Alex aka Muscato
@cafemuscato.bsky.social
Retired diplomat, but not particularly retiring; working on aging disgracefully. I split my time between deserts: Palm Springs and Cairo. Always up for champagne, good music, or gossip about the Lunts. Parlor pink; lapsed Presbyterian. He/Him.
In the emergency room (no catastrophe; long story); they’ve just called for a Vienna Montez and that might be the most glamorous real name I’ve ever heard.
January 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM
In the emergency room (no catastrophe; long story); they’ve just called for a Vienna Montez and that might be the most glamorous real name I’ve ever heard.
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42 and post the second sentence.
“The Anschluss has stimulated business by opening the nearby frontier to free trade.”
Well then…
“The Anschluss has stimulated business by opening the nearby frontier to free trade.”
Well then…
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
“We are all somebody’s Susie.”
“We are all somebody’s Susie.”
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence.
“You shall, I trust, rest here with me awhile, so that by our talking I may learn the English intonation; and I would that you tell me when I make error, even of the smallest, in my speaking.”
“You shall, I trust, rest here with me awhile, so that by our talking I may learn the English intonation; and I would that you tell me when I make error, even of the smallest, in my speaking.”
January 21, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42 and post the second sentence.
“The Anschluss has stimulated business by opening the nearby frontier to free trade.”
Well then…
“The Anschluss has stimulated business by opening the nearby frontier to free trade.”
Well then…
The worst thing about the Second Lady announcing her pregnancy is that we already used up all the Rosemary’s Baby jokes on that dreadful Leavitt woman a few weeks ago…
January 21, 2026 at 1:09 AM
The worst thing about the Second Lady announcing her pregnancy is that we already used up all the Rosemary’s Baby jokes on that dreadful Leavitt woman a few weeks ago…
Earthquake in Palm Springs. Biggest we’ve felt since moving here in 2019. What a _very_ unpleasant feeling…
January 20, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Earthquake in Palm Springs. Biggest we’ve felt since moving here in 2019. What a _very_ unpleasant feeling…
So arrivederci to Valentino, a last reminder of the great days of le vrai haute couture.
In 2007, The Mister and I hit the road. In Rome, we came across a curious installation near the Forum—an elegant but clearly faux temple ruin.
Turns out he had it put up for a party—and _that’s_ style, kids.
In 2007, The Mister and I hit the road. In Rome, we came across a curious installation near the Forum—an elegant but clearly faux temple ruin.
Turns out he had it put up for a party—and _that’s_ style, kids.
January 20, 2026 at 1:38 AM
So arrivederci to Valentino, a last reminder of the great days of le vrai haute couture.
In 2007, The Mister and I hit the road. In Rome, we came across a curious installation near the Forum—an elegant but clearly faux temple ruin.
Turns out he had it put up for a party—and _that’s_ style, kids.
In 2007, The Mister and I hit the road. In Rome, we came across a curious installation near the Forum—an elegant but clearly faux temple ruin.
Turns out he had it put up for a party—and _that’s_ style, kids.
All this nonsense have you blue (and if not, why not)?
Well, then, spend a moment with Egypt’s pint-sized sensation, child star Fayrouz, as she and her four scary clowns give us a little Chaplin on the NIle way back in 1950…
youtu.be/115G20W1wn0?...
Well, then, spend a moment with Egypt’s pint-sized sensation, child star Fayrouz, as she and her four scary clowns give us a little Chaplin on the NIle way back in 1950…
youtu.be/115G20W1wn0?...
Fehrouz Chaplin from YASMINE (1950) - فيروز وأنور وجدي - شوف يا عزيزي - ياسمين
YouTube video by Andy Rector
youtu.be
January 20, 2026 at 1:18 AM
All this nonsense have you blue (and if not, why not)?
Well, then, spend a moment with Egypt’s pint-sized sensation, child star Fayrouz, as she and her four scary clowns give us a little Chaplin on the NIle way back in 1950…
youtu.be/115G20W1wn0?...
Well, then, spend a moment with Egypt’s pint-sized sensation, child star Fayrouz, as she and her four scary clowns give us a little Chaplin on the NIle way back in 1950…
youtu.be/115G20W1wn0?...
As a Californian, I think it’s fine that the Governor’s social-media team gets sassy with the President.
But there’s still no way in hell I think he’s qualified to take his place.
But there’s still no way in hell I think he’s qualified to take his place.
January 18, 2026 at 10:06 PM
As a Californian, I think it’s fine that the Governor’s social-media team gets sassy with the President.
But there’s still no way in hell I think he’s qualified to take his place.
But there’s still no way in hell I think he’s qualified to take his place.
Jonathan Ross is a public servant.
Jonathan Ross is a murderer.
