Kyle McCowin
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cortjstr.bsky.social
Kyle McCowin
@cortjstr.bsky.social
310 followers 260 following 1.5K posts
he/him
Team Geek, JoCoNaut, Knucklehead since old times
Twitter: @CortJstr
Mastodon: @CortJstr@mastodon.social
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cortjstr.bsky.social
I always have a box of these in the pantry
A box of Cascadian Farm Vanilla Chip granola bars The ingredients showing the 4th ingredient is vanilla chips (cane sugar, palm kernel oil, sunflower lecithin, vanilla extract)
October 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Who doesn't like a good laptop sticker?
A black laptop lid covered in stickers. Spiraling in clockwise from top left: a switch labeled "on" and "more on", the Mr. Universe van, an axolotl in trans colors, the Flood logo, Super Art Fight logo, Atomic Robo head, Steven and Peridot riding in Lion's mane, The Dude and Catastrophe logo, "I was an honor student, I don't know what happened", a vampire holding a victim saying "stay hydrated", Elan, a picture of a book reading "introverts social club," Guillermo, "Facts I know, facts I may not know, facts I should know", the Mary Prankster logo, Labyrinth Games logo
September 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I got a birthday card that @paulandstorm.bsky.social [P] would appreciate.
A yellow birthday card with white writing and no images. It reads: Hope you have the best birthday and that no one sings to you in a public place
August 19, 2025 at 12:49 AM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I don't think I ever posted a picture of my new kitchen soap pump here. It's from claymonster.net
A soap dispenser that's blue/black glazed pottery shaped like a monster with a wide nose, red horns, and a shit-eating grin
August 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
@bclev.bsky.social FYI there's a mistake on the rewards graphic for the new KS. It lists the book as "signed book plate"
Rewards list for the newest Atomic Robo Kickstarter campaign
July 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
More people need to be reading Wallace the Brave
A 3 panel comic. Panel 1: Wallace and Spud walk along the boardwalk Spud: Step on anything weird yet? Wallace: Oh, yeah! Panel 2: Wallace, with stars in his eyes, holds his hands up to a view of space. Earth has a "We are here" sign Wallace: Just stepping on the Earth is weird! A giant bio-spaceship chasing a nuclear sun through the galaxy Panel 3: Back on the boardwalk Spud: You know what I meant Wallace: Then the answer is manure
July 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Leading up to the museum's construction Virginia had specialty license plates to support it. Looks like you can still get them.

For me it was the Enola Gay that made me stop dead.
A sample Virginia license plate with the SR-71 Blackbird on it and the text "National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center"
July 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I didn't realize that I could brag to you that they've read my riddles on the pod before. I send in the "add a letter to a book/movie" ones that Erin called Rindles once and it stuck.

And as far as their sound board goes this was probably the least-bad option.
Me with the 4 hosts of Hey Riddle Riddle and unfortunate backlighting through a window
July 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
If you see this, post an image you saved because it made you laugh.

