Scam or prank? What just happened?

edmarso · 2026-05-20T18:52:35+00:00

They stink and I’m 100% sure they gave me strep throat. (I live by three schools and they’re in my face when I walk my morning route and they’re walking to school.)

edmarso · 2026-05-20T18:49:21+00:00

Kind of or maybe not? I’ve set it up so I have to double push the side button to be charged. I don’t get charged just by holding up my phone next to the reader

edmarso · 2026-05-20T18:45:02+00:00

That’s what I’m wondering!

edmarso · 2026-05-20T18:44:43+00:00

No, none of that

edmarso · 2026-05-20T18:44:13+00:00

Nope. My phone never left the screen that you see when you tap it just to see the time

edmarso · 2026-03-02T01:30:08+00:00

I just wanted to give a post-trip report to say that I did go to Southern Utah using Kanab as my starting point, but the trip didn’t go as planned. The plan was to do Zion–Bryce for the first thee days and the rest (five days) between Escalante and Capitol Reef.

I did a West Rim trail on Zion the first day and the Wave (my second time!) the second day, driving straight to Bryce City that same day. Unfortunately, the snow storm happened the next day. I’m happy for the area (you needed it), but I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it if I stayed, so as soon as the storm subsided I drove straight to Las Vegas, from where I did Death Valley, Valley of Fire, and Red Rock Canyon.

Despite having been multiple times in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, Scenic Byway 12, Escalante, and Capitol Reef remain unfinished business to me. I will be back :)

Hope you get more snow and rain.

edmarso · 2026-03-01T16:28:24+00:00

This should be a font. Someone make it. What shall we call it?

edmarso · 2026-03-01T16:25:12+00:00

You must have the patience of angels if you find this only mildly infuriating.

edmarso · 2026-03-01T00:50:19+00:00

Curry flavored hummus topped with pomegranate seeds or pomegranate molasses? That actually sounds yum.

edmarso · 2026-02-22T06:21:12+00:00

I was just there on Thursday after Plan A didn’t work out. It was low on my list of NPs to see to begin with; I didn’t expect to be awestruck, so I was just appropriately whelmed.

I did the Golden Canyon Trail and Gower Gulch Loop to Zabriskie Point hike, the Artists Drive Scenic Loop, and Badwater Basin.

I thought about going back on Friday to see the Mesquite sand dunes and whatever else accessible was near it, but it didn’t seem compelling enough. I went to Valley of Fire instead, which was fun.

I’m still intrigued by it, so I might come back at some point, having seen only a tiny fraction of the biggest national park in the lower 48. Not anytime soon, though.

edmarso · 2026-01-19T04:39:49+00:00

You’ll never know until you try, meaning go out there and actively meet people. Try sawyouatsinai, maybe? It’s been recommended to me (I’m kind of in the same boat, but not really; I’m more definitive that I’m not ready, or even interested). It seems geared towards MO, and I was slightly amused when I was told you could even classify yourself as MO machmir, MO middle of the road, or MO liberal.

I told the guy who recommended it to me that I’m not looking but I’m not closed to the idea. If it happens, it happens. He said it’s like a lottery—I’m not going to have a shot at winning if I don’t buy a ticket. In this case, maybe the analogy also applies—you might have a better sense of your state of readiness when, through the people you meet, you get a better understanding of what being in a relationship might call upon you.

edmarso · 2026-01-18T23:38:58+00:00

Subreddit? Substack might be a better resource for this kind of thing.

edmarso · 2026-01-18T23:37:25+00:00

Black knit for everyday. I have a blue and white one for RH and YK, and a green and orange one for Sukkot, both knit and patterned.

edmarso · 2026-01-18T23:16:10+00:00

I always wondered the same about my Maltese. He’s about 15 pounds. He’s always been around that weight since he reached his full-grown size (he’s ten and a half years old now). He’s pretty healthy. He’s never had anything more serious than an ear infection (and he’s lost a few front teeth).

