Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

I like my animals where I can see 'em--in photos featuring the prime minister at a private zoo on a billionaire's "farm" somewhere in Gujarat.

Do you sometimes find yourself playing back something really rude someone once said to you except in your mind movie, you've absolutely DESTROYED them as opposed to real life where you made some capitulating noises?

In 2025 I will be MORE pedantic because I think the world needs us now. Too long have we let facts slide!

Funny how fairy lights make everything feel a little more ✴️festive✴️

Made it to the end of the year in record time because it was just May 2024 last month.

sometimes berlin is perhaps... too weird. she also did this performance entirely naked except for some neon straps. i liked her vulnerability but it was just bizarre. what was the point, i thought when i exited. what was her story?

Under the category "I know you can but SHOULD you" yesterday we went for a weird performance art/theatre thing where she looped a video of her naked bottom literally shitting, like you saw the turds coming out, not once but TWICE and long & loving shots of this anus with the poop dangling from it

The Internet Personified: My best life-stuff this year A round up of my favourites in 2024

A new post! A recap of my favourite non book things this year https://open.substack.com/pub/mrm/p/the-internet-personified-my-best?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8al

SAME

Totally Baader Meinhof phenomenon but I saw the book Parallel Lives mentioned on a Lit Hub post about the best "old" books they had read that year, then I bought it & now I see it mentioned in this totally unrelated New Yorker article. Parallel Lives and I are meant to be.

It really is!

From the facebookdisabledme community on Reddit: Facebook suspended me because of a linked Instagram account that doesn’t belong to me Explore this post and more from the facebookdisabledme community

no, seriously, it's a thing. www.reddit.com/r/facebookdi...

not VERY sad, fb on way out, but i used it for the groups. was very useful to find cat sitters, free stuff, events etc etc.

ughhh there's a facebook security glitch which has disabled my account (something about a fake instagram profile.) looks like i won't get it back unless i pay for meta verified to talk to someone which pshhh as if. sadly i have now lost my fb account that i've had since 2004.

although now having purchased the new yorker sub for self, intimidated by the thought of having to read one a week. have decided to set an alarm to wake up earlier to write but maybe also to read all my magazines? (plus the fiction in my life.)

My husband got me a Harper's magazine subscription for my birthday and then my dad gave me some cash which I used to buy a New Yorker subscription so I'm going to read sooooo much print this year! (excited.) (i miss magazines. had a lrb experimental subscription this year, one of my best things.)

Paperback day!

Haven't been a journalist in years, let alone in charge of the listings pages but I still get press releases from all sorts of random places on the reg. I usually delete them sight unseen but this small PS on the top of the email made me cackle

oh, i identified. only made it worse! in one case, was a near stranger in my language class who looked exactly like a close friend who tragically passed away at age 20. watching her was like seeing this friend grown up. i couldn't stop staring.

like bad associations means i'm slightly cool towards the person in question & good ones are opposite. i'm so friendly, they pull back a little, like "what is wrong with this person" all because they remind me of someone else.

the thing is, as i age, my library of people i know just keeps growing, right? then i meet a totally new person who happens to look like someone i once knew which in turn affects my feelings towards them.

Currently re-reading Bel Canto which I've wanted to own in paperback for ages having only read an ebook version. I've always loved my e-reader (early adopter) but sometimes, even though I read hundreds of books on it, the book doesn't feel OWNED until it's on my actual wooden shelves.

I have this little second hand bookstore/cafe near my house which sells all books for €2.50. They have a small but impressive English language collection so here are the first of my birthday presents!

Books We Love Here are 350+ great reads from 2024 hand-picked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.

it's the most wonderfullll time of the year apps.npr.org/best-books/#... (no but i think this is my favourite best books round up each year)

The Internet Personified: What happened after Mallory Towers A little speculative fiction

a little enid blyton fanfic for your reading pleasure (that i wrote) mrm.substack.com/p/the-intern...

Our Very Large Cat (13.5 kilos, but he's just big boned!) sleeps all day and sometimes he snores so loudly and I'm alone at home and it's quite startling to hear these human sounds

The second half of my not-really-a-travelogue travelogue is out on my newsletter/blog substitute. I talk about Vienna (and yes, also recommend some food, but it's not really about what to see or eat in Vienna.) mrm.substack.com/p/the-intern...

ooooh tempting :)

maybe you guys have some suggestions. i'm throwing a birthday party next month. i'm going to put out some nibbles, cheese, dip etc. i want to do a warm main, but my best mains are meaty and i'll have one or two vegetarians. do i do only veg food to keep it friendly for all? or meat main & veg sides?

i might just ignore this knowledge 😬