Eeeeek a Cat!

 New game with kitteh is EEEK! THERE’S A CAT IN MY APARTMENT! EEEEEK! HOW DID A CAT GET IN HERE!

*Then I remember that how he got in here is that I stuffed him in a box and drove him across town and made him live here. He’s very upset about it.

Believe it or Not!

 

Good Advice

Shall We Begin?

Your Love Is Certified

Becaaaaaaaaaasue IT'S FRIDAY YA BASTIDS.

Your Love Is Certified by Rasputin's Stash

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The Goose is Getting Fat

From the artist Jim Benton,

Aisle 4

Me, at Staples, to the young cashier: Hi. Do you have something I can put in the mail to send a compact disc? Young cashier: A what? Me: A compact disc. A CD. Young cashier: You want like a box? Me: No, more like an envelope. For seeing a CD, a compact disc. Young cashier (writer’s embellishment): Are you speaking martian? Me: Envelope. Young cashier: That would be in aisle 4. Me: Thank you.

Tobacco Road, but all sexy

 Because it’s Friday ya bastids, and I got a new job today.

Tobacco Road, by Brother Jack McDuff

Tuxedo Junction

Because. It’s. Friday. Ya. Bastids.

Tuxedo Junction (Willie Bobo)

---

A Good Prank

A good prank: Step One: Get a portable recording of Donald Trump saying “all I want is to find 11,780 votes.” Step Two: Drive your car to your favorite fast-food drive-thru. Mine is McDonald’s. Step Three: When they ask you for your order, play your recording of Donald Trump saying “all I want is to find is to find 11,780 votes” into the speaker. Step Four: The employee will probably be all like huh? What? I didn’t catch that sir / ma’am. Step five: Play it again, Sam. Step Six: Hilarity ensues.

Baby Brother

Because it's Friday, ya bastids.

Baby Brother by War

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Dumb ex Machina

 MSNBC’s Ari Melber has this spiffy little graphic that shows different aspects of the plot to overturn the 2020 election, with arrows in black and red to indicate over time when many of these activities went from being legal, such as court challenges, for example, to illegal, such as overturning the votes in Congress. It is a useful graphic, though it does not measure what I think might be yet another useful quantity: Stupidity.

The rap-lyric quoting anchor was again tonight referencing his graphic on-air, and one of the plot points jumped out at me like David Lee Roth: “Military Seize Voting Machines.”

It has never struck me until that moment how incredibly stupid that one is. I mean, what were they going to do with them? Did they think they’d find some hot-shot Linux coder to bust into them and change the votes? Then what? Then the “military” would return the machines to their original spots so their “corrected” votes would be counted? Then they pull the mask off of the guy and it turns out the Black Knight is actually the museum curator?

Well, yes, actually. It’s something like that.

A severely under-reported news story (surprise, surprise) from last month was charges against a Michigan attorney, Matthew DePerno, failed candidate for attorney general despite (?) a Trump endorsement, and and former GOP state Rep. Daire Rendon. Charges were in connection with accessing and tampering with voting machines in Michigan.

Via ABC News: “Investigators there say five vote tabulators were illegally taken from three counties and brought to a hotel room, according to documents released last year by Nessel’s office. The tabulators were then broken into and ‘tests’ were performed on the equipment.”

So yes. It’s actually that stupid.

I say Ari Melber needs to add another set of arrows to his graphic.

