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: January 2, 2007
January 2, 2007 · No Comment

Happy holiday, Sars!
An easy, quick and not too boring way to speed up typing is the game TyperShark. This can be found on Yahoo Games and other sites, I believe.
B

The Vine: December 22, 2006
December 22, 2006 · No Comment

I’d like advice on hair products to tame static.I’m a wash-and-go kinda girl with baby fine hair, and I don’t use any product on a daily basis, but I am willing to add a minute …

The Vine: December 21, 2006
December 21, 2006 · No Comment

Hi Sars,
As someone who grew up on the West Coast, I’ve always liked Goretex or a
similar material when looking for a raincoat, as it keeps you dry but is a
breathable material (helpful when it’s rainy …

The Vine: December 20, 2006
December 20, 2006 · No Comment

The Smithsonian Store sells a desk cube with a clock, barometer,
thermometer and hygrometer. It costs $140.
M

Dear M,
Thanks!More clocks appear below; if I heard about it more than once, it’s asterisked.
Amazon.com: Chass Desk Accents Cube Weather …

The Vine: December 19, 2006
December 19, 2006 · No Comment

I have a feeling this might be The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.The
version I had as a child had a lot of red on the cover, the stock market
does figure prominently in one of the …

The Vine: December 15, 2006
December 15, 2006 · No Comment

Hi Sars,
The letter from the reader asking for help to find the title of a book
they read as a kid made me think to ask your readers for help to hunt
down a book from my …

The Vine: December 14, 2006
December 14, 2006 · No Comment

Sars —
I have three sheddy cats and lots of tile –- I find that the dry Swiffer cloths can get stuck in the grout and leave more white fluffy mess to clean up, so I …

The Vine: December 13, 2006
December 13, 2006 · No Comment

Hi,
A year ago, my partner and I entered into a foster/adopt situation with
a two-day-old baby with only four hours’ notice. We knew from the second
that we met her that we really, really, really wanted to …

The Vine: December 12, 2006
December 12, 2006 · No Comment

I love, love, love George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
It’s very addictive and I think he is the best author I have ever read.
AR

Dear AR,
Thanks — I got lots and lots …

Me, Myself, and Pie
December 11, 2006 · No Comment

When you first hear the old saw about never discussing sex, religion, or politics in polite company, you think to yourself, my God how dull. Your mother explains to you the reasoning behind the principle …