Affenschmidt
@jdms.bsky.social
Past half a century on this earth and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
A friend in college was reading a book aloud in which a character traveled with all his belongings in twelve black leather valises. He pronounced that last word "vallus," which is a reasonable guess, but I don't know how we all kept straight faces.
December 16, 2025 at 2:13 AM
A friend in college was reading a book aloud in which a character traveled with all his belongings in twelve black leather valises. He pronounced that last word "vallus," which is a reasonable guess, but I don't know how we all kept straight faces.
According to the Wikipedia entry on Walter Bagehot, it's BAJ-ət (so either it's "budget" with an a instead of a u or it's a very small badge).
December 16, 2025 at 1:58 AM
According to the Wikipedia entry on Walter Bagehot, it's BAJ-ət (so either it's "budget" with an a instead of a u or it's a very small badge).
My first girlfriend in college was under the impression that there were two words, "indict" and "indite." We had a bit of a discussion about that.
December 16, 2025 at 1:47 AM
My first girlfriend in college was under the impression that there were two words, "indict" and "indite." We had a bit of a discussion about that.
"And a partridge in a pear tree" doesn't actually fit this, and yet...
December 8, 2025 at 1:11 AM
"And a partridge in a pear tree" doesn't actually fit this, and yet...
Small Stories were a highlight of Twitter and I join the chorus of voiced delighted to see one showing up here and hoping for more.
December 4, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Small Stories were a highlight of Twitter and I join the chorus of voiced delighted to see one showing up here and hoping for more.
Favorite Christian, hands down, is John Kirkpatrick's "Chariots," especially as performed by Nowell Sing We Clear. Secular...that's more difficult. Maybe "Christmas in the Trenches" by John McCutcheon.
December 1, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Favorite Christian, hands down, is John Kirkpatrick's "Chariots," especially as performed by Nowell Sing We Clear. Secular...that's more difficult. Maybe "Christmas in the Trenches" by John McCutcheon.
This reminds me of the Felice Brothers' song To-Do List, though it (To-Do List) is obviously not inspired by our current mess. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2gF...
The Felice Brothers - "To-Do List" (Official Audio)
YouTube video by The Felice Brothers
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM
This reminds me of the Felice Brothers' song To-Do List, though it (To-Do List) is obviously not inspired by our current mess. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2gF...
I'm...really not sure where the closest chain pizza place is. I'm a short ways north of Boston, which puts me squarely in the North Shore Greek pizza zone. Having spent some of my formative years in this area, that's what I think of when I think "pizza."
November 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I'm...really not sure where the closest chain pizza place is. I'm a short ways north of Boston, which puts me squarely in the North Shore Greek pizza zone. Having spent some of my formative years in this area, that's what I think of when I think "pizza."
This is a good, enjoyable and informative article but, pedant that I am, I wish to point out that the chanteyman seated on the capstan is playing what looks like a one-row button accordion, not a concertina.
November 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This is a good, enjoyable and informative article but, pedant that I am, I wish to point out that the chanteyman seated on the capstan is playing what looks like a one-row button accordion, not a concertina.
No doubt you've heard of Volume III of John Hodgson's History of Northumberland, which features a footnote 166 pages in length detailing his evidence that the Roman Wall had been built by Emperor Hadrian. Well, he had it built. He didn't put any stones in place himself.
November 15, 2025 at 12:11 AM
No doubt you've heard of Volume III of John Hodgson's History of Northumberland, which features a footnote 166 pages in length detailing his evidence that the Roman Wall had been built by Emperor Hadrian. Well, he had it built. He didn't put any stones in place himself.
So the opposite of:
And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet plaing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet plaing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
November 12, 2025 at 7:13 PM
So the opposite of:
And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet plaing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet plaing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
My mother once gave her father big bags of leaves for Christmas--so he could burn them on our rural Virginia property (the New England city where he lived had just outlawed leaf burning).
November 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
My mother once gave her father big bags of leaves for Christmas--so he could burn them on our rural Virginia property (the New England city where he lived had just outlawed leaf burning).
I don't know, but I live in his hometown and regularly borrow books from the library named for him.
October 30, 2025 at 12:15 AM
I don't know, but I live in his hometown and regularly borrow books from the library named for him.
Reminds me of a Brussels sprout.
October 28, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reminds me of a Brussels sprout.
"The one I'm looking for will be on the front page."
October 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
"The one I'm looking for will be on the front page."
Lots of proper answers here, but my favorite remains "a warehouse in Schenectady."
September 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Lots of proper answers here, but my favorite remains "a warehouse in Schenectady."
One of Sidney Paget's illustrations for the Sherlock Holmes short stories shows Holmes and Watson walking along the street arm in arm (well, reacting to the bad guy driving a cab, but they'd been walking at the time). No mention of it in the text, just a normal thing for friends in 1890s London.
September 26, 2025 at 11:18 PM
One of Sidney Paget's illustrations for the Sherlock Holmes short stories shows Holmes and Watson walking along the street arm in arm (well, reacting to the bad guy driving a cab, but they'd been walking at the time). No mention of it in the text, just a normal thing for friends in 1890s London.
My wife has a bunch of Svaha dresses, with about the most capacious pockets you ever did see... svahausa.com?zCountry=US
Svaha USA
Svaha USA: Smart Apparel for Smart People! Your one-stop shop for STEAM clothing and geeky accessories! All-inclusive dresses, printed leggings, skirts, cardigans, kids dresses and more...with pockets...
svahausa.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:50 PM
My wife has a bunch of Svaha dresses, with about the most capacious pockets you ever did see... svahausa.com?zCountry=US
...okay, I initially read that as "word doctor" and thought you were making your displeasure known to your copyeditor.
September 12, 2025 at 12:33 PM
...okay, I initially read that as "word doctor" and thought you were making your displeasure known to your copyeditor.
Have you read Harry Turtledove's short story "Gladly Wolde He Lerne?" Definitely relevant.
September 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Have you read Harry Turtledove's short story "Gladly Wolde He Lerne?" Definitely relevant.
Given that "ling" is a diminutive in modern English and that calzones are significantly larger than momos, shumai, pierogi etc., I'd think they'd be full-on dumps.
August 31, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Given that "ling" is a diminutive in modern English and that calzones are significantly larger than momos, shumai, pierogi etc., I'd think they'd be full-on dumps.
Read through a chunk of the list. There's a lot of repetition. I gather it's user-compiled, which pretty much explains that.
August 25, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Read through a chunk of the list. There's a lot of repetition. I gather it's user-compiled, which pretty much explains that.