Cigarettes and Coffee

As an editor, my primary function is to find and correct things that are wrong (examples: a misspelling, a factual error, a word that you “didn’t think was that racist,” a grammatical construction that makes you sound like a cannibal). I have to be observant, and I also have to continually educate myself to ensure [...]

- If the name alone isn’t enough to get you to play Puzzle Farter, we will probably never be friends.

- In my last post, I mentioned Josh Cotter’s amazing Skyscrapers of the Midwest, and I’ve been making notes for a more in-depth post about the book. Instead, I’ll just direct you to Brian Heater’s review [...]

- First and most importantly, this weekend is the annual MoCCA Art Festival here in New York. For comics fans who don’t really have an interest in superheroes and the Marvel/DC stuff, MoCCA (the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) is where it’s at. It’s mostly indie and “literary” stuff, and lots of creators [...]

- Cholula hot sauce I used to order it from Mexico, two cases at a time. It makes almost anything taste better. I recommend it on eggs, meats, or any under-seasoned Mexican delivery food. (Pro tip: Fill a shot glass with ‘Lula, crack a roasted-in-the-shell peanut about halfway, dip, enjoy.)
- Amazon Prime Combined with [...]

I’m not shy about my love for Disney World. My family made the trip from Pittsburgh to Orlando every few years when I was growing up, and it was worth every single 17-hour drive (Dad’s not big on the air travel).
Columnist and blogger James Lileks has written about Disney before, and he just finished a [...]

It might be, and it’s available now at Threadless. Wil Wheaton blogged about this shirt on Monday, so they’re selling pretty quickly (mine was delivered yesterday!). I don’t think you’ll technically be a member of Wil’s gang if you purchase it from a link on my site, but if I ever start bangin’ and need [...]

Busy, busy, busy, so I don’t have time for a big post right now. But I do have some news: I will be in attendance for Thursday’s taping of The Late Show with David Letterman.
That’s right, Oprah Night.
I may not have a chance to post again before then, but I’ll be sure to let [...]

Spinning: The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses (Thanks, Sean!)
Couple links to start with:
When I read this morning that George Best had died, I knew my man Simon Barnes would get it right. Of course, he did.
Good news! (For most of you.)
Vladimir Nabokov’s son may follow his father’s instructions to burn what remains of [...]

Spinning: Neko Case, The Tigers Have Spoken.
With my birthday about three weeks away, I figure it’s time to set aside my sloth (it’s only my fifth-favorite deadly sin anyway) and update this incredible burden site with a list of a few things I feel I will require to properly celebrate this momentous occasion. If you [...]

Spinning: Elbow, Leaders of the Free World
I’ve decided I’m going to make my millions by inventing a computer display that emits low-level tanning-bed rays. Just imagine, you could be bronzing while you fill out those TPS reports! So help me, if I get any more pasty, Ralph Wiggum will eat me.

Spinning: Van Morrison, Magic Time
That Van the Man link up there? Click it. Unless you’re some kind of asshole, you’ll dig this album. His best in a decade or more.
If I ever write a country song, which I won’t, it will be called “I Set Myself Up To Let Myself Down.” I just like how [...]

I scored this domain name, if I’m not mistaken, way back in 2001. My original plan was to slowly build a site that would become a vibrant community for young, talented writers and progressive thinkers, a modern-day, online version of the Algonquin Round Table or Gertrude Stein’s salon. Ideas would bounce freely back and forth, [...]