Curbed

Following 31 Ghosts, I’ve still got spirits on the brain, so here are a few ghost-related links for this week. First is the question of what happens when the house you’re buying turns out to be haunted? Like, legally speaking. Also: what states require homeowners to declare if a death occurred in the house (ooooOOOOooooh!) (spoiler: California is one of them).

NYTimes

From ghosts in real estate to ghosts in stories… Why do we find them fascinating still? This is a little high-brow. Me? I love the spookiness, the idea that there’s a world there we can’t see. And if I’m honest, the idea that our loved ones may be looking out for us.

Atlas Obscura

Okay, this one is ghost-adjacent – graves! Clyde Tombaugh, a self-taught astronomer, who discovered Pluto in 1930 is on – or at least has remains on – the spacecraft that has come closet to the planet he discovered out in the outer reaches of our solar system. I’m not sure why I find this so delightful, but it just seems like such a perfect tribute.

NYTimes

From the headline you might take a pass thinking this is a downer. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I love Jerry Seinfeld and believe strongly he’s a national treasure. Mind you, I think “Seinfeld” the show is fine (amazing in its time, aged decently), “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is pretty brilliant, but I’ll admit I only watch it sporadically even though I love cars, coffee, comedians, and, as mentioned, Jerry Seinfeld. Here’s why I think he’s a national treasure: he’s a deeply thoughtful comedian who really loves the history and the craft. I think of people like Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, George Carlin, even Jay Leno (who I don’t think is the funniest guy in the world, but he gets the craft (and he still does stand-up gigs across the country at places you’ve never heard of)) and I argue that Seinfeld is right up there. 

Merriam-Webster

Pick a year, any year (well, any year from the 12th century and now), and Merriam-Webster will show you the words that came out that year (or century as you start to go back a ways). Looking at the list of words for the year of my birth – which is a great place to start – I found a collection of “new words” that really define who I am came into being the year of my birth: “alternative music”, “Internet”, “GPS”. Am I reading too much into this? Yes, yes, I am because as much as those words seem so prophetic 40-years out, other words like “gonadotropin-releasing hormone“, “teletext“, and “pass-through entity” for the same year suggest I’m finding meaning in the arbitrary.