Coming Soon: The Past!
White sign with black text hanging on a red brick wall. The sign reads "Future location of time capsule"
June 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
If you've never been to a panel with @scalzi.com moderating it's kind of like this and it's glorious. The "more of a comment" guys never stand a chance.
A Wondermark comic in 5 panels. Two men, Alegg and Herr Doktor, sit behind a desk with placards and microphones. A audience member is standing with a microphone. Alegg: ... All right, now we'll do some Q+A. Anyone have a question for herr Doktor? Audience: Not a question, more of a comment... Your discussion about apples reminded me of the time I attended a cider... Doktor: *Wait* wait wait wait wait wait wait hold up. THIS is the time during which there questions and those questions are to be answered. If *you* wish to make a statement then *I*, ze other parting in this exchange, must provide ze question! Thse are ze *rules*! Doktor: Here my question for you! You heard Alegg announce "now is ze time for questions" and interpreted that to mean "this is my chance to waste everyone's time by sharing my irrelevant opinion! What is wrong with you that you made that decision and then acted on it? Audience: Now, I don't think you're being fair to the spirit of... Doktor: *Answer ze question*
June 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Non action and stop excitement would be a good personal motto for me.
An add for a basketball game that says "non stop action and excitement" but because of poor design looks like it says "non action and stop excitement" The remainder of the image is things like prices and dates and isn't relevant for the joke.
June 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I wasn't aware that Heathcliff was an EarthBound enemy but honestly it should've seen it coming
Today's Heathcliff comic. He's strutting down the sidewalk in sunglasses with a huge toothy grin. On his head is a flowerpot and coming out of that is a sunflower with the same grin and sunglasses. It has a very long stem. A woman and man sitting nearby are watching, the woman's mouth is open to indicate she's speaking. The caption reads "That looks like trouble."
May 20, 2025 at 12:58 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
This felt like a stupidly busy weekend. I got to meet P. Djéli Clark and have him sign my totebag and I bought a watercolor of koi. No idea where I'm going to hang it, though.
A framed watercolor painting of 3 koi. In the top right is a stamp of the artists name and characters he told me read "koi bring wealth"
May 19, 2025 at 7:09 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Thanks to "subpar" and "Homer" both being in this post I'm going to have this song in my head all day. I blame WTTG for showing Simpsons reruns from 6–7 5 days a week for many, many years.
Homer Simpson standing on a chair singing. His family and Shary Bobbins are watching. The caption includes notes to indicate it's sung. The lyrics are "as a husband and father, I'm sub-par"
May 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Was the last really good US National Team kit the sash from ~2010? It's definitely the one I think of most fondly.
US National Soccer Team jerseys. From left to right: Blue with white sash (away), Red with blue sash (3rd), White with grey sash (Home)
May 13, 2025 at 5:13 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I went to Remfest on Saturday and one booth was selling a very @wombatarama.bsky.social poster
A poster called Capybara Catalogue. It features drawings of 25 capybara in various costumes and situations with a label under each. For example one inside a strawberry labeled "capyberry" and one pouring coffee labeled "capybarista"
May 12, 2025 at 6:34 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I get it. A chicken tikka masala burrito is one of my favorite foods
I chicken tikka masala burrito with pickled onions an jalapeño on top. In the background are chips and salsa and a watermelon margarita.
May 12, 2025 at 3:17 AM
cortjstr.bsky.social
show us the last four albums you listened to
#last4albums
cover of Mary Prankster - Live at the Ottobar cover of Nick Lowe - Labour of Lust cover of Soul Coughing - Live 2024 cover of The Surfrajettes - Easy as Pie
April 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
A Maximumble comic by Chris Hallbeck. There are 2 characters, A and B. Panel 1: A Whao, what kind of bird is that? B: Hmm, maybe a raven or— (B is holding their hand in front of their face in a pinching manner) Panel 2: A: Did you just try to pinch-to-zoom on reality? B is silent but looks surprised. Their hand is held as if frozen. Panel 3: Both are silent. A stifles a laugh. B looks embarrassed Panel 4: A is grinning, their hand on B's shoulder. B: (looking angry) I will give you fifty dollars to never speak of this again.
April 15, 2025 at 9:14 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
@sarahtherebel.bsky.social Well this was a fun surprise to wake up to. When did you know this was happening?
I snip from iTunes showing the April 12, 2025 episode of the podcast Tights & Fights titled "Las Vegas for WrestleMania ft. Sarah the Rebel & TK Trinidad"
April 12, 2025 at 4:37 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Post the first video game you remember playing. 🎮
The box, instructions, and cartridge for the VIC-20 "game" Home Babysitter. It was more an assortment of activities than a game proper.
March 28, 2025 at 12:45 AM
cortjstr.bsky.social
@malloryomeara.bsky.social The episode isn't out yet but apparently they used my food pantry vs. food bank question for your GFY taping on Sunday. They asked if I could submit a recording but I couldn't because I was on JoCo.

I figured you would accept that as an excuse.
Mallory O'Meara holding up a t-shirt for the book store One More Page in Arlington, VA. I am next to her pointing like a goof. We're on the lido deck of a cruise ship, specifically the JoCo Cruise.
March 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
If you're looking for a way to not spend money tomorrow considering swinging by One More Page books in Arlington, VA
So instead of shopping, come by and spend some time here in our peaceful space: ▪ Giveaway for Feds - Federal employees (past, current, in limbo) pick a book from our prize cart (while they last) ▪ Work on a National Parks puzzle ▪ Enjoy treats from our back office ▪ And (if we can get it to work) make your own button! For protest or just for fun button. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is such an important book that we will be selling it AT COST for the next two weeks. We'll do our best to keep it in stock. It's a small , but powerful, book. Please note: large orders may take longer to fulfill as there is “monitored stock” at the publisher, meaning they're experiencing big demand. “The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century…On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.”
February 27, 2025 at 4:01 PM
cortjstr.bsky.social
I've just accepted that this green arrow is a permanent part of the app.
snip of the upper right corner of the Discord application showing the green "Update Ready!" arrow
February 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
cortjstr.bsky.social
Repost with the first album you bought with your own money.

(I'm not entirely sure what was first but this was definitely one of the first few at least)
cover image of the They Might Be Giants album Flood. There's a man in a homemade boat that seems to be made of buckets and planks using a stick like it's a gondola
February 24, 2025 at 4:19 PM