I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t remember F’s first baby steps. Yet I squealed with amazement (and maybe a little horror) when we discovered over the weekend that our 13-year-old now wears size 9 shoes.

The latest Wordle debate: Has the New York Times takeover made the game harder?

The Guardian reports that many players say yes. The Verge, however, disputes that Wordle is harder.

Wordle 240 4/6

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Begrudgingly have the Big Game on. I grew up in San Diego reflexively hating anything related to L.A., and that compulsive recoiling from Los Angeles teams remains.

So, as much as I appreciate Matt Stanford finally getting a chance at a Super Bowl, I just can’t bring myself to pull for the Rams.

Having said that, I wonder if my rooting for Cincinnati is another sign of how much of a Midwesterner I’ve become.

I probably should have a set starting word.

Wordle 239 4/6

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The Onion: “Biden Vows That If Russia Invades Ukraine, U.S. Will Invade One Country Of Equivalent Value”

This may be my new favorite Winter Olympic sport: the monobob.

I shouldn’t care. And the number is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. But damn, 150+ likes on one of my tweets is startling. (Strategic callouts to the Twitter feeds of the show and the host helped. And both accounts responded, which delights me no end.)

My weekend is complete.

Things I wish I had learned in J-school: “Nietzsche’s 10 Rules for Writing With Style.”

One reason I love “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me": The show can book Patti Smith and quiz her about burger patties, only to have her respond with a reminder that it’s Bertolt Brecht’s birthday.

Crossing my fingers that this doesn’t happen to me anytime soon: “The zen of snapping a Wordle streak.”

Spent a good 10-15 minutes between the third and fourth tries.

Wordle 238 4/6

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My practice of avoiding as much political news as possible means I’m the last to know about Fascist Barbie’s “gazpacho police” gaffe.

This is the kind of Winter Olympic coverage I need: “What is Ice Dancing and is It Different From Figure Skating?”

My broadcasting life

C and I have talked often about blogging, tweeting, and generally how we use the Internet. He likes to comment a lot, usually on Reddit or Facebook these days. I like to post about stuff I’m thinking or reading or listening to; I like to think I’m ambivalent about if or how people react, though I probably care more than I want to admit. Either way, I’m less inclined to engage a whole lot online – partly out of laziness, mainly because my sense of introversion often extends beyond real life to virtual platforms.

“So you’re a broadcaster,” C tells me.

I never though of myself that way, but yeah, I guess I am. I prefer to produce stuff, package it a little, and throw it out there – and if people want to read it, great. If not, whatever. That was kind of my career for almost 30 years. That has generally been how I prefer to play on the Internet.

So, I’ve created a “Broadcast” category for this site, which is what I choose to share on the Micro.blog timeline and on Twitter. Much of it will overlap with what I linkblog; some of it will incorporate random short takes (which almost function as an online variant of the one-sentence journal concept).

(Facebook cross-posting isn’t an option on Micro.blog, but maybe that’s just as well. I don’t post a ton these days on FB.)

Hoping this can finally realize the one-stop-shop “indieweb” idea of posting to one place where I own the content and syndicating it to other platforms – without having to roll out everything I write here to the social media masses.

Update: I’ve turned off the crossposting until a glitch resurfaced this afternoon (Friday 2/11) that posts EVERYTHING I write here to the Micro.blog timeline. I do not want everything here posted to the Micro.blog timeline. Waiting to see if it can be fixed.

Here’s a fascinating explainer of how Spam became such a big deal among my people – part of an Atlantic podcast series that, in essence, opens a whole Spam can of worms about its cultural impact.

Wordle saves lives, people: “Family was concerned woman didn’t text her daily score.”

Decided to get a jump on the game for Friday. Discovered that the game now has New York Times branding. That didn’t take long. 😐

Wordle 236 5/6

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I guess it’s weird to look forward to a midday dental appointment because it gives me a break from work. Happy to own this particular “weird.”

Wordle 236 3/6

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This landed in the mailbox today. I’ve already read through most of it and plan to go back and linger over it again.

After catching Anne Helen Petersen’s two interviews with this Native American poet and storyteller, I immediately subscribed to his Substack newsletter and bought this book from someplace other than The Retailer That Shan’t Be Named.

Chris La Tray is a national treasure. Read him. Now.

I wish there was a card with this lovely prayer from Fr. James Martin’s book “Building a Bridge.” In lieu of that, posting this here.

A small Dairy Queen cone makes up for a deeply annoying day.

I can’t even remember whether I ate lunch.

Funny.

Wordle 235 4/6

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Felt like a close call.

Wordle 234 5/6

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Ugh. Almost forgot to post.

Wordle 233 3/6

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