July 13, 2025
I was in a gallery the other day, looking at some truly stunning photographs. The explanations ranged along the lines of, “The scene captures the tension between the light and shadows, illustrating the dichotomy of this and that, and illustrating the whatnot of the human condition.”
I wondered: Does any artist ever say, “I took this picture because it looked cool.”?
July 7, 2025
The writers of “Doctor Who” have been really consistent about calling gravity “mavity” after it was accidentally renamed by Donna Noble in one of their special episodes.
I think it would be hilarious if, playing in the background at some point, we heard Idina Menzel (the witch in “Wicked”) singing the song “Defying Mavity”.
July 4, 2025
I am frequently bemused by the things that people write in to advice columnists about. Today’s question was (paraphrasing here), “How do I tell my friend that I don’t want her dog swimming in my pool? She loves the dog like a kid, and thinks its antics are hilarious.”
The dog has chewed up a $200 pool accessory (no reimbursement offered), and the writer is afraid that the dog’s claws will damage her vinyl pool liner (which would also be expensive to replace).
I’m as non-confrontational as the next person but—Really? You can’t say, “I don’t want your dog in my pool.”?
Sympathetic readers might point out that the woman is afraid of losing her friend; and also, that the doggy-swimming probably happened once and the owner let it slide, having no idea that it would be such an ongoing expectation, so it got out of hand. I can sympathize, too.
But—Really?
Protect your property, ma’am: “No, Fido can’t swim in my pool anymore.”
