Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4qSu2wUNZdxpOL37MvmsXL?si=7CVOmwG5RkyuVWoRN70smA “Start All Over Again” – Candy Opera This sounds straight out of the early ’80s New Romantic movement, with a few modern flourishes. Which makes total sense as Candy Opera got their start in the early ’80s Liverpool music scene. They plugged along for about ten years, split up, and went their separate ways. Then, three years ago, they…
Food Mysteries and Menu Additions
This is the best thing I’ve read this year. What the Hole Is Going On? The very real, totally bizarre bucatini shortage of 2020. Rachel Handler looks into the mysterious shortage of bucatini. It is hilarious and fascinating. I have to admit, I don’t think I had ever had bucatini before I read this. Magically I found some this week…
Reader’s Notebook, 1/12/21
In my final piece of 2020 business, here are the last three books I read for the year. These put my total at 59 books for the calendar year. I know this sounds dumb, but I was disappointed with that number. I’ve read that many books in a normal year. Surely in a pandemic year I should have knocked out…
Weekend Sports
I think the first ever Super Wildcard Weekend was a success. Wall-to-wall football in the midst of a pandemic and winter weather felt right. We got mostly competitive games book-ended by the Colts blowing a winnable game and the Browns shaking off decades of failure and pulling off one of the wildest upsets in recent memory. Some Indy-focused thoughts from…
Friday Playlist
After taking nearly a month off from sharing new-ish music, it’s time to start getting caught up. So an extra-long playlist this week, filled with recent songs and a few classics. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5loDhcQ5z3UdAFjkS3fuFY?si=CRH1_dOfRMOJEYbwB2x2lQ “Funny Farm” – The Hold Steady A late 2020 treat, and THS has a new album due out on February 19. That day is going to be a…
Emergency Playlist
A special playlist is in order this morning. There are plenty of other songs about this fine state that I’m guessing came from folks not happy with what went down in Georgia last night, thus they have been left behind. Hell, some of these may make no sense in the context of the election, Jay Farrar comparing his impending estrangement…
December Media Mega Post
A lot of material to get through, so strap yourselves in. The Holiday Shit Classics: Elf, A+ National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A A Christmas Story, A Die Hard, A+ A Charlie Brown Christmas, B South Park: Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo, A The Office, see here New: Holiday Baking Championship Lorenzo and Juliana were the most impressive competitors all season.…
Sports Takes
A lot of sports to get through, so let’s tackle the biggest issues of the day in no particular order. CFP Alabama crushing Notre Dame was no surprise. As an Indiana Catholic school parent I don’t hate Notre Dame nearly as much as I used to. I don’t mind them winning, but still take some pleasure in their losses. One…
“There’s Only One Animal That Can Kill a Snake”
I watched a shit-load of TV in December and have an extra-heavy post coming up soon to cover all of that. First, however, something that would normally go into my January list requires immediate attention. Netflix did the world a solid by releasing season three of Cobra Kai on Friday. I watched the first two episodes in the gap between…
A (Gradual) New Start
Families in Indianapolis got an early Christmas present about two weeks ago when the county health commissioner said that schools could return to in-person classes beginning today, rather than waiting until Jan. 19. St P’s normally starts the Tuesday after New Year’s Day, so today is a mini-virtual day with the kids having a few light assignments but no actual…