PicoBlog

I still have a broken shoulder, and still can’t drive, so I am unable to do most of the surprising things I usually can do to celebrate Brian’s, my husband’s, birthdays. But I can type, so as he is in the other room, working on his camera, I can sit a room away writing this birthday letter, that will surprise this very unusual Aries in his inbox — and introduce him to you all a bit more.

[ Readers, comments on the project  (No. 16558) are due to MEPA by Monday, Jan. 23rd, and can be submitted directly at: https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/PublicComment/UI/searchcomment, or via email to: purvi.patel@mass.gov. - Ed. ] (BRIDGEWATER) — Lake Nippenicket, a 354-acre Great Pond in Bridgewater that serves as a source for both the Town River and the Taunton River, supports a productive fishery, and sits in the heart of the vast Hockomock Swamp — the largest freshwater wetland in Massachusetts — is threatened by a proposed 68.

This morning, while walking into the woods behind the ancient castle in my island village, I stumbled upon a fairy tree, a magical portal believed to connect our human realm with the enchanting world of elves and fairies.  It wasn't my first encounter with one of these fascinating little places of wonder in this forest, but this one amidst towering oak trees surpassed all others.  It was a chilly morning, and the woods, devoid of fellow wanderers in this grey and misty season, embraced a serene stillness.

Keep scrolling for ChatGPT’s meltdown. This week’s edition of infinite scroll is brought to you by Coach Love, the new fruity, floral fragrance from Coach. Coach Love opens with top notes of Wild Strawberry, features a rich heart note of Red Velvet Rose, and dries down to dries down with a warm base note of Cedarwood. Coach Love is a fragrance that celebrates love in all its forms, available now in retailers and online.

Since I only feature one video a week in this column, I often struggle with which films to write about. Do I stick to just the big box office hits? Or try to showcase something smaller and quirkier? In truth, it’s probably wiser to concentrate on the high-profile movies since more people are interested in them. But in this age of exploding content, I think it’s a critic’s highest duty to point people in the direction of worthy films that they haven’t heard about.

A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.

Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls battled to a split-decision draw last night in the Magnificent 7 main event for the British middleweight title in Birmingham. After 12 all-action