listening to joni: #1: joni mitchell (song to a seagull)
This is my first post in my re-listen to the music of Joni Mitchell in chronological order of album release. These posts come with all kinds of disclaimers, chiefly that…
laura k
our papyrus painting is finally on the wall
You can read the story of how we got these: here. This, below, is the smaller painting that the salesman added to the pot after the price would budge no…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #26
In library school, you learn that the most important part of the reference transaction, or reference interview, is asking questions. Customers, it seems, rarely know how to describe what they…
11.11: remembrance day readers’ advisory
I’ve posted 11 anti-war songs, and I’ve done Labour Day readers’ advisory, but I don’t think I’ve ever done anti-war readers’ advisory. Here are 11 great books with an anti-war…
listening to joni: a new wmtc feature
Two new books about Joni Mitchell have come out, with — strangely — the same title. Reckless Daughter: A Joni Mitchell Anthology, edited by Barney Hoskyns, is a collection of…
the worst part of trump is not trump
The freak show that is the Trump presidency gives us so many things to lament, and mourn, and goggle at. But for one organization, it is a singular gift, valuable…
the mysterious case of kars4kids: deceptive advertising for orthodox jewish proselytizing
When I watch baseball, I always watch the “away” feed — the Red Sox broadcast — and almost always choose local radio for the audio feed. (Hooray for MLB streaming…
what i’m reading: turtles all the way down, the new book by john green
I don’t usually write about a book while I’m still under its spell, but there are always exceptions. John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down is an exceptional book. One…
update: the gay cop on barney miller comes out, plus an adorable child sex worker
About a month ago, I wrote about an episode from the late 1970s-early 1980s sitcom “Barney Miller”, in which the squad discovers that an officer from their precinct is gay.…
alds begins today
This Red Sox team has been driving me crazy, seesawing between amazing and horrendous. I don’t have a lot of optimism right now, especially after our dismal showing against Houston……
thoughts on the latest u.s. gun massacre
As part of my continuing efforts to post here rather than — or at least in addition to — Facebook, here are some thoughts on the latest horrific massacre in…
rip tom petty
The death of Tom Petty is terrible, shocking, dare I say heartbreaking news. From the moment I heard those unmistakeable first notes of “American Girl,” I was hooked. I was…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #25
A customer approaches the information desk, hopping mad. “You must kick this man out of the library! You must make him leave!” I immediately get up and come around the…
what i’m reading: news of the world by paulette jiles
After burning through several excellent nonfiction books in rapid succession, I have a small pile of novels waiting for me. Here’s the first of, I hope, several fiction reviews. News…
the strange case of the barney miller rape episode
Watching Barney Miller as my comedy-before-bed sleep aid, I was stunned and amazed by an episode called “Rape” — Season 4, Episode 15. A woman comes to the station house,…
rotd: thank you celina caesar-chavannes for speaking out on body-shaming
Today’s Revolutionary Thought of the Day is very unusual, in that it belongs to a member of government. This thought should not be revolutionary. It should not even need to…
do workplace-based tv shows make people dissatisfied with their jobs?
I recently realized that I enjoy a lot of TV shows that are themed around a workplace. There are the comedies, like The Office and Brooklyn 9-9, and my favourite…
in which i answer the burning question, what will laura binge-watch next?
In response to my help me find a new series to binge-watch post, I got tons of answers both here and on Facebook. I’m keeping the list for future reference.…
ancient tv history: a gay cop on barney miller
Watching my comedy-before-bed daily dose of Barney Miller last night, I was surprised and pleased to see an episode about a gay cop. This remembered this post — turns out…
what i’m reading: the radium girls by kate moore
Readers of a certain age might remember clocks and watches with glowing green dials. The dials were painted with radium, the radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie. We had clocks…