Before AI, before SM and even computers: What did you all used to do to combat loneliness and boredom? Who did you talk to (or did you need to talk to people)? How did you develop relationships? Pretend this is a poll. For science. I may make a pie chart.

Very fond of this Mr Hyde by Grickle, look at that lovely Mr Hyde face

In case you thought it was the Saturday before the Oscars like I did, The Independent Spirit Awards are actually THIS SUNDAY, at 4pm central for some reason. So us coots can get to bed at a reasonable hour, I guess, guldurnit.

Every other Thursday is Proper Breakfast. So I went to Nellie's in Humboldt Park. Look at this, guys 🥰 #Chicago (Cafe con leche & avena de coco)

The Germans really do have a word for everything. #writerslife www.bbc.com/worklife/art...

Corporate employees eating breakfast like "Mmmmm Feedback Loops"

Holy shit, they musta told Lauryn Hill the Grammys started at noon

*share post* Well that's this quarter's marketing sorted

"...nothing cures manic depression more quickly than the wholehearted embrace of nose-picking." One of the most bizarre (and oddly delightful) books I read all year, about a man who finds enlightenment from "Nasalism". 1/2 #readmorebooks

Some good ones on here, and most are politically spicy or puns. Vote on the new snowplow names: #chicago www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...

Been an interesting week for jazz 🫢 youtu.be/ShggpLRVa2U

Who knew the history of socks was so multifaceted? From the first "socks" in the Ice Age (basically a wad of straw) to the horrifying planetary toll of fast fashion and the influence of socks in art, this is a fascinating little book (about 120 pgs). #readmorebooks bookshop.org/a/100722/978...

"I have days of illuminations and fevers. I have days when the music in my head stops. Then I mend socks, prune trees, can fruits, polish furniture. But while I am doing this I feel I am not living." Well if that ain't the most eloquent definition of block I ever heard, by Anaïs Nin.

Well I'll be damned, I didn't know those were the master's own fonts. news.artnet.com/art-world/fr...

Dunno who needs to hear this, but it made me feel a bit better sussexbylines.co.uk/politics/a-l...

❤️

I love the title of this and understand the sentiment. "A list of places to send your poems on the days it feels too frivolous to send them anywhere" #poetry audreygidman.substack.com/p/a-list-of-...

Golly I f'n love this story. www.flashfictiononline.com/article/ursu... #awardsconsideration

Fantastic little sci-fi flash, perfect for gamers. factorfourmag.com/choose-your-...

It pisses me off so much that a lot of people think that acting or anything art related isn’t a realistic career choice, like what the fuck are you talking about??? how else do you think movies get made??

"If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style." - Quentin Crisp

JUST 1 MORE THING: If we’re to accept this idea that a person having a firearm at a law enforcement encounter is per se evidence of a person’s intent to “inflict maximum harm,” doesn’t it then follow that law enforcement can’t constitutionally bring firearms themselves, per multiple Amendments?

I told you those goddamn liberals were gonna take our guns!! Oh wait www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

Me: Okay! Time to write! *cracks knuckles* "The" Me: Wonder where I can learn how to do realistic progressions of wounds for major motion pictures

It's been a pretty interesting day for music. youtu.be/nYilAKF_yis

Went to pick up my books at the library. As I turned to leave, slipped on the marble floors and wiped out right there in front of a guy studying. Classy. Better yet though, this is the book I came to retrieve. "Seriously! You can start right now!" #readmorebooks bookshop.org/a/100722/978...

Posted for no reason other than it's way uplifting www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDkh...

Well now I've seen everything.

If you’re a new writer and entered a contest where something like this happened, please don’t let someone else’s lack of professionalism discourage you from continuing to create stories. The world needs your art more than ever.

Here's the thing, Greg — free speech is still protected by the First Amendment under the Constitution. If you want folks to stop saying you're the secret police who are kidnapping and killing people, maybe stop acting like the secret police who are kidnapping and killing people.

Zoom delays are making my blinks look like I'm in the Black Lodge

Me: Hey I need an ambulance, the pain is everywhere 911: What seems to be the problem? Me: I read some of my short stories from 2003

Now I've heard there was a lazy cat Who curled up in a ball to nap Cuz you don't really care for movement, do ya? I understand; it's cold, fuck this A belly rub, a minor hiss No efforts for the toasty void Tallulah

I typically only watch awards shows because they're a fun tradition, but The Testament of Ann Lee didn't get a single nod? WTF nonsense is this?

Seems his answer to the matter of immigration is to make the US so shitty that *nobody* wants to live here, not even its citizens.

"...You say, in a finicky ... female voice, 'I don't know-[my cooking] just doesn't seem as...it ought to, or *something*...' And the more stoutly he affirms that [it's] okay, the tighter the box you've got him in. Admittedly, this is underhanded, but, then, marriage is sometimes a rough game." 1/2

Don't get a cold followed by a sinus infection at the beginning of the year. Dry January has been foisted upon me.

Marketing is everything, they tell you. Promotion is key. Meanwhile I'm just hearing about this thing called "boneset tea" whose other names are "feverwort" and "agueweed"

I can hear this poem. thebaffler.com/poems/go-jum...

"You know, dull tools are much more dangerous than sharp ones." #greatlines #readmorebooks thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...

Apologies for making fun of "6-7" because it makes no damn sense. We GenX'ers forgot we had this playing incessantly on the radio in 1998 and 1999 and, for some reason, is now back in my head. Saddest part is, we don't need to click this link in order to hear it. youtu.be/6DBA5Wx9T7U

Well fuck all this, I'm hiding in the house for the next 72 hours. Probably a good time to make rye cinnamon rolls and write once I clock out tomorrow. Stay toasty, cheese bags

Mom said she might make hot chocolate tomorrow. I said I'd send her soup if I could. This is why we need teleportation machines: to send soup to the soupless.

I love being a little older and knowing who I am. My cat wandered across the camera during an interview and instead of feeling weird I just said "and honestly, if you think this is unprofessional, we're not going to be a good match" and when I look up dude is holding up HIS cat to the camera.

Not metaphorical. He literally coughs "Go fuck yourself" when this asshole engages in victim blaming. Congress, the people are furious. Do your job, because complicity is not going to look good when the trials come.

​"Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It's not progress. It's theft - plain and simple." #stealinginnovation #fuckAI Fight back here: www.stealingisntinnovation.com 1/2

Little tune coming through my headphones. Fade in...five chimes...fade out. No idea where it's coming from. Shut down Teams, Chrome, Word, even File Explorer...still going. Not too unlike the tune from Close Encounters, so, see you on the flip side, I guess.

Something I once used in a talk to schoolkids: "You're going to do this thing 3 times: 1st time to test out your idea, 2nd time to make it all fit, and 3rd time to make it look good." The teacher was appreciative; the kids less so. Now though, their response might be: 1/2