The Delicious Pleasure of Looking Forward to Something
I think anticipation may be one of life’s most underrated pleasures. We talk endlessly about experiences. The trip. The dinner. The date. The concert. The weekend away. But […]
Stay Up a Little Later
Stay up a little later. Not every night. Sleep is important. I have become old enough to respect sleep in a way I certainly did not at twenty-five. But sometimes the […]
What Makes a Life Feel Luxurious?
Luxury is a beautiful hotel. Sometimes. It is also sleeping well. This is less photogenic. I have become increasingly interested in the difference between looking luxurious and feeling luxurious. They […]
The Men You Remember
You do not remember every handsome man. This is inconvenient for handsome men. You do not remember every expensive dinner, every beautiful suit, every charming introduction, every person who knew exactly how to […]
Why the Future Is Going to Be Weird—and Wonderful
The future is going to be extremely strange. I find this comforting. People often talk about the future with dread. Artificial intelligence. Automation. Longevity. Spaceflight. Robotics. Climate […]
Dinner With Someone Who Disagrees With You
I like agreement. It is comfortable. Someone says something. I say, “Exactly.” Everyone feels intelligent. Very pleasant. But agreement is not always interesting. Some of my favorite conversations […]
A Little Bit of Vanity Is Good for You
I am pro-vanity. In moderation. Obviously. Like martinis. There is a version that becomes destructive. And there is a version that is simply pleasure in presentation. I think we […]
Things I Still Want to See Before I Die
I am not particularly fond of bucket lists. The phrase makes life sound like an administrative exercise. Check. Check. Check. Congratulations, you successfully completed existence. Still, there are things […]
The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing Together
There is a stage of attraction when everything feels like an event. Dinner. Drinks. A show. A trip. A beautiful room. A reservation worth planning around. I love […]
Why Grown-Ups Need Adventures Too
At some point adulthood becomes alarmingly administrative. Bills. Appointments. Emails. Insurance. Passwords. Forms. Maintenance. Scheduling. Entire days can disappear without anything actually happening. You were […]
The Vacation Where Everything Goes Wrong
The best travel stories usually begin with failure. This is inconvenient. We spend enormous amounts of time trying to prevent exactly this. Reservations. Confirmations. Backups. Insurance. Weather apps. […]
Whatever Happened to Mystery?
We know too much about each other. This is a strange problem. For most of history, if you met an attractive stranger, you had questions. Where does he live? What does he […]
The Fascinating Lives Happening at the Next Table
I am a terrible eavesdropper. Not maliciously. Curiously. There is a difference. Probably. Restaurants are full of fragments. A sentence from the next table. A look between two […]
A Love Letter to Room Service
Room service is one of civilization’s finest ideas. I realize this may not rank alongside antibiotics or electricity in historical importance. Still. Food arriving at your door while you are wearing a […]
Why Funny Men Are Dangerous
Funny men are dangerous. Not criminally. Usually. I mean romantically. A handsome man can get your attention. A funny man can get past your defenses. This is worse. […]
Things Money Actually Does Buy
People love saying money doesn’t buy happiness. Usually in extremely comfortable rooms. The statement is both true and misleading. Money does not guarantee happiness. Obviously. We have all seen miserable […]
