ME (loftily): In French, "bibliothèque intérieure" means "inner library." It's the invisible shelf I carry inside, filled with every story that's ever shaped me. PSYCHIC (peering into my eyes): Yes, I see yours! And who knew there were so many collections of Garfield comics.

After yesterday’s UN speech, a German referred to the current occupant of the White House as “an intellectual ground-nester.“ 👏

I’ve been informed that standing on the front porch while eating Trader Joe’s cereal out of the box is not a good look. Anxious not to seem elitist, I got a box of Honey-Nut Cheerios. (I am a man of the people.)

Lyndon B. Johnson’s nickname in college was “Bullshit Johnson.” <end post>

Why yes, I would like to see some of the winners in journalism's Aces Headline Contest. aceseditors.org/news/2025/an...

I wore this pin yesterday as a lark, and today I'm a sales associate at RadioShack.

His strong feelings are understandable, given that he’s “on the spectrum” (of the Dark Triad).

REAL ESTATE AGENT: And the postage-stamp sized backyard is easy to maintain. CLIENT: Is that why this patio’s sticky?

Hoody of the Day

When “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in 1946, the F.B.I. treated it as “evidence of Communist Party infiltration” in Hollywood. And the libertarian Ayn Rand was among those who claimed the film slandered the rich as despicable.

Starting to think that buying a Lightning Lane pass for the Rapture was a mistake.

Ah, the first day of Fall, when a young man’s thoughts turn to authoritarianism.

Today, I learned that children are neither fish nor “harmless animals” (per this 1920 article in the Des Moines Tribune).

A play in four acts:

“A mourner greeted me with tears in his eyes, but he was crying with happiness. ‘Thank you, Mr. President,’ he said. ‘You really know how to throw a funeral.’”

I saw this barn owl flying at sunset last night.

Cartoon level of villainy *unlocked*

In 1841, Vice President John Tyler was playing marbles when he learned of his promotion: Pres. William Harrison had died a month after taking office. Tyler's second wife, Julia, was addressed as “Mrs. Presidentress.” She received White House guests from a platform, a wreath of flowers on her head.

Gotta admit, this is a brilliant lead-off sentence from Preparation H.

The members of the Subversive Speech Firing Squad raise their rifles. “Any last words, antifa scum?” asks their commander. “Be best!” responds the convicted youth librarian.

In this warm weather, stay hydrangeated.

It’s because we’re all shopping at Mervyn‘s. (Look it up, kids.) www.wsj.com/style/fashio...

New punk album dropped.

“Ctrl Alt Deleaf” won a naming contest for a train that removes damp leaves from British railways. www.bbc.com/news/article...

SCOTUS justices wouldn't all vote to say "Good morning" to each other, but here's their 9-0 ruling from 2024: “Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.”

“These stones have been doctored!” • Mildly surprised that the world stone-skipping (or “skimming”) contest rewards distance, as opposed to # of skips. • Also, stones must stay in a marked lane, and be from the island of Easdale. NO SMUGGLED STONES! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...

“So why did we fight to make the world safe for democracy if our own country is neither safe nor democratic?” “It’s a valid question, sir. That’ll be $17.63 at the window.”

These are precedented times and the precedent is a loud ass warning www.nytimes.com/1939/02/04/a...

Look at these little bastards.

Agreed, it’s so wearisome being accountable for one actions. Bor-ring! *spontaneously combusts* www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/m...

I’m so old, I remember when the vice president sanctimoniously lectured European leaders about free speech and censorship. www.npr.org/2025/02/13/n...

"Ride on the Magic School Bus!" they said. "It'll be fun," they said.

Wait, I thought I’d signed up for a think tank, not a *dunk* tank! Why did you Philistines think that I’d agree to this? Hey, don’t you dare throw that ball, don’t–

Robert Redford was a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In 1976, he helped block the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Utah—and was then torched in effigy in an early “burning man” festival.

“Grok, how is free speech defined… and can I have some?” Jill Lepore 🎁 link: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/o...

Would love for “It’s the economy, stupid” to be replaced by “It’s the civics, silly.”

ME: Another idea is a true-crime podcast called “P.I.: Pajama Intimate“ that I’d record first thing in the morning. Thoughts? MY AGENT: For the last time, I haven’t been your agent in seven years. ME: I love your commitment to that bit! I’ll move “P.I.” to the maybe column.

It's wildly inconsiderate that U.S. children want to learn history that hurts right-wingers' feelings. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

"It's gotten so bad, you can hardly walk to your neighborhood ballroom without passing a burning flag."

I hate to add to your quote “to-do“ list this week, but

I envy the innocence of someone who’s never seen the AI slop dripping from the official White House or presidential media feeds.

Yes, I do paint with a broad brush—and my only hue is “Moral Turpitude.” (It’s basically tope.)

tl;dr: “Trump’s Not a Leader”

"The tranquilizers I slipped Mom and Dad are taking effect!"

Me, spotting a peanut-butter cookie from across the room:

In 1831, French artist Honoré Daumier depicted King Louis-Philippe I as a gluttonous giant on a toilet. Baskets of coins are headed up to the king’s maw, while the king's lackeys wait below to sift for treasure in the royal nightsoil. (Daumier was sentenced to 6 months in prison for this cartoon.)

Now more than ever, we need sidewalk citizenship.

“Parade – Hoboken, New Jersey,” Robert Frank c. 1955.

“The staff ate it later” is a caption shown when food appears in a Japanese TV program to indicate that it was not thrown away after filming. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_sta...

Double down!