Jonathan Ross is a murderer.
BRENNAN: Tell me about the officer, Jonathan Ross
KRISTI NOEM: Don't say his name! I mean, for heaven's sake, we shouldn't have people continue to dox law enforcement
BRENNAN: His name is public
NOEM: I know, but that doesn't mean it should continue to be said
KRISTI NOEM: Don't say his name! I mean, for heaven's sake, we shouldn't have people continue to dox law enforcement
BRENNAN: His name is public
NOEM: I know, but that doesn't mean it should continue to be said
January 18, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Jonathan Ross is a public servant.
Jonathan Ross is a murderer.
Jonathan Ross is a murderer.
This… looks like the beginning of a very specific kind of video, one of that of course I would know nothing about, right down to the empty day-rental McMansion.
If you’re going to dance like nobody’s watching — maybe don’t video it either.
January 18, 2026 at 12:16 AM
This… looks like the beginning of a very specific kind of video, one of that of course I would know nothing about, right down to the empty day-rental McMansion.
The Mister is watching (real) football, so I’m idly scrolling through FB.
As usual, it’s throwing all kinds of stuff at me, which is how I’ve learned that there’s a group dedicated to Decoupage Oyster Shells and so have decided that there are now entirely too many hobbies.
As usual, it’s throwing all kinds of stuff at me, which is how I’ve learned that there’s a group dedicated to Decoupage Oyster Shells and so have decided that there are now entirely too many hobbies.
January 17, 2026 at 6:03 PM
The Mister is watching (real) football, so I’m idly scrolling through FB.
As usual, it’s throwing all kinds of stuff at me, which is how I’ve learned that there’s a group dedicated to Decoupage Oyster Shells and so have decided that there are now entirely too many hobbies.
As usual, it’s throwing all kinds of stuff at me, which is how I’ve learned that there’s a group dedicated to Decoupage Oyster Shells and so have decided that there are now entirely too many hobbies.
Having one (1) shrimp as my One Other Thing tonight, so I guess I’m an oligarch ow.
Brooke Rollins: "We've run over 1,000 simulations. It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing. So there is a way to do this that actually will save the average American consumer money."
January 16, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Having one (1) shrimp as my One Other Thing tonight, so I guess I’m an oligarch ow.
The place definitely had some cultural currency—to the extent that my grandmother’s stock response in regard to anyone who (in her estimable opinion) had gotten above themself was “Who does she think she is—the Maharani of Cooch Behar?”
today's musical pop quiz
Cooch Behar, India, is mentioned in one song from a stage musical and one song included as a bonus track on a film's soundtrack album.
Name the songs, the vehicles, and gimme an identifying piece of lyric.
(I can't imagine there are more than two, but...)
Cooch Behar, India, is mentioned in one song from a stage musical and one song included as a bonus track on a film's soundtrack album.
Name the songs, the vehicles, and gimme an identifying piece of lyric.
(I can't imagine there are more than two, but...)
January 15, 2026 at 7:08 PM
The place definitely had some cultural currency—to the extent that my grandmother’s stock response in regard to anyone who (in her estimable opinion) had gotten above themself was “Who does she think she is—the Maharani of Cooch Behar?”
Wordle 1,666 2/6
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
After a run of fives and a broken streak, most encouraging.
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
After a run of fives and a broken streak, most encouraging.
January 10, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Wordle 1,666 2/6
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
After a run of fives and a broken streak, most encouraging.
🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
After a run of fives and a broken streak, most encouraging.
I seem to have become a popular target for attractive young Asian women named things like Preston or Schuyler who are seeking ideological soulmates, and all I can ask is: why don’t they ever have brothers… or uncles?
January 10, 2026 at 6:18 PM
I seem to have become a popular target for attractive young Asian women named things like Preston or Schuyler who are seeking ideological soulmates, and all I can ask is: why don’t they ever have brothers… or uncles?
It’s Christmas Day in Egypt, and the television—state and private—is full of festive greetings and messages of peace and shared community spirit.
The contrast with…[gestures widely]…is, to say the least, marked.
The contrast with…[gestures widely]…is, to say the least, marked.
January 7, 2026 at 9:09 PM
It’s Christmas Day in Egypt, and the television—state and private—is full of festive greetings and messages of peace and shared community spirit.
The contrast with…[gestures widely]…is, to say the least, marked.
The contrast with…[gestures widely]…is, to say the least, marked.
Watching, unusually for us, the news conference with Gov. Walz and his colleagues.
I don’t know enough about the details to know if I agree with every thing they’re doing, but just to hear public officials speaking thoughtfully and answering journalists’ questions respectfully goes a long way.