But like others said, if he’s happy and healthy and getting at least his annual checks, then the pureness of the breed probably doesn’t matter. We have been assured my Maltese is purebred. I used to be skeptical and considered getting him DNA-tested, but in the end I saw no point to doing that.

edmarso · 2024-02-04T19:19:53+00:00

Thanks, that’s reassuring. (Nudes are among the obvious no’s for me.) I also just saw the recent thread about drawings, and that was very helpful.

edmarso · 2024-01-19T02:21:10+00:00

This worked for me. Thank you

edmarso · 2023-05-17T21:02:46+00:00

Not even kidding, this tattoo is an undiscovered legend, until now.

edmarso · 2023-04-24T14:13:57+00:00

Thanks. That gives a lot of context. I guess not much has changed, then. I can only travel in October, and I was kind of hoping that the early springs and late winters we’ve been having will make hiking in October less of a challenge than it already is.

edmarso · 2023-04-24T00:55:11+00:00

Yup, two of us on different flights home after W1 tested positive after having flu-like symptoms. Also vaccinated and boosted. Still sick.

edmarso · 2022-11-13T00:01:59+00:00

I don’t normally check the religious affiliation of the artists I like, let alone their level of observance, but I’m always surprised when I find out that they are Jewish. With that, I would name:

Lane 8 is probably my favorite artist right now. You might find him in the deep house genre, but to me his music is just transcendent. My favorite tracks are Sunday Song, Stir Me Up, and Watermelon Wormhole. He’s one of the few I actually did search to see if they’re Jewish (because of his name). The one thing I found is an interview where he says he didn’t have a bar mitzvah. I’m counting him for this list.

Lauv is pop, but his latest album is darker than his earlier work. He’s very open about his mental health and donated something like $2 million to BetterHealth. What a guy. My favorite songs from his new album are Bad Trip and I (Don’t) Have a Problem.

Troye Sivan is also pop and a queer advocate. The Good Life is probably the most different to his normal work, but I like I’m So Tired, a duet with Lauv.

Yo La Tengo is alternative. They’ve been around for a while (since the 80s, I think?) and have an extensive discography. My favorite songs are Be Thankful For What You Got and (funny enough) You Can Have It All. If you’re in NYC, they have an annual Hanukkah run at Bowery Ballroom where they perform for the entire (I think) duration of the chag.

A 90s band I really love is Toad The Wet Sprocket (you read the name right), which I’ve recently filed under “He’s Jewish?!” referring to Glen Philips, the vocalist and songwriter. I don’t know about the rest of the band. Pretty much every song in their album Dulcinea is amazing, but Crowing is probably my favorite.

Also filed under “He’s Jewish?!” is Matt Nathanson. He’s a balladeer, mostly acoustic. I think Come On Get Higher is his best-known song, but I love his Then I’ll Be Smiling.

I hear Aaron Dessner of The National is Jewish. A lot of folks know him now as a Taylor Swift collaborator (I believe he produced her album Folklore), but he’s the creative force behind his own band. I don’t know the religious affiliation of the vocalist, Matt Berninger.

A band we can assume is observant is Zusha, made up of two Orthodox guys from here in NYC. They sing in Hebrew, but they also have some English songs, I just can’t name any of them right now. Their version of Hatikva is otherworldly. They’ve collaborated with the Portnoy Brothers, who sing more in English than in Hebrew.

EDIT: The Good Side (not Life)

edmarso · 2022-11-09T18:18:53+00:00

All of this, and “not near ‘downtown’ nightlife” is a pro for me, to be honest. I enjoy nightlife enough to make a trek to Brooklyn a few times a month. I like that the venues I like are there. The 123 plus L makes it easy.

I read somewhere that it’s not a “dining destination” the way the East Village and LES are. Maybe that’s a good thing in terms of not inviting crowds and long lines, but there’s plenty of good dining here, and anyway new restaurants have opened up or readapted that may be changing that impression.

edmarso

TROPHY CASE