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!

Other Desert Cities: Salting the earth
February 8, 2012 · 8 Comments
<I>Other Desert Cities</I>: Salting the earth

I really liked the performances, except for one, and I really liked the overall play, until the last 15 minutes. The first thing is not fatal to most plays, and it isn’t to Other Desert …

The Vine: February 8, 2012
February 8, 2012 · 35 Comments
The Vine: February 8, 2012

I have an “expired friendship” question. I’ve known this friend (Mark, let’s say) since our first year of college, which was nearly twenty years ago. I considered him one of my closest friends, and he …

Oscars 2012 Death Race Update: 3 weeks to go
February 6, 2012 · 8 Comments
Oscars 2012 Death Race Update: 3 weeks to go

Current score: Oscars 35, Sarah 26; 5 categories completed (thanks, Hugo).
Again, the Press Play scorecard is here — and after a little detective work and an HTML meltdown, it should be a lot easier to …

The Vine: February 3, 2012
February 3, 2012 · 50 Comments
The Vine: February 3, 2012

Okay, Nation: I need your help. Between claw pulls, tears, and the fullness of fashion time, my black-cardigan fleet is down to one acceptable option, and even that one is kind of a C-plus. I …

The Vine: February 1, 2012
February 1, 2012 · 57 Comments
The Vine: February 1, 2012

For the past couple of years, I have asked for my birthday/Christmas for a charitable donation (mainly DonorsChoose). I even had a housewarming and asked guests that instead of a hostess gift, they make a …

Oscars 2012 Death Race Update: 4 weeks to go
January 30, 2012 · 6 Comments
Oscars 2012 Death Race Update: 4 weeks to go

Current score: Oscars 43, Sarah 18 (1 category completed)
Actually sitting slightly ahead of that, but have several write-ups still outstanding.
In case you missed them:
Warrior
A Better Life
A Cat In Paris
Not terribly confident at this point, but four …

The Vine: January 27, 2012
January 27, 2012 · 10 Comments
The Vine: January 27, 2012

There is an earworm that has been crawling around inside my brain for the better part of three decades, and I am seeking the assistance of TN’s loyal readers in identifying (and possibly purging) it.
My …

The Vine: January 25, 2012
January 25, 2012 · 10 Comments
The Vine: January 25, 2012

If I am describing how something relates to another thing, I generally use “in relation to” or “in respect of.” However, I keep seeing the phrase “with respect to” used in the same way. My …

Oscars Death Race 2012: Press Play, Dammit
January 24, 2012 · 24 Comments
Oscars Death Race 2012: Press Play, Dammit

Hello, and welcome (back) to the Oscars Death Race. As you may remember, the ODR is my ridonk attempt to see all the Oscar-nominated movies — ALL of them — before the ceremony. In that …

Nailed It: Shoe Vs. Poo
January 23, 2012 · 26 Comments
Nailed It: Shoe Vs. Poo

Okay, friends: I need your help. I just stepped dead in a post-snow, melty pile of dog crap. Fortunately, for once, I had on shoes with smooth soles — but 1) I usually don’t (see: …