And here we are again... 🦃🍁🥧

WTAF to be grateful for when the world is a garbage fire? Pie, there's always pie. 😂

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Democracy… or my Dad? Hard to say.

Hello, Lovelies, How the hell are you?

I won’t take up too much of your time—what with the holiday being so close. I’ve got to tend to these crazies, but I’ll be back next week with the further adventures of Ellery and a super, exciting surprise announcement. Ghaaahg!!! I’m a terrible secret keeper. For now, I’m still marveling that less than a week ago I was here…

Nighttime in Huai Hai

I love that the Chinese adore Otis Redding and that instead of recharging your car for ages, a little robot just swaps out your dead battery for a newly charged one and away you go! Why don’t we do that?

In the meantime, just a few bits and bobs to distract you:

If you need to check out from your family entirely, I recommend this:

Taffy Brodesser-Akner recently said, “I'm a big fan of the nervous breakdown as a completely rational response.” Hard agree, but instead of toppling into madness this year, I’m going to cajole our lot into singing. We’re all musically inclined, so it makes sense dramaturgically. I’m having this as our big number before dinner:

Yeah, we’re hams. Growing up down the road from Charles Schulz, this was the soundtrack of my childhood. All Guaraldi, all the time… (Thanks to

Susan Campbell

for tracking it down!)

Perfect for pie duty. I will be making this Brûléed Bourbon-Maple Pumpkin Pie with creme fraiche—it’s a better version of the one I made during the election:

We like to throw in a little Bonnie at the end of the night. Her voice is so pure in this cut—even if it ends too quickly.

A magic word

Also, here’s a wonderful word to quietly remind you that you’re still wicked smart should you find yourself drowning in a sea of gloating, moronic Trumpers…

Petrichor is the pleasant, earthy smell that occurs when rain falls on dry soil.

Just repeat it to yourself like a mantra or a Gregorian chant and you’ll automatically feel better. I learned it while researching my bee/climate book. More on this soon.

And how about a little Proust?

And maybe a game?

Squareword is a two-dimensional Wordle, where both the rows and columns in a grid make up five-letter words. Try it yourself here. I’ll be back in like… a million years.

Then, this last gem…

In 1976, 20th Century Fox released a teaser trailer for a little film called Star Wars…aka “the story of a boy, a girl, and a universe”. No James Earl Jones voiceover for Vader, and no John Williams score (which wasn’t finished until just two months before the film premiered), but what a difference it made! Check it.

The glaring absence makes me appreciate Williams's genius all the more. Oh, and here’s a crazy factoid from

Chris Stanton

… Apparently, John Williams’s son was the lead singer of Toto for a while. Huzzah! Worlds collide! 😂 💥

Ok, have a great holiday! I am so thankful for you :)

Yours in Tofurkey - xoxo, gotham girl

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