Elmer of Malmesbury — also spelled Eilmer and about a million other different ways — was an English Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century. I’ve probably posted about him here before, because I love him. He made a … Continue reading The June 21 History Thread Celebrates Elmer the Flying Monk
Grape-Nuts is a breakfast cereal created by Post in 1897. Per their website, Grape-Nuts actually contains neither grapes nor nuts. It’s made from wheat and barley. So, why is it called Grape-Nuts? As with many great emblems in history, there … Continue reading The Night Thread Likes Grape-Nut Ice Cream (Apr. 30)
Is it a good idea for members of the public to learn the symptoms of a stroke so they know to call emergency services as soon as warning signs appear? Sure. Was it necessary for a PSA on the subject … Continue reading The Night Thread acts F.A.S.T. (Feb. 22)
On this date in 1828, the first edition of the Cherokee Phoenix was printed, using English alongside the Cherokee syllabary created by Sequoyah (who also happened to be featured in today’s Jeopardy! game). A syllabary is a writing system where … Continue reading The Night Thread Writes in Cherokee (Feb. 21)
I was not primed to like this movie or its protagonist. If there’s any trope that dates itself especially badly right now, it’s the “lovable asshole” archetype, the character we’re supposed to admire for being his authentic self even though … Continue reading Late to the Party: As Good As It Gets (1997)
I’m really glad I didn’t grow up in a town where high-school sports were this big a deal. Who is it worse for — the kids whose entire present and future are wrapped up in football, or the ones who … Continue reading Late to the Party: Friday Night Lights
On November 17, 1968, a football game between fierce rivals the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets ran long. Kickoff was at 4 p.m., but a closely fought contest was still going on three hours later, when the television … Continue reading The Heidi Game Day Thread (Nov. 17)
“Everything has two meanings,” thinks Jesus at one point in this film, confronted with two snakes. And that does complicate things. I picked The Last Temptation of Christ as a last-minute sub-in for this feature because I was still in … Continue reading Late to the Party: The Last Temptation of Christ
All good things must come to an end, and so it is with our Night Thread series, this journey we have taken together, Columbo Uses the Telephone. Yes, Columbo would use other telephones at other times, but those are stories … Continue reading Weep Not, Though It Be the Third And Final Columbo Night Thread (10/7)
It’s that time again! 11:00 p.m.! And that means a second installment of the series taking the nation by storm, Columbo Uses the Telephone! Tonight’s offering comes to us from season four, episode one, “An Exercise in Fatality.” Columbo is … Continue reading The Second Columbo Night Thread (10/6)
Avocados, you are blessed. I, My My My, have the Night Thread for three nights in a row. Naturally I wanted to use this opportunity to bring more Columbo into your life. But in what form? I’m glad you asked. … Continue reading The First of the Columbo Night Threads (10/5)
In the fantasy novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, there’s a brief, unexplained description of a black man walking the streets of Regency London wearing a hat with a complete model ship on it. The other day this book of … Continue reading The Day Thread Wears a Boat on Its Head (Tuesday Aug. 10)
Scottish actor Kevin McKidd was born on August 9, 1973. I like ’im. Apparently he’s best known for having been on Grey’s Anatomy forever, but I best know him from Trainspotting, Rome, and the pretty good 2004 BBC two-parter Gunpowder, … Continue reading The Kevin McKidd Day Thread (Monday Aug. 9)
Radio.garden is a Dutch website that hosts live feeds of thousands of radio stations around the world. I’m listening to the Galapagos! Now Tahiti! Now talk radio in Taiwan! Now hip-hop in Iran! Now gospel in Uganda! Now… an O’Reilly … Continue reading The Day Thread Listens In (Sunday Aug. 8)
I’ve been a Monty Python fan since I was twelve, but I have to admit that Terry Gilliam’s cartoons always seemed like the most disposable part to me. I appreciated his weird vision in theory, but in practice it didn’t … Continue reading Late to the Party: Brazil
My dad loves old Westerns. I do not. I’ve certainly seen old Westerns I liked, but his ability to sit in front of the TV every night and weekend and watch what could, to me, be the same mediocre movie … Continue reading Late to the Party: High Noon (1952)
God rest ye, merry Avocados. I thought we might get some use out of a thread devoted to gift-giving suggestions, questions, advice, and so forth. Air your woes and share your wisdom below. Continue reading Christmas Shopping Lifeline Thread
Episode 4 In this episode, the story slows down, and possibly sags if you’re feeling less charitable. But the wealth of detail about the dynamics in the Kinnear household, and in Grace’s own head, in the days leading up to … Continue reading Alias Grace Episodes 4 – 6
Episode 1 Appropriately, for our first look at Sarah Gadon’s ridiculously skilled performance as Grace Marks, we get a miniature actor’s reel. In time with her narration of the different ways she has been described in the papers, she practices … Continue reading Alias Grace: Episodes 1 – 3
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