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!

NCDS Update: Flight 2 Closed
August 19, 2008 · 20 Comments

Prevailing flavors: cookies and cream; fudge ripple (barely, in a minor upset); sticky toffee pudding (upset); Heath Bar Crunch; Key Lime Pie (upset); both regular and mint chocolate chips; and rainbow sherbet.   This will …

Support Local Biz: August 18, 2008
August 18, 2008 · 5 Comments
Support Local Biz: August 18, 2008

News of the N.C. Double Scoop: Flight 1 voting has closed. Proceeding to the next round: cookie dough; black raspberry/Oregon blackberry (upset) (well, it was an upset; I am the opposite of upset about it); …

Tropic Thunder
August 17, 2008 · 26 Comments
<I>Tropic Thunder</I>

Tropic Thunder seemed almost guaranteed to disappoint, because I couldn’t wait to see it and really wanted to love it.It didn’t disappoint, and I did love it, but not for the reasons I’d expected to.
The …

The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 4: Write-Ups
August 17, 2008 · 49 Comments
The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 4: Write-Ups

Confused? Click here. To vote, click here.
1 Vanilla vs. 16 olive oil. You do have some vanilla-loathers out there, but I can’t imagine they’d make this one close.
8 Irish cream vs. 9 Gold Medal Ribbon. …

The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 3: Write-Ups
August 16, 2008 · 50 Comments
The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 3: Write-Ups

Confused?Click here. To vote, click here.
1 Strawberry vs. 16 bacon. Bacon ice cream isn’t appetizing to me — even if I could eat it (can’t; vegequarian), I’d probably pass, because it just sounds way too …

The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 2: Write-Ups
August 15, 2008 · 57 Comments
The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 2: Write-Ups

Confused?Click here. To vote, click here.
1 Cookies and cream vs. 16 spumoni. Okay, I admit it. I didn’t know what spumoni was until Bunting put it out there for the commenters. And then I …

The Vine: August 15, 2008
August 15, 2008 · 16 Comments

Okay Sars,
I hope the eagle-eyed readers out there can help me.I was getting a bagel this morning and saw a woman with these awesomely cute quilted ballet shoes on.I asked her where she got them …

The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 1: Write-Ups
August 14, 2008 · 87 Comments
The N.C. Double Scoop Round Of 64, Flight 1: Write-Ups

Welcome to the N.C. Double Scoop’s Round of 64!Below, the commentary for Flight 1.Confused?The main NCDS page is right here, and you can find the full bracket here.
The tentative schedule as of this writing: Flight …

The Vine: August 13, 2008
August 13, 2008 · 75 Comments

Dear Sarah,
I’ve often followed your advice, but this is the first time I’ve written in.
If you are, say, a florist, musician, or photographer, and your friend or relative asks you if you would do the …

The N.C. Double Scoop
August 13, 2008 · 46 Comments

The food bracket has returned…with ice-cream flavors.   What better way to wind summer down than with an out-and-out brawl at the freezer case?   Keckler and I can’t think of one.
The main tourney-update page …