Nate Howe

Happy Antimacassar Day You deserve it, Mom.

Moms are so lucky.
#satire #lds #mothersday

open.substack.com/pub/natehowe...

The Ballad of Phil and Phyllis

Ever have a weird piece of pop culture you love but don't have anybody to appreciate it with because it sounds stupid when you try to explain it?

open.spotify.com/track/67oGeN...

Happy International Women's Day.
Congratulations to the international women of many nations whose civil rights are more secure than my daughter's in the US.
May we catch up with you someday.

Walgreens being acquired by private equity Will likely steer it in the direction of Jo-Ann.
All money is fiction of a type.
But when finance distorts that fiction to a point where it entirely disconnects from supply and demand, it's no longer business in the traditional sense. It's abuse.

If you're participating in the economic blackout day today, let's all do our best not to backfill with a lot of purchases tomorrow or the next day. Let's treat it like a fast, not a pause button.

Is there any more patronizing form of congratulations?

There are a lot of good people at the grass roots who feel majorly conflicted right now. We can either look down our noses at them and push them farther right, or we can work with them and give them a viable political home.

And you know what? They are right. In a very red county, the practical political power you wield is basically about choosing the less bad Republican. I'm fortunate that my state allows unaffiliated voters to choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. Many states don't.

For those who live in major population centers, it's hard to understand the dynamics out here in the rural counties of middle America.
I interact with good people every day who feel that their only option was to hold their nose and vote GOP. The dominant party is the only place they have a voice.

There are still some ethical Republicans left. But this moment makes it clear that the party cannot be fixed from within. It's time for those whose party has left them to leave it in return.
But they won't get the message in a BlueSky echo chamber. Uncomfortable as it is, we actually need to talk.

I miss the optimism of Gimlet before Spotify got involved, things got extra toxic, and Reply All imploded.

We need Jonathan Goldstein to do a Heavyweight with Alex and PJ.

People who have lost their moral compass see acts of conscience as signs of weakness.

I know there are much more urgent issues, but I'm still mourning the way that trumpism has nearly killed clever humor.
Any attempt at unsettling hyperbole or satire is now uncomfortably plausible.

I love my church for many reasons.
But I admit, I have holy envy for the courageous leadership we're seeing from clergy like Bishop Budde in other denominations.

State. The current state looks grim. But it depends on the state you're in.

Can we talk about my mom's Plymouth Volare for a minute? open.substack.com/pub/natehowe...

Went snowshoeing at the Black Canyon today.
I can't allow myself to focus on the current ugliness of America and forget the aspects that make it so worth preserving and protecting, especially against the threats of the next 4 years.

Yes. To be fair, they announced it after I made this post. It's pretty bad.

Good call. Like the potato chips that are impossible to open cleanly and just explode all over the couch.

YES

Since I'm not ready to engage with consequential issues tonight, tell me something that's annoying but not a big deal that people should know.

I'll go first. The Sam's Club knockoff of Smartfood popcorn is objectively worse, and now they don't carry the real stuff any more.

Don't accept weaponized incompetence from your kids, your husband, or your government officials.

That makes sense.
I'm not sure the rebrand will help that side of the business in any way, either.

Yes but...
Some of us would like to create something noteworthy enough to garner even a negative review. And there are certain people I'd like to make uncomfortable with my creative work.
If it was a situation where I truly didn't know, I'd appreciate a tap on the shoulder about a review.

The Barnes & Noble logo update is the most milktoast, unnecessary rebrand of the last 5 years.
Was their old serif font the reason people stopped buying physical books from them?

Modern shows set in the late 80s and early 90s usually ignore this key historical detail: most middle school boys were wearing super ugly Big Dogs tee shirts, replaced a couple years later by those shirts with out-of-focus text illusions.

In the year of our Lord 2025, there's no conceivable reason for doctor's offices to use paper forms that ask for social security numbers.

Making the healthier foods the most convenient can go a long way without saying a word.
Some simple substitutions can also help. Ease into whole wheat sandwich bread and pasta, and reduce soda.
Let him take the lead when talking about situations with kids at school.

What windows are you ready to fix this year? #adhd #anxiety #newyear #newyearsresolution #goals #mentalhealth TikTok video by meditnate

www.tiktok.com/@meditnate/v...

We had a basement full of teenagers for New Year's Eve. One of them thanked us for offering a safe, substance-free celebration, implying that it's rare.
What parents throw parties where their kids and other teens drink and do drugs?
Am I just naïve? This doesn't seem like it should be common.

Hats off to the greatest former president we've ever had.