Counter-point: Dad from Jingle All the Way is actually a decent parent compared to the dads from most 90s Christmas movies. Home Alone dad? Lets his brother bully Kevin before leaving him… well… Santa Clause dad? Does the bare minimum before becoming Santa and literally fucking kidnaps kid.

When you’re chronically ill, the holidays hit different. They’re exhausting, isolating and lonely. It’s important to set and hold boundaries. Make your own traditions and find ways to cultivate joy. Here’s to another Chronic Illness Christmas: www.disabledginger.com/p/another-ch...

Spouse and I were playing action movie presidents—hot or not. Air Force One—definitely Independence Day—I vote no, he votes yes Thoughts?

@greenpeace.org, these are stills from a scene in an *actual* Ghibli movie about the climate crisis. AI contributes to climate change. What is this slop?

The Pantomime Prince is a holiday favorite I return to every year. Such big feels, contained angst, + strong characters for a short short. (It’s also one you can read in public without worrying who’s looking over your shoulder—a must-have feature of at least some of my Christmas romances. 😅)

“When I got sober, the career I thought I had was pretty much gone… I didn’t know if I was ever going to write music again. And then I was asked to write the songs for The Muppet Christmas Carol. Every now and then, the universe will line up to do something at the right time in your life.”

LLM summaries are not research. And also, can this shit inspire a cultural shift where we stop celebrating dense and inscrutable academic writing? “Admire me, a human writer, as I explain my ideas in a reasonable, human way?”

…and this is why we there’s such as push for including AI in K-12 education. 6th grader is occasionally required to use it for school, and is frustrated when classmates now bring it into non-school collaborative projects.

19—we had moved on to mix CDs and Napster by the time I was in high school. 2, 4, 13, and 17 were all old enough to be “Wow, cool! A rotary phone!” or “An Apple //e!” 6 has also been vintage my entire life. We own an LP player now and can (and do!) walk to Atlanta’s most iconic vinyl store.

Had to share the cover art 😅

Holiday Food Giveaway on 12/20!

My review of When the Museum Is Closed, “an extended meditation on—almost an allegory for—what it truly means to be objectified, as told by a woman in love with a character who is, truly, a female object.”

The Japanese Cell Phone novel is now available for Patreon subscribers. Join now to listen early and support the podcast.

Write a horror story in three words: Science fair’s tomorrow?

Neither of my kids uses chatbots, except when 11yo’s science teacher occasionally makes her. 11yo wants to be a mechanical engineer. She’s currently pissed a classmate keeps screwing up a shared writing project by adding AI slop. 14yo is on the fence about career aspirations.

The current PSC is rushing a vote next week on Georgia Power’s massive fossil fuel expansion for speculative data centers, that would lock in higher bills and emissions for decades. Please sign the well-articulated petition opposing this folly. #GApol www.change.org/p/bad-for-bi...

This is so in the weeds. @asolove.bsky.social insists this isn’t technically ASCII art because katakana (ミ) isn’t part of the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. 🫠 Is there a different term for ASCII art that uses the Japanese alphabet? @zackdavisson.com, maybe…?

The whole movie is like this.

Preparation is almost finished for RJL’s upcoming episode on the Japanese cell phone novel. Expect a story about novels told in screen-sized chunks, a loving homage to early 00s internet culture, and a true* tale of an otaku who needed a little courage. (*It’s probably not true.)

Anna and the Apocalypse. Y’all, that’s a banger of a Christmas movie.

I was twenty-fucking-nine when I developed shingles. Because that’s how I roll. You best believe I’ll be getting vaccinated.

😱

All right, Booksky: it's my 2025 Books of the Year post! Get your book recs here. Featuring lashings of romance and SFFH, a fair bit of murder, and some extremely specific history nerding, like you weren't expecting that.

🙏🍀'THE SEVEN GODS OF FORTUNE' (七福神)🪙💸 O New Year's god this year too send help! とし神やことしも御世話下さるる -Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶). Trans. David Lanoue. As the year draws to a close, images of seven cheerful figures (often riding a treasure laden boat) begin to appear all over Japan. #七福神 #sevengodsoffortune

“…There lives the dearest freshness deep down things…” It’s a line from Hopkin’s “God’s Grandeur” that always makes me feel hopeful.

