Afternoon Tea (10/26/18)

This is such a great profile: Kathy Hourigan Is Knopf’s Secret Weapon

TRUE: It’s Astounding How Many Problems Can Be Solved Just by Waking Up Early

A fun way to waste some of Friday afternoon: Get Ready for Hats! It’s the Queen Maxima Style Retrospective

Authors Zack Handlen and Todd VanDerWerff on The Enduring Appeal of The X-Files

Heh: 16 Carrot Recipes to Root for This Season

Morning Coffee (9/7/18)

Friday! Happy links only! (Also I'm on vacation so this was written in advance.)

Oh how wonderful: India court legalises gay sex in landmark ruling

GOOD FOR HER. (Her male advisor was the one who got the Nobel for this, of course.) British astrophysicist overlooked by Nobels wins $3m award for pulsar work

Interesting: Gary Hart Movie ‘The Front Runner’ Votes For Election Day Release In Industry First

Viola Davis wrote a Corduroy book!!

I need them: The X-Files celebrates 25th anniversary with Mulder and Scully Barbie dolls

Heh (the Onion): Carl Bernstein Weeps Uncontrollably After Learning Bob Woodward Wrote A President Book Without Him

My new favorite headline: Alfonso Cuarón Says He Directed ‘Harry Potter’ After Guillermo del Toro Called Him “An Arrogant Bastard”

This is dedication: This Thrift Shop Put Photos of Jeff Goldblum in Every Single Picture Frame

QUIZ: Which YA Love Story Should You Read After Finishing TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE?

These Are the 20 Books Travelers Are Always Leaving Behind at Their Hotels

Morning Coffee (4/20/18)

OKAY, there was once again a ton of news, but it's Friday so HAPPY LINKS ONLY.

Sen. Duckworth took her baby with her to the Senate for the first time yesterday and you must see her adorable tweet.

This is amazing: People Think Prince Harry Posed In A "Golden Girls" Sweatshirt On Meghan Markle's Deleted Instagram

I love this: Study Finds Women Who Were Into The X-Files Are More Likely to Work in STEM

Ooh: Right This Way! Fathom Events Will Bring BANDSTAND to the Big Screen!

Amazon is giving away nine free ebooks by non-US authors for World Book Day!

SKAM Austin is starting NEXT WEEK and I am not prepared.

I want them all: Fug Nation Loves Pool/Beach Totes!

This seems especially useful this week: The Best Bottles Of Whiskey For Under $20

Heh: Starting Today, Everyone Will Be Dressed Like a Picnic Blanket

Special beer created to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding

Morning Coffee (1/3/18)

North Korea Reopens Border Hotline With South

Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator, to Retire, Opening Path for Mitt Romney

What “chain migration” really means — and why Donald Trump hates it so much

It’s Illegal for Hospitals to Not Provide Translation Services. So Why Is Proper Translation Still Scarce?

UN Begins Negotiating First Conservation Treaty for the High Seas

She Broke Japan’s Silence on Rape

Logan Paul controversy highlights the carelessness of online celebrity in the YouTube era

I'm so happy it's back tonight: Somewhat unexpectedly, The X-Files is deeply relevant again in 2018

Ooh: FCC approves first wireless 'power-at-a-distance' charging system

I don't really follow the NFL except for THIS kind of drama: Tom Brady’s Wellness Guru Is Causing NFL Drama

Morning Coffee (12/27/17)

A bit of good news! Measles Deaths Fall to a Record Low Worldwide

Cities sue Defense Dept. over gun-check system failures

I for one am shocked: FBI Software For Analyzing Fingerprints Contains Russian-Made Code, Whistleblowers Say

New York's attorney general has taken his ONE HUNDREDTH ACTION against the Trump administration. Already.

