LAN SAMANTHA CHANG’S CHOICE FOR “FIVE BEST NOVELS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP.” I have never read any of these! A smorgasbord of recommendations! Via MLY. Read more

ICONICITY: Yesterday I went to the Meridian International Center’s “Glory of Ukraine” exhibit, which focuses on icons but includes altar crosses, Bibles, and Ukrainian arts and crafts dating back to many millennia before the birth of Christ. It’s a terrific exhibit, completely free, and if you’re in the District area I highly recommend it. I may be writing about it a bit more for my Inside Catholic column. Be sure to check out the directions before you go! The center... Read more

KITCHEN ADVENTURES: TEST YOUR SWEET TOOTH. I truly love these savory baked wontons, and for a while now I’ve been wanting to try a dessert variation. I finally got around to it! The basic procedure for making the wontons is exactly the same as the ginger/mushroom/garlic/cream cheese ones. For the filling I used peeled chopped pear (you have to peel European pears because their skins toughen up when they cook, or so the Internet tells me), cream cheese, cinnamon, and... Read more

THE LAUGHING SUN: I know I just got finished explaining that biology is destiny in the Palomar stories. But what struck me upon rereading the material collected in this volume, dominated by the titular story of a serial killer’s stay in the town, is the power of ideas. Not emotional or sexual drives, even, like the web of lust and unrequited love surround Luba’s mother Maria in the suite of stories that forms the second half of the collection, but... Read more

UNMARKED: Amy Ziettlow at Family Scholars; especially appropriate for tomorrow’s feast: …A room on the back of the Overseer’s House contains a coffin from that time as well as mourning costumes and customs exhibits. I was most intrigued by this quote: “Mourning, during the 18th and 19th centuries, was governed by a strict set of cultural rules. Clothing, in particular women’s clothing, was strictly dictated by cultural customs of the day. […] Even children and children’s toys were not free... Read more

A LIST OF COSTUMES SEEN TONIGHT (THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE): Pirate, white guys as a cowboy and an Indian (…really?), kung-fu master (an actual Asian), man-vampire, lady-vampire (unrelated to previous), sexy bumblebee, sexy NYT crossword puzzle, something green on head, trashy black wig, bearded lady or possibly male nurse, Joker, heterosexual jellyfish couple, Captain America, flapper, Red King, a Democrat, possibly a spoiled child???, and my personal favorite, a satyr in a sport coat. Read more

I ALWAYS REMEMBER MELCHISEDEC AS THE RAT WHO WAS A FRIEND TO SARA CREWE…: Oh, this is a lovely tribute to new priests. I didn’t cry, because I don’t generally, but I made some very pathetic noises at times. We need you! We love you, and at least in my case, even my reflexive anti-clericalism is a form of entitlement mentality, since whenever a priest is actually administering a sacrament I basically forget everything I ever disliked about bishops-in-general. We... Read more

I THINK I POSTED THIS LAST YEAR, but come on, no one who loves I Walked with a Zombie as much as I do can possibly pass up this sock-hop REM tribute. Read more

CLICK CLICK: I grew up loving The Addams Family, without knowing quite why, until one day as an adult I realized: These people are an aristocratic, trad-Catholic homeschooling family trapped in a sterile Protestant suburb! more! (and yeah, there’s some Cat’lick triumphalism here as vs. both Protestants and Orthodox Christians. I think the piece is still worth reading even if you’re in those camps–let Zmirak be Zmirak!–but you know your own annoyance-level best.) Read more

ATTACK ADS OF THE FOUNDERS. Probably via Jesse Walker. Read more