The Week: August 23, 2013

I’ve been having trouble sleeping these past few nights – I think my body’s trying to stay awake in some weird attempt to make the summer feel longer. But the grey skies are already moving in, and fall is, as much as I’d like to pretend otherwise, on its way.

I’m accepting the end of sunshine and t-shirt weather the way any mature adult would: I’m gonna eat an entire pan of s’mores. While I enjoy the spoils of my bad judgment, you enjoy these links.

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A YouTube user slows down one of my favorite songs -Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” – by 25%. The result is sultry, sad, and entirely beautiful.

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And a little more Dolly love for your Friday: Texas musician Josh Weathers covers “I Will Always Love You” and totally nails it.

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A reminder of how not to react to the news that Bradley Manning is transgender.

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Aditya Mukerjee’s tale of the racism and injustice he faced while trying to get through airport security is alarming and infuriating. You should read it.

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22 SNL cast members (and one who almost made the cut) talk about what it’s like to audition for the show. It’s painful and wonderful to read, especially for those of us who’ve wanted to write for Lorne Michaels since we were 11.

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James Wannerton has lexical-gustatory synaesthesia – which means that he tastes words when he sees or hears them (yes, this is a real thing). He shares his quasi superpower with the rest of us by creating a taste map of all the stops on the London Underground.

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It’s from the NYT archives, but this 10-year old article is chock-full of useful advice for writers. BEWARE THE HOOPTEDOODLE.

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Lara Shipley’s photos of Southern Arizona are beautifully gritty.

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I’m once again honored to be featured on Forbes’ list of top 100 websites for women. (Not to look a gift accolade in the mouth, but how about next year we make it the top 100 websites for humans? And maybe I can still make the cut?)

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A man in a green Power Ranger costume is helping people get around the many staircases of the Tokyo subway.

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That’s it for me this week. See you Monday, when I conclude with my tales of Paris and move on to Bavaria (all from the comfort of my Seattle office).