Always happy to hear there's a new Emily St. John Mandel novel coming. archive.is/Pw2t8

Is it too early to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head?

I'm pretty sure he uses both N words.

"No more beardos ... " How DARE he talk about the vice president like that!

I'm BEGGING some boutique label to release Joseph Losey's "Secret Ceremony," starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow (her first film after "Rosemary's Baby"). While there was a VHS release, apparently it never came out on DVD or Blu-ray. youtu.be/TzBWo6LKNe0?...

This image from ep. 2 of the new season of "Taskmaster" will haunt my dreams for a very long time.

Concerned that Johnny Carson is going to get fired.

I took Taylor for a walk in a park I haven't visited in over a year, and I was surprised to find the lake missing. (That's a stack of rowboats, btw.) There was a big storm last year that washed out a dam, and that's when the lake disappeared.

Just saw "Sneakers" for the first time. Enjoyable because of the stacked cast, but, boy, I really wish the script were better. Also, the aesthetics of '90s big-budget popular cinema does not resonate with me. (Which, given my age, is kind of weird.)

My guess: Before this is over, a U.S. fort is going to be renamed after William Calley.

Hot take: Pears are underappreciated.

I kind of want someone to reboot the "Apartment 3-G," but patterned after the surreal last couple of years it ran and not the strip's heyday.

"The Justice Department's Weaponization Working Group" is kind of on the nose.

I made two chocolate babkas for an upcoming bake sale at my sister's church.

Sometime around 2010, I came up with a cocktail based around the proportions of a Cosmopolitan, which I called The Rapture. 1-1/2 ounce vodka 1 ounce Cointreau (or triple sec) 1 ounce Ralph & Charlie's grapefruit-pomegranate juice blend 3/4 ounce lemon juice Shake with ice and strain. Enjoy.

The Make Text Messages That Are Supposed to Be Readable by the Audience Actually Readable by the Audience Challenge

Writing "looser" on all the cups during my shift at Starbucks. When confronted, I will say, "You looked too tight. What? It's good advice."

I went to a local farmers' market and got a bit of chocolate from a chocolate croissant on my shirt. Drove home, put on a new shirt, ate lunch, got tomato sauce on my fresh shirt. Next, I jumped head-first into the washing machine -- posting from there the rest of the day. Please wish me luck.

Who knows why I am repeatedly reminded of this. youtu.be/ukr3Y3unFhg?...

Yeah, that judge's letter is funny, but folks, English is English and German is German. English doesn't follow German rules. Spelling "zeitgeist" with a lowercase z is fine, even if Germans give it an initial cap. Merriam-Webster has it lowercase, though the entry notes it's "often capitalized."

Look, I'm old. I don't know how to use torrents, and "Bob's Burgers" is one of the few things keeping me (marginally) functional. And it's on Hulu.

ABC replacing its entire prime time lineup with "Home Alone 2" until further notice.

After Nov. '16, I had to stop watching the late-night topical comedy shows for mental health reasons. I just couldn't stomach the news and laughs packaged together. I really only started watching a couple of them again ... maybe in '23? And now I can't watch them again. They make me feel worse.

Made some peanut butter biscuits for our dog, who turned 15 last week.

Editor: You get those photos of Robert Redford? Photographer: Sure did boss, real sexy just like you asked. Editor: That must have been easy.

Apple TV+'s latest price increase is 30%, which is *insane.* Looking forward to the new season of "Slow Horses," but then forget about it.

No, Google AI, Nick Mohammed was not a contestant in S19 of "Taskmaster." (He was just in S17.) This is a basic fact. How is AI so bad at this? Yeah, it's trivia, but AI can't answer a basic Q like this correctly, so maybe don't use it for more important stuff, folks.

"Lodge 49." Creator Jim Gavin said this was his favorite trailer, cut for season 2. He had a 4-season arc in mind, and we only got half. (I think it's still available on AMC+.) youtu.be/Qfktc7LpJi4?...

One of the tastiest pasta dishes I've ever made -- Kenji is not kidding. youtu.be/axTodlHwxKo?...

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! It’s a FREE way to support your embattled local library, and it’s a way to access great services like Kanopy and Hoopla. #filmsky #booksky 📽 📚

Begging serialized podcasts to label episodes, noting season and episode number. Sometimes Apple lists episodes in a jumble--if episodes aren't labeled, it's difficult to impossible to tell. (I recently ran across a podcast that looked interesting but was all in almost random order...

Today is Taylor's 15th birthday. She's the best. The best! (Tiara courtesy of T's groomer this morning.)

Not to brag or anything, but...

A yellowjacket stung me on my left ring finger this afternoon, and I have to say: I do not recommend. I'm going to leave that yellowjacket a terrible Yelp review.

RIP, Mark Volman. I love this clip of the Turtles performing the Nilsson song "Battle of the Bands" on a variety show hosted by Ed McMahon -- they look like they're having such a great time. (I even like the drum solo, and I don't really like drum solos!) youtu.be/Ru6PJM4ZOF8?...

Literally the second meme I've made in my life.

I misread a film title as "Beast Infection" and now really want someone to make this.

I find it wild that this piece (which is interesting) repeats the "real people don't use em dashes" canard while also being filled with em dashes. pressgazette.co.uk/news/ai-hoax...

The woman in the vehicle (something Jeep-like, I think) next to mine had bright purple hair and a New Age air about her. Then I noticed the bumper sticker: I'M VOTING FOR THE FELON 2024 That was a plot twist I wasn't expecting but perhaps should have.

One of many posts I've shared elsewhere about the awful pitches I got while I was employed as an editor. (I retired last week.) This guy followed up TWICE within 24 hours.

Geez, Lorne Michaels must have done something really terrible.

STANLAND EPISODE 1 — “The Scion, the Glitch, and the IKEA Wardrobe” — is out now! A missing podcaster. A crumbling fantasy world. And too many vape shops. You can listen for free on any podcast app or binge the full 5-episode series right now on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3TJLvBO Hope you love!

Somehow, the Betty Crocker image has been changed a lot over the years, and I don't recall people freaking out about it. Weird!

One of my favorite Taylor pics, taken by a friend who was dogsitting for us two years ago. Happy International Dog Day! She turns 15 next month. (Just to clear up any confusion, this Taylor did not recently become engaged, but she'd be a real catch if she didn't dislike other dogs so much.)

The peaches I bought the other day will go from hard to total mush, bypassing soft, aren't they?

I think about this quote from "All the President's Men" a lot: "The truth is these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand."

Honestly shocked that no one has suggested to the president that he wear Michael Jackson's glove to cover up whatever is going on there.

If you start out a post noting that your latest newsletter is 16K words, not only will I not read the newsletter, I won't even finish reading the post.

Things are looking bleak.