Things that happened recently:

Who do you think wrote that anonymous New York Times op-ed? This theory is my favorite.

This story about a man who has been bussing tables at Walker Bros. Original Pancake House in Chicago for 54 years is sweet but also heartbreaking (and just one more reason why we need Medicare for all).

I wasn't familiar with Joyce Maynard's story before reading this article, but now I want to read her 1998 memoir about her relationship with J.D. Salinger (he was 53 at the time and she was 18). Side note: men are still the worst.

Things to do in New York this week:

Saturday is the 11th Annual Beard and Mustache competition at Coney Island.

Dodie, one of my favorite singer/songwriters, is playing at Brooklyn Steel on Saturday. I'll be there, even though I'm 100 years old, don't like concerts and the last time I went to Brooklyn Steel I almost wasn't allowed in because of my "suspicious" pill container (which contains contraband like—gasp—Advil).

Sunday is a New York Adventure club tour of Woodlawn Cemetery where some of their opulent family mausoleums will be unlocked (hopefully it's not rained out three times like the last Woodlawn tour I tried to take).

Things that I've discovered recently:

I received a lot of very thoughtful birthday gifts (thank you friends and family!), but I couldn't help but laugh when I picked up a box from my friend Jim via UPS that said "hippo storage ottoman" (and contained exactly that).

I have a pile of library books that I'm working through and I cried when I finished this very excellent book. I can't wait for the movie, which looks equally as good.

iAmMoshow the Cat Rapper is my new favorite Twitter follow— can you even handle Cat DJ Ravioli??

Looks like we're finally getting a break from the horrible, miserable heat but we're also maybe getting a hurricane too? David and I have plans to go to our (semi)regular bar tonight which means I'll be eating the world's best mac 'n' cheese (seriously, it's last-meal good) so I'm excited about that. Tomorrow I hope I can stay up late enough to enjoy the Dodie concert (we'll probably/definitely be the oldest people there—she's a 22-year-old Youtube star) and Sunday my mom and I will be peeking inside of mausoleums at Woodlawn (hopefully the rain holds off). My big Egypt trip is rapidly approaching so I'm trying to enjoy a few weeks in the city before I leave it again for a while. Starbucks is already selling the Pumpkin Spice Latte, I've spotted Halloween stores popping up and I am very, very ready to slide head first into fall, when my spooky aesthetic is temporarily in style again. Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!