Reading Hitori Nakano’s Train Man for a podcast episode. As an elder Millennial who spent my fair share of time on early 00s online message boards, I’m really enjoying the authenticity of Bonnie Elliot’s translation! “Use da puter for this” “You may look like a fugly techie…”

Glad my state senator threw away years of credibility with the LGBTQ+ community to support this bill. 🫠

And here it is…

Looking for a great Christmasy read? Look no further! RJL has a list of almost two dozen Japanese books where the holiday plays a significant role.

I would wish away the suffering of the folks with genetic disorders in my life, but I wouldn’t wish *them* away. Until we’ve got the science to do one without the other—and to do it for everyone, regardless of income—this is gross. Besides—being smart doesn’t make life happier or easier.

Happy Holidays! ALL Haymarket Books are 40% Off through Friday, January 2nd!

Recently had a conversation with a conservative family member in which I was obliged to explain that "I don't think some people are people" is NOT a political stance and that avoiding family members who don't believe all people are people is not "choosing politics over family". 🫠

RJL’s list of New and Upcoming Japanese Fiction Releases for 2026 is now available!

Marie Kondo is back, back, back, back again! This time with a new book sharing her thoughts on many aspects of her life in Japan. I was interviewed by Caroline Bologna about the spiritual roots of New Years cleaning rituals for @huffpost.com. Needless to say, I have thoughts. 😅⛩️🧹✨

Atlantans United for Mutual Aid is less than $1500 away from our goal of donating $10k to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Help us cross the finish line between now and the end of giving Tuesday! give.acfb.org/team/784657

when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes

Don't just watch. Join the movement. Fri, 11/28, 7pm @ the Plaza Theatre In Conversation: The Power of Community. Following the First Voices Festival screening of She Cried That Day. www.plazaatlanta.com/movie/first-...

"I DNF first-person books if I can't relate to the protagonist" is a kind of illiteracy. The point of first person is not to insert yourself into a narrative. You are supposed to experience and empathize with the perspective of a character that is intended to be fully fleshed out.

1. A landmark study was just published in The Journal of Pediatrics. It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT. It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse. Transgender care saves lives.

I don’t want to undermine the economic blackout or We Ain’t Buying It campaign, so I’m releasing the 2026 New and Upcoming Japanese Fiction Releases list a little early this year. Please enjoy!

-A record of treating all people like people. The “Third Way” can suck it. -A record or a plan for ACTIVELY opposing the Trump regime -A plan for building something better. Restoring America ca 2012 would be an improvement but would NOT be a win. -Opposition to genocide

Black organizers know how to run a boycott. If you’re not already avoiding Amazon, Home Depot, and Target, please commit to avoiding these stores for JUST FIVE DAYS to help out.

Reminder that it's Tuesday, which means it's a pub day full of great new queer releases! lgbtqreads.com/2025/11/04/n...

If you're working on Occupation-era Japan, please consider applying! The UMD Prange Collection has a treasure trove of archival info and the staff are fantastic. 100% recommend this opportunity. Deadline is Jan. 30. www.lib.umd.edu/about/awards...

Any folks I know going?

I know Kaos was expensive to make, but I still think the cancellation of season 2 within a week of its debut was in anticipation of a Trump win. 😞

Look for RJL’s 2026 list of new and upcoming releases from Japan later this week. In the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek of what’s already available for pre-order!

I do NOT go in for cozy, but Cat Sebastian’s latest is an actually palatable comfort read about redemption and hope in what looks like an impossibly difficult historical moment. Definitely written for fall 2025. Two thumbs way up.

Today I watched the Bluey episode “Fairytale” for the first time. It’s set in the 1980s. When Bandit and his brothers were all older than I was by the end of the 1980s. Bluey’s are apparently, like, half a decade older than me. I don’t know how I feel about this information. 😅

Love it for Amazon that they apparently think all these women are the same person.