Once more for the weekend crowd...

Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together. I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.

Forgot to mention last week on the ranty writing blog I blathered on about working with bad directors, unnecessary camera moves, and giant robots. And storytelling. Also that. Go read it before I put up a new one tomorrow!

The @graphicaudio.bsky.social full-cast adaptation of SUICIDE KINGS, the 7th Eric Carter book, is 50% off until the 20th. Check it out. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

It's an amazing series, and it makes a fantastic gift -- go forth and buy books!

And here we are, the inevitable story about backflips in figure skating. Good on NPR for more or less properly contextualizing it. www.npr.org/2026/02/09/n...

That unicorn has seen some shit.

Wednesday night 2/11 from 7-7:30 EST I will be doing the first of a series of brief online gatherings with the good folks at the Ashland (MA) Public Library, where I will recommend some science fiction books you might like to read! ashlandmass.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/vir...

PLEASE REPOST AND SHARE! My intro biology course has an "Interview a Biologist" project where students connect with a wide range of biologists using cell/molecular tools. If you are willing to speak with a student for ~30 minutes on Zoom, please fill out this form: forms.gle/BCjJPgURsgSr...

The desk -- CLEANED. The heat -- IS CRANKED TO 65. The legal pads -- PRISTINE. The writing implements -- ONLY THE GOOD BALLPOINTS FROM LOCAL BANK. The snacks -- EASILY ACCESSIBLE. The bra -- SPORTS BRA, NO STRAP SLIP TODAY. Paperwork -- IN FRONT OF ME. Lock in, bitches, I'm doing my taxes today.

If you are waiting for the rest of Bridgerton to drop and wondering what it would be like with more evil scheming sorcery (but also funny) @tkingfisher.com has got it covered. Spot on timing to read this gem.

ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota. This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats. They hate the helpers. Which is why must keep helping.

A month after his emergency surgery due to the Cashew Of Death, Peary's belly fur is starting to grow back! Hilariously, if you look closely, you can see the little black ticking is starting to show! All of his fur is red, black, then red again, all at the same spots on each hair. Pretty neat.

An article where three authors say some pretty smart stuff and I flail about as per usual. www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...

I just watched the first six episodes of MY HAPPY MARRIAGE, and I am truly in a state of "what the fuck am I watching here?" that, even for an anime, is high. Seriously. That... had a lot of stuff that I did not see coming. @djangowexler.bsky.social, have you seen this?

If you have a network with a decently large following, please consider adopting a Minneapolis family to pay their rent this month. This is being done in a decentralized fashion because a lot of the groups getting $ are having their Venmo frozen and it's hard to send mutual aid.

This is brilliant. I'm so grateful for this testimony. I've transcribed it to use in letters I'm writing. Sharing the full transcription here (see alt text to copy/paste it):

Today's Penny Arcade gets it

@charishkristi.bsky.social Raw milk murder. It would be a great Florence book.

For those of you who: * Feel enraged to watch billionaires destroy important newsrooms and * Recall vaguely that Jeff Bezos was once considered a courageous owner who fortified the Washington Post I recommend this piece by the Post's former fact-checker glennkessler.substack.com/p/a-billiona...

Folks, given the whole news about exactly HOW MANY rich people were hanging around Epstein and knew about the abuse, I propose that we put a wealth cap on anyone involved in politics. Clearly too much money does really worrisome things to people.

In the 1970s, as part of vet school, my father spent a summer working on a dairy farm. If you bring up the subject of pasteurization, for any reason, in any location in his house, he somehow senses it, and basically comes barreling over to tell you, in VERY GREAT DETAIL, about how gross cows are.

If Starbucks won’t respect workers at the bargaining table, they don’t deserve our clicks or orders. Our call to action is simple: 📱 Delete the Starbucks app. #DeleteTheApp bit.ly/deletetheapp

Fauxidermy For You: Knit a Badger Head, Cruelty-Free! 👉 tidd.ly/3d567c49 - designed by Emma Whittle of Little Whits Knits #knitting #fauxidermy #etsy #affiliate #handmade

Dear Adobe, No, I don't need the AI to summarize. No, I don't need the AI to help me search. No, I don't need the AI to help me resize the margins. No, I don't need the AI to do anything. What I need is to hit the print icon without your product crashing from all of the AI popups.

✊

Hey cuties. Everything sucks ass. Get some valentines and send them to your friends. I'm sad. You're sad. They're probably sad. Send them a valentine. It keeps Skype a Scientist running, which hey, is very good too. squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/deep...

Okay, someone just won the whole damn Internet with this one, oh my god.

Saw this and bought it IMMEDIATELY. No regrets.

Hello BlueSky! Today I would like to talk about Trupanion, why I just canceled my coverage, and why you may not get what you expect from them! At issue: dental coverage for cats.

i have just gotten off a productive call with sauron where i laid out our requests - nazgul bodycams - morgul knife must remain sheathed unless suspect is determined to be carrying the one ring - shelob will be the new point of contact

Minnesotans are showing the soul of the United States to the world.

I remember when all this was green. #thethirteenthgod www.royalroad.com/fiction/1472...

A week ago I was set to begin teaching three sections of one literature class. Today I am getting ready to teach two sections of one literature class, one section of a rhetoric-heavy writing class (that I have never taught before and got the text this morning), and a fully remote comp class.

TOMORROW TOMORROW I LOVE YA TOMORROW YOU'RE ALWAYSorry, where's the music? Are we not doing the song again this time? I just thought, y'know, it went over so well before and since this is the *audio* release, we'd want... Really? An actual cease and desist letter? Okay then. It's out tomorrow.

"Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him. Also, he really is maniacally, unhealthily obsessive about the Nobel Prize." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

This is the part of the semester where I stress-cry a lot.

Okay, so this is wild on a lot of levels, but -- Uncovering this Pro-Putin nun spy community almost certainly involved someone going undercover as a nun to investigate. Which means someone could write the film UNDERCOVER NUN. GET MELISSA MCCARTHY. IT'S THE ROLE SHE WAS BORN TO PLAY.

Crochet a Set Of Amigurumi Balloon Animals, Patterns Designed By Knot Monster: 👉 tidd.ly/39IQ3kn #crochet #amigurumi #etsy #affiliate #balloonanimal 🎈

Reminds me of one of my favorite memes:

@scalzi.com Hey John! I'm course planning for the new semester, and I'm using your essay on using testing LLMs on your own bio as part of my section on ChatGPT. Just wanted to give you a heads up that on April 2 you might notice a bunch of sullen responses -- students have to comment for class.

In a shameful bit of self promotion, the newsletter's going out a little early next week (for a change) so I can talk about the GOD'S JUNK DRAWER audiobook preorder bonus, one more physical signing here in San Diego, plus all the usual ramblings. It's free, non-spammy, and you can sign up right now.

Spring semester starts in twelve days, but the stupid emails have started now.

HEY SAN DIEGO FOLKS-- one week from tonight I'll be hanging out with @robwhart.bsky.social and Jeff Rake at @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social and asking them questions about DETOUR, their new sci fi novel which is highly relevant to my interests. You should stop by, say hullo, and pick up a book or three

NEW: Data released by ICE shows that virtually the entire growth of detention in the last few months has been among people with no criminal record at all - no prior convictions (no matter how minor) and no pending criminal charges.

Amanda Gorman wrote this poem for Renee Good and that’s it for me tonight.