Mike Vachow
@mikevachow.bsky.social
Use every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping?
STL
STL
Pinned
Can't say I ever expected to see a "That Font was No Angel" headline. But here we are.
As an 80s kid, I recognize this as the work of that shitbird kid in HS whose social power was entirely derived from determining what was and was not “gay.” That’s who’s in charge now.
The Christmas season is a time for ghost stories. Kate Russell’s The Prospectors is one of my favorites.
“The Prospectors”
A new story: “Perhaps the knowledge of one’s death, ceaselessly swallowed, is the very food you need to become a ghost.”
www.newyorker.com
December 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM
The Christmas season is a time for ghost stories. Kate Russell’s The Prospectors is one of my favorites.
I long for the good ol' days, and by gool ol' days I mean when Dersh was refused service by a mislocated Yinzer selling pierogis at a farmers' market on Martha's Vineyard.
December 12, 2025 at 8:37 PM
I long for the good ol' days, and by gool ol' days I mean when Dersh was refused service by a mislocated Yinzer selling pierogis at a farmers' market on Martha's Vineyard.
Offering myself for hire to major media outlets as the “does this AI image/statement scream kick me?” monitor. No one, it seems, currently has this job.
I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork
December 12, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Offering myself for hire to major media outlets as the “does this AI image/statement scream kick me?” monitor. No one, it seems, currently has this job.
Skeet of the year?
December 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Skeet of the year?
Marking this day when I extracted my HP WiFi "Smart" printer from the closet where it has slumbered for months, plugged it in, waited a scant 2 minutes while it performed its limbering exercises, and effortlessly printed, signed, scanned and returned a document to a client.
(immediately hit by bus)
(immediately hit by bus)
December 11, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Marking this day when I extracted my HP WiFi "Smart" printer from the closet where it has slumbered for months, plugged it in, waited a scant 2 minutes while it performed its limbering exercises, and effortlessly printed, signed, scanned and returned a document to a client.
(immediately hit by bus)
(immediately hit by bus)
This tracks with my contention that my Costco jug of vitamins are 100% life conferring. I take one each day, and, sure enough, I'm still alive the next day. MAHA has provided extraordinary benefits to my health.
FOX: Are data centers jacking up rates on everyday Americans?
BURGUM: 100% false
FOX: Why?
BURGUM: The highest electric prices in this country are Hawaii and Maine, and there are no data centers there
BURGUM: 100% false
FOX: Why?
BURGUM: The highest electric prices in this country are Hawaii and Maine, and there are no data centers there
December 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
This tracks with my contention that my Costco jug of vitamins are 100% life conferring. I take one each day, and, sure enough, I'm still alive the next day. MAHA has provided extraordinary benefits to my health.
As an 80s kid, I recognize this as the work of that shitbird kid in HS whose social power was entirely derived from determining what was and was not “gay.” That’s who’s in charge now.
Can't say I ever expected to see a "That Font was No Angel" headline. But here we are.
December 11, 2025 at 1:37 PM
As an 80s kid, I recognize this as the work of that shitbird kid in HS whose social power was entirely derived from determining what was and was not “gay.” That’s who’s in charge now.
Just want to say that a Kid Rock/Boebert dalliance, much less a romance, is absolute perfection, a true Reese's combo.
Lauren Boebert will have to explain to the ethics committee how it was important constituent outreach to watch a man in a tank top scream rhymes from 1998.
December 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Just want to say that a Kid Rock/Boebert dalliance, much less a romance, is absolute perfection, a true Reese's combo.
Reposted by Mike Vachow
"The grandma who starts smoking or drinking again; the grandpa who starts trying to feel up women in public. It’s terrifying even when they’re powerless, knowing that a familiar mind is gone, replaced by an ungoverned one, driven by an adolescent array of misfiring impulses."
@mobute.bsky.social
@mobute.bsky.social
The Sheriff of Sundown City - Truthdig
As the final regulators burn out of the machine, Trump's mental retrogression has no limit but his expiration date.
www.truthdig.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
"The grandma who starts smoking or drinking again; the grandpa who starts trying to feel up women in public. It’s terrifying even when they’re powerless, knowing that a familiar mind is gone, replaced by an ungoverned one, driven by an adolescent array of misfiring impulses."
@mobute.bsky.social
@mobute.bsky.social
A rash of spam calls from spoofed IL numbers has greatly elevated my knowledge of tiny, downstate villages. I never answer the call, but I almost always look up the town.
