Don’t worry —the circus tradition continues: http://theseunitedstatesstories.libsyn.com/tuss-ep-12-the-not-so-big-top

i just listened to a pretty funny podcast on the subject yesterday (plainly a put on, but a ring of truth). http://theseunitedstatesstories.libsyn.com/tuss-ep-13-boo

I love Rachel Dratch, but this looks excruciating. Completely predictably set ups and punchlines (“I don’t run and hide when kids come in the office anymore --okay, I close my door, but that’s because I have a bowl of candy, and it’s mine!” Women love candy!!! OMG so funny!) --check. Precocious child who knowingly…

“He was fantastic in Moneyball but I don’t see anyone claiming his double life involves secretly managing an MLB team!”

“We were there for less than a half hour before leaving because we didn’t want to waste the rest of the evening escorting one another to the bathroom to ensure that we weren’t followed in” and “Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on whether or not you hoped this story ended with my murder), he stumbled off and did…

I can’t picture him with anyone except Monica.

This is just a terrific piece, insightful and well written. Made my week.

Red Hamburger Relish is the essential topping for a burger, and oddly, almost impossible to find in stores on the west coast, though Bob’s Bigboy puts it on their burgers out here. Back east, it seems almost every market chain has their own brand, but it is tough to find in California. (And no, Chili Sauce is not the…

Quit this online gig right away and just go to Hollywood and rake in the money as a writer/show-runner — you’ve got this stuff nailed down! I’m serious, I’ve seen producers commit to a series where the pitch wasn’t nearly as compelling as what you have. Just awesome.

Porn has bigger problems to address....

I read the book many years ago and I did not find it funny at all. His basic approach is to write everything in an elaborate, overblown style, which got kind of tiresome for me over the course of an entire book. A good example of some humor just not translating beyond a specific period. (In contrast to folks like…

Great subject. I enjoyed Peter Heather’s The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians. Having been raised on Gibbon’s version, with some dabbling in the Durants’ Story of Civilization, it was eye-opening. I look forward to listening to the podcast.

So brilliant — just pitch perfect. NP and JSF can’t touch the wonderfulness of “skeletons of the sugar and booze we allow to slither down our throats to dull the ache that comes unannounced at a summer barbecue” and “Like your loving dog’s cyst, our corporeal existence will eventually be popped and our souls drained…

Old School, for two oldsters (each past 40 at the time) married 16 years ago this month:

Agreed — a terrific book, telling a great story.

Howard Kremer, from the Who Charted podcast, way ahead of the curve. https://howardkremer.bandcamp.com/track/gay-for-…

You are painfully correct. The double standard is so obvious. A war story from 20 years ago, but it could have happened yesterday. I am appellate lawyer. There is a defense verdict in a birth injury case. Plaintiff’s counsel (old white male) moves for new trial, arguing that defense counsel (a woman) committed…

“Current students, faculty and alumni went through a submission process to select names for the new colleges before Yale trustees reached a consensus.”

I take your point. I decided to studiously avoid reference to Matt, for the reasons you suggest... (Just not within hailing distance of his mother’s abilities.) I always loved the fact that when Gray Davis was being recalled as Governor, March Fong Eu put her hat in the ring for the post and she was in her early 80's.

Oldster here. I remember when March Fong Eu subsequently ran for California Secretary of State in the mid-70's and as I recall her campaign slogan was “I Gave A Dime,” referring to her campaign to eliminate pay toilets. She won, and served around 20 years in that position, and one election carried every County in the…