“One realizes oneself only one piece at a time.”
— Marcel Proust, The Fugitive

(1) Christo Without Jeanne-Claude – Where monuments pretend to endure, their work suggests the fleeting nature of our grandest gestures. A romantic might say that each piece evokes the way even the most dedicated passion will be undone by time.

The sudden realization that time is a material in which our lives are, mysteriously, contained—or, you might even say, the material in which we are wrapped, for the time being, at least.

(2) When in Helvetica: A Swiss typeface + 2 Italian designers = New York City

(3) “The Infinite” by Giacomo Leopardi

But sitting and gazing, unending
Spaces beyond what’s here, and
superhuman
Silences, and depthless calm,
I fashion in my mind…

(4) The Magical Mystery Show of Consciousness

…being enchanted by the magic of experience provides a reason to live. Rather than being an aid to survival, consciousness provides an essential incentive to survive. Enchantment is itself “the biological advantage of being awestruck.” Or, as the poet and Pooh creator A.A. Milne put it, “It’s awful fun to be born at all.”

The above is related to this.

(5) Maybe you can buy a bit of happiness

Dan Ariely, a professor of Behavioral Psychology at Duke, notes that studies show that any satisfaction rush we received from a new pair of shoes or jacket is often fleeting. Psychologists call this consumer buying the “hedonistic treadmill,” which leads to nowhere.

However, Ariely believes that how you spend your money can enhance your happiness. For example, you might get as much enjoyment from buying a smaller item than a luxury one, such as a dinner that you share with a friend as opposed to a flat-screen TV. Buying for others can also enhance your happiness level.

Ariely recommends that you buy things that “dust can’t land on” — memories and connections — that are more likely to make you happier.

(6) “Charles Jencks, the author of The Iconic Building, describes architectural icons as delicate balancing acts between memorable forms and the images they conjure up. He emphasizes that in an increasingly heterogeneous world, multiple and sometimes even enigmatic meanings are precisely what turn buildings into popular icons.”

(6a) “Preserving history when it is possible and reinforcing the past are important. A further advantage of adjustment and preservation is that they help create a rich distinctive sense of place.”

(6b) “Design is critical, too, since the project must quickly establish that elusive quality, a sense of place.”
— Witold Rybczynski, Makeshift Metropolis