I still remember coming across "7 Words" on a random sampler CD (maybe an issue of CMJ?) and knowing I needed more of them.

Yup -- it was one of the Bachman books, and really good (and also very obviously influenced by Robert Sheckley and his "Seventh Victim" story and sequels).

We're also getting another of the Bachman books adapted this year -- The Long Walk.

Really glad to hear that! It's one of those books I've pushed on so many people -- just so damned good.

True, but that away/home split (3.23 vs 6.79 ERA) suggests that he's still capable of being a #2 on a rotation in any other city.

I think about this a lot -- I definitely have hoarding tendencies, and while marriage and other circumstances has helped me keep it in check, I also have a lot of shit. Having been an active ebayer doesn't help -- I keep things thinking I might be able to sell them, and those pile up.

I've got five boxes of stuff ready to be picked up by a local charity tomorrow, and as soon as it's picked up, I'll schedule them for their next bi-monthly pickup. Putting it on the calendar forces me to remember to keep weeding stuff.

Yeah, I've been asking that question a lot over the last couple of weeks. This sweep was a disgrace.

This bullshit and variants pop up all the time. Folks on the right love some fantasy lit, but so do folks on the left, and it's dumb when folks focus on it from their own perspective ("Tolkien's creating my sort of world") or the way it's done here, looking at the "other side."

Like, how could they write this article which talks about Thiel's Tolkien love with Panintir but somehow not talk about Musk and his obsession with super-socialist (but fantastic author) SF author Iain M. Banks? Musk names all his ridiculous space drones after those books.

(Yes, SF and fantasy are different, but it seems like a very deliberate hyperfocus here.)

In fact it is! Of course, it's also a little more common in London than it is around my area.

Memorization skills.

Having seen Shaun of the Dead, I've never doubted that cricket bats could perform well.

You weren't wrong, you were just ahead of your time!

I like them at first glance, at least. I'd be fine with sticking with team jerseys throughout, but they still refuse to listen to me.

I don't think the Cuomo dissatisfaction can be understated. He was an awful governor, and between harassing women and lying about covid deaths, he's lost a good chunk of the Democratic voters. Getting endorsements from Bill Clinton -- who's both out of touch and also known for how he treated women -- and George Santos of all people certainly couldn't have helped.