This second edition of What’s Making Me Happy This Week is brought to you by John Mulaney, new emojis, e-giving platforms for artists, and a hilarious New Yorker article about what it means to dress Texan.
John Mulaney’s Guest Spots
Mulaney’s impressionistic gifts are perhaps most suited to playing an Old Timey.
John Mulaney is one of my favorite comedians. He’s delightful, witty, and one of the best comedians out there today. In the year or so after his sitcom’s cancellation he’s done a Netflix special, launched a broadway show, “Oh Hello!” based on two characters from Kroll Show.
The latest thing delighting me is his fantastic guest spots on various shows like Comedy Bang Bang!, Lady Dynamite, the Jim Gaffigan Show, and the latest, Difficult People, where he plays a pitch-perfect “Old Timey,” a quasi-steam punk type.
Billy: Julie, he’s an Old Timey.
Julie: What?! That’s the worst of the Brooklyn trends.
Billy: And that’s a very high bar.
Check out the episode here (NSFW).
New Emojis
New emojis came out in June, and Apple could be including new emojis in their updates this fall. I ❤️ emojis. I’m such a visual person that I use them beyond social media. I use them in blog posts, notes, and my OmniFocus planner (shout to to OmniGroup for emoji support in OmniFocus 2!). Emojis I’m excited about: pregnant woman, fox, butterfly, crossed fingers, cowboy smiley, and bacon. (Which ones have you been waiting for?)
Dressin’ Texan
While shopping for an interview, my husband made a joke about getting a bedazzled suit because Texas. Then a friend shared this delightful New Yorker article, “Dressin’ Texan” by writer Patricia Marx. It’s an outsider’s look at the culture of fashion in Texas. Lessons the author learned include:
- When in Texas, do not dress down,
- The Lone Star palette is sparkly sea green, sunshine yellow, lavender flecked with gold, and turquoise—lots and lots of turquoise, and
- Don’t even think about putting on the same Oscar de la Renta for tomorrow night’s ball.
Although Marx mentions the common Texan, the article is largely geared towards featuring the fashion of the rich and elite. It includes such witty characterizations as, “‘Dallas lives beyond its means,’ a Houston man who has a man-made lake in his back yard said.” It’s a great read. Check it out!
Patreon & TipCow
Patreon is a crowdfunding platform for artists. It’s more than a repository or funnel for giving and funds. It’s a means for people to connect with their favorite artists and makers, and it’s a way for artists to secure recurring funds so they can do the thing they love most: art.
Now if they could only combine Patreon with the Austin-based startup TipCow, an app that lets people tip their favorite performers—with an app!
I’ve got to keep doing this on the regular because as soon as I start writing, I start remembering things I discovered that made me happy. I encourage you to do the same.
