I'd listen to that Booklist guy.

Last year I almost died from bleeding into my chest cavity. This year I almost drowned from fluid in my lungs after a minor heart attack.

I am not looking forward to next year.

I sometimes do this with my reviews, to make sure I'm not just prattling on.

Last week I went to an author signing. What a ripoff. He wouldn't let me put my name on him anywhere.

This is indeed a terrific story. I liked it a lot.

Like a glass of apple juice in every bite.

Hey, @chuckwendig.bsky.social, what's your take on the Cosmic Crisp apple? I just found out they exist.

So do something about it.

Maple, flopped out.

King of the sofa.

Poster for Hollow Man.

Now watching. I'm a sucker for invisible-people movies. Yes, I even like the sequel.

Fackham Hall poster

Well, this is delightful.

Cover of Not a Word by Linwood Barclay

Reading the forthcoming new novel by @linwoodbarclay.bsky.social. It will come as no surprise to you when I tell you it is superb.

Snow-covered front yard.

Stupid weather.

Seaweed ball on the beach.

At the beach no one can hear you scream.

Maple sitting cutely.

Our dog might be a little cute.

The reason so many people are protecting Trump is not complicated: he cares only about himself, and, if cornered, he would turn on everyone. They're protecting him to protect themselves.

I've been reading you since Westlake Soul.

The concept of "reverse mystery" eluded them.

Was talking to someone about mystery television shows. They said they like Peter Falk as Columbo, but they don't like the show because it "gives away who the killer is" up front, which means there's no mystery. They genuinely seemed baffled why the show is so popular. My mind is still boggling.

I am reading this now, for a @ala-booklist.bsky.social review. Spoiler alert: it's terrific.

Columbo occasionally makes oblique references to the fact that he sometimes doesn't solve a case. I'd like to see those cases dramatized.

Do all Republicans wake up in the morning and think "What new things can I do to punish random strangers?" or is it just most of them?

A brief survey of FB Marketplace reveals many users don't know the meanings of the words "rare," "vintage," or "collectible".

Columbo with extended forefinger near man's nose.

"Let me get that for you, sir."

I'd listen to that Booklist guy.

The Columbo episode "Dagger of the Mind" bothers me for so many reasons. It's filmed mostly in California, but set in London; it's too long; and its special guest murderers overplay their roles by at least 20%. A solid story, though, with a satisfying conclusion.

I thought I was having a bad asthma attack. Turned out to be fluid buildup in the lungs due to a (relatively minor) heart attack.

Tiny hole, the size of a pin prick, through which my new stents were installed in my heart.

This purplish mark is the teeny tiny hole through which, several days ago, the doctor installed two stents in my heart. I am amazed that this can be done.

Me want.

Nothing makes a fella think about mortality like emergency surgery for a torn blood vessel and life-threatening internal bleeding and then, almost a year later, a (relatively small) heart attack.