December 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
A rash of spam calls from spoofed IL numbers has greatly elevated my knowledge of tiny, downstate villages. I never answer the call, but I almost always look up the town.
Reposted by Mike Vachow
Our ILL service has been getting hit with a number of requests for sources that simply don't exist and y'all know it's only going to get worse 🫠
I wish a notice like this wasn't necessary.
www.icrc.org/en/article/i...
www.icrc.org/en/article/i...
Important notice: AI-generated archival references
www.icrc.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Our ILL service has been getting hit with a number of requests for sources that simply don't exist and y'all know it's only going to get worse 🫠
The RDP craves Waymo!
Waymo hired lobbyists and reached out to elected officials before its public launch, potentially helping to fend off roadblocks.
Self-driving taxi firm Waymo lays political groundwork to launch in St. Louis
Waymo hired lobbyists and reached out to elected officials before its public launch, potentially helping to fend off roadblocks.
www.stltoday.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:26 PM
The RDP craves Waymo!
Reposted by Mike Vachow
this other one from that "The Cost of Living" series. really complicated image. those guys back there. full three dimensional space with two apertures playing against each other. that rainbow sweater, the flowers, forlorn young parents and look out here comes a baby head
December 8, 2025 at 12:49 PM
this other one from that "The Cost of Living" series. really complicated image. those guys back there. full three dimensional space with two apertures playing against each other. that rainbow sweater, the flowers, forlorn young parents and look out here comes a baby head
LA public transit is improving. Took the Metro from Santa Monica to LAX. Rail part was slick, but buses from LAX/Metro Transit Center have to compete with auto traffic, adding an extra 20+ mins on a busy day. They’re building a direct people mover super light rail.
December 8, 2025 at 12:12 AM
LA public transit is improving. Took the Metro from Santa Monica to LAX. Rail part was slick, but buses from LAX/Metro Transit Center have to compete with auto traffic, adding an extra 20+ mins on a busy day. They’re building a direct people mover super light rail.
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
Holiday mode activated
Holiday mode activated
December 7, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
Holiday mode activated
Holiday mode activated
Santa Monica is another example of the “curated real world” that @kyla.bsky.social describes in this brilliant essay, so many scenes where money has almost entirely dissolved the delta bw the Insta versions of people and places and their IRL versions.
The Most Valuable Commodity in the World is Friction
AI Chatbots, Newark, and the West Village Girls
kyla.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Santa Monica is another example of the “curated real world” that @kyla.bsky.social describes in this brilliant essay, so many scenes where money has almost entirely dissolved the delta bw the Insta versions of people and places and their IRL versions.
Some excellent SoCal brick masonry
December 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Some excellent SoCal brick masonry
An Eagles fan rally on Santa Monica pier today
December 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
An Eagles fan rally on Santa Monica pier today
Before the portal, there was always that small group of people at the holiday party who were totally glued to the Peach Bowl. Now everyone is free to socialize, as every non CFB game (and even some of them) is just party white noise.
December 7, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Before the portal, there was always that small group of people at the holiday party who were totally glued to the Peach Bowl. Now everyone is free to socialize, as every non CFB game (and even some of them) is just party white noise.
In LA for work. Drove by the Paramount studios at night, and they look exactly like they do in every movie set shot where there are 5 chorus girls, an elephant, and Jesus walking between studios. Total jaw drop tourist.
December 7, 2025 at 6:38 PM
In LA for work. Drove by the Paramount studios at night, and they look exactly like they do in every movie set shot where there are 5 chorus girls, an elephant, and Jesus walking between studios. Total jaw drop tourist.
Love or hate the portal but there’s no refuting it’s turned the non-CFB bowl games into white noise entertainment at best.
December 7, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Love or hate the portal but there’s no refuting it’s turned the non-CFB bowl games into white noise entertainment at best.
Lots of great stuff here for the holidays.
David Byrne Radio Presents: Christmas Music For People Who Hate Christmas Music
www.mixcloud.com
December 7, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Lots of great stuff here for the holidays.
I dreaded that first robin so,
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,
He hurts a little, though.
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,
He hurts a little, though.
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 7, 2025 at 8:13 AM
I dreaded that first robin so,
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,
He hurts a little, though.
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,
He hurts a little, though.
Our current dystopia: schools go on lockdown bc ICE.
As immigration crackdown continues, Michigan schools sometimes caught in middle
Michigan school districts have been advised to have protocols in place for if ICE comes, but also how to support students with immigration concerns.
www.detroitnews.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Our current dystopia: schools go on lockdown bc ICE.