Five Things Making Me Happy (“The sensorial splendor of books” / surprise mannequins)

Hello,

I was very sorry to learn of the death of actor, comedian, and author Leslie Jordan. In episode 322 of the Happier podcast, Elizabeth and I talked to him about his new book How Y’all Doing? —and Elizabeth even went on to cast him as a guest on Fantasy Island, where he gave a terrific performance in the episode “Dia de los Vivos.”

I’ve never spoken to anyone who instantly communicated such a level of humor, warmth, and fun. I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotations, from G. K. Chesterton: “It is easy to be heavy; hard to be light.” Leslie Jordan was a rare spirit.

Onward,

5 things making me happy

It makes me happy that my new website has upgraded accessibility features. Click the blue person-shaped logo in the lower left corner to toggle on/off features that make the pages more accessible. Even if you don’t need adjustments, consider taking a look. My research on the five senses has made me much more aware of just how much visual presentation affects our ability to take information in. For instance, I like the “Big Black Cursor”—which is exactly as described.

Because I visit the Met every day, it’s a big deal when a new exhibit opens. I love “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England.” One fascinating little detail: in a famous portrait of King Henry VIII, he wears a chain of linked gold “H”s around his neck. Somehow that seems very modern to me.

As someone who loves to read, and who studies the five senses, I was enthralled by this description of an exhibit that highlights “the sensorial splendor of books.” I want to plan a trip to Oxford to visit it myself.

Speaking of books, I love beautiful cover designs. I was intrigued by the collection of award-winning covers featured in this article from “Eye on Design.”

Have you ever bought a book just because you loved the cover? I certainly have.

During our morning walk, Barnaby and I stumbled across this mannequin in a trash can. I found it strange and funny, Barnaby was not amused.

Updates

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