Speaking in Tongues

A little letter full of tidbits, followed by more tidbits.

Dearest reader,

What an interesting week this has been. I think my main takeaway from it is that women aren't too emotional to lead after all.

Some other tidbits:

• Two people I know have started newspapers. Like real live actual newspapers with print, and reporting, and paper you can touch. This makes me indescribably happy. Doesn't it make you happy too?
• I read Lauren Collins' piece about a war between hazelnut spreads (read it...it's great...only it has me longing for Marseille again) and decided to try El Mordjene for myself. I think I prefer it to Nutella. Don't hate.
• Last night I was talking to my beloved mentor pal, and he told me about the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis, which is about how a person's native language influences their thought processes and so forth. For example, with English, you can do a lot more on the fly (like this newsletter today); with French, I am definitely sexier and more philosophical; but with German, where the verbs often come at the end of rather lengthy sentences, you have to think things out before you start speaking. And wouldn't that be nice if more people (especially people in power) thought things out before they started speaking?
• Beloved Mentor Pal also told me that we are within a year or two of being able to talk to dolphins and whales, which would be a dream come true for me.
• I turned in two stories about really interesting women and I can't wait to share them with you.
• I keep seeing videos from the Cowboy Carter tour and think I might need to buy tickets. Because what if Beyonce trots out Dolly Parton for "Jolene" and I wasn't there to see it? That might fill me with regret.

What's on your mind today? What's new in your world? Hit reply and let me know.

Big hug,

Paige

Writing prompt: If you could talk to an animal, which animal would it be and why? And then, what would you talk to it about?

Always aspire to act in a way that cancels out someone else's cruel or stupid behavior.

-- Carl Hiassen

Endnotes

What I'm reading

The Haves and Have Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich by New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos is an entertaining, illuminating, and at times infuriating look at how the super-rich are shaping and skewing our social and political landscape. For example, having a nice big mansion is no longer a flex. However, having a 295-foot-long yacht with a huge staff is, because if you hate your neighbor you can just sail somewhere else as Duran Duran performs for you onboard. “No one today – except for assholes and ridiculous people – lives on land in what you would call a deep and broad luxe life," one seemingly ridiculous asshole of a yacht owner told Osnos. F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that the rich were different. Osnos demonstrates the myriad ways in which they continue to be, all the while illustrating just how far they will go to gain an advantage in a life that's already chock full of them.

What I've been watching

"The Studio" on Apple TV+. I wish I had found it two months ago when it first came out because it is really well-written and acted, and just funny as hell. Basically, Seth Rogen/Matt Remick is to a Hollywood studio as Steve Carrell/Michael Scott is to Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. And Rogen/Remick has been forced to choose between making art (as his heart desires), or turning another childhood icon into a Barbie-scale movie blockbuster. I'm sad that I'm done with this. Like, really sad. Please hit reply and let me know what you think I need to watch next.

What I've been listening to

That new Garbage album "Let All That We Imagine Be The Light" is solid and dystopian and pretty much of the moment. You should definitely listen to this while reading a nonfiction book about rich people who think suckers and losers live on land.

Where I hope you'll donate this week

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and I'm hoping you'll support the Human Rights Campaign, which envisions a world where everyone has the freedom to live their truth without fear and with equality under the law. Thank you!