On the last Friday of each month I send out a list of the month’s Specials, or 15 things I’m buying, reading, watching, thinking about, eating, etc. The first few Specials on the list are available for everyone to read and the last 12 are visible to paid subscribers only.
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This month’s Specials:
Every three-or-so years I care a lot about my birthday (having a party, getting dressed up, going way overboard on decor) but 2024 is just not one of those years. All I really wanted to do on my birthday on Tuesday was sleep in, go shopping with my sister, see some art, and be in bed by 9, which is exactly what happened. Highlights included seeing “Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting” at LACMA (you’ve got to go, trust me), smelling every candle at Santa Maria Novella, pretending I might actually make a purchase at The Row, and ending the night with slices of both the pizza and cake variety. Perfect.
I thought this article in the LA Times about awe was really interesting, and while you will absolutely never find me rolling down grassy hills or doing backflips in the pool, it gave me something to think about nonetheless. The gist of it:
“Keltner has been able to determine eight wonders of life that often propel people into states of awe: moral beauty (witnessing the virtue of others); collective effervescence (often experienced in large groups like those at weddings, rallies or sporting events); nature; music; visual design (beautiful buildings, paintings and the like); spiritual and religious experiences; life and death; and epiphanies.”
For the foreseeable future:
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