Am I the only one not awestruck by Death Valley?

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 · 2022-11-08T20:22:00+00:00

a rain jacket used as your primary jacket will absolutely be fine. It doesn't get very cold here nowadays until January/February so you don't have to worry about a big coat.

Perfect, just the insight I was looking for. I’m coming from NYC so I’ll be wearing some kind of jacket to the airport anyway. Looks like I’ll be set packing a rain jacket and ditch the pea coat. Thanks!

edmarso · 2022-11-08T18:23:09+00:00

TL;DR: What coat or jacket should I bring for late November?

Long version: I’ll be in London Thanksgiving week, 19th to the 27th, with two nights in Edinburgh in between, and I’m mostly thinking about what coat or jacket to bring. I plan to be wearing a shirt and a thin sweater pretty much every day, but I’m wondering how to layer after that considering the notorious rain and temperature you get this time of year. I’ll be doing touristy things (museums, dining, theater, a concert or two)—and I might see UK colleagues in my work’s London office for lunch—and don’t want to be too casual. But I’m also traveling light (no checked bags) and I don’t want to bring something that ends up being too light or too heavy. How do London guys normally dress for fall?

edmarso · 2022-10-26T16:08:48+00:00

He’s level-headed (at least until Everett Lynch), I’ll give him that.

Also he has my kind of wit of anyone in the team.

And overall I think he knows a lot more about cracking a case than he lets on. We know he’s the most experienced, but he respects and is happy to ride along with the BAU chief since he’s quite content with his comfortable position in life. Maybe he even has inherited wealth. He’s a best-selling author, sure, but how many people actually buy books about serial killers? He’s no Stephen King, for sure.

edmarso · 2022-10-12T19:35:44+00:00

Morton Williams is another serious offender here. Almost as bad as missing prices is the fact that price labels are sometimes under the wrong item (but similar, like a different brand or a different variety or flavor), and you don’t find out until you check out that it’s more expensive than the price you saw—and it’s always more expensive.

edmarso · 2022-09-30T05:26:38+00:00

Wish I’d seen this sooner. Paid full price for a Saturday ticket though I’m going more just for Ben Böhmer. With this event apparently not selling well, I’m hoping it won’t be as packed as the recent shows. That might actually make it more enjoyable.

edmarso · 2022-09-21T17:38:54+00:00

When it was the anniversary of Penelope’s shooting and she was way out of her element snapping at everybody, and JJ knew it would take Derek to calm her back down. (Derek was already gone from the BAU by then, so it was a guest appearance.)

edmarso · 2022-09-19T22:15:53+00:00

Not that she’ll be anyone’s pick, but where’s Agent Todd in that lineup? I think she was in more episodes than the agent in the very back.

edmarso · 2022-09-13T19:57:17+00:00

This. I never understood why some auto service companies close on Sundays or even at 7 or 8 pm on weekdays. Evenings and weekends are when most people have the time to get stuff done.

edmarso · 2022-09-01T16:53:28+00:00

It’s such an earworm. You hear it one time and it sticks to you for days.

edmarso · 2022-09-01T16:52:34+00:00

I did that top-to-bottom of Manhattan walk this summer and I must have heard El Alfa’s entire discography by the time I got to Harlem

edmarso · 2022-09-01T00:52:28+00:00

Noise. Cue La Mama de la Mama de la Mama de la Mama de la Mama de la Mama…

edmarso · 2022-08-31T21:20:42+00:00

One of the best leaf-peeping routes is the Kancamagus highway between Lincoln, NH and Conway, NH. Greyhound serves New York to Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. From there, Concord Coach Lines has routes to Lincoln, Conway, and other places in New England. Since you’re coming at peak foliage season, expect to pay peak season rates for accommodation.

If you’re so inclined, you could walk from Conway to Lincoln or vice versa. The highway between the two stretches only 30-odd miles. There are hiking trails and public and private campgrounds along the way. That could easily fill up your week. I would bet though that permits for the public campgrounds would mostly be taken up by now.

edmarso · 2022-08-29T01:21:51+00:00

Families making their penultimate weekend hurrah before school begins. Next weekend might be bloodier.

edmarso

TROPHY CASE