I can’t explain it. The pitchers have been working way active their level. They’ve held Ohtani to 2 hits (1 home run) and 2 walks in 5 games, Mookie just as bad.

My 2024 Strat-o-Matic Cardinals finally took their first loss of the postseason . . . in Game 4 of the NLCS, losing to LA 5-4. Can they find one more win against that vastly superior squad? We’ll see.

A panel drawn by Sal Buscema for Captain America #170 showing a truck driver in a tank top and green plaid flat cap, smoking a cigar, seen through the rain-spattered window of his cab. He is thinking, “But now that you mention it, you sure are weird.”

Good morning, friends!

I promise never to get over the fact that I can go to a Major League Baseball game at the best ballpark in America and be home 20 minutes after the last out.

After a childhood spent a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the nearest ballpark, that ain’t nothing.

Nice easy, relaxing win, with some great glovework.

Wrigley Field from my upper deck seats, bathed in golden sunlight,

Were no SoCal, but we can muster some golden early evening light at the ballpark once in a while. Let’s go, Cubs.

Yay! You should -definitely- give Lemann a try!

"Bland and sleazy is a bad combination. Sleazy and hopeless is better."

Issue 16 of my newsletter, This, Not That, is all Nancy Lemann, quotes drawn from all her books.

I'm obviously gone to the point of unsound on Lemann. Is she for you? Read & find out!

Was Raiders of Atlantis good? Not on any axis. In fact, its incompetence was salutary, helping me appreciate the basic technical ability underlying even the worst mainstream films I watch.

Was it fun to watch it in a crowd of 150 other people who'd been willing to take the same chance? Definitely.

A still from Raiders of Atlantis showing a biker gang in wild costumes sort of like what you see in the Mad Max films. Lots of mohawks and leather and body paint, plus, in the middle, a while car fitted out with chrome spikes and such.

Turns out I was thinking nowhere near broadly enough about what the mystery movie at the Davis Saturday night could be.

Turned out to be Raiders of Atlantis (1983), a low-budget rip-off mishmash of Mad Max and Indiana Jones.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atl...

A panel from a 1991 Peanuts comic strip that shows Peppermint Patty stepping out onto the front step of her house to meet Marcie, who says, “Today’s the big day!”

Good morning, friends!

I was so corrupted by my youthful experience in it that I can’t say anything but Pippin, even knowing better.

Our dog, Jenkins, a black-and-white pit mix, mostly asleep on a blue chair, head on an armrest, in our library. On top of the chair is our gray cat, Rory, who likes to cause a ruckus.

Local doings.

God, I love that record.

Patrick Radden Keefe’s new book, London Falling, which I’m devouring.

Text from London Falling: "We're here simply to try and find the answers to four ques-tions," Hassell murmured at the outset, in a deep, commanding voice that sounded faintly reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher. "Who the deceased was, where he died, when he died, and how he came by his death."

Real Appointment in Samarra vibes to the last clause here.

Going back to Wrigley tomorrow to cheer Schwarbs. (And former Cardinal and current Philly firecracker Edmundo Sosa. And the rest of that entertainingly gross Philly club. While rooting for the Cubs to win.)

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he added hastily, of the choice to be a con man. “That’s their lifestyle.”

—Patrick Radden Keefe, London Falling

My new song. Still needs a title and more practice. YouTube video by Levi Stahl

We’ll see what my teacher says next week, but I -think- I’m done writing this song. Now to improve the performance so I can play it at the next recital. (And also transcribe it so it’s somewhere other than in my head.) This has been a fun project.

youtu.be/ip33n9mO4lY?...

Lockdown for me, as someone with no kids who really likes to a) be at home and b) control my schedule, simultaneously was something I liked a lot and something that taught me the pathological endpoints of those two things. That much of both things was ultimately not good for me!

Current conditions near Harbor Springs, Michigan: As soon as the aerial shot ends and we cut to the high school, just dismissing for the day, but seen, with a slightly shaky hand-held camera, from a spot in the bushes across the street, a nameless horror will begin stalking the idyllic small town.

Also, the scoreboard welcomed Richard the Third last inning break.

Wrigley from my seats in the upper deck, sun shining on the field.

Fans at Wrigley just loudly cheered the reappearance of the sun.

Some places are in your destiny and in some places you are happy.

—Nancy Lemann, The Fiery Pantheon

I -love- His Kind of Woman (and I’ve never even tried pot!), and @kimmorgan.bsky.social absolutely nails its lunatic appeal here. Every person and thing in this film is demented.

Issue 16: “My heart was back in business when I saw all that human frailty.” Two truths about writers: 1. No writer is for everyone. But some writers are for you. 2. Most authors fall into obscurity, to the extent that they ever emerged from it in the first place. To paraphras...

Calling all Nancy Lemann fans (& those who will be):

Issue 16 of my newsletter, This, Not That, is a commonplace book issue consisting solely of quotes from Lemann’s modest body of work.

If you like what’s here, you’ll like her & should go get the recent reissues from NYRB Classics and Hub City.

A detail of a panel drawn by Sal Buscema from Captain America #170 showing Cap fighting his way past some cops (it’s a whole complicated deal, a guy launched a shockingly effective ad campaign to convince people that Cap was bad, so he could replace Cap with a fake super hero and do some evil). As he’s fighting, Cap is thinking, “I’ve got to break free from here!”

Good morning, friends!

Working on a new middle section for the song I’ve been writing for the past few weeks. One nice thing about my teacher is that he (very gently) doesn’t allow me to be done when there’s still more potential within the song. And he helps suggest new directions for development.

The opening bit of the astrology column from today’s Sun-Times: GEORGIA NICOLS MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The moon is in Taurus.

Go wild, friends.

Working on the next issue of my newsletter, This, Not That, which will be a commonplace book issue focused on Nancy Lemann. Sign up now if you want to be convinced that you should read all of her books.