things i think about while powerwashing 119

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Tariff news .... is tough. I usually don't write about current events on here but I found something so ridiculous that is somewhat tangentially related to something newsworthy that I have to share it.

I am here to share the ridiculous things that are floating around on Facebook Marketplace. Oh yes, the connection. Uhhhhh tariffs make buying new stuff expensive so buy old stuff!

Like ... this old statue of an Italian plumber!

How about ... this strange looking dust collector!

A boat that is in less than pristine condition.

And finally, it is what it is.

museum of the week

WE ARE BACK. Sorry for the big hiatus I know all of you were just dying to get the down low one new museums (hahaha ... ha?) but thanks to esteemed subscriber Rachel I have visited a new museum — the New York Historical Society!

Rachel and I specifically were on the hunt for the exhibit that was talking about Robert Moses, but was not actually talking about Robert Moses it was mainly talking about the author who wrote his biography — a different Robert. Robert Caro, who wrote the allegedly salacious book The Power Broker (allegedly because I haven't read it), had all his notes and memos and drafts from writing 1,300-page long epic displayed on the first floor of the NYHS and I went in trying to learn about Robert Moses and how he destroyed the lives of over half a million people and maybe more to reminiscing about my old journalism days.

But on Moses — the general gist of the guy is that he was this very influential figure in the mid-1900s who built so many parks that he got tired of just building parks. So he started building bridges that limited poor people and people of color from accessing those parks and also built highways through poor neighborhoods, displacing over half a million people. Just the exhibit alone got me really interested and probably sold me a bit on reading his book.

Enough about that — about the exhibit.

I never knew I could spend an hour within the open confines of two walls — each adorned with facsimiles of yellowing pages and silver gelatin prints, hiding in the safe shadow of half-inch thick plexiglass. As I stood with my nose hovering right above aforementioned glass, my eyes carefully followed each loop and line of Caro's penmanship, as his hard work and effort slowly became realized in my mind.

Caro and his editor, Robert Gottlieb (Jesus Christ there are so many fucking Roberts!), at some point were both gazing at the 1.3 million word manuscript that Caro presented on his desk. The exhibit kind of skipped past this, but they eventually pared it down to 2/3rds of the length. Quite the feat, if you ask me.

So now, I am inspired to read The Power Broker. Was this exhibit one of the greatest ads of all time? Or is the material simply good? Guess I will find out soon.

anonymous subscriber news

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animal of the week

My hero esteemed subscriber Emi Chan returns with another animal — this time two adorable and hard-working puppies!

Two puppies who came on a hike with us through the ixtipeji forest in Oaxaca. These little troopers hiked 5 miles!

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co!