This must be KILLING these racists: White House to cut back magnolia tree planted by Andrew Jackson

The Roots of Poland’s Defiance of the European Union

Ooooh: Clock Is Ticking on $10 Million Reward in Gardner Art Heist

The Millennia of #MeToo in Mary Beard’s “Women & Power”

I didn't know about this whole saga! Simonetta Puccini, Keeper of the Composer’s Flame, Dies at 89

Inside 'The X-Files' Season 11: Mulder and Scully Take on Their Biggest Mystery Yet

Morning Coffee (12/18/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Image of Cooperation Between White House and Mueller Starts to Fracture

They are every bit as evil as you've always suspected: This Is The Daily Stormer’s Playbook

It's about time: Bethnal Green WW2 Tube disaster memorial unveiled

I'm very excited for the new X-Files.

A Team of MIT Scientists Taught an AI to Get Emotional Over Movies

Ooh: New underwater discoveries in Greece reveal ancient Roman engineering

Thylacine DNA reveals weakness – and kinship with the kangaroo

Perfect: Am I Really Planning to Attend Your Event? A Guide

Oh hi, Robin Hood.

I should pay attention this because my strategy is generally just "let it freeze": Winter Is Coming: How To Protect Your Hair From The Cold Weather

Morning Coffee (12/1/17)

I think we definitely need some Happy Friday links. There's a lot of comforting coziness in here this week. Can't imagine why.

The Fug Girls took a look at royal engagement photos of yore this week, just 'cause, no reason.

They're also completely right about Period Piece Face.

HAHAHA: Heathcliff's Gap-Year Jobs

I'm always interested to see Marilyn Stasio's picks for best crime novels of the year.

I'll absolutely try this new X-Files game.

Into the Gloss pairs candles and sweaters because why not?

I LOVE this idea because I do my best brainstorming in the shower: In a Hotel Shower, There’s Genius in the Mist

Ooh: The Softest, Coziest Robes to Buy This Winter

I'm very excited about the Hottest Heads of State book and they wrote a hilarious post about why to preorder.

You Should Be Following This Dad's Instagram Account About Hotel Carpets

Morning Coffee (11/16/17)

Whoa: Green Beret Discovered SEALs’ Illicit Cash. Then He Was Killed.

A War of Words Puts Facebook at the Center of Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis

WHAT A SHOCK: British Researchers Say Russia May Have Tried To Influence Brexit Vote

I hate the actual game but this is good: Cards Against Humanity is doing ________ to stop Trump’s border wall

This is an important read: The Tech Industry's Gender-Discrimination Problem

California will be the first state to use LGBT-inclusive history textbooks in schools

Radhika Jones, Vanity Fair’s Surprise Choice, Is Ready to Go

Oh good, The X-Files is coming back to us very soon.

Ooh, this should be good: CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin to write investigation of Trump scandals

Uh. Sure? ‘Get Out’ Entered As A Comedy For Golden Globes Consideration

Morning Coffee (10/13/17)

Whew, we definitely need some happy Friday links this week.

Aaaah, Rainbow Rowell book news! I'm so glad she's writing a book taking place in a pumpkin patch. That is the MOST RAINBOW.

And the cover and an excerpt from Sandhya Menon's upcoming From Twinkle, With Love!

And the Toast came back very briefly to tell us Hey Ladies! wrote a book too!

I will continue to be unreservedly excited about new X-Files because we need things to be happy about. Anyway, here's the trailer.

This new podcast sounds cool! British Museum and BBC team up to explore belief through objects

Hey, sometimes bears need pizza too.

11 Shearling Coats to Snuggle Up in This Fall (I am glad shearling is in this year because I am OBSESSED right now.)

Ooh, let's run away to Lego House.

