If you only wear one kind of socks, then you’ll always have a matching pair.

Maaaaaaan, the whole appeal of curling was that it was the one event where everybody *wasn’t* pissy and dickish and hypercompetitive.

“Roses are red, Violets are blue…” A couplet well-tred Slapped on verses writ new It’s Valentine’s Day And all over the Skeeter You’ll smell the bouquet Of insufferable meter …(1/2)

I never in my life wanted to join the military until now.

Well… I *am* fond of saying that just because a restaurant isn’t for me, that doesn’t mean it isn’t for somebody else.

Looking across the lunchroom at the cool kids' table. Story of my life.

Still one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It remains, to me, the pinnacle of interactive storytelling, and the game I’d love to shove in Roger Ebert’s face if he were still with us. (In a friendly, exasperated way. Miss you, Roger.)

Dear food scientists, Can we get on this, please? Thx. - Future Flavocado™ customer

Anytime you’re annoyed that you’ve been given the worst seat in the house, just remember that you could be sitting here. (Yes, that is the front door.)

Currently living the counterargument to “eating like a local is best.” Great ratings, filled with locals, one of the worst meals I’ve ever had in Tokyo. Reminder: Every country in the world is filled with millions of people who have terrible taste in food.

Another thing I *deeply* appreciate about restaurants in Japan. There is so much emphasis on options for portion size — the amount of rice, whether you’d like a smaller or larger version of later courses, etc. It’s so thoughtful and so smart.

Dude at the counter next to me just asked if I had any other Tokyo restaurant recommendations. Buddy, how much time ya got?

One of the things I deeply appreciate about fine dining in Japan is that even when you are in a very expensive, upscale restaurant, most often the bulk of the drink menu is not just affordable but downright inexpensive. There’s no expensive for expensive’s sake.

Forgot my Cubs hat at home and had to pick something up to protect my rapidly balding head. Yomiuri Giants! Kind of like wearing the Yankees and Dodgers rolled into one, but it was slim pickings. Hilariously, MLB hats are cool in Japan and it’s NPB hats that are hard to find.

I think that last post wasn’t clear. *I* have spent a crapton of time in Tokyo going back to the late ‘80s. I know the city fairly well. Which is why I’m wondering which neighborhoods people who haven’t visited much (if at all) are aware of and tend to target. Any thoughts appreciated :-)

Okay, hivemind. Help me out with some market research. You're a tourist visiting Tokyo, doing touristy things. And when you're seeking restaurants, you're mostly looking in the Tier 1 touristy neighborhoods, which I'd peg as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Akihabara, Asakusa and maybe Tsukiji... (1/3)

Back in my happy place.

Few things are more ominous than hearing the airplane lavatory you’re waiting for flush five times.

But how much is the tomahawk steak?

Yes, I turn 50 this year, why do you ask?

I did a keynote thing! Back in November, the folks at @adventurex.bsky.social kindly invited me to speak to a rowdy and welcoming crowd of game devs, which I did, and now there's video proof! The topic: IMPOSTOR SYNDROME Thanks again. It was a blast. Can't wait to see y'all again in November :-)

I'm willing to believe these are all popular with *a* friend.

Will there be undercover cops and triads? Will there be slow-motion doves?! Will there be jazz clarinet?!? Let’s find out! (No, really, I conflate my classic John Woo flicks sometimes.)

OH this weekend, while cooking for college students: “Five second rule!” “For scrambled eggs?!?”

How am I supposed to tighten the microscopic screws on my reading glasses without the use of my reading glasses?

In what can only be described as a disturbing new low on multiple levels, today I smuggled in minced onion and giardiniera to dress my movie theater hot dog.

1993: Listening to RATM despite the lyrics. 2026: Listening to RATM because of the lyrics.

Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Doctor says, 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see his show. That should pick you up.' Man asks, 'But doctor… what is the name of Pagliacci's show?' Doctor replies, 'The Aristocrats!'

I heard there is a funny clown Who with the circus came to town What sadness that you have I’m sure he’d cure ya It goes like this, You’ll go You’ll see But doctor, you’re describing me! The clown that you prescribe, is Pagliacci! Pagliacci Pagliacci Pagliacci Pagliacci

Of all the discontinued products I thought I’d be lamenting, the only decent vegan chicken broth I could find (when cooking for friends) was not on my bingo card.

I think we’ve got better and more culturally-varied street food than I could have imagined, cool jackets galore, and drugs that make us think we’re really fast and strong before they kill us.

I'm famous! (And self-important!) boingboing.net/2026/01/19/c...

Holy shit.

My wife played "Arrivederci Roma" as I placed the final piece.

Dear Mouthbreathers: Star Trek didn’t change. You did.

What do they call it? That thing where you feel overwhelmed all day and then night comes and you desperately need sleep but with everything shut down you feel like your life belongs to you for the first time all day so you stay up way too late because you dread relinquishing that control? That.

BREAKING: Dodgers sign the reanimated corpse of Willie Mays to seven-year, $920 million contract.

I hate the Dodgers. (Thanks for the draft pick, tho.)

File under "Not how I expected to see Q Lazzarus in the headlines for the first time since 1991."

Marty Mauser = Guybrush Threepwood

Man, late to the party, but pressure cooker rotisserie chicken stock has become a game-changer for me. Rather than roasting bones and having a full-evening project, I add just 5-10 active minutes to dinner prep, make my recipe with fresh stock, and freeze the rest for later.

Pro: Fuck yeah! Con: Thanks for making my donation look like chump change, MacKenzie.

At what point do the leopards run out of faces to eat? And can we finally end this then?

Helluva day for Chicago sports fans.

Lest my usual food- and film-related discourse imply a lack of seriousness and white hot outrage, allow me to be crystal clear: ICE and anybody who excuses or enables them is cordially invited to fuck off. The tide will turn, and when it does, any fate is better than you deserve.

The double standard where non-Asian chefs insist on spending years living and training in Europe before opening a French or Italian restaurant but feel "inspired" to open their SE Asian restaurant after a week of vacation in Thailand will never be less than infuriating.