One time I saw a man in suspenders strolling casually down Washington carrying and smoking a hookah.

I remember when I heard one time you spend an average of 2 weeks of your life waiting at stop lights. I'm already up to that time on the 4 shows I've typed in but I'll take the enjoyment I got out of those shows ANY day.

I just finished number9dream! I'd definitely recommend it. It's the only David Mitchell I've read so far. Don't know whether to go to Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet or Cloud Atlas next.

Good, "much later this year" gives me time to revisit and finish The Twelve…

My usual Austen reread is Pride and Prejudice as well, and I'm also due for one of those pretty soon! I never get tired of it, and always feel a little like turning back to the first page once I finish. I think I've only read Emma once, though, and I've been following Emma Approved, which inspired me to go back to it.

I just bought the ebook version of Time Traveler's Almanac yesterday (got it for ~$5 after taking off the money I got from Barnes and Noble's settlement I didn't know was happening) so I'll probably start poking through that. I've also been slowly working on a reread of Jane Austen's Emma. I'd started a reread of Storm…

Last time I saw her was around the release of Actor. I'm expecting much more weird.

Concert Thread?

HIMYM's finale made me choke up this first viewing…just to cause me midchoke to say out loud "are they fucking serious with this?" So that's almost worse.

In the time frame of how it would play out in real time, I think it's a fully reasonable outcome. In the time frame of how it played out in the last 8 minutes of the show? Completely disturbing.

I think it would have been gutsier if they hadn't gone back to the Ted/Robin well at the last minute. That's the only part that doesn't sit well with me, not after everything that's happened since the last time that would have been a popular idea.

Agreed. I think I would have been okay with it if they'd given it more time and let the theme of cherishing the moments you have and living in the now really sink in. But plowing through it with no mentions besides "until she got sick" and "mom's been gone 6 years now" just to go back to Ted and Robin…I really don't…

It definitely feels like they tried way too hard to shoehorn in the ending they planned for years ago, if the series didn't last so long. The way they rushed through the reveal that she'd gotten sick and passed away (pretty sure I looked at the time at 7:51 and it still hadn't even been brought up…) just to switch to…

VERONICA MARS (the show)!

I've only been to Mt. Vernon once, for Chalk the Walk in May a few years ago. It seemed like a cute little town. The only other thing I know about it was the (based on hearsay) excellent Lincoln Cafe, but I think I heard that closed.

I'm thinking about trying some indoor container gardening this year (aside from my thriving, giant-ass basil). I've heard radishes are super easy, and I wondered about setting up something for snap peas or green beans or something, but I'm not sure I want the operation to get too big, and if it stays small it doesn't…

I live in Iowa, and the only fest I'll be financially up for this summer is 80/35 in Des Moines July 4-5. The Avett Brothers are at Lolla on the 3rd and in western Iowa on the 5th so I'm hoping when the lineup is announced, they're the Friday headliner, since it's literally on their way.

As someone who went to Iowa, I want nothing more than for them to set at least part of next season in Iowa City. I wonder if she'd really film there?

I don't think it was even so much that he thought I'd mess up as that in his mind, it was easier and quicker to take over than to let me do it myself. Easier in the short term yes, but not if I wanted to develop any long-term skills.

My dad did that too when I lived at home right out of college, all the way down to taking the knife from me instead of letting me (yes, slowly at first) chop the vegetables myself. That's not how I'll get better, dad!