(Technically/precisely, the exact moment is a little over eight hours away as I write this, but it is now the day of the solstice in this timezone. Sunrise and sunset today here: 7:39, 4:22. Making the day 8 hours, 43 minutes long.)
Random thing: yesterday (Saturday) morning just after dawn, while I was skate skiing, a huge owl flew silently across the path in front of me, maybe ten metres away. Literally breathtaking. I only very rarely see them around here; pretty sure this is only the second in around twenty five years. I had a few days earlier chosen a lovely, sombre image of an owl against smoke from several images of birds the artist worked up for me to choose from for him to develop further for the EP. Taking it as a good sign.
(I also saw a pair of rather large, healthy looking deer bound across in front of me very close while fat biking Friday. Been a good several days for wildlife encounters.)
It's Lucy's very first Christmas tree, and the whole process has her fascinated. Two very short, completely raw, unedited video clips of Lucy helping. The second clip is in the first reply to the note.
We are both relieved and slightly disappointed that there has been no attempted tree climbing yet. In fact no destruction of any kind partially due to Robyn's strategy of unbreakable ornaments on the lowest levels.
Baconz watched Princess Bride in the theater and has it on VHS, and DVD and Teevo (which I bought and only my ex-girlfriend knew how to use), and Comcast cable, and Amazon Prime, and YouTube, and Netflix and...
Tom Tomorrow closes out his newsletter this week with the following:
//
I wish you all the happiest of holidays, and thank you for your support and your solidarity on this ride on which we are all apparently trapped, for now. Here’s to a better 2026. On a completely unrelated note, there’s an old Soviet joke that involves a man going to the newsstand each day, looking at the front page, and then leaving. Finally one day the newsstand guy says, “Comrade, what are you looking for?”
The man replies, “I’m looking for an obituary.”
“But comrade, obituaries are not on the front page.”
“The one I’m looking for will be.”
(No idea why I even thought of that! Just a crazy thing my brain dredged up.)
Just rewatched the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. I love this silly little heartfelt show, something you completely wouldn’t expect from a Marvel superhero film.
Oh and it features the best Christmas song of all time, which would be The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York
Late Night Cat Report Dept.: RayRay is stressing out about not being able to go out, kill/capture things, and bring them home. So, I am using Feliway, interactive toys, and fresh boxes of grass. RayRay cooled down quite a bit but one of the toys hopped into the wet food bowl and made a nice pattern of spray as it spun in the bowl.
I was raised Catholic. My dad was an orphan and one day when I was in my twenties, we were sitting down having a couple beers just shooting the shit. He then got serious and told me something that he said he told no one else and I promised to keep it between us. But after he died, I figured that I kept my word with him. I don't think I will ever tell my siblings because they probably wouldn't believe me. But I will tell you and still don't give a shit who believes me or not.
He told me that when he was an altar boy, a priest abused him. He didn't go into detail- he didn't have to. I knew exactly what he meant. He was still a devout Catholic, but I thought that maybe he felt he had to tell someone to get it off his chest and he chose to tell me.
A gay man I knew in the 70's told us he was repeatedly abused by a Priest in SanFrancisco before he was 10. He was unwilling to agree that he was born gay, because he didn't know anything else. What would he be if he wasn't abused? He just shrugged. No way to test it.
We knew this was a thing decades before it all came out.
Ta once more, ziggywiggy. Beloved husband Meccalopolis and I have returned from the former Masonic Hall that houses WIOX. We have veggie potstickers in the air fryer (I made the dipping sauce before we left for our show). We're enjoying adult beverages and Led Zeppelin. Warmer out than it's been lately for this new moon. Our Solstice theme was The Reason for the Season (Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light), and having three hours to move from dark to light was loads of fun. We're going to eat some dumplings, and lurk some. Good night, beloved Wonketteers. I love and appreciate you all and I bless us all with love, health, peace, and grace. Be kind, especially to yourself, and please, please stay safe.
Ladt Saturday I watched Spinal Tap II, Sunday was getting set to watch the classic This is Spinal Tap for the memories. Right before i started the news came about two dead in Rob's home. Shocking, devastating, we lost someone who contributed immensely to our shared culture. I've been listening to A Fine Line Between Clever and Stupid the the last 2 weeks as well so it to hear about the Reiner's was surreal. I recommend his Who Killed JFK podcast as well for the simple fact that he is an incredible story teller.
