I must rewatch this movie ~every 10 years to remind myself to avoid it, bc I can’t imagine any other reason that doesn’t involve a Saw-type scenario. In between, I clearly repress having seen it in the theater. When the reindeer started doing glitter my mom yelled, “You have GOT to be kidding me.” 🤣

She’s a beaut, Clark!

my favorite neighborhood decoration

Alfred Hitchcock opening this episode bricking up the fireplace & rigging the chimney to trap Santa is utterly hilariously macabre.

Merry Christmas, from our wicker monkeys to you & yours!

Day 24 of the #ALXbeercember BeerVent calendar finds @fishinnards.bsky.social & the wicker monkeys enjoying a nice bourbon barrel aged ale with nary a can of the fabled Modern S’morefare in sight. Merry Christmas & Happy New Beer, friends!

Hey @meanlouise.bsky.social! It's wedding day in Grottoes, VA.

“Ben said at one point that there was a Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) vibe to it, and I think it’s because it feels like that terrifying boat scene, not because it’s particularly scary but because you want off almost immediately.” 🤣🤣🤣

These dudes are out in force today. 🙄 I think the joy people feel making or sharing year-end review/favorites lists is like chum in the water for people who don’t want anyone to be happy if they aren’t happy. My Guy, you can just mute the word “list”

friend group has a pact to nod & smile when Civic Booster Lady boasts ALX originated waterskiing Santa, a “fact” now supported by AI. We didn’t warn new CA neighbor who apparently can’t back down & has time to amass 100s of historical images & I can’t look away from this hilarious & absurd argument.

Happy holidays to all of my friends out there! ❤️ 📖🎁

Somehow, it’s already Day 23 of #ALXBeercember & while @fishinnards.bsky.social will miss the daily beer surprise, I won’t miss typing that hashtag for a while

normalize spending your holidays like this

I’d lost track of the details of this case & investigation outcome & holy shit this is so many kinds of egregious I just can’t even find words. I did get a 🎁 🔗 though so while I’m sitting here with my forehead on the table: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...

Someone please do all the rituals/give this flick a nice fat distribution deal so I can stop impatiently stamping my feet like a toddler waiting to see it.

Have we learned nothing here? Never read the cursed parchment out loud! On second thought, maybe it’s time to shift the apocalypse into 2nd gear. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Commiaill Chemod Comieonia! #HighlySpecificLocalHumor

I was so excited to run across more of my favorite motivational messages in my files & just realized there’s still time for #MondayMotivation. It’s still Monday, right? Sure. Let’s go with that.

Your annual reminder that this scene of Idris Elba decorating a Christmas tree in Alien: Prometheus technically makes the entire Alien franchise holiday viewing. Except Alien 3 b/c I hate that one. Look, I don't make the rules.

DC-area people, you can save 20% on handmade holiday gifts (including some by me!) at the Glen Echo Holiday Show now through Jan 4 glenechopark.org/holidayartshow click through for hours and directions

Read The Reformatory immediately! It's got more history than most history textbooks and takes the reader on an incredible journey. Breathtaking and so alive and terrifying. @tananarivedue.bsky.social as usual, did that thinggggg

American folk horror.

Day 22 of #Alexbeercember with @fishinnards.bsky.social

Day 21 of #Alexbeercember with @fishinnards.bsky.social

I got snuggles & kisses from my boyfriend Newt & you should definitely be jealous.

#tdih 1969, John Trudell broadcast Radio Free Alcatraz via @kpfa.org for first time from the Native occupation of Alcatraz Island. Listen to recordings at Pacifica Archives. Trudell was tracked and threatened by FBI under COINTELPRO. #TeachTruth More ⬇️ www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ra...

btw during the Pac-Man fever epidemic of 1982 there was a Pac-Man Christmas. Hanna-Barbera produced a lot of Xmas specials over the years. Not just to exploit popular franchises & other IP fads. Barbera had the Jesus even more than Hanna & there’s more about this in the alt-text b/c I’m a buzzkill

If you see this, post your favorite “Star Wars” film.