31 Amazing Literary Halloween Costumes

I get annoyed at leaf-peepers in person but I don't mind if you do it VIRTUALLY: Breathtaking Fall Leaves Around the World

Morning Coffee (7/2/17)

The Time I Got Recruited to Collude with the Russians

Welp: CBS News: No Staff Members Left In Science Division Of White House Office

This is SO COOL: What Happens Just Before Show Time at the Met Opera, in 12 Rooms You’ll Never See

Good for her: Gillian Anderson calls out 'X-Files' for next season's all-male writing staff

Feud: Olivia de Havilland v. Ryan Murphy

Ooh! Milk Bar Is Planning a Boston-Area Location

I really have no arguments here: ‘West Wing’ Characters Ranked By How Likely They Would Be To Catch Bigfoot

Ooh: The Remains of an Ancient ‘Skull Cult’ Have Been Found

Huh, I had no idea: A Pittsburgh Church Holds the Greatest Collection of Relics Outside of the Vatican

How an Organic Chemist Invented the Bone-Shaped Dog Treat

Morning Coffee (4/25/17)

‘Sherlock Holmes of Armenian Genocide’ Uncovers Lost Evidence

CNN’s Jake Tapper Is the Realest Man in “Fake News” (It's probably just that I started noticing recently, but Taffy Brodesser-Akner's profiles are really great - she did that GQ Tom Hiddleston one and also that great NYT magazine piece on Orthodox Jews leaving their communities.)

This is cool: For First Time Since 1800s, Britain Goes a Day Without Burning Coal for Electricity

As is: Wife hands military command to husband

Becoming Steve Bannon's Bannon

Never Believe the Republicans’ B.S. Ever Again

Jill Biden’s Rate My Professors Page Is a Strangely Comforting Place in Perilous Times

Whoa: Rare parchment manuscript of US Declaration of Independence found in England

This is amazing: "'There is no news,' was the script of the 20:45 news bulletin, before piano music was played for the rest of the 15-minute segment."

The X-Files’ biggest liability at this point is simple: creator Chris Carter

Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce?? Yes, please.

This new history of card catalogs sounds great.

Morning Coffee (4/21/17)

As usual, Friday morning links are skewed toward giving you some distractions and a break from current events.

We're getting more X-Files!!

The Audacity of Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino Is Astounding

Penguin's #ProjectReadathon is neat - read excerpts from their books and they donate books to Save the Children!

This Luxury Hotel in London Was Once a Secret Spy Base

22 Things We Learned From That Juicy New Prince Charles Biography

How the Henley Went From Workman’s Undershirt to CW Staple

What Bill Nye Can't Travel Without

I'm not as into rosé as are some people in my life, but I'm willing to be convinced by rosé cocktails.

Ooh, I need to try this hair doohickey.

Whoa: Queen Mother’s old fridge still working after incredible 63 years of service at Scots castle

!! This Genius Coffee Table Keeps Drinks Cold and Charges Your Phone

15 Bookish Cross Stitch Patterns for All Stitchers

Morning Coffee (2/23/16)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Mad Max: Fury Road, Steve Jobs, Sanjay's Super Team

I agree with Ezra Klein's worries about Sanders's management style: "My worry about Sanders, watching him in this campaign, is that he isn't very interested in learning the weak points in his ideas, that he hasn't surrounded himself with people who police the limits between what they wish were true and what the best evidence says is true, that he doesn't seek out counterarguments to his instincts, that he's attracted to strategies that align with his hopes for American politics rather than what we know about American politics. And these tendencies, if they persist, can turn good values into bad policies and an inspiring candidate into a bad president." (There were two other paragraphs I considered quoting instead, so really, go read the whole thing.)

If you're going to spread a false story about your boss's opponent at least make it a more believable one, geez.

FBI and Apple vie for public support in dispute over California shooter's iPhone

And: Apple, DOJ fight heads to Capitol Hill

An interesting look at the labor law involved in Kesha's case: Following Kesha's Court Decision, Is It Time To Reexamine The Seven-Year Contract Statute?

‘She Was Proving Hard to Control’: Some Background on Kesha's History With Dr. Luke

"Men in the music industry shouldn’t support Kesha out of some sort of chivalry. They should support her because exploitation and unfair business practices are issues that affect every performer, of whatever gender. But, somehow, women are the only ones expected to do anything about it."

