Colleen Barry
@copycurmudgeon.bsky.social
Copy editor (ProPublica, FiveThirtyEight, ESPN), baker, cross stitcher, cat furniture. she/her
Pinned
Getting kicked out of my family vacation for bellowing, “Do not cite the deep lore to me, witch,” when my 5-year-old niece told me I had to watch the Mario movie to know about the characters, like how Peach comes from the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser wants to marry her.
It’s possible it’s sheer incompetence. I’ve been in the news industry a long time and I’ve seen a lot of money people make moves that anyone on the ground could’ve told them were asinine. Also possible Bezos only wants to pay for news that can profit him, and he doesn’t own a D.C. sports team.
February 4, 2026 at 2:43 PM
It’s possible it’s sheer incompetence. I’ve been in the news industry a long time and I’ve seen a lot of money people make moves that anyone on the ground could’ve told them were asinine. Also possible Bezos only wants to pay for news that can profit him, and he doesn’t own a D.C. sports team.
Many people who think they can get news anywhere still care about sports, and sports fans want coverage focused on *their* team. For local and regional outlets, fans mean subscriptions, clicks, shares. Killing the sports desk cuts revenue and makes you just another national outlet in a sea of them.
the sports desk drives the money for the rest of the operation and killing it is a move done by people who have no clue what they’re doing or how their own business works
February 4, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Many people who think they can get news anywhere still care about sports, and sports fans want coverage focused on *their* team. For local and regional outlets, fans mean subscriptions, clicks, shares. Killing the sports desk cuts revenue and makes you just another national outlet in a sea of them.
Oh yeah, totally! Maybe Tahani and Jianyu too. I bet there are already a lot of Jason Mendoza kittens in the world though.
February 3, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Oh yeah, totally! Maybe Tahani and Jianyu too. I bet there are already a lot of Jason Mendoza kittens in the world though.
This cat saw the time knife
February 3, 2026 at 2:38 AM
This cat saw the time knife
I was trying to read some screen grab from the Epstein files when my cat came over and rubbed his face on my phone, closing the image. Honestly, dude, here’s a Churu, thanks for protecting my sanity.
February 1, 2026 at 4:21 PM
I was trying to read some screen grab from the Epstein files when my cat came over and rubbed his face on my phone, closing the image. Honestly, dude, here’s a Churu, thanks for protecting my sanity.
He’s so busy plotting I don’t know if he’ll have time for revenge
January 29, 2026 at 4:04 AM
He’s so busy plotting I don’t know if he’ll have time for revenge
Haha they are unstoppable if they are determined enough to
January 29, 2026 at 4:03 AM
Haha they are unstoppable if they are determined enough to
He can only be delayed, not truly thwarted
January 29, 2026 at 4:02 AM
He can only be delayed, not truly thwarted
We need to keep the cat out of the kitchen for a bit, so we set up a 5’ tall baby gate. Today I heard a loud bang and looked up to see a furious cat being removed from the top of the gate (see artist’s re-creation). Apparently he can jump 5’ straight up.
January 29, 2026 at 3:41 AM
We need to keep the cat out of the kitchen for a bit, so we set up a 5’ tall baby gate. Today I heard a loud bang and looked up to see a furious cat being removed from the top of the gate (see artist’s re-creation). Apparently he can jump 5’ straight up.
Aw, thank you! But I already have the best award: fresh bread.
January 26, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Aw, thank you! But I already have the best award: fresh bread.
I’d say come over and get some, but it’s not great driving weather.
January 26, 2026 at 2:52 AM
I’d say come over and get some, but it’s not great driving weather.
Doubt I’ll win any awards but I think I got there eventually.
January 26, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Doubt I’ll win any awards but I think I got there eventually.
Omg I love that
January 26, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Omg I love that
I haven’t even tried the rounds!
January 26, 2026 at 1:22 AM
I haven’t even tried the rounds!
OK this sounds amazing. I just googled it and I’m adding it to my recipe app for next time.
January 26, 2026 at 1:01 AM
OK this sounds amazing. I just googled it and I’m adding it to my recipe app for next time.
Oh this is WAY easier to follow. And bless her for facing the open end toward the camera so you’re seeing it from the POV you will have while braiding. Thank you!
January 26, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Oh this is WAY easier to follow. And bless her for facing the open end toward the camera so you’re seeing it from the POV you will have while braiding. Thank you!
Fair! The jump in difficulty from 3 to 4 is really big, but the jump from 4 to 6 is much smaller. I mostly only do 3s, so when I do something bigger I am mostly flailing around like a squirrel in the deep end regardless of whether I attempt 4 or 6.
January 26, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Fair! The jump in difficulty from 3 to 4 is really big, but the jump from 4 to 6 is much smaller. I mostly only do 3s, so when I do something bigger I am mostly flailing around like a squirrel in the deep end regardless of whether I attempt 4 or 6.
Oooh, do you have a link handy? I would love to bookmark a good one because the one I was trying to use went too fast and I had to start over like 15 times.
January 26, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Oooh, do you have a link handy? I would love to bookmark a good one because the one I was trying to use went too fast and I had to start over like 15 times.
Once again googling “how to braid 6-strand loaf”
a close up of a woman 's face with a triangle and a mathematical formula .
Alt: A woman looks confused as various math formulas appear next to her face.
media.tenor.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Once again googling “how to braid 6-strand loaf”
Reposted by Colleen Barry
Being a journalist is sick: I just contacted a pre-eminent jaguar conservationist in Argentine with a question that has been weighing on me for ages and he wrote back right away with an informed answer.
January 25, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Being a journalist is sick: I just contacted a pre-eminent jaguar conservationist in Argentine with a question that has been weighing on me for ages and he wrote back right away with an informed answer.
Two pictures I took like a week apart, in Boston and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
January 25, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Two pictures I took like a week apart, in Boston and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
I went to the botanical garden and saw bushes for the first time in a month. Not flowering or leafy or anything, just … visible.
January 25, 2026 at 4:58 PM
I went to the botanical garden and saw bushes for the first time in a month. Not flowering or leafy or anything, just … visible.