I don’t know enough about the details to know if I agree with every thing they’re doing, but just to hear public officials speaking thoughtfully and answering journalists’ questions respectfully goes a long way.
January 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Watching, unusually for us, the news conference with Gov. Walz and his colleagues.
I don’t know enough about the details to know if I agree with every thing they’re doing, but just to hear public officials speaking thoughtfully and answering journalists’ questions respectfully goes a long way.
I don’t know enough about the details to know if I agree with every thing they’re doing, but just to hear public officials speaking thoughtfully and answering journalists’ questions respectfully goes a long way.
I would give a great deal for a witty, rueful limited series set within the Benin Chorale and Philharmonic—imagine the gentle drama, the moments of temper, the funny happenings at rehearsal and the fundraising suppers...a side of Afria we too rarely see.
www.youtube.com/shorts/M8VMg...
www.youtube.com/shorts/M8VMg...
Lakme - Flower Duet. 🌹
YouTube video by Benin Chorale Society & Philharmonic Nigeria
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:40 AM
I would give a great deal for a witty, rueful limited series set within the Benin Chorale and Philharmonic—imagine the gentle drama, the moments of temper, the funny happenings at rehearsal and the fundraising suppers...a side of Afria we too rarely see.
www.youtube.com/shorts/M8VMg...
www.youtube.com/shorts/M8VMg...
Another day—and lamentably far from the first—in which I sat with myself for a moment or two thanking the gods I retired from communicating on behalf of the US government at the time I did and not one moment later.
January 4, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Another day—and lamentably far from the first—in which I sat with myself for a moment or two thanking the gods I retired from communicating on behalf of the US government at the time I did and not one moment later.
End-stage coronary artery disease.
I’m a living tribute to modern medicine…
I’m a living tribute to modern medicine…
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.
Cellulitis
Cellulitis
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.
Oh hey, I’m a mentally unstable roommate with a sharp steak knife
Oh hey, I’m a mentally unstable roommate with a sharp steak knife
January 4, 2026 at 12:59 AM
End-stage coronary artery disease.
I’m a living tribute to modern medicine…
I’m a living tribute to modern medicine…
Reading a very funny thread about the terrible-ness of a much-hyped recent record and glad, as I regularly am, that my album of the year is (as it always is) Dame Joan Sutherland’s The Gold Age of Operetta.
January 2, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Reading a very funny thread about the terrible-ness of a much-hyped recent record and glad, as I regularly am, that my album of the year is (as it always is) Dame Joan Sutherland’s The Gold Age of Operetta.
The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
Ok, everyone, what book is sacred enough to you to get sworn in on?
Strange takes on Mayor Zamdani swearing his oath on the Qu’ran. It has nothing to do with church & state. The point of the oath is for the person swearing in to do so upon some text that is sacred TO THEM. Some Presidents swore in w/o any book. John Quincy Adams was sworn on a law book. His choice.
January 2, 2026 at 2:03 AM
The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
A rose for your New Year’s Eves, my darlings, with hope—even in this low world—for better things to come.
December 31, 2025 at 8:30 PM
A rose for your New Year’s Eves, my darlings, with hope—even in this low world—for better things to come.
It’s giving very 1992 “Oh, OK, what does this WordArt button do?”
December 31, 2025 at 12:53 AM
It’s giving very 1992 “Oh, OK, what does this WordArt button do?”
I’m the Queen of the United Kingdom and of the British Dominions and Empress of India.
And maybe just a tiny bit of a kleptomaniac.
And maybe just a tiny bit of a kleptomaniac.
I'm the head magic teacher at a British boarding school.
Emily Tesh, "The Incandescent"
Emily Tesh, "The Incandescent"
December 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I’m the Queen of the United Kingdom and of the British Dominions and Empress of India.
And maybe just a tiny bit of a kleptomaniac.
And maybe just a tiny bit of a kleptomaniac.
I once had to pass a message to someone who was staying with “a friend“ in Switzerland.
I called and got his hostess, who was charming and almost oddly amused about taking a message.
“ Audrey thought it was great fun playing my secretary,” he told me later.
He was staying with Audrey Hepburn.
I called and got his hostess, who was charming and almost oddly amused about taking a message.
“ Audrey thought it was great fun playing my secretary,” he told me later.
He was staying with Audrey Hepburn.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
December 30, 2025 at 12:02 AM
I once had to pass a message to someone who was staying with “a friend“ in Switzerland.
I called and got his hostess, who was charming and almost oddly amused about taking a message.
“ Audrey thought it was great fun playing my secretary,” he told me later.
He was staying with Audrey Hepburn.
I called and got his hostess, who was charming and almost oddly amused about taking a message.
“ Audrey thought it was great fun playing my secretary,” he told me later.
He was staying with Audrey Hepburn.