Zhara Bowen Howell

Happy Pi day! See below: no average pastry, no lesser gallette, not even a mean empenada. No matter how you divide it, this is pie. Share a slice with others and multiply the smiles. Statistically speaking, the most frequently occurring way to enjoy is of course, a-la mode.

Center foreground - a thumb and first finger hold the wooden handle of a shiny portafilter reflecting the image of a hand holding a cell phone. The distorted image of bright light through an open window is also visible in the reflection. In the background - a manual press espresso maker and container of dark roast coffee. A small white spoon is partially visible, resting on a wooden cutting board supporting the press.

Proof of life selfie. Espresso morning with peeps at home; was forced to listen to some very bad puns about the compressed grounds, aka "the puck."
I'll let your imagination run with that.

I'm so sorry. So many people in this country are really, really broken.

The worst thing MAGA has done is to make the rest of us the kind of people who celebrate when people lose their homes.

You say that as if it's a bad thing.

From above, a photograph of snow in bright sunshine. There is texture, but the snow is pure white. In the center, a barely detectable pair of pointy white ears, dark eyes, and tips of paws are seen, as the snow white dog lays on their back, facing the camera. The dog is exactly the same color as the snow, rendering them nearly invisible.

Not all Ben & Jerry's flavors make it out of the testing phase. #SamoyedCrunch

Led in the bread? I hate that. Do you think it was too much juice in the berries? Baking powder past it's best date? Oven not hot enough? I love to cook, but baking always wants to fight me.

Spread out on a sea of textured violet linen fabric, a pile of colorful loose threads, a small pencil, and the handles of a small pair of scissors are in the foreground. A celadon hand-thrown tea bowl with maker's mark and a coiled tape measure are seen in the background.

"In a time of destruction, create something: a poem, a parade, a community, a school, a vow, a moral principle; one peaceful moment." - Author Maxine Hong

Who's heard Mika's new twangy version of his song Relax? All country-fried and everything.

It's a terrible, but accurate, first thought. You are not alone.

The self-help genre makes its money from convincing people without means that they don't just stand a real chance against a system that is powerfully rigged against them, but that they already should have ridden that system to the top rung by now.

A faded denim hat, apparently made from recycled blue jeans. In the front center of the hat, a large rip that has been repaired with many colors of thread, creating a prism effect.

2025.
I have no profound words, only a bizarre mix of weary, horrified dread and sublime joy. The dread, of course, is national, global. The joy is very, very local. Hold your loved ones close, everyone. Make art, pinch pennies, get outside and enjoy what you still can, while you still can.

'98 - I smiled my way into the office daily, eager to see my students. My knees let me walk wherever I wanted with few complaints; I danced, climbed stuff, and could stand for hours. '06 - knees still let me walk and dance a little, and I married the nerdiest soul mate evah. So yeah, either one.

Nothing like an Edward Gorey piece to capture the spirit of the holidays.

Such a typical American. Anything but metric.

For something entertaining on this chilly Thursday, fire up your browser and googles up the term " emordnilap machine ." Go on, you'll have fun.

The Chaos Potato declines to have his cozy shirt removed. Stay warm, y'all.

Always distrusted those plug-in monitoring devices from the insurance company. Who needs that when you can have a wolf spirit keeping an eye on your driving?
Now where's my safe driver discount?

Who's ready?