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“I wrote 63 songs this year. They’re all about Jeter.” Just kidding. The game we love, the players we hate, and more.

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Stories, True and Otherwise

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The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

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Articles in Stories, True and Otherwise

The NC Double Scrooge Semifinals: Round Two
December 19, 2010 – 1:06 PM | 35 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge Semifinals: Round Two

Ack: December dates that start with 2! Travel stressing, muffling Barbie’s dream house in six miles of wrapping paper, sitting bolt upright at 3:28 AM all “stocking stuffers, shit shit shit,” not to mention the …

The NC Double Scrooge Semifinals: Round One
December 17, 2010 – 9:37 AM | 11 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge Semifinals: Round One

Below, you’ll find the semifinal polls for the Shopping, Entertainment, and Decor divisions. A couple of similar top finishers got merged into one entry; another poll has four semifinalists instead of three because only one …

The NC Double Scrooge: Storybook Division
December 16, 2010 – 9:17 AM | 110 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Storybook Division

And by “storybook,” we don’t really mean books; we mean non-song narratives generally. TV specials, disappointing and desperate reunions of sitcom casts that led to even more pathetic spin-offs, craven attempts to capitalize on kidly …

The NC Double Scrooge: Songbook Division
December 15, 2010 – 9:22 AM | 154 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Songbook Division

I’ve made my feelings about various Christmas songs clear elsewhere, so I won’t belabor the point, but today’s the day in the NC Double Scrooge on which we formally censure the holiday tunes we hate …

The NC Double Scrooge: Family/Social Division
December 14, 2010 – 9:28 AM | 64 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Family/Social Division

“I think it says ‘fragile,’ honey.”
It’s the interpersonal aspects of the holidays that cause the most stress — not because we hate everyone, either, although rage does occasionally play a role. It’s more about performance …

The NC Double Scrooge: Decor Division
December 13, 2010 – 12:57 PM | 106 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Decor Division

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree: how could such a lovely symbol cause so many problems? But it does — or perhaps it’s the futile quest for arboreal perfection that ties us in knots. Whatever …

The NC Double Scrooge: Entertainment Division
December 10, 2010 – 11:43 AM | 101 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Entertainment Division

“How many people do you think Keckler and Bunting offended with this poll? Show us with your hands.”
Today’s poll focuses on all manner of media disappointments: Christmas movies you’ve never really gotten, songs you can’t …

The NC Double Scrooge: Shopping Division
December 9, 2010 – 12:25 PM | 92 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: Shopping Division

“Shahhhhpping!”
We begin our roast of Christmas present in the retail ring. Have we left things out? Probably. That’s what the comment section is for. And therapy. And bourbon.

The NC Double Scrooge: An Introduction
December 9, 2010 – 9:47 AM | 43 Comments
The NC Double Scrooge: An Introduction

We should say right up front here that we don’t actually hate the holidays. Well, maybe Keckler does, but I don’t think so; I think she’s like me, in that she finds many things about …

Word Of The Day: “pwaft”
September 21, 2010 – 5:21 PM | 14 Comments
Word Of The Day: “pwaft”

I suspect that “pwaft” needs no definition, but I will let you supply your own in the comments section for a while and then formally update the entry.
Update: “Pwaft” is both a noun and a …