I went on one of the Cunard cruise ships several years ago, and because they are VERY British, they did a traditional tea every afternoon, and I totally fell in love with the concept. This was years before Downton Abbey, which I think burrowed into Americans’ minds the idea that tea was a civilized thing “one just…

Counterpoint: Taking a break each afternoon for a quality English tea with sweets and savories is awesome.

Oh, please please please let this mean that the dominos are going to start falling oh so quickly …

All those who trumpeted that video is more important than words, how are y’all feeling about that now? 

Very good point; did Jamie speak French with some of the Indians? Because of course he knows French and that would make sense. Admittedly I’m forgetting some details. I can’t believe I’m five books in, just finished Fiery Cross. (I came to the books late because I didn’t get into Outlander, the TV show, until the…

I’ve been reading the books and am only a little ahead of where they are now in the show (damn, they are long books). Also, no spoilers, I promise. I do feel like the Native Americans are a bit more fleshed out in the books, but that also likely is a function of the books being so expansive and these stories needing…

I want all of Claire’s knit wraps, and the recent offer of a knitting class from someone is an intriguing one for this reason alone. 

Two movies I absolutely love and were perfect for FilmStruck, but you can’t find quality prints online anywhere, and it makes me crazy. First is Rebecca, Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier, directed by Hitchcock, of course. It wasn’t included even when FilmStruck was showing its Hitchcock collection, and you can’t…

God, don’t even think it. As it is, I think their programming has suffered the last year or so. Way too many WTF moments have been happening. Last night at 3:45 am ET, TCM showed The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, from 1987. What in the actual hell.

True story: Years ago I worked for the Palm Beach newspaper. The “Shiny Sheet.” It was during the time Trump was trying to get the town to approve Mar-a-Lago being a private club. I covered events. He would see me at a party, and he would make a beeline for me, the quote leaving his mouth when he still had 10 feet to…

I totally thought the end of this story was going to be that, after all the shopping and cooking lessons, you ended up marrying the pal.

I made a pot roast this morning because I got it in my head the other day to make a pot roast while the local greenmarket was in full swing, and if I didn’t make it this morning then I was going to have wasted $20 bucks on a roast I’d be throwing out (because I didn’t freeze it after buying and admittedly was too lazy…

I am so sorry but that ridiculous pink ruffled disaster needs to be burned immediately. What in the actual fuck. 

Reading this story makes me want to read The New Yorker more, because good gosh this is such a running tally of ridiculous people.

When I’m feeling like my financial situation is OK (last three years out of four), I splurge on a week in Hawaii. A friend and I fly first class, we stay in oceanfront rooms, we sleep late, drink Mai Tais and stare at the Pacific Ocean. It’s the reward of a job well done. It’s not cheap at all, but very therapeutic,…

Gosh, if Al Roker decided to come as Doc, why didn’t he use whiteface?

As someone whose Twitter timeline is now filled with puppy and kitten images and videos just to get me through any given day without wanting to kill myself over this shitstorm of a world, thanks very much for telling me about this, I cannot wait to watch. 

Thanks. Every holiday the past two years has devolved into fights and hurt feelings. Trump has quite literally ruined our family, because between how awful he is and how cult-like his followers are, there is just no meeting in the middle. I’ve done my best. I’ve given it more than two years, from the first moment…

I so wish I had your problem. My dad is now in hospice, and my mom is a full-on Trumper. She watches Fox News 24/7. The last time I visited, we had a terrible fight and I walked out. We haven’t spoken since. I know I’m now the pariah of the family that I walked out on my mom over politics when my dad’s in hospice, and…

I’m actively looking for jobs in other countries, jobs that require English as first language (my fluency is pretty decent with a couple of other languages), and they’re willing to sponsor for residency. They’re out there, though of course they’re tough to find. This just keeps getting worse, and I think it will get…