Baseball

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

Culture and Criticism

From Norman Mailer to Wendy Pepper — everything on film, TV, books, music, and snacks (shut up, raisins), plus the Girls’ Bike Club.

Donors Choose and Contests

Helping public schools, winning prizes, sending a crazy lady in a tomato costume out in public.

Stories, True and Otherwise

Monologues, travelogues, fiction, and fart humor. And hens. Don’t forget the hens.

The Vine

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

Prop 8 is enough
November 14, 2008 · 76 Comments
Prop 8 is enough

It’s more than enough, in fact.   We’ve had more than enough codified discrimination in this country over its long and sometimes misguided history, and whatever semantics those in favor of Proposition 8 choose to …

In Critical Condition
November 13, 2008 · 10 Comments

Critical Condition is actually the beautiful and talented Mark Blankenship’s blog, and I’ve got a guest piece up over there about the return of Unsolved Mysteries.

The Vine: November 12, 2008
November 12, 2008 · 32 Comments

Hi Sars,
Given your experience in both the blogging and publishing worlds, I’m hoping you can help me out with some questions about the relationship (or lack thereof?) between the two.
I am a writer who, since …

The Vine: November 7, 2008
November 7, 2008 · 24 Comments

Hi Sars,
I read a science fiction book in my teens in the nineties, and I can’t remember the title.
It was about people genetically engineering their kids to not ever need sleep.For example, when they …

Prizing update
November 7, 2008 · 20 Comments

The prizing phase has begun; please make sure your spam filters will accept emails from me, and do get back to me as soon as you can if you get a win notification — we’ve …

Two more things, only one of which is embarrassing
November 6, 2008 · 30 Comments

The non-embarrassing: you guys, the Newsweek special election report is gripping stuff.   All day, I’ve given myself one page each time I finish something from my to-do list, but a little while ago I …

Two embarrassing things
November 6, 2008 · 41 Comments
Two embarrassing things

1. Thing the first: you know how you keep seeing the ads for Stylista and saying aloud, “Please, who would watch that?”   I would, as it turns out.     AND I LOVE IT. …

The Vine: Novembama 5, 2008
November 5, 2008 · 100 Comments

Dear Sars,
Here’s an etiquette question I can’t seem to find addressed anywhere online.
My in-laws are inappropriately invested in my thank-you-note writing.

Yes We KECHONK!
November 5, 2008 · 187 Comments
Yes We KECHONK!

In lieu of the regular Vine, a few words of advice: remember when this happened, and how awesome it felt. Remember that you, the Nation, have improved the lives of tens of thousands of people. …

Please please please, let me, let me, let meeeee get what I waaaaaant this tiiiiime
November 3, 2008 · 184 Comments
Please please please, let me, let me, let meeeee get what I waaaaaant this tiiiiime

Election Day is nigh at last; I can’t WAIT to vote.   And, honestly, to have this campaign madness over with at last…not to mention the last eight years’ worth.
In case it didn’t go without …