It's Sunday in Chicago, midnight to 5 a.m. Open up a tab to wdcb.org/internet-stream for the great show 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. From the website description: "𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 showcases blues as part of a cultural landscape that includes jump and jive, rhythm and blues, swing, doo wop, gospel, comedy, and recitation, and never is the music presented as kitsch or retro fashion in the way that some music has been exploited and trivialized. For host Steve Cushing, the blues is a living African-American tradition with deep roots."
For streaming difficulties: The WDCB stream can also be played using many popular media players (VLC, iTunes, Quicktime, Windows Media, etc.) Simply paste this link into the “open link/URL” box in the player of your choice, or click the link to open your device’s default player for mp3 files.
Happy solstice all.
(Technically/precisely, the exact moment is a little over eight hours away as I write this, but it is now the day of the solstice in this timezone. Sunrise and sunset today here: 7:39, 4:22. Making the day 8 hours, 43 minutes long.)
Random thing: yesterday (Saturday) morning just after dawn, while I was skate skiing, a huge owl flew silently across the path in front of me, maybe ten metres away. Literally breathtaking. I only very rarely see them around here; pretty sure this is only the second in around twenty five years. I had a few days earlier chosen a lovely, sombre image of an owl against smoke from several images of birds the artist worked up for me to choose from for him to develop further for the EP. Taking it as a good sign.
(I also saw a pair of rather large, healthy looking deer bound across in front of me very close while fat biking Friday. Been a good several days for wildlife encounters.)
It's Lucy's very first Christmas tree, and the whole process has her fascinated. Two very short, completely raw, unedited video clips of Lucy helping. The second clip is in the first reply to the note.
https://substack.com/profile/671070-paulomatic/note/c-190134649?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=edsu
https://substack.com/profile/671070-paulomatic/note/c-190134649?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=edsu
We are both relieved and slightly disappointed that there has been no attempted tree climbing yet. In fact no destruction of any kind partially due to Robyn's strategy of unbreakable ornaments on the lowest levels.
Lucy!!
Baconz watched Princess Bride in the theater and has it on VHS, and DVD and Teevo (which I bought and only my ex-girlfriend knew how to use), and Comcast cable, and Amazon Prime, and YouTube, and Netflix and...
I feel depressed, I feel so bad
The worst release DOJ's ever had
The truth is obscured by a political faction
Pam Bondi applied psychotic redaction
Toxoplasma Bondi.
Tom Tomorrow closes out his newsletter this week with the following:
//
I wish you all the happiest of holidays, and thank you for your support and your solidarity on this ride on which we are all apparently trapped, for now. Here’s to a better 2026. On a completely unrelated note, there’s an old Soviet joke that involves a man going to the newsstand each day, looking at the front page, and then leaving. Finally one day the newsstand guy says, “Comrade, what are you looking for?”
The man replies, “I’m looking for an obituary.”
“But comrade, obituaries are not on the front page.”
“The one I’m looking for will be.”
(No idea why I even thought of that! Just a crazy thing my brain dredged up.)
//
Speaking of Leavitt, let's watch a drag queen recreate her look while being both educational and snarky about it.
and mayhem ensued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzqCundMxsM
That cracked me up.
That's great! "What would jesus do? Not that!"
Better skin too
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:udnac33pmf2iwcblpeai5a5p/bafkreid3jgwfr3e7i4ohhkarav7j5ecoyiro6bb4oiadjjbl5no26e64la@jpeg
Hell, they probably listened to Cher at prom.
Karoline Leavitt is a frizzled dweeb.
And mean as a junkyard snake.
And smells like a sewer rat.
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OUnR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6126c6-61d5-47d7-a794-07bba942a6b4_452x400.jpeg
That's right, sweet Simba!
Better everything.
Best not to challenge the Queen.
This is like a little yappy dog nipping at an elderly rot Wiler and finding out.
*CRUNCH*
legend
Of course I'm way to late to this but still, I love it.
The Pixies, if the devil is 6
then God is .¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/2Q_EGVySxo4
This bear says Wonket's heaven!
