjoy these links.

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A talented father draws fun little pictures on his kids’ sandwich bags every. single. day. The gallery of his work is delightful.

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This just may be the greatest headline, ever: “Beards Keep You Young, Healthy, & Handsome, Says Science.” (Via my friends Ruth and Justin, who know how to appreciate some good facial hair).

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It’s March. That’s the month that supposedly comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, right? But in Seattle, March comes in more like a slug (or possibly a damp mop) and goes out pretty much the same way.

However, right now? It is not raining. I mean, it will probably start in the next four minutes or so, but in the meantime, I’m going to rush outside and play in the sunshine not rain. You enjoy these links.

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A medieval manuscript, peed on by a medieval cat. Some things never do change, eh?

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The 2013 World Press Photo Awards have been announced. I could write a thousand words about each image on the subject, but these four will suffice: they are all breathtaking.

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I’m sorry that blogging has not been regular. Life has been crazypants (I think that’s the technical word for it). I promise, things will normalize after next Wednesday.

Why Wednesday? Because that’s when I’m speaking at Ignite Seattle, and the crazy monkey on my back that keeps screeching and pulling my hair will finally be caged (or euthanized. Whatever).

If you are in town, please consider attending.

I’m off to go practice my talk. You enjoy these links.

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This might be the most meta Tumblr, ever: Pictures of Hipsters Taking Pictures of Food. Despite being guilty of this myself, I laughed.

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I might be a day late on this, but they’re still magical: Wes Anderson valentines.

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I’m sorry that the blog has been so thin after the last few weeks. South Africa was amazing and all-engrossing, and took me away from my email and the site for quite a while. And even though we got back on Monday (at least, I think it was Monday. Who knows, really), I’m still not quite over my jet-lag. Last night, I slept for 10 whole hours, starting at 9pm.

So now that I finally feel somewhat awake, I realize that I have loads to do. Loads of email. Loads of household chores. Loads of laundry (that one works on two levels!)

I’m off to tend to all those things I neglected while chasing after zebras. While I do that, you enjoy these links.

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Whoa. By juxtaposing different images of faces together, we can make them appear distorted and grotesque. Check out what it does to celebrities’ faces, and shudder at the thought of how we mere mortals would look.

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This one just hurts my brain: Flight attendants question a man because they think his t-shirt alludes to a potential terrorist threat. Because … it features a quote from The Princess Bride.

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