I've been in a weird mood since waking; my mind is cycling frantically through thoughts on mortality, tragedy, and the futility of all that we do in the face of the overwhelming brutality of existence. I'm tempted to blame the weather, because it's pretty obvious that the last thing I need is any further self-reflection. Still, it's hard to read a sentence like this

At first, the Harvard Club "freaked the kids out a little," said Mr. Polsky, who belongs to the club. "There were animal heads on the wall, and white people."

and not be more than a little bit cheered. I'm going to dust myself off, paste on a smile, and face the rest of the day as optimistically as possible. [Via]