Are people honestly pretending to mourn the fucking penny, just because it's a Trump era change?

We gotta admit, a heist at the Louvre is pretty metal.

I regularly switch between Coke and Pepsi. They're both good in their own ways. Honestly, I can't think of any cola that I'm never willing to drink.

Here's your reminder that Air just released The Virgin Suicides Redux, which is not just a remaster, but a full redo on the mix straight from the analog tapes. It also includes some fantastic remixes that I'm fairly certain are new releases? Or at least rare enough that I'd never heard them.

Denver's public transit is such fuckin' shit. Looked into takin' the train downtown tonight for a show, but it turns a 35 minute drive into a fuckin' 80 minute train.

Why is it not illegal for a fuckin' dentist to tell you, "Oh yeah, here's what your portion will be for this service. You have really good insurance," and then the next time you come in they say, "Oh, you owe us $1,200 because insurance didn't cover that."

But why'd you put 'em there?

Yo, is the new Stranger Things Gatorade flavor some kind of throwback recipe? Because it tastes like ass.

Every day, I see at least 10 perfectly real videos on TikTok, that have comments that say nothing more than "AI. 🙄" I promise, there are bad people who are so very happy that y'all have gotten so comfortable seeing anything unusual and just immediately discounting it as fake. We're fucking doomed.

If you're in the comments of a completely non-political post and some dipshit is just randomly talking about Democrats or Republicans -- for the love of god -- just don't fucking interact! Y'all *cannot* be getting baited into the most pointless arguments ever, every waking moment of your lives!

The *only* criticism of Columbus I don't accept is, "You can't discover a place where people already live." But only because that blatantly ignores the ways in which we use that word. Columbus being a cunt doesn't stop words from meaning things. Discovery has always been dependent on perspective.

Watching Autty's landing in New York right now, and hey, maybe we should actually make sure the ATCs know they're gonna get backpay...

Stumbled upon this old footage from lockdown, when a Dasher put my pizzas in their bag sideways, then skipped adorably down the driveway when they left. Good times, lol.

Flight 2025-39. LHR-DEN. Back home for at least a month, I think.

And one last shot from London. Getting on a plane shortly. 🤞

Strolling London at night.

So I was wrong about the final stop of the trip. Our flight was cancelled yesterday by British Airways, so we spent last night in London. Began the evening with a lovely meal at Duck and Waffle while watching the smoggy sunset. Had the best carpaccio of my life and, of course, the Duck and Waffle.

Flight 2025-38. NAP-LHR. This first flight home tonight was delayed by three hours, so we missed our connection. Next one isn't until tomorrow, so I guess we're spending the night in London, lol

Final stop of the trip yesterday, Polignano a Mare. At the airport now, waiting on British Airways' delays. 😭

I trulli e le luminarie di Alberobello in Puglia

Matera vignettes.

Matera is such a truly interesting city, both for its layered structure, and its modern history. As recently as the '50s, people were living in absolute squalor in cave homes in the lower city. After becoming mostly abandoned, it was revived after...Mel Gibson filmed Passion of the Christ there?

Noto also had a pop art museum featuring Warhol, Basquiat and Haring. Who coincidentally might now be my three least favorite artists.

Our time in Noto was shorter than planned because the rain chose not to cooperate with our schedule, but we did at least get to see some baroque architecture, including the famous balconies.

Not only is the Greek Theatre of Syracuse one of the largest in the world, the grounds are equally interesting in terms of more modern additions thanks to the stunning sculptures of Sicilian sculptor Pietro Consagra.

The Como Hotel's logo might need some design work.

I gatti di Isola di Ortigia.

Ortigia vignettes.

Scenes from around Ortigia Island at the Edge of Syracuse.

Started the morning on Mt. Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, because sometimes you just gotta get up above the clouds.

Some of the various views during our passeggiare through Taormina's city center, high above the surrounding area.

First stop in Sicily was Taormina, and its beach which has a beautiful island you can walk to, fittingly called Isola Bella.

Scilla vignettes.

Started the morning yesterday taking a stroll through the rainy streets of the fishing village Scilla, watching Stromboli's volcanic plumes, and grabbing a swordfish Panino.

Spent the evening wandering the Centro Storico, eating Calabrian food and enjoying the narrow passages between the piazzas.

Tropea sunset vibes.

Tropea's beaches have some of the best views, including Stromboli out in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The air and water out here are also still nice and warm so floating in the waves felt great

Santuario di Santa Maria in Tropea.

And to finish catching up with posts, a few shots from the Petit Palais, and some views from the yacht ride down the Seine. Gotta love Paris' Statue of Liberty.

Luxembourg Gardens and the Medici Fountain looked amazing with the fall colors beginning. I do wonder about the palm trees, though. Y'all think they bring those inside during the winter or something?

The Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, host to the graves of Jim Morrison, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde.

Various art from the Musée Carnavalet, which features exhibits teaching about the history of Paris.

Flight 2025-37. ORY-NAP. Yes, yes, now I'm behind on Paris posts. I'll get to that, but now we're officially in southern Italy for the rest of the trip.

Also saw these little fledglings at the entrance of the tile museum who, for some reason, could not figure out that they're supposed to be hiding from big creatures while they learn to hunt for food.

Lisbon's famous tiles have a long and storied history laid out at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo. Sidenote: One thing that's really nice about Lisbon is that all the museums were extremely affordable.

Across the river from Lisbon is their Brazilian inspired Christo Rei statue, towering 110 meters above the ground, and offering some wonderful views of the city. The line to get to the top is rather slow, though.

We started the morning at the Tour de Belém (which it turns out was almost entirely covered in scaffolding 😭) and the Monument of the Discoveries.

Ended the first night in Lisbon with a lovely sunset at Castelo de São Jorge.

Scenes from Praça do Comércio.

Beautiful Alfama.