Bored Couples.

Martin Parr's photographs of bored couples need no explanation, and no introduction. Those eyes, those faces - and that very harsh lighting - speak for themselves.

The third one down is priceless. Visit Martin Parr's website, here. More at Magnum Photos. 

Also, three more links, just because:

-The world's fluffiest bunny.

-An "oddly poetic" army literacy test. 

-"Being ashamed of your past is absolutely insane." Agreed.

Have a wonderful weekend! What are your plans? I'm still recovering from last weekend's trip - looking forward to powering down for a quieter one this week!

Tea Dresses & Tree Socks.

Printed treasures from a recent Etsy trawl: handprinted stockings (that first print was made using photographs of Paris at sundown),

and old-fashioned tea dresses, made-to-order in New York City using vintage fabrics. 

I'd like one of each. (While we're at it, add these bear leggings and this printed scrunchie to the list, too.) Happy Thursday!

Finest Friends.

Timothy Leo Taranto's illustrations of writers' favorite animals are charming on their own. Paired with quotes, they're even better - Gerard de Nerval's lauds lobsters for their knowledge of the sea; Hemingway praises the emotional candor of cats. See more at The Paris Review.

Illustrations by Timothy Leo Taranto. 

(See also: animals as hats, marmot madness, Writers and Kitties.)

POV: Backyards.

POV ("point of view") is a series that addresses many of the same themes covered in my Equals Record column: growing up, saying yes to adventure, learning to embrace a quarter-life crisis. Each POV entry will include a photograph and a short reflection based on what’s pictured. While my previous column focused largely on ideas, POV will focus on moments - glimpses, glances, tiny stories.

Friday night, I drove with eight friends into the Catskills. We reserved a van. Stocked a rented house with apples and bread and marshmallows and hot dogs. Packed books and cameras and drawing pencils. A croquet bat. A guitar.

None of us had ever been to the town we were staying in. None of us had ever heard of it. That was better, I thought. It was new.

We spent three days building fires, crunching through leaves, eating breakfasts on our sunny back stairs. The boys whittled sticks; we climbed trees. I spent a portion of one morning studying orange and yellow-green leaves through the crocheted folds of a hammock in the woods. 

Sunday afternoon, five of us packed a bag and trekked into the forest behind the house. We hiked until we found a leafy clearing shaded by trees, littered with pinecones and mushrooms, and streaked in sunlight. “No one could ever find us here,” I said to Lily. 

We felt wholly, perfectly hidden. 

Thirty minutes later, a jogger ran by, breathing loudly. We stared.

On our way back, we stumbled on a yellow house that seemed to appear out of nowhere. A woman was standing outside on the phone, pointing at us, the look on her face a mixture of curiosity and panic. I couldn’t blame her. We looked cultish: Erik, leading our procession, strummed a guitar; Yair had a towel draped over his head; Luke wore a cowboy hat. And then there was me, in back, in a neon-pink poncho and giant sunglasses, gingerly stepping over the roots of trees in a pair of men’s hiking boots.

“We’re lost!” I called. 

“You really should be careful,” the woman said, loosening a bit as we descended from what we thought was isolated wilderness. “There are people with shotguns around here. You’re walking through their backyards.”

Smiles & Swedish Treehouses.

Happy long weekend, U.S. readers! Tonight, I'm leaving the city to spend three days in the Catskills with a group of friends. We've rented a van, assigned snack and supply duties, and, in general, have no idea what to expect once we reach our destination. (We trust that no matter what, though, it will be beautiful.)

I'll be back on Tuesday with a new POV post; in the meantime, I thought I'd share these snaps of my friend Kisha and me in the Smilebooth at a recent James Victore event in Manhattan. Never a dull moment behind that little white booth.

Three happy things before the weekend, just because:
-A post I wrote for VICE's Creators Project on Swedish treehouses - the giant bird's nest is my favorite.
-Postmodern popsicles.
-Just vacuuming a corgi, no big deal. (This made my week.)

See you Tuesday!