"To our dearest friends and family..." FALSE. While this letter was indeed sent to dear friends and family, it has been confirmed that the recipient list also included immediate neighbors, members of the PTO board, and Beth from work.

I put some of these pics in one of my high school friend group chats & learned that until his death 2 years ago, the owner of this condo lived primarily in a mansion in Florida on the same block as my friends’ parents. And that place was (is?) a doozy. And this is my favorite part: 1/2

While we await news on what the wicker monkeys are up to, pics from a past May Monkey Solstice, a time in which the wicker monkeys assemble at the bottom of the living room stairs in what’s commonly referred to in the scholarly literature that exists only in my mind as The Monkeyhenge Formation 1/4

Day 20 of #ALXbeercember finds @fishinnards.bsky.social back in front of the tree with another tasty beverage.

Day 19 of #ALXbeercember in which we managed to obliviously miss #DRBC. Guess it’s a change of pace from the last 6 times, when I’ve spent all day sure we’re gonna make it & then some random thing goes pear-shaped at the last minute. Here’s @fishinnards.bsky.social with Friday’s beer.

I can’t stop thinking about the camel state on top of the table with a camel statue base. I don’t even mean that in a cursed object or judgmental way, it’s just…fascinating

If you want to stop junk mail, there are resources here: consumer.ftc.gov/node/77522

I’ve yet to receive my copies (which I do not blame Bad Hand for AT ALL). Based on informed delivery, for the last 30 days we’ve received ~ 50% of our mail. Actual mail - we blocked junk mail & catalogs years ago. an improvement from when ALL our USPS mail went in a storm drain for a while but 🤬

It’s so common to see places staged with mannequins or other outrageous props to try to make a listing viral that I rarely look anymore. But I looked at this. I couldn’t look away. Sweet cheezits, some rich fool clearly lived like that. On purpose. Luckily, there’s one man who can fix this property.

OH, HELL NO.

Rather, that song has a lot of verses. Nevertheless, it was very sweet & charming to have carolers. In an unrelated note, I hope I’ve never sent any of them a holiday card to this effect. But I probably have.

Day 18 of #ALXbeercember in which @fishinnards.bsky.social is in front of the Christmas tree. Again. Has he fallen behind in replying with the description & impression of each beer? Probably.

✨GIFCon is back for 2026! ✨ We’re very excited to launch the Call for Papers for GIFCon 2026, with the theme “Technologies of the Fantastic” You can find out more here: fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/20...

Respect the classics, Christmas edition John Carpenter’s Rudolph’s The Thing

More than 7000 people have already reached out to their representatives about saving NCAR. Join us:

Rumor has it, Indiana Bones got to hang out with @sal9009.bsky.social & @fishinnards.bsky.social & I this afternoon.

I find it far more offensive that she congratulates President Kennedy, not only because the two persons should never be mentioned in the same universe much less breath, but because the bullshit name change isn't real, yet that mindless Dear Leader servility is very real—and very, very dangerous.

ICYM this fun video about Dick & Arlene Van Dyke’s Halloween decorations (with guest appearance by Doug Jones as Bottle of Wine) youtu.be/zRqacTWIzh8

🎶 These are a few of my favorite memes 🎶🎄

Day 17 of #ALXbeercember, in which @fishinnards.bsky.social fails to play the Gremlins theme at the faculty/staff holiday party for like the 30th year in a row & I start to lose hope my most reasonable wish is ever going to come true.

All of this

Do you ever have days where you make big progress on a project but it’s hard to celebrate b/c you know you’d have gotten even farther if you didn’t have brain gnomes in the back of your mind giggling about McDonald’s hiring Debbie Allen to choreograph a line dance for a new menu rollout in 1996?

I fact checked this book and I cannot recommend it highly enough as an essential way to understand the history of propaganda and disinformation and how that impacts us right now.