getting to tell people the Appalachian Trail story for the first time is the highlight of my night. a truly sublime bit of American political history.

todd it has never been a better time to log on.

didn’t he also throw an insane one against the Panthers last week or the week before? he definitely has a clunker or two in him.

struggling to remember a worse throw from an NFL quarterback. I’m sure they exist. but that was a weird short armed duck into double coverage that was just awful.

we did some platter with 6 of us plus kids and it came on that. it was basically an exercise in picking maybe the best (non-New York) pastrami I’ve ever had off of a tomahawk steak.

1. they’re pretty strict about no drinks in the playground area, which I get but is a real vibe killer. 2. you need to go back for the pastrami rib. it was one of the wildest things i’ve eaten in a long time. just fantastic.

I’ve been fucked up over this for 24 hours now. it makes me so fucking angry. day care providers are essentially extensions of our family. that drop off time is so special and precious. and to introduce this bullshit into it? i’m just vibrating with rage. complete moral failure.

(significantly better than any writing on Parks and Rec)

god what a piece of writing this is.

but it’s so mean, Joe!

that’s a huge part of it. Frey and his media machine also gave folks an alternate “enemy” to point their frustrations at, and Melvin didn’t. setting aside whether or not those frustrations or enemies were correct or valid - I think that dynamic mattered a lot.

this game is being broadcast by Lori Lindsay, who put 4 goals past me as I was dying of a hangover in net during an adult B league rec match in Washington DC in 2017. while wearing her Team USA gear.

i’m clearly mentally well.

on Monday, someone in a group chat of non-Minnesotans dared to text “this Varland kid has great stuff” and I responded very normally, nothing weird at all.

also 12 months between elections is SO long. having odd year statewides makes it basically impossible to extrapolate anything from VA results.