October 19, 2018

There’s a hill at this park near my house that I’ve taken to marching up and down with Persey in the afternoons. I’m delighted to find that it’s crisp and even chilly out here, so I can indulge in long, rambling walks with my girl without worrying about either of us collapsing from heat exhaustion. Something about this incline, only about a quarter of a mile at a gentle but definite slope, has been fantastic for my mental health as well as my heart rate. And the reward of sitting in the sunwarmed grass, looking over the rest of the park with Persey panting at my side, has been so rich. What do dogs look at when they look over a great height?

1. Get Acquainted with the Gorgeous Wedding Gowns of America’s Wealthiest Families, Harper’s Bazaar. Some gorgeous satin and dramatic veils at this link. As the article says, we may not have royals here in America, but we do have society brides.

2. The One with the Embryo’s Friends Trivia Episode: A History. This is interesting: “The writers crafted the material, but the crowd decided whether or not
   it was good enough. If a joke didn’t yield the expected laugh, the
   writers huddled up, rewriting on the spot. The actors tried multiple
   line readings, listening to hear which one landed best. If the audience
   seemed uncomfortable or put off by a line, they fixed it and tried the
   take again — and again, if necessary. This meant shoot nights were a
   marathon, often going until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. (and sometimes required
   swapping out one sleepy audience for a fresh one halfway through).
   Sometimes producers would turn to the crowd between takes, asking for a
   show of hands to see how many got the joke.” I love this episode, because it reveals more little details about our friends than we knew before, plus the electricity of a high-stakes competition. This episode and the Thanksgiving one where they’re all yelling each other’s dirty laundry in mutual destruction (”The One Where Ross Got High”) are some of my favorite moments.

3. Doctor Beth, who runs the Realms of Gold doll and stuffed animal hospital, has a wonderful blog that photographs her process recovering and restoring beloved and damaged stuffed animals to lovable glory. What I especially love about her process is that her goal is not always to make the loveys as good as new, but to stablize their seams, wash away matted fur, and get them back to their kids as soon as possible. Take a look at some of her posts, like this amazing Gorilla restoration or this sweet Winnie the Pooh, and you’ll see what I mean.

4. I Think About the Princess Diaries Palate Cleanser A Lot, the Cut. The Cut has this series, “I Think About This A Lot,” which is sort of a personal essay about a really specific memory or moment that the author has keyed in on with loving attention. I am always a sucker for deviling the details, but these are also often funny. Check out the series, and especially this dessert from an iconic movie of my growing up.

5. I Still Love My American Girl Dolls, Glamour. “Historical fiction is essential to young readers, especially girls; we
   have to be able to imagine ourselves and our foremothers as vital, even
   in a small way, to the story of our society. The American Girl books
   (and later, the Dear America series, another 10/10 rec) put young women
   at the center of history and said that virtues like bravery and honesty
   and friendship and hard work were the keys to happiness and fulfillment,
   rather than a sweet disposition and a pretty face and a nice singing
   voice, as Disney might have us believe.” [Emphasis mine] Same, girl.