It takes me an absurd amount of time to write a proper post—and that time was not available to me this week.* But as reader-friend David Hirning and I discussed in the comments of last week’s post, connecting with kindred spirits—even briefly—goes a long way to
“Wanna climb a mountain tomorrow?” Whenever I text this to my friend Ulla, she invariably says yes. These outings are never easy to pull off. We’re both deep in what I call The Vortex—a seemingly endless swirl of tasks and commitments. But Ulla is half Swedish, and apparently
Now that everyone has read the memo*and seen the backflips**, it’s clearer than ever that we need to move briskly towards single payer…right? That we can’t have something as vital to humans as healthcare depend on employment, if the jobs landscape is slated to go haywire?
Yesterday, I let both kids skip school to attend the Seahawks parade in downtown Seattle. I know. I barely recognize myself. We are not a football family, and typically when the kids tell us what their friends are allowed to do, we are quick to joke (or not joke): “How
…is die. Stay with me. I know that’s a strange way to start a pep talk. The more conventional pep talk to humans these days centers on our hard-to-replicate judgement—the kind of discernment that comes from years of roving the earth in a fleshy body. The technology is
Back in the late 90s, I was a fish out of water in Wharton’s MBA program: as an undergrad, I’d studied literature not economics. I’d worked not in investment banking but in the wordy world of crisis communications. I had not yet met the wonders of Excel.
A few weeks ago, I used Paperless Post to create this draft invitation (above). I then downloaded the image and texted it to a bunch of fellow parents I like but rarely see. I chose not to use Paperless Post’s built-in RSVP function and email reminders, all of which
It is not in my nature to yell “Fuck you!” at strangers. In fact, I typically aim to move around the world, connecting quietly with passersby: a smile here, a lifted stroller there, a wave to say, “After you.” I love a moment of shared humanity that doesn’t require
I started writing here a year ago. At first, I called What Now a “newsletter,” because that’s what most people call missives that drop regularly into readers’ inboxes. But I don’t write to deliver news. That critical work is done by journalists, the professional reporters who do all
This week has not lent itself to sleeping, but I cannot not write, so you are once again getting a list of thoughts that may or may not be connected: 1. Last time I did this, I slandered lists as “the lowest form of human writing,” but one of you—
The fact that Trump pardoned one drug-trafficking strongman (Hernández of Honduras) one month before capturing another (Maduro of Venezuela) has been much discussed. Also much discussed: Venezuela’s oil, Trump’s embrace of the Monroe Doctrine, Trump’s love of made-for-TV displays of dominance, and his need to distract Americans
I didn’t find a lot to laugh about in 2025, but I really enjoyed this moment on New Year’s Eve: My son realizing that he and the gigantic pants favored by his generation would need to get through airport security—without a belt. Fortunately his film education includes