(No spoilers that could impact anything, partly because this movie is so devoid of any meaningful structure that it’s not really possible to spoil anything.)

Did I miss something? Were there a bunch of other movies made in this cinematic universe that I didn’t see?

“He said he wants to maybe retire on a beach in Thailand with me,” says my friend over lunch. Out of context, it sounds like a pleasant enough idea. But she’s not thrilled about it.

“It’s so weird that he included me in that fantasy. As if I’m just an accessory. Like, he wasn’t asking if I want to be retired and living in Thailand. I’m just there to fill a role.”

I guess in the mind of the guy my friend is dating, she’s supposed to be laying there on the beach beside him, looking nice in a bikini…

(Big spoilers included. Don’t read this until you’ve watched the show. Which you should, because it’s pretty great.)

The second season of Mandalorian is, overall, great, and arguably better than the first season. There are issues, and I’m a little worried that they’ve set themselves up for a disappointing third season. But, these are the kinds of concerns you have when you like a show enough to care.

I’ve heard some complaints that the show is repetitive in nature. And it absolutely is. Just about every episode can be summed up as the Mandalorian showing up on a planet to…

Morphine is the fucking best. Can’t recommend it enough.

I’ve been prescribed morphine three or four times in my life. One time was Demerol, which I think is a form of morphine, but I’m not up on all the particulars. The other times, though, so far as the doctors explained to me, were just straight morphine.

One of those times was about twenty years ago, a few years after moving to Japan. I had neuralgia, which is a condition that effects your nervous system. …

(Major spoilers. This is not the kind of review that helps you decide if you should watch a movie, this is for people who’ve seen it and are wondering if everyone else is as disturbed as they are. Though, I think there’s a good chance this movie is going to not do very well, so maybe you want to read it instead of watching the movie.)

In the terrible Justice League movie, there’s a scene where Wonder Woman laments that she loved a man… once. …

Since eggnog is not really available in Tokyo, at least not for any reasonable price, I’ve been making my own.

The fact that this recipe can be made in a completely vegan way is actually just kind of incidental. The main reason this beat other recipes is that it’s super simple to make, but still tastes like the eggnog I remember drinking as a kid.

I’m calling it Vegg Nogg, because it’s vegan, and, just for kicks, the extra G’s make it seem like a brand name.

Ingredients

5 cups of a non-dairy milk of your choice ½ cup vanilla pudding…

On a Sunday morning at a Lululemon store, I found myself among a bunch of dudes, yelling out, “I am a great man!”

It was weird.

I have oppositional defiance disorder, so, obscured by everyone else’s voices, I would say my own thing, like, “I think I’m pretty good,” or, “I’m fine, thanks.” Nothing clever, just something to save myself from feeling like I was being obligated into a social ritual, which I instinctively rebel against. And also to protect myself from a sense of embarrassment, even though it seemed everyone else in the room found it motivating.

My friend…

(No meaningful spoilers. This review was written after episode four or five. If you’ve seen The Walking Dead or Fear the Walking Dead, you already know everything that’s going to happen on this show.)

For people who don’t like zombie stories, they probably all look the same. You have zombies, and people running away from them, and lots of gore. How is any of that interesting again after you’ve seen it done once?

For me, the appeal of zombie fiction, and apocalyptic fiction in general, is speculating on what people might do when civilization as we know it is wiped…