I run an online art gallery with an Artist. One day in August, I was trying to take their profile photos, and it wasn’t working. They were animated in a… very stiff way?

So I placed a jute roll in front of them

and said, “Pretend it’s P” (<– their girlfriend’s name).

They melted. “Hey. Your hair’s sticking out.”

What? Instantly? Are they hypnotically susceptible? Or just being a good sport?

Whatever it was, it was the power of a sweetheart.

today’s special

something new: meeting with learners at my free 50-minute sessions (You can sign up for a free Japanese language coaching session here, and English language coaching session here. Your burning questions answered. No pressure to buy.)
something read: Alison Bechdel, “Are You My Mother?” a little bit of