The X-Files revival ended last night, and I agree with pretty much everything Zack Handlen says here both about how TERRIBLE that finale was and how I persist in wanting more episodes because they COULD be good. I WANT TO BELIEVE. (There are obviously spoilers at that link, but here's a great, non-spoilery line: "His dialogue sounds like it was a translated from the Greek by a person who speaks excellent German.")

In other X-Files news: We're getting YA books! I find it fascinating that Mulder's book is being written by a female author and Scully's by a male author.

The publication of Umberto Eco's final book has been pushed up a few months to capitalize on his death, and . . . my first thought was "Is it ready??" but it's a collection of previously-published essays, so maybe it is. And, frankly, this is better than whatever the fuck I'm expecting to happen regarding someone miraculously finding yet more unpublished stuff they're just sure Harper Lee would want out in the world making other people money.

Morning Coffee (1/31/16)

Sorry so late. Turns out paying attention to four depressing movies in a row is exhausting.

Whoa. Chuck Grassley's voting streak is amazing.

Hrm: The X-Files Episodes Are Airing Out of Order — And Here's Why

Aw: Gina Rodriguez's 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Golden Globes Dress'

Quite a story: The Dark Underside of the Show-Dog World

Here is a list of all the shows on TV last year. THERE ARE A LOT.

Delightful: Cooking for the Queen

The Rebel Virgins and Desert Mothers Who Have Been Written Out of Christianity's Early History

Perhaps your Sunday needs Sam Heughan reading you love poems.

Meet Bruce Baskin, the Bedroom Blogger of Mexican Baseball

Women Inexplicably Aroused By Waves in Art

Morning Coffee (1/26/16)

ICYMI: Yesterday's Oscar Project post was about Spotlight, which (so far) I want to win it all.

Me elsewhere: The Magicians premiered on Syfy last night and I wrote a bit about it.

Disgusting: Ted Cruz’s campaign is handing out bottled water in Flint — but only to anti-abortion groups

This is fascinating: 14 years a fugitive: the hunt for Ratko Mladić, the Butcher of Bosnia

Why Donald Trump Plays Phantom of the Opera at His Rallies

The most disturbing thing about Donald Rumsfeld's mobile gaming app is how very much I want to play it.

I am greatly enjoying the new X-Files but I ALSO enjoy the Fug Girls' rather grumpy (but loving) recap.

Related: I love when the CIA has a sense of humor.

You may all already know about this but I recently came across We Hunted the Mammoth and it's pretty great/infuriating!

Ooh: Fleeting Wonders: A Petrified Forest Unearthed By A Beach Storm

Shameless fans, here's a video for "The F Word"!

I'm not sure why Slate/Atlas Obscura are talking about Julian of Norwich, but she was quite interesting.

Morning Coffee (1/24/16)

The X-Files is back tonight and if you were not aware, Gillian Anderson was offered half Duchovny's pay. HALF. IN 2015. Also, in the original series: "The studio initially required Anderson to stand a few feet behind her male partner on camera, careful never to step side-by-side with him."

I love love love Lena Dunham's essay about saying no to things: "A delightful cocktail of self-doubt blended with the need for constant approval had me convinced that 'yes' was the key to my like-ability. Without 'yes' what did I have to offer? And so I sprinkled it liberally, and as my obligations built up, so did my resentments, so did my feelings of inadequacy."

How Progressives Can — and Must — Regain the Moral High Ground

This is long and complicated at times but really intriguing: The DIY Scientist, the Olympian, and the Mutated Gene

"You have to think about what these people are saying when they scrutinize me, or every other brown person, in an airport security line. They’re clearly saying: I think you would kill me, and you, and all the people on this plane, including the children."

