Melissa Hartman
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mssemicolon.bsky.social
Melissa Hartman
@mssemicolon.bsky.social
1K followers 990 following 170 posts
Editor of a higher-ed magazine. Loves: science, words, live music. When in doubt, delete it.
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mssemicolon.bsky.social
Fabio and Brando. They didn't even fight after i took this.
A gray tuxedo cat and a black cat suit on a window sill. Outside the window are trees turning orange and gold.
October 24, 2025 at 10:38 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Still thinking about the talk @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social gave yesterday at Hopkins--especially about how to face the huge disinformation forces working against public health. And not gonna lie, I was pretty starstruck when I got to chat with him afterward.
Peter Hotez stands at a podium against a backdrop that says Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
October 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Saturday listening: new purchase from @bittersouth.bsky.social + @democracyforward.org Exactly the right mood and highly recommended.
Album cover with an eagle on a white background, the words "Democracy Forward" coming from its open break. Unfolded double-album sleeve, blue with white clouds and the song listing in white type. Two brown interior album sleeves are on top of the outer sleeve; one album on brown vinyl is visible from one sleeve.
August 23, 2025 at 3:46 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Fabio's sun-roasted beans. Happy #caturday 😻
A gray tuxedo cat curls up in his crocheted cat bed in a spot of sun, with one back paw stretched out of the bed, revealing pink toe beans.
August 23, 2025 at 2:49 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
For #BlackCatAppreciationDay: The time I tried to take a clever picture of my black cat and my gray cat was having none of it.
A black cat sits close to the camera next to a Black Cat overdrive effect pedal, while a gray tuxedo cat glares at the camera behind the attempted tableau
August 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
I mean, just LOOK AT HIM. This is Fabio and he is exquisite.
A gray tuxedo cat sits with his tail around his paws on a green chair. He's looking off to the right of the camera.
August 9, 2025 at 2:29 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
From a deep red county in Maryland
Poster with an inverted American flag. Text says, Dear World, We're sorry. We're scared, too. We're trying to get him out of power as quickly as possible. The Majority of Americans A simple text poster that says, Stephen Miller hangs upside down to sleep.
June 15, 2025 at 12:49 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Fantastic Cat put on such a great show last night. Live music reminds me I have a soul. It takes effort to make myself go out these days, but it is always worth it. 👯‍♀️
A drum kit with Fantastic Cat written in script and 4 anthropomorhized cats under that on the bass drum, each representing a band member. 3 members of Fantastic Cat, 2 playing guitar and 1 playing bass on stage May 3 at elkton music hall.
May 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
My sign for DC
Poster with bold black "HANDS OFF!" over red and blue words including medicaid, Medicare, social security, LGBTQ rights, vaccines, CDC, Veterans Affairs, FDA, museums, universities, and many more agencies and concepts this administration is trying to destroy.
April 5, 2025 at 10:04 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
A friend recommended this picture book, and I'm so glad she did. What a balm it is. This copy is from the library, but I just ordered two copies--one for me to revisit again and again, and one for a friend who needs it as much as I did.
A hardcover copy of 'The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse' by Charlie Mackesy. The illustration on the cover is a drawing of a horse bending over a boy, who is holding a mole, with a fox sitting at his feet
February 15, 2025 at 10:08 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
At least it's still #caturday, right?
A gray tuxedo cat curled up in his crocheted bed with his head turned upside down and a paw over his face
January 25, 2025 at 10:53 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Fabio's reaction is exactly how I feel processing the day's news. 🙈
A gray tuxedo cat lying on a green chair with his face smashed into a pillow
January 21, 2025 at 2:12 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
I always loved this one by the Connells.
Cover of The Connells album One Simple Word, which has all of those words, or parts of them, mixed up around the cover
January 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
I can't fathom how I ended up on this email list. Wow.
Screen shot of email headers from Proud Patriots with subject lines advertising "Trump Bear - 2024 Edition" and "Join the Collector's Club" Screen shot of email headers from Proud Patriots with subject lines "Trump inauguration Collectible $2 Bill" and "Trump Assassination Attempt Collectible $2 Bill" Screen shot of email headers from Proud Patriots with subject lines "Trump White House Bobblehead" and "Trump Fighting for America Gold Coin"
January 6, 2025 at 5:21 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Samantha Harvey's Orbital is a slim novel, but it's taking me forever to read because it's filled with language like this that demands slow reading and attention. It demands rereading. The sentences want to be inhabited.
A picture of a paragraph that reads: In the new morning of today's fourth earth orbit the Saharan dust sweeps to the sea in hundred-mile ribbons. Hazy pale shimmering sea, hazy tangerine land. This is Africa chiming with light. You can almost hear it, this light, from inside the craft. Gran Canaria's steep radial gorges pile the island up like a sandcastle hastily built, and when the Atlas Mountains announce the end of the desert, clouds appear in the shape of a shark whose tail flips at the southern coast of Spain, whose fin-tip nudges the southern Alps, whose nose will dive any moment into the Mediterranean. Albania and Montenegro are velvet soft with mountain.
December 29, 2024 at 12:49 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Today was a balm and a reminder of what this life is supposed to be about: family, good food and wine, music, inside jokes, and this exquisite cake I made.
A cake frosted with marshmallow icing, ringed with sugar-frosted cranberries and topped with a small pile of frosted cranberries and rosemary sprigs
December 26, 2024 at 2:35 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
Actually, because there was still so much to do, all the creatures were still stirring, except this lazy mofo.
A gray tuxedo cat asleep with his head on his paw, in his cat bed, surrounded by presents under a christmas tree. The same gray tuxedo cat curled adorably on his side in his cat bed, surrounded by presents under a christmas tree.
December 25, 2024 at 2:38 AM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
I kept my Atlantic subscription for years, even when I couldn't really afford to. This article was the last straw for me. I'm out.
screenshot of a cancelation confirmation that reads, We're sorry to see you go. You will receive an email confirming your cancellation. We thank you for your time, and hope to welcome you back in the future.
December 12, 2024 at 2:54 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
This is Fabio, and he is doing this because I touched him while he was sleeping, apparently
A gray tuxedo cat looking grumpy while lying on his side with his paws in the air
October 18, 2024 at 9:58 PM
mssemicolon.bsky.social
I honestly never thought I'd get to see it, yet here the aurora appears in my Maryland backyard. It looks and feels like magic.
Pink and purple aurora light up behind a border of silhouetted trees.
October 10, 2024 at 11:45 PM