Illustration by Lindsey Frances | Purchase some of her city prints here

Things that have happened recently:

Surprising no one, our President is as classy as ever and (probably) knowingly covering up a murder but relax, ladies. Don’t be so uptight. You know you want it.

Two more things we should all be outraged by: the Sackler family getting rich while people die, and the shady student loan business; and one thing to be excited about: the new season of The President Show.

Imagine hating Trump so much that you pay nearly $250,000 to have his name removed from your condo building (oh wait, I do hate him that much).

Things to do in New York this weekend:

Saturday is the Ghost of Uncle Joe’s music fest at the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery. It’s a great place to explore on its own, and they always have interesting events, the proceeds of which benefit the cemetery directly.

It’s Giant Pumpkin Weekend at the New York Botanical Garden. “Monstrous pumpkins from around the country—some weighing in at more than a ton—once again arrive at the Garden, arranged in collaboration with the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth.” The Spooky Pumpkin Garden is also open until Halloween.

It’s the beginning of not-terrible movie season, and I already have plans to see A Star is Born and Can You Ever Forgive Me. I still want to see The Hate U Give (the book was incredible) and I hope Lizzie is streaming soon since it was only in theaters very briefly (I’m currently reading this book, which is perfect for this time of year).

Things I discovered recently:

My very favorite artist, Cat Power, has released her first new album in six years and it’s fantastic. She just added a New York City date to her tour list—Brooklyn Steel in December—and I’ve already bought my tickets.

I literally cannot stop thinking about this tortoise wearing pants.

Elin Thomas makes the most beautiful (and maybe the only?) crocheted petri dishes and mold specimens you’ll ever see.

We had a great time in Egypt and saw so many wonders that I will be processing it (and going through my photos) for a long time, but I’m definitely glad to be home. I’m not an adventurous eater, I have real flying anxiety and ultimately I just don’t think I’m cut out for frequent international travel. I’m incredibly grateful to have seen what I’ve seen, but I’m happy to only have domestic trips in my near future. Fall (or more like early winter) has finally come to New York, and I don’t remember ever being as excited for midterm elections as I am this year—somehow I still have hope for Democratic victories. Don’t forget to make sure you’re registered and most importantly, VOTE on November 6th! My calendar is blissfully open at the moment, with a few fun things to look forward to including a trip to Sleepy Hollow (my fifth time?) and, of course, the end-of-year holidays. I don’t have the energy to have a Halloween party this year, but I think I’ll be recycling my costume from last year because I spent far too much money and time on it to just limit it to one outing (after which maybe I’ll be able to actually get rid of it and free up some valuable space in my studio apartment). Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!