New television shows often burst out of the gate with buzz and enthusiasm. By season 2 or 3, I feel like the buzz is lower even as the show finds its footing and is better than ever. So on occasion I like to highlight these non-premiere seasons for particularly great shows. Girls5Eva is a half-hour … Read more
When I was a kid, I read a great little mystery novel called The Westing Game. Here’s the synopsis from Wikipedia: Wealthy businessman Sam Westing dies. At the reading of his will, it is revealed that his named heirs are all tenants at the adjacent Sunset Towers apartment building. The will states that one of … Read more
This is a very niche post, but it’s one of those these weird anomalies that professional sports provide on rare occasions. Today, in a Major League Baseball game between the Blue Jays and Red Sox, the same person played for both teams in the same inning. How did it happen? See if you can figure … Read more
For the longest time, I’ve had the same photo on my phone’s lock screen: Megan eating while Biddy stares at her plate. I love the photo, but I’ve seen it so many times that I stopped really seeing it. Recently I realized there’s another option: On both iPhone and Android, you can have the lock … Read more
I read an article today that I haven’t stopped thinking about. Apparently, scientists have found that humans do not age at a constant rate on a molecular level (RNA, proteins, and and microbiomes). Rather, there are two ages when aging accelerates quite a bit: 44 and 60. As a 43-year-old, you might imagine that this … Read more
For years I’ve seen travel agents be the butt of jokes in TV shows and movies. I must admit that I laughed along–in the era of the internet, everything you need to plan a trip is at your fingertips. Yet now, after recently planning a trip to Japan, I realized that’s exactly the reason why … Read more
I enjoyed Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” trilogy so much that I’ll order anything else he writes, sight unseen. I’m glad I made that choice for his most recent novel, The Bright Sword, as it’s one of my favorite books of 2024. As a kid, I was fascinated by the legend of King Arthur. Medieval knights, … Read more
When I was growing up, we often used cloth napkins. I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s probably related to how my parents’ generation didn’t dispose things the way we do now–we’re in a single-use world. I’m pretty sure I’ve used paper napkins my entire adult life, typically in the form of paper towels. I … Read more
A little over 2 weeks have passed since my emergency appendectomy, and I’m feeling so much better. The inflammation is gone, I’m back to my regular diet, the staples are out, the incisions are healing, and I’m easing back into regular exercise. I’m fortunate that everything worked out the way it did. Looking back, there’s … Read more
A few years ago I tried reading the acclaimed book series that started with The Three-Body Problem, but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was the pace, the density of the science, the translation…I’m not sure. Maybe I need to give it another try. But I heard good things about the Netflix adaptation … Read more