I'm So Fucking Tired Of Donald Trump

I'm so fucking tired of Donald Trump. I'm tired of seeing him on my TV all the time. I'm tired of him, living rent free in our brains. I'm tired of seeing his ugly, conceited, swelled-up orange face everywhere. I'm tired of hearing the audio of him shaking down Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for 11,780 votes. I'm tired of seeing new tell-all books coming out about Donald Trump from authors who should have told what they knew back when it would have made a difference. I'm tired of a Republican Party that could, any day they wanted to, excise themselves of this cancer just by having 20 to 50 of their members start getting in front of a camera and telling the truth. I'm tired of it. I'm sick to death of it. Just tell me when he's been arrested. Otherwise, Joy Reid, otherwise, Chris Hayes, otherwise, Nicolle Wallace, talk to the hand. I'm done with your speculation and your Claire McCaskill and former part-of-the-problem Michael Steele and your giving Donald Trump more oxygen than he deserves. Done with it. Call me when he's in jail. Otherwise, fuck all ya'll. Seriously. Knock it off. I remember in 2015, when I was working one of the shittiest jobs I've ever worked, but at least I got 45 minutes for lunch, so I would get in my car and drive it to a remote part of the parking lot and eat a sandwich and listen to Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Sirius/XM. And he would cover Trump rallies gavel to gavel, and this was held over from the previous hour. They didn't cover shit about what President Obama was doing, nor did they cover the other candidates like that. Nope. Just Trump. Trump Trump Trump Trump. And now, they're doing it again. Well, shove it up your ass, MSNBC. And let's get back to a point I glossed over earlier: The "Republican Party" could excise this zit off of its bum any time they want to. Any time. It would take maybe a dozen of them to just get in front of the camera and talk some sense. Like, Joe Biden won the election and is the real preznit. Like, maybe an outgoing preznit shouldn't lead an insurrection. Maybe that's bad. Like, maybe theories about my political opponents lusting for the blood of children is something we should discourage. Maybe. Just maybe. Even just a scintilla of truth from a dozen of these assholes could send Donald Trump into the trash heap of obsolescence that he deserves. But they won't do it because they are chicken-shit pussies. Or, they're not and they're just Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a golem made of corn chips. Regardless. I often find myself thinking, with as much hope as I can muster, with as much hope I sometimes have that a banana split will magically appear before me with a spoon, I find myself thinking, well, he has to die sometime. He's 77, he's fat, and he's stupid enough to flush himself down a toilet. He has. To die. Sometime. But I think it's too late. Trump is the center of Trumpism, but he's not the spring from which it flows. Trump would die and become a weird martyr rumored to have special superpowers like Jesus. Did you know Trump can turn a single quarter pounder into hundreds of double cheeseburgers just by farting through his bellybutton? Did you know that Trump could declassify classified documents just by thinking about it? Did you know that Trump was secretly The Buraq and while Muhammed rode his steely back to Mecca, Trump told him lots of funny jokes about Mexicans? This country is fucked, people. Get out and vote for Biden/Harris in 2024. Meanwhile, put on an Errol Garner album and chill. Let Joy Reid talk to herself for a bit.

No Peter Gabriels were actually harmed in the making of this video.

"Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel

...whenever we go out...

The SAG-AFTRA Strike and Barbecue Sauce

Fans of the Apple TV behemoth "Ted Lasso" show don't just watch the show, and we don't just watch the show once. We'll binge watch all three seasons countless times, looking for puzzles, looking for clues, I mean, why does Isaac count to 12 and skip 8, and why so many "Cheers" references snuck in? What is the significance of the number 1,236?

(I have my own personal theory on that last one and will share it at the end of this post just for fun, Tod Rundgren.)

I mean, "Ted Lasso" watchers are maniacs, myself included. And, with good reason. Television shows this good do not litter our cultural landscape. They are occasions. The writing is excellent. (Rebecca: Oh, do you believe in ghosts, Ted? Ted: I do. But more importantly, I believe they need to believe in themselves.) or (Beard: We have a saying in Codependents Anonymous. The room: What? Beard: Oh, Jane makes me go with her.) The characters, each of them, well developed and greatly acted, from Ted himself to Paul, Basil and Jeremy.

What's astonishing is the origins of this project. SNL alum Jason Sudeikis started it as a jokey way to promote NBC Sports' coverage of England's Premier League.

I mean, he and his writers could have left it there, but they didn't. They somehow saw more in the concept. They developed it. They altered its tone (Sudeikis has said that part of this was indeed a reaction to his witnessing our increasingly hostile political climate). By 2020, "Ted Lasso" was fully realized and running on Apple TV. From that silly promo to a beloved, scrutinized television program. It's quite a feat.

Some of those responsible: Writer and producer Bill Lawrence, previously creator of "Scrubs" and co-creator of "Cougar Town," and "Spin City." Jason Sudeikis, SNL writer and eventual cast member from 2003 to 2013, subsequently a film actor and eventually writer and producer on "Ted Lasso." Brendan "Coach Beard" Hunt, theater student and Second City and Boom Chicago alum, film actor, and creator of his own one-man show, performed in Edinburgh, Aspen, Chicago, and New York. And, SNL writing staff alum Joe Kelly, also a writer and story editor on "How I Met Your Mother."

I summarize the "Ted Lasso" creators' credits because I've been thinking a lot lately about the SAG-AFTRA strike.

