I was outside the Davis Square T station (the Boston area subway), when I saw a woman and a young girl, maybe 3 or 4 years old, walk by. “Mommy!” said the little girl. “I smell TRAIN!”

These are the people that I know and admire. They’re dedicated, persistent and effective. And they deserve more recognition but won’t seek it out.

700 people protesting in our sleepy suburb!

Mentally replacing the word “bird” with “dinosaur” brings a little more joy to my life. Hey, love your dinosaur feeder in the backyard!

Today was an experiment, which seems appropriate. I decided to make tarte tatin because 1) it was in my new cookbook and 2) it would cook and cool in time to eat today. I have never made a tarte tatin. I may never have actually eaten one, but any combination of fruit and pastry is worth trying.

On a beautiful day like today, the hardest part of biking to work is the “to work” part. The temptation to just keep on going was real.

We need to protect children regardless of anything their parents may or may not have done. If you actions are going to hurt kids, don’t do it. This should not be a controversial position.

the whole point of populism is that it requires "belongers" and "others." That's why its so insidious, and why many who use it suddenly realize they're working with fascists who knew what they themselves were doing all along

Remember how I wrote this a few days ago about white plaintiffs claiming they were discriminated against & pointing to DEI as evidence? Well, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Philadelphia on behalf of all white male cops who were denied promotions & they're pointed to DEI as evidence.

Corporate dystopia is such a strong trend in science fiction these days. I can’t imagine why.

Is it extra embarrassing if a skater or curler slips on the ice at home and hurts themselves? I don’t mean while playing their sport - that’s a SPORT injury. Slipping on an icy sidewalk or step is just an injury injury.

I just finished scouting the souvenirs available at this airport, and can confirm that in two millennia this hasn't been surpassed:

Boston’s French Toast Alert system has been activated!

More and better bike lanes, sidewalks and cross walks would do so much more. And then clearing the snow and ice so that they are safe and usable.

Luce is a Massachusetts organization that does important work protecting immigrant communities. They are selling gourmet cookies as a sweet Valentine’s Day fundraiser. The cookies can be picked up at designated locations on Friday, so don’t wait too long 😊 lucemass.betterworld.org/campaigns/he...

During the 1980s and 90s, I followed figure skating but then life got busy and I lost track. In the last couple of years, I’ve started watching again and am gradually learning the new scoring system and other changes that have taken place in the sport.

I’m watching the opening ceremonies now. So much drama! So over the top! There are dancers dressed to represent different Italian arts - music, painting, architecture…and coffee. Yes, there are dancing moka pots and I love it.

Sun dogs in Saskatchewan

Accidental dashboard photo

Cat wandered in front of the camera during the #aurora long exposure

My flight from Boston is delayed again, slowly whittling down my originally comfortable layover. Flying is so stressful.

I was writing up meeting minutes for my local safe streets group. Autocorrect changed “Jim was interested” to “Jim was interred”. Glad I caught that one.

Sort of like living in the US except we don’t get the pretty excellent day first. And the White House posts come much earlier in the day.

My department had a white elephant gift exchange at our holiday party. You picked a gift at random, opened it & then other people could “steal” it. The popular gifts exchanged hands multiple times. I couldn’t believe my luck when I got a Nobel Peace Prize! Still mad at the guy who stole it from me.

I just overheard someone talking about going to Bah Hahbahr (Bar Harbor) #bostonaccent

Today’s Saturday Song is Sante by Stromae. Sometimes I stumble across artists who are completely new to me. Stromae is a Belgian singer who combines dark themes, storytelling and dance/pop music with eclectic influences. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW7g...

I don’t post on every news story- it’s not my strong point and no one is checking Bluesky wondering “Hey, what does Jennifer think about this?” It doesn’t mean that I am not following the news. It doesn’t mean that I’m not politically active.

Today’s Saturday Song is Lonely Avenue by Jon Batiste and Randy Newman www.youtube.com/watch?v=50W_...

Just saw Wake Up Dead Man. The Benoit Blanc movies are such a tasty mix of scathing satire, twisty plots, and surprisingly touching moments. They’re like candy except they don’t spike my blood sugar.

Did you know that on January 1st, you can call ANYTHING you do a New Year’s Resolution, as long as you announce it first? In 2026, I resolve to make coffee and feed the cats, at least once. Use this knowledge wisely. Happy New Year!

post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, soundgarden, pearl jam, or Alice In Chains

Today’s Saturday Song is Friday I’m in Live by The Cure. It’s a classic song of the 90s and always speaks to me of optimism in the face of darkness m.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgM...

I just finished reading Wicked Pissed: New England’s Most Famous Feuds. A historian may question the accuracy and thoroughness of the research, but they are fun stories, both silly and serious. And entirely on brand for this region 😆

Today’s Saturday Song is This Feeling by Alabama Shakes. Love Brittany Howard’s voice and the styles and moods that she explores, both as part of Alabama Shakes and in her solo work. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhI_...

The end goal is eugenicist. RFK and his ilk know that this will make vaccines more expensive and time-consuming — and therefore marginalized children are most likely to fall through the cracks. This is about killing kids who aren't born to privilege. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

A common defense of self-driving cars is that break fewer traffic laws than humans. The latest “upgrades” are changing that. www.fastcompany.com/91461598/tes...

Fog harvesting is real! I’ve seen droplets of condensation of course, but had no idea that you could actually collect many liters of water this way. There are entire neighborhoods in Peru that are supplied with water this way! sustainablefootprint.org/peruvians-ha...

Sometimes I need to explain to non-Canadians what a square is in the dessert sense, and now I'm going to refer them to this cookbook for examples

Today’s Saturday Song is Ex’s &Oh’s by Elle King. She has a distinctive sound and the swagger of this song is a hoot. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA-b...

Hard to believe Lessons in Magic and Disaster was too optimistic

Did you know that hominin is a homonym? Yes, I know the second vowels are different. But with normal pronunciation (as opposed to making a special effort), the second syllable of both words is schwa, the generic unstressed vowel sound that unstressed syllables in English often have.

Tis the season when checking what size shirt someone is wearing is TOTALLY NOT SUSPICIOUS. Or, hypothetically, asking if you can measure their head.

Happy Second Thanksgiving!

I hesitate to wade into “can’t we all get along” territory, but both pie and cake are delicious.

People do bike to appointments! The 22 Mill St medical building could use more bike parking. Better quality bike racks too - this coat hanger style is only marginally better than the terrible wheel grabbers.

The saddest kitty in the world.

Casablanca has an almost Princess Bride level of memorable quotes.

Did you see this story? X introduced a new feature on the weekend which shows the country of origin of all C accounts. Turns out that the majority of major MAGA accounts are from other countries. I am feeling such a mix of anger and schadenfreude. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...