Things that happened recently:

Have you noticed that the "gifs" option has disappeared from your Instagram stories? Here's why.

I wouldn't say that I have a sweet tooth, but I love sugar just as much as anyone—and know that I eat way too much of it (I love Easter candy so much that Francesca just bought me this pillow). Here's a good way to start cutting back, without missing out on sweet treats.

The legal battle for Charles Manson's body has been resolved, with rights awarded to his grandson (I swear I wasn't in the running, despite being obsessed with this book).

Things to do this weekend:

There are still tickets left for two "Spirit of the Irish" ghost tours tonight at one of New York's most haunted places, The Merchant's House and Museum. The Merchant's House is a gem, but it's currently being threatened by a proposal to build an eight-story hotel next door, the construction of which would potentially destroy the fragile 186-year-old landmark building—here's how you can help with the fight to save the house (or support the cause by taking a tour!).

Saturday is St. Patrick's Day, and while I'm not a huge fan of green eggs or drinking at 8am, I do love parades. I've never been to the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, but maybe this is a good year for it since it falls on the weekend.

I'm devastated that I missed the registration for this free tour of Gravesend Cemetery—the oldest cemetery owned by the City of New York—on Sunday. I went there once, only to find that the cemetery is open by appointment only. I'm trying to reach the Parks Dept. to see if I can get on a waitlist, so wish me luck!

Things I discovered recently:

I texted my mom asking her to pick up this lamp while she was at Target (she goes once a week) and she replied "Why do you need that?" Despite her savage judgement of my decor choices, she did end up delivering, and I love it so much. Now every time I turn on the light I'm reminded of Mr. Rex and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, both of which make me very happy.

I found this article about the "Santa's Workshop" of Brooklyn and discovered that Lou Nasti and his team are the masterminds behind some of the most memorable Dyker Height's Christmas decorations and other mechanical displays around the city. You can take a tour of his workshop via the New York Adventure Club (which I will definitely be doing someday soon).

After finishing this book I was hungry for more about life in the tunnels, so I watched this documentary (so good!). I'm forever fascinated by pre-gentrified New York but I also know that I wouldn't have lasted five minutes here in the '70s-'90s.

My mom and I have plans to go to yet another doomed diner this weekend, The Silver Spurs diner, which is closing at the end of the month after 40 years in business. I wish diners weren't dropping like flies, but I guess all we can do is say our goodbyes and try to patronize the ones we love as much as we can while they're still around. Other than that, I have no weekend plans—David and I explored an abandoned school last weekend and I'm excited to start going through my photos. I've been taking a Lightroom class at work, which has invigorated my interest in photo editing and I used my shiny new camera for the first time so we'll see how those turn out. I think I'm officially over this cold weather and more than ready for a real spring—I've seen some signs of life popping up around the city, but hopefully the temperatures rise a bit soon. Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!