i said this elsewhere, but ASH was really a father for an entire generation. we see this in every tribute, every outpouring of grief, and so many of the beautiful words people are sharing right now.
i think a fantastic component of his time on buffy to draw attention to here is when he was fired from the watcher’s council and still chose to stay with buffy and guide her. this, as an adjacency to buffy’s parents getting divorced and her dad actively choosing not to stay in her life resonated with so many kids who grew up with dads who weren’t around, parents who weren’t physically or emotionally available.
this man, through his work, was a father, a mentor and a guide to all of us; he made weird kids feel seen. he gave life to so many characters, characters that have since become such an integral part of our cultural lexicon. he encouraged people into getting interested in theatre. he was a staunch and proud ally for lgbtqia+ people across the world. the man carved out a niche in media that will always be uniquely and unequivocally tied to his legacy. and you know what? i’m damn sure he made people respect their local librarian a little more.
my heart really goes out to his family; the amount love the world had for him and his work was truly extraordinary. we lost a real legend today; he’ll be our watcher forever and always.
I'm sure my customers never think about it, but these snapshots are their little stands against the flow of time. The shutter is clicked, the flash goes off...and they've stopped time, if just for the blink of an eye. And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this...I was here. I existed. I was young. I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture.
Two comedians I enjoy are coming to a nearby* comedy club in the next 2 months. This club is pretty well known at least locally, but I've never been there.
*nearby means about 40 miles away
I was considering going to one or both shows since they're near my birthday, as presents for myself.
With fees and such, cheap tickets are just under $30 for comedian A and under $40 for comedian B. Not bad.
But. The club has a 2-item minimum, Per Person. Drinks or snacks.
Driving 40 miles home at night, I'm not drinking alcohol. I barely drink now anyway. Especially not 2.
Their food options (pretzel bites, nachos [chips and liquid cheese, topping extra], or popcorn) are stale and/or cold according to reviews.
The absolute cheapest combination of items you could get is two bottles of water at $4 each. Those should be be gallon jugs at that price, but I know they'd be 16 oz bottles from bulk packaged Great Value water at best. "Buy 2 waters and take them home!" according to the club's responses on reviews. 🙄
PLUS required 18% gratuity. Additional tip to server is also expected. Cuz I should tip for being handed a bottle of water. So bare minimum, add $11 to your ticket cost.
And they apparently hold on to your ID/credit card to prevent walkouts. Uh, No thank you. I don't want to automatically open a tab. They cash out at the end of the show (wait extra time for everyone to pay before you can leave!) and give you a little ticket showing you paid so you are allowed to leave. To quote a reviewer, "What are we, twelve?"
Add in overcrowded, uncomfortable seating in close quarters with strangers. Probably drunk strangers! Parking lot is small to begin with, and is shared with a bar in the same building. So get lucky or park on the street. I looked at it on street view, and yikes.
Allegedly 100% of ticket sales go to the performer and the club makes their money off of food and drink sales. I understand all that. Buuuut then the club talks in reviews about how they would have to raise ticket prices to make the seating better...?
Why not just charge more money upfront. I don't want to buy overpriced drinks or bad food. argh
...This sounds like a nightmare, no matter how much I like the comedians. I'll stick to the rare theater appearances I guess.
Happy 20th Anniversary of Neil Banging Out The Tunes!!!!!
More rarer images of Neil, my beloved:
20 years.
I find it so beautiful that this little rat's life has been remembered with love for 20 years and will be hopefully for decades to come. Truly a marvel of the internet.
On April 6, 2026, the Artemis II astronauts flew around the Moon, observing the far side – which we never see on Earth thanks to tidal locking – with their own eyes and with cameras.
See more of the Moon:
A crescent Earth setting behind the Moon’s horizon.
Earth setting behind the Moon as seen by the Artemis II crew. Over half the left side of the image is filled by the gray lunar surface, pocked with craters.
A close view of the Moon. Jagged circles of craters dot the gray surface, fading to dark on the left side of the image.
A close view of the edge of the Moon. Jagged circles of craters dot the dark gray lunar surface, which arcs across the image.
A close-up view of the Moon, filling most of the frame. Along the left side of the image, the terminator divides the illuminated and darkened sides of the Moon.
A close-up view of the Moon, filling most of the frame. Along the left side of the image, the terminator divides the illuminated and darkened sides of the Moon.
Earth just as it set behind the Moon, as seen by the Artemis II crew. The dark gray surface of the Moon, pocked with craters, arcs from the bottom left corner of the image to the top right.
Check out more photos from the lunar flyby, including astronaut selfies and the solar eclipse only they experienced.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
A few months before he passed away in 2003, a 74 year old children’s television host sat down in the same studio where he had filmed 895 episodes over 33 years and recorded one last message. It wasn’t for children. It was for the adults who had grown up watching him.
Fred Rogers hosted Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on American public television from 1968 to 2001. For over three decades he walked into the same set, changed into a cardigan and sneakers, looked directly into the camera, and spoke to children as if each one of them was the only person in the room. He never raised his voice, never talked down to his audience, and never rushed a single moment.
In that final recording, he looked into the camera one last time and said “I’m just so proud of all of you who have grown up with us. And I know how tough it is some days to look with hope and confidence on the months and years ahead. But I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger. I like you just the way you are.”
He passed away from stomach cancer on February 27, 2003. He was 74.
Hey so as the economy continues to get worse in the next few years, gambling companies are going to go extra hardcore predatory as people become more desperate. Yes, even more than they already are. You have to promise me right now you're not going to fall for it. No gambling, okay?
This is going to be especially bad with prediction markets and sports gambling, and it's already really fucking bad. But it also goes for loot boxes, blind box collectables, trading card games, and ESPECIALLY gacha games.
I know this is a deeply American thing to say but I am begging everyone to stay the fuck away from military recruiters. Especially high school kids. You are going to be seeing an unholy amount of them in schools or around schools or literally anywhere kids are known to congregate. THIS INCLUDES ALL FORMS OF ROTC. Stay the fuck away from military recruiters. As someone who’s familiar with entirely too many branches through entirely too many friends and family, including my partner, recruiters are authorized to say literally any fucking thing they think will make you sign on that line. They cannot and will not deliver on those promises. They need bodies for the war they’re pretending is only now starting up again. That’s all you are. A body. Stay the FUCK away from the military.
They go to public high schools, they test private school kids n personally recruit them based on their test scores, they are at every major college event, they are popular at job fairs with high school graduates who aren’t finding work, they butter people up at gyms, they set up shop in any mall or plaza or just anywhere with high foot traffic. Beware!
stormborns
2087
germansingergirl
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