A great Simpsons bit.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9fHzbafVpS8
Just rewatched the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. I love this silly little heartfelt show, something you completely wouldn’t expect from a Marvel superhero film.
Oh and it features the best Christmas song of all time, which would be The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York
https://youtu.be/j9jbdgZidu8?si=CZD6lihtdZL6X23f
Late Night Cat Report Dept.: RayRay is stressing out about not being able to go out, kill/capture things, and bring them home. So, I am using Feliway, interactive toys, and fresh boxes of grass. RayRay cooled down quite a bit but one of the toys hopped into the wet food bowl and made a nice pattern of spray as it spun in the bowl.
I was raised Catholic. My dad was an orphan and one day when I was in my twenties, we were sitting down having a couple beers just shooting the shit. He then got serious and told me something that he said he told no one else and I promised to keep it between us. But after he died, I figured that I kept my word with him. I don't think I will ever tell my siblings because they probably wouldn't believe me. But I will tell you and still don't give a shit who believes me or not.
He told me that when he was an altar boy, a priest abused him. He didn't go into detail- he didn't have to. I knew exactly what he meant. He was still a devout Catholic, but I thought that maybe he felt he had to tell someone to get it off his chest and he chose to tell me.
A gay man I knew in the 70's told us he was repeatedly abused by a Priest in SanFrancisco before he was 10. He was unwilling to agree that he was born gay, because he didn't know anything else. What would he be if he wasn't abused? He just shrugged. No way to test it.
We knew this was a thing decades before it all came out.
This checks
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:jrhiazkqht2txt7xiixad5v7/bafkreicmytp6nb5w3cu7jgypgj5nnxu4jvclrj7shedulfnyjup4c6yaoy@jpeg
So, why did the man repeatedly smack his head against a brick wall?
It feels so good when he stops.
Let's triple the tariff on band-aids while we're at it.
I don't know how much longer they can take it.
forever. they only respect authority, nothing else. If he says kill your mom, that's what they'd do.
"oh hon, everyone's born a sinner, in the end God sorts it all out. But you have to obey authority"
wth, why?
Ta once more, ziggywiggy. Beloved husband Meccalopolis and I have returned from the former Masonic Hall that houses WIOX. We have veggie potstickers in the air fryer (I made the dipping sauce before we left for our show). We're enjoying adult beverages and Led Zeppelin. Warmer out than it's been lately for this new moon. Our Solstice theme was The Reason for the Season (Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light), and having three hours to move from dark to light was loads of fun. We're going to eat some dumplings, and lurk some. Good night, beloved Wonketteers. I love and appreciate you all and I bless us all with love, health, peace, and grace. Be kind, especially to yourself, and please, please stay safe.
Slava Ukraini. 🌻🇺🇦💙💛
Of course, we closed with In the Light, so we're giving Physical Graffiti a listen en toto. We love all you crazy weirdos!
Ladt Saturday I watched Spinal Tap II, Sunday was getting set to watch the classic This is Spinal Tap for the memories. Right before i started the news came about two dead in Rob's home. Shocking, devastating, we lost someone who contributed immensely to our shared culture. I've been listening to A Fine Line Between Clever and Stupid the the last 2 weeks as well so it to hear about the Reiner's was surreal. I recommend his Who Killed JFK podcast as well for the simple fact that he is an incredible story teller.
𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦
It's Sunday in Chicago, midnight to 5 a.m. Open up a tab to wdcb.org/internet-stream for the great show 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. From the website description: "𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 showcases blues as part of a cultural landscape that includes jump and jive, rhythm and blues, swing, doo wop, gospel, comedy, and recitation, and never is the music presented as kitsch or retro fashion in the way that some music has been exploited and trivialized. For host Steve Cushing, the blues is a living African-American tradition with deep roots."
For streaming difficulties: The WDCB stream can also be played using many popular media players (VLC, iTunes, Quicktime, Windows Media, etc.) Simply paste this link into the “open link/URL” box in the player of your choice, or click the link to open your device’s default player for mp3 files.
https://wdcb-ice.streamguys1.com/mobile-AAC
or https://wdcb-ice.streamguys1.com/wdcb128
Check out WDCB's program grid for all the shows. https://wdcb.org/program-grid