Disturbing but important and fascinating: How the Klan Got Its Hood

Huh: A Fake Politico Reporter Is Becoming Facebook Friends With Lots Of Journalists

Ooh: John Dee painting originally had circle of human skulls, x-ray imaging reveals

The 1962 Laughter Epidemic of Tanganyika Was No Joke

Miserable-Looking Women Wearing Flower Crowns In Western Art History

Morning Coffee (10/23/15)

Happy Friday!

Me elsewhere: Hey look! I'm really excited about this! I wrote a piece on Salem for the relaunch of Insatiable Booksluts! Also, my recap of last week's Haven, which - I'm really liking this season so far!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - the stage play in the works - is officially a sequel!

Aaah, new Shameless trailer!

And new X-Files pictures! (I still haven't found a straight answer to whether the premiere title is a deliberate Knausgaard reference, which is apparently what I'm fixated on with this whole thing for some reason.)

I've been trying to figure out whether I could handle seeing Crimson Peak on the big screen - I'm a scaredy-cat - and also wondering if the heroine has any agency, and behold! Deanna Raybourn has answered all my questions, and I shall see the movie this weekend.

Related: Movie Yelling With Nicole and Mallory: Crimson Peak

I concur: Hulu has overtaken Netflix to become the best streaming service.

I don't know much about the publisher but this pun just delights me so: A Side of Relish: Little Pickle Adds YA Imprint

Rufus Sewell as Lord Melbourne? Yes please.

Heh. The Onion: MPAA Adds New Rating To Warn Audiences Of Films Not Based On Existing Works

Important: Craft-Beer Pairings for Halloween Candy (2015 Update)

Morning Coffee (6/11/15)

Martin Sheen is going to be Matthew Cuthbert in the new Anne of Green Gables movie, and I started crying just reading that headline, so obviously I'll handle this well.

X-Files is really happening, you guys.

Dawson's Creek and Buffy reruns are coming to ABC Family!

Oh hey, did I tell you Classic Alice is back? Classic Alice is back.

I don't agree with everything in this, but it's worth a read: What the ATX Festival should renew for next year—and what it should cancel

Apparently this is basically the one law New Hampshire has decided it needs. Okay then.

The story behind that mistaken tweet that the Queen had died is pretty wacky.

A Musician Names Things

Morning Coffee (5/12/15)

My latest fall TV schedule post at TheTelevixen.com: Fox. And, again, you can see everything summarized on my public spreadsheet.

Speaking of, my friend Marisa made a handy countdown to the return of The X-Files.

Reading Todd VanDerWerff on TV scheduling is a JOY, always.

It's official: Obama library will be on Chicago's South Side

The Queen remembers VE Day

I've been wanting cake since I read this, and now you do too. You're welcome.

And I've been wanting to watch Goodfellas since I read THIS. Again, you're welcome.

If June Thomas reviewing a book on the history of stationery doesn't make you click immediately, then God, Jed, I don't even want to know you.

"baby i love you but reading is not a group activity"

Morning Coffee (4/3/15)

My normal cheerful "Happy Friday!" seems a bit weird on Good Friday, but here are your happy Friday links:

EXCITING BREAKING NEWS (really, like ten minutes ago): Deanna Raybourn's awesome Lady Julia mysteries have been optioned for British TV. I LOVE THESE BOOKS. I AM BESIDE MYSELF. LET'S FANTASY CAST.

Awesome: JOURNEY Drummer To Donate $10,000 To Replace Instruments Lost In Oregon High School Fire

BuzzFeed interviewed Kermit the Frog and it was great. Thing I had never considered: the Kermit/Piggy ship name.

The X-Files Could Have Ended With a West Wing Crossover?!?!?!

The Audobon Society is taking on Jonathan Franzen and it's basically the best thing ever.

You can 3D print Paul McCartney!!!!! The best part is that this is OFFICIAL.

Perfect: Excerpts from the April 2015 Vogue, Presented Without Commentary

Maps pretty.

Songs From A Tom Waits Album Where No One Gets Drunk At A Diner