1. I finally watched The Grand Budapest Hotel last month and have been meaning to recommend it. The concierge character, M. Gustave, reminded me so much of my best friend trying to be gracious in his own store, giving us quotes like this:
“Rudeness is merely the expression of fear. People fear they won’t get what they want. The most dreadful and unattractive person only needs to be loved, and they will open up like a flower.
2. This article about the origins of the phrase “having it all” (title of Helen Gurley Brown’s 1982 memoir, early feminist demand, currently unpopular for being unrealistic) is fascinating. Short version: Brown never wanted that phrase to be the title in the first place.