For various reasons, summertime is my least favorite time of the year. It's hot. The sun is entirely too bright. The air conditioning in my apartment is useless, and the cat won't let me put it on most of the time anyway. And, there's nothing on television to watch. I usually spend July and August sweating a lot and waiting for football to start.

The strike didn't help. SNL wrapped sooner than it would have, and I've been driven to the milquetoast legal drama "Suits," the show what gave us. Meghan Markle. But, then again, the future the studio bosses are presenting sure does seem bleak. I mean, doesn't quality suffer without a full writers' room for the entire life of a show? Where does the next "Ted Lasso" or "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" come from if talented writers don't get the experience of working on a show from start to finish, and if they're getting paid peanuts? Not to mention if you can just spit a premise into a computer and have it barf out a script?

I note this morning that the Teamsters and UPS have come to an agreement. That is excellent; that strike really would have mucked up this incredible Biden economy. But I would have supported them, and I certainly support our writer and actor compadres. Am hoping these events portend a great wave for labor in this country.

Now, regarding 1,236. This is a number mentioned twice in season 2, episode 1, "Goodbye Earl." It is mentioned once as the ongoing tally for Pheobe's swear-penalties for her Uncle Roy. Keeley asks how much she's accrued, and Pheobe says, "1,236 pounds," to which Keeley replies, "impressive." The second instance is in Ted's office, where these screwballs are playing a game where they pass a crumpled up piece of paper. On her way out, Dr. Sharon Fieldstone asks what their record is. The reply is 1,236, to which the good doctor replies, "impressive."

Ted Lasso fans are a little nuts, and all over the internet, we've been speculating over this number's significance. Some say it's a prime number, or something in numerology, blah, blah, blah. But I think I have the real poop on this one.

In 1972, running back Steve Jones, who would be that year's Player of the Year in the ACC, became the first in Duke's history to best a thousand yards in a season. His record: 1,236 yards.

Impressive. In fact, this record stood until it was beaten by Mataeo Durant in 2021. That, in my humble estimation, is the significance of this number in "Ted Lasso."

River Boulevard

Because it's Friday, ya bastids!

Plastic Man

Because. It's. Friday. Ya. Bastids.

The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex

Remember all that weird debate about work requirements that had us all on the edges of our seats for several months about the debt ceiling? Yeah, some reporters did a little digging. This is a must-listen, folks.

Go to the episode on Reveal News' website, or find wherever you get your podcasts.

The Post-Roe Health Care Crisis

Abortion bans are confusing doctors about what’s still legal. Reveal investigates the effects on pregnant women and the growing influence of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.

Catch it at Reveal News' website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Weird secret ingredient for a perfect home frappucino...

 Xanthan gum.

Seriously. I've been rescuing leftover coffee lately by making a nice blended iced coffee, hoping to emulate the results you get from a Starbucks'. I had some good luck with a half-cup of coffee, a half-cup of milk, ice cubes, and a tablespoon of sugar, given the old Vitamix treatment. And indeed. It was delicious. 

But I'd read this tip on the Internet about xanthan gum, which acts as thickening agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer. In an iced coffee, it was suggested, you add a bit to keep the ingredients from separating. 

Only after reading this tip did I notice a failing of my recipe: Halfway through the drink, the yummy froth and the liquid tended to separate, and since the liquid is heavier than the yummy froth, you're just not getting the full yummy of the thing. So, I ordered some xanthan gum. 

A quarter teaspoon of the stuff improved this consistency issue remarkably. All yummy froth. Down to the bottom of the tumbler. 

Season 5, Episode 7...

So. Episode 7. Spoilers, so I’ll add some space…

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What a great juxtaposition. Abe, waiting around for Ethan to exhibit a birthright of genius he claims every Maisel son exhibits at age 6, but he lights up like a star when he realizes the gift has been passed on instead to his granddaughter. But he and others adjacent are stubbornly unable to recognize or appreciate the preternatural genius of the one and only Midge Maisel. Moishe and Shirley are even now blind to the fact that Midge is a really big deal; even as they occupy front-row studio seats at The Gordon Ford Show, they are unable, I mean physically unable to accept that the tickets came from Midge. Indeed, when Abe first discovers his daughter’s new avocation, he’s not proud. He’s not impressed. He is angry with her to the point of silent treatment. Esther, it seems, will not have to fight her previously-assumed role as did her mother. Those closest to Midge still see her as the happy homemaker, recording her own measurements in a journal and crafting the best brisket in the world. Esther will have an easier go of it. 

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Episode 8, to air May 19, is titled "The Princess and the Plea." I think we're going to learn more about how Joel ended up in the slam. Too obvious? Or might it refer to Midge and Susie burying the hatchet? What say yinz?

Kitteh's Recliner

I’d had the recliner covered with a sheet for a year to keep kitteh from scratching it. I have finally opted to uncover it and to trust that kitteh won’t scratch it up.

Kitteh has now decided it’s HIS chair.

think of the animals

This is the funniest thing I have ever seen.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Alex Jones Threatens Man Who Impersonated Tucker Carlson & Said They Should Suck Each Other’s Nipples (Jezebel)

Writers On Set

Having a writer on set is one of the big issues that is causing the Writers Guild of America to strike. While I'm really annoyed to be missing live episodes of SNL, it sounds like the writers are really facing some existential issues in their profession, as in, the studios and the streamers would really like streaming to allow the way writers have always been paid to change for their favor, as corporate America is wont to do.

Here's a great Twitter thread explaining why having a writer on set is such a big deal and how it actually can be thought of a labor cost that pays for itself...

UNION

It's What's For Dinner

I often have an internal debate on if cooking sous vide is worth the effort. I mean, you season the meat, then you gotta vacuum seal it, which uses a lot of plastic, then you gotta dunk it in water and ensure that it's weighed down, and then you gotta throw it in a hot pan for a minute so it doesn't look quite so ugly.

---

Meanwhile, how about that Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?

I have to say, I am not a fan of exposition. It's lazy. In television, please don't tell me, NCIS. It's a visual medium. Show me.

But in the case of S5 Ep6, I mean, exposition was the point, and it was used smartly to bulldoze the story forward. It was couched within a story, within the event of our girl getting the honor of a lifetime, a Friar's Club roast (this really needed a Jeff Ross cameo but okay) but I think this episode was the most talky-talk episode in the whole thing.

Yet, it was done so well, couched within a context, exposition without a wet towel smacking you in the temples, that you really didn't notice you were being talkie-talked to. So good, and man, they moved mountains with gigantic excavators when it came to advancing this story in one simple episode.

I hope Susie gets to answer and/or make that call. Peace in our time, and tits up.

Supergroup

Coronation Day

The Impossible Dream

Because it's Friday ya bastids.

Solar Totem #1

"I have let it be known to different people that I do not want that hole ever welded closed, and nobody has ever asked me to." (Artist Don Drumm)

Heart Of Steel: Artist Don Drumm reflects on his sculpture's role in May 4, lifelong impact as 50th Commemoration appears on horizon (kent.edu)

Heart Trouble

...because it's Friday ya bastids...

Age, Schmage

Wow, is Nikki Haley a ghoul.

I mean, it’s par for the course since she’s a Republican running for Preznit. But she’s basically like, so Biden has announced he’s running. Dude’s gonna die anyway. Seriously.

“He announced that he’s running again in 2024, and I think that we can all be very clear and say with a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden you really are counting on a President Harris, because the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not something that I think is likely,” is something she felt quite comfortable telling Fox “News.”

What a ghoulish, awful thing to say about our nation’s chief executive. Sadly, while Haley said it in the worst way possible, it is not an uncommon sentiment.  

President Joe Biden has barely thrown his hat into the ring, and the clamoring over his age has already begun. Biden is 80 now, would be 82 when he’s sworn in, and would be 86 at the end of his term. Polls are showing that even Democrats are feeling lackluster for Biden’s run for a second term, many citing his age as a reason.

If only there was some sort of public report people could read offered by the President’s physician that summarized the current state of his health.

Oh wait. There is.

Kevin C. O’Connor, D.O., FAAFP, and no, I do not know what all of those letters mean, released in February 2023 a document detailing Biden’s health to the American public. Previously, O’Connor had released this report in 2021.

The report first discusses Biden’s bout of COVID, noting that he was fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms with no signs of long COVID. Biden is up-to-date on his boosters.

The report discusses Biden’s heart health, cholesterol, a condition called gastroeesophageal reflux, which is why Biden often needs to clear his throat, seasonal allergies, conditions that contribute to Biden’s more labored gait, mild peripheral neuropathy in his feet, dermatology evaluation, eye health, dental health, medications, no tobacco, no booze, and he continues to work out five days a week.

Here’s the link, you can go read the thing yourself.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Health-Summary-2.16.pdf

My point in going over all of this is: Where is Trump’s?

There isn’t one. Because twice-impeached once-indicted disgraced former President Carnage has never produced a serious health disclosure.

Let’s remember the now-late Dr. Harold Bornstein, a gastroenterologist, who later admitted that Preznit Carnage himself had dictated the 2015 absurd statement, “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” Really?

Let’s remember Carnage-man’s subsequent appearance on Dr. Oz on television, which Vox described as “surreal” and “disturbing.”

Let’s remember in 2020, when Dr. Sean Conley did somersaults to avoid discussing former Preznit Carnage’s health. This followed TFG’s helicopter voyage to Walter Reed and his bizarre return to the White House where he defiantly removed his mask for the cameras and went inside, presumably to recklessly infect more of his staff and loved ones.

Conley would not even confirm for the press when former Preznit Carnage’s last negative COVID test was.

As previously noted, President Biden’s disclosure thoroughly discusses Biden’s bout with COVID and reassures that he is not suffering from residual effects. Is TFG suffering from brain fog? Respiratory problems? Depression or anxiety? Fatigue? We, the voters, don’t know, and it is not likely that any serious attempt will be made to brief the public.

Don’t assess Biden based on the image he projects when he appears on television. Assess him on his record. Under his leadership, this full-stopped country got moving again. People got vaccinated. They got help. The economy got help. Jobs numbers improved dramatically. We ended a decades-long war. Actual infrastructure investment. The first black female Justice of the United States. Support for a besieged sovereign nation overseas. Investment for the climate. And, I would be remiss if I did not mention, first woman Vice President, first Vice President of color.

Regarding his fitness for the office, there’s facts. You can look them up.

Inevitable Consequences of Abortion Prohibition, Part 172

Woman with Cancerous Pregnancy Was Told to Wait in Parking Lot Until She Was 'Crashing' (Jezebel)

In Oklahoma, a woman was told to wait until she's 'crashing' for abortion care (NPR)

Tennessee

It's fascist Friday ya bastids!

It’s Breakfast Club Day Ya Bastids

Google Search

W...h...y...d...o...e...s...m...y...c...a...t...l...i...k...e...t...o...s...l...e...e...p...o...n...m...y...h...a...n...d

Momofuku Tingly Chili Wavy Ramen Noodles with salmon and brokklies

American Idol Notes, S21, E3

Sara Beth Liebe - “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse, then “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John. Lionel Richie, No. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, No.

Tanner Charles - “Golden Eyes,” original. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Shit No.

Mikey Burson - “Cold as Ice” by Foreigner. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, No. Luke Bryan, No. Me, No.

Adin Boyer - “Predicament,” original. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Wé Ani - “Anyone” by Demi Lovato. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Marybeth Byrd - “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” by The Steeldrivers. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Bre Podgorski - “All Night Long” in dueling piano with Lionel Richie. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Olivia Soli - “Hello” by Lionel Richie. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Preston Duffee - “Something to Write About,” original. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Emma Busse - “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, then “Happy Birthday,”  traditionally attributed to Patty and Mildred J. Hill. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes. I probably would have given this broad the platinum ticket.

Keelin McGinn - “Don’t Call Me,” original, then. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, No. Me, Annoying AF.

Elijah McCormick - “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts. Lionel Richie, Yes. Katy Perry, Yes. Luke Bryan, Yes. Me, Yes.

Lookit That Tail

Machaela Cavanaugh Is A Boss

Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, Democratic state senator of Nebraska, is a BOSS. A Democratic Nebraska lawmaker vowed to filibuster every bill so the GOP-led legislature couldn't ban abortion and limit transgender health care: 'I want to annoy you' (Business Insider) You can write to her if you like and tell her that you, too, think she is a boss. machaelacavanaugh at gmail.com

Tempted

Professor of Rock pieces are always excellent. This is an especially strong discussion of the ubiquitous Squeeze '80s hit "Tempted."

Do What You Wanna Do

...because it's Friday, ya bastids...

Muhrr

Simple Man

It's Friday ya honkeys

Jeff Is Bad At Swearing

From Rusty.Creates (Instagram) or rusty created a newsletter (Substack)

That's Life

...because it's Friday ya bastids...

Have a Weird Thursday, Everybody

Masterpiece