Manifest feels like someone working for the Hallmark channel decided to make a sci-fi show, when the only sci-fi they'd ever seen were the cringey parts of Battlestar Galactica. Its moral seems to be "obey the vague voices in your head and reject science, or you will die." I am continuing with it because it's fine in the background while I'm brushing my teeth, but unfortunately it's not a compelling Yellowjackets replacement.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Monday, May 25, 2026
as the soldiers would have wanted
I got a nice long hedonism weekend in for Memorial Day, bookended by getting to see my daughter on her way to and from a festival. It reminded me that perhaps my first ever hedonism weekend was also over Memorial Day, when I was 17 and visiting friends in college who were throwing a housewarming party. It was the first time we had a place where we didn't need to worry about parents or dorm staff or cops and WOW did we take advantage of it! Lots of fun, lots of drama. I mentally took anthropological notes to use to fit in when I went to college. (The cops did show up, and it was not the first time they would be there that summer, but were not interested in breaking up the party. They just wanted the fistfighting to move inside.)
Monday, May 18, 2026
you are not conjoined twins ffs
I'm confused that this article about how to tolerate spending time on double dates with people you don't like never suggests not doing it. Why can't people hang out with their friends without dragging their unhappy partners along instead? (It opens with the author cheerfully saying she lies to her friends, so I knew immediately it was not going to be for me.)
efficiency
Today I waited an hour for a doctor's appointment which consisted solely of the doctor sticking his head in the door, saying, "Are the meds working? Yes, Okay, I'll see you in six months." Definitely a "should have been an e-mail situation," but on the bright side I now only get a couple headaches a week instead of having one 24/7, so I guess I can't complain.
Friday, May 15, 2026
who needs geocities
I came across this accidentally and was surprised: it looks like instead of setting up a personal blog like it's 2002 like me, this person made a subreddit for themself.
Monday, May 11, 2026
so much rape, so little time
Last time I brought up Gisèle Pelicot, several of you talked about how much harder it was for you to live with men after that news came out. You're not the only ones, and there's a book out talking about it.
Sunday, May 10, 2026
pay attention to what's in the room
I wish this was focused on improving your life rather than "productivity," but anyway: "We gravitate to a customary level of interruption. If you are disrupted by notifications all day, every day, then even if those external triggers magically disappear, you will unconsciously start interrupting yourself to maintain the rhythm of distraction you’re used to. That is why the mere presence of a smartphone on a desk or in a pocket—even if it is turned off—has been shown to impair performance on cognitive tests, particularly among people who are more phone dependent."