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!

The Vine: October 8, 2008
October 8, 2008 · 34 Comments

Dear Sars,
Four years ago, I moved into an apartment with my cousin, signing a month-to-month agreement.The rent was $1000, $500 each, plus utilities that we also split evenly.
In February 2007, my cousin started dating a …

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
October 8, 2008 · 20 Comments
<I>Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan</I>

It’s a surprisingly boring movie — too long, too many broody discussions about confronting death.It lacks tension, and the campiness that gives the duller episodes of TOS a shot in the arm isn’t consistent here.Yes, …

Update: 10/7, 12:30 PM
October 7, 2008 · 24 Comments

$36,400-ish right now; awesome work, my friends.   Keep pushing; only $330 left on the poetry challenge (don’t forget, a forwarded receipt enters you for a mini-prize, described below), and it’s not far to 40K, …

Update: 10/5, 6 PM
October 5, 2008 · 10 Comments

Good progress over the weekend; $33,500-ish as of this writing is pretty darn awesome.   Thanks so much for keeping it going.
I apologize for not getting my act together sooner on the weekend mini-prize, but …

Update: 10/3, 5:30 PM
October 3, 2008 · 8 Comments

Right now: 29K.
UM, THAT’S AWESOME.
(I can type the word “awesome” so quickly now, you wouldn’t believe.)
So, on pace to hit 30K shortly.   And at 40K, we get a matching burst of synchronicity from $ …

The Vine: October 3, 2008
October 3, 2008 · 57 Comments
The Vine: October 3, 2008

Hi, Sars —
I am desperately hoping that some of your amazing readers will have suggestions regarding decent, flavorful, non-alcoholic beer.If not, it’s going to be a long 9 months.For both me and my husband.
If …

Short-Term Drive
October 2, 2008 · 26 Comments

So, for starters: as of this writing, 22K+.   It’s my lucky number, 22, so I hope we can make some luck for the following projects that are set to expire in the next couple …

Update: 10/2, 5:30 PM
October 2, 2008 · 15 Comments

1. Go read all the nice comments from participating teachers here — I don’t know who tipped them, but it’s nice to have them here.   Welcome, guys!   Thanks for everything you do.
2. Readers: …

Update: 10/1, 3 PM
October 1, 2008 · 62 Comments

1. A few of you have asked how you can be sure you donated to the TN Challenge and not just willy-nilly.   Well, whatever you donated to, it’s still awesome, but if you entered …

The Vine: October 1, 2008
October 1, 2008 · 39 Comments

Hypothetical question about moral relativism.
Brian is in a competition.The prize is a small trophy and a $40 gift card to Applebee’s.Ashley is in the same competition.Emily is Brian’s friend; she’s not in the competition.
Emily has …