A picture of a blue 18.8oz family-sized box of General Mills Limited Edition Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mexican Style Hot Chocolate cereal. The box is adorned with a purple mug filled with chocolate-brown cinnamon-toast-crunch-shaped squares splashing about in chocolate milk. Joining them are a trio of googly-eyed cartoon cinnamon-toast-crunchlets. All three look manic as they splash about the cereal mug. One is derping its tongue out trying to lick its own eyeball, another is heart-eyed, and the third is sporting a grin and a stylish blue knitted winter hat.

Cereals I don't love: most anything involving chocolate (because it's never chocolatey enough) or cinnamon. Cereal I am finding surprise addictive: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mexican Hot Chocolate. Somehow the elements combine to a richer more complex chocolatey flavor that hits the spot.

I have been here for a year today. I'm still here, I suppose, in an abstract "logged in but rarely looking" way, and I've still not figured out what me posting here looks like.

The Giant had it on sale for a couple of weeks. The Horchata was really not impressive. (The normal flavors I skipped because too normal). This was the other available oddity, and I was wholly surprised that this flavor I normally sneer at (though it also makes an oddly ok vodka) hit the spot.

A box of mochi ice cream depicting an intact mochi in pink and a cross-section of the same mochi with pink outer shell and a white interior with multi-colored speckles. Brand: My Mochi (tm) ice cream. Flavor: BIRTHDAY CAKE (Cake flavored ice cream in sweet rice dough). 80 calories per piece. 6 pieces per container, keep frozen, and all that.)

Just think of me as a cicada: I may periodically emerge from the ground to scream things like "My Mochi ice cream in Birthday Cake flavor is somehow the best thing flavored like birthday cake, including many actual birthday cakes" before I disappear once again.

There's recaps all over the place

Three white middle-aged people stand in front of a table; behind it a wall posting various legal notices. In the center a t-shirt clad man holds a pair of pieces of paper - an agreement and a signature page (actual signatures erased before posting). Flanking him women - one in a grey cardigan over a black tee that reads "I'm the mystery", the other in a flannel button-down over a pink blouse. All three look pleased.

It's official! Rudes' Greenbelt Arts Center residency renewed, now keeping the relationship ongoing as long as both groups wish to. Congrats to Alan Duda who led the endeavor; thanks to all our volunteers - casts, crews, special project participants - who make us a great group to collaborate with!

Yes on the familiar-you. Tone differs by situation, mood and urgency, just like in English.

That is quite a logo. On one hand, I love the gleeful B eyes and the manic D grin. On the other hand, it adds up to look a bit "racial stereotype cartoon" in those colors.

Balticon is next weekend! Balticon virtual team needs volunteers! Monitor zoom panels from comfort of wherever, alert techs of any issues, get free membership and our undying gratitude! www.balticon.org

Greenbelt Arts Center Presents: Much Ado About Nothing - Events Tickets are available now! Dates: May 07 - May 17 2025

Much Ado About This Weekend! The show opens Friday - but first, catch our Pay What You Will Final Dress on Wednesday! onthestage.tickets/show/greenbe...

In the foreground, a flowering branch of a cherry tree (from upper left corner to roughly lower right). In the background, the greenish waters of the Tidal Basin, sun glinting off the waves, and the occasional petal floating in the water. In the distance, mostly obstructed land on the other side of the Basin.

In total lack of news, DC cherry blossoms are lovely, and today was a lovely day to take them in.

Happy Spring Forward day to them who, like me, love the extra daylight in the afternoon (and, sorry, don't want to hear from y'all who dislike it).

In places where comments are easier than here, by noting strangers whose comments I like on friend posts, commenting back at them, and eventually connecting.

A graphic with an image of a multicolored arrow pointing up and down. Colors don't correspond to annotations in any meaningful way beyond aiding distinguishing between sections. DO YOU NEED A MEASLES BOOSTER? BORN BEFORE 1957 NOPE. You were probably already exposed to measles VACCINATED BETWEEN 1957-1962 MAYBE. Check with your doctor. VACCINATED BETWEEN 1963-1967 YES! The mess you received is considered Ineffective and you will need a booster. VACCINATED BETWEEN 1968-1989 MAYBE. Check with your doctor. VACCINATED AFTER 1989 NOPE, if you have received two doses, your vaccines are considered effective (See more info here. Which the image doesn't say, I'm just telling you. https://www.parentmap.com/article/measles-your-familys-safety-and-what-doctors-want-you-know )

Pleased to discover the janky individual-policy insurance covered an MMR booster with no copay.

Seeing concerns about proposed Maryland legislation against masked intimidation. Summary: 'Prohibiting a person from intentionally harassing, intimidating, or threatening another person while hiding or concealing their face'. Airborne virus masking seems exempted mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/fnote...

Only a few days before #50501 #BuildTheResistance President's (No Kings) Day protests all over!

Everything you need (including volunteer sign up) for DC at linktr.ee/50501DC

(We are also seeking speakers who have been affected by [gestures widely] stuff these past few weeks.

Including yesterday.

That's a good thing, though. If he's golfing, he's possibly breaking fewer things?

Plov A few years ago Uzbek cuisine made a surprising but welcome appearance in the US as a startlingly large fraction of Russian restaurants suddenly rebranded to Uzbek or Rus/Uz and changed about half of ...

I have a food blog I forget to update! I updated it!

spotlightgargoyle.wixsite.com/gargoyle-gou...

A bag of Herr's brand Fire Roasted Sweet Corn flavored popcorn, featuring the brand name, a picture of a corn on the cob with roast marks and a pat of butter surrounded by aggressively yellow popped popcorn kernels. The top of the bag brags "Satisfaction guaranteed". The bottom shows Gluten Free and OU-D marks.

What if you had corn-flavored popcorn? The corn corn is the corniest (if corn flavoring were corn): the kernels are covered with a salty-sweet-buttery-corny powder. Insanity or mad genius?

A close-up of a heap of irregularly cut cubes of cheese in shades of yellowish-orange, some with rind.

A friend brought chhurpi from Nepal: the world's hardest cheese. Too hard to chew if you're not a dog, so you suck and gnaw small cubes of it. For hours. It's mild and lightly smoky like a smoked gouda. I'm promptly addicted and bought more on Amazon. (It says it's 100% human-safe)

A screenshot of r/Albuquerque reddit as follows: Community Safety Warning: February Protests ⚠️ COMMUNITY SAFETY WARNING ⚠️ We have, within the past 2 days, received an influx of dozens of posts promoting protests/events occurring in early February. Common terms include “50 protests in 50 states” and “50501”. A quick review reveals these to be extremely suspect for the following reasons: All have been posted by new accounts, or accounts that have never/minimally been active in r/Albuquerque. There are never any details issued other than brief “meet at the capitol, meet at city hall,” etc. Information stated in text may conflict with that presented in graphics. No organizers, permits, speakers, etc. are ever mentioned. Follow up questions (both in comments and Mod mail) are unanswered, aside from brief, cryptic comments like “you’ll find out what we’re planning when you get there.” Mentions of this event on other social media are overwhelmingly similarly faceless in nature (e.g, AI voice only, “I [new account] heard about this but I won’t be able to go”). This is all extremely fishy and we ask you to please treat it with extreme caution. I’ve left one post up (and included with it this same safety warning). All further posts promoting this event will be removed.

Seeing cautions and warnings about the 50 states protests. www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerqu...

Calling in to go to the thing or just to not show up?

50501 50 PROTESTS - 50 STATES - 1 DAY #50501 - 2/5/25 - YOUR STATE CAPITOL Can't Travel? Your Country Still Needs You! Participate Wherever You Are; Check the Community Highlights for Info!

Have folks been hearing much about 50 Protests in 50 States on Feb 5th? www.reddit.com/r/50501/

I don't know. My past employer was full of people who were easily confused by intimidating memos. Good people, good workers, cared about doing good, not great readers in unusual situations. Right now folks are scared and vulnerable and some will knee-jerk toward what seems like safety.

There exists a fraudulent website Looney Dodo. There exists an awesome game design company Looney Labs.

Google AI decided contact info for the latter is how you reach the former. Fixed now thanks to an effort to downvote the result, but add one more to "don't trust AI summaries" column.

3 Kellogs cereal boxes depicting new "glazed donut hole" flavors: Frosted Flakes, Krave (what the heck is Krave?) and Apple Jacks.

Sampling Kellogg's Donut Holes Frosted Flakes. They resemble neither in taste or texture. Not bad as a standalone, but disappointing as member of Frosted Flake family. Ain't grrrrreat.

Our website is on Wordpress. In light of this, I'd love to rehost it elsewhere. What are good elsewheres these days?

Poorly.

The Rude Mechanicals No Holds Bard

In these troubled times we cope by coming together to make art. The Seagull opens tomorrow. Much Ado auditions are Monday. An escape, a community, a family, a support network - theater is ours and we hope it may be yours too. rudemechanicals.com

That's all fine and good, but it feels more pleasant to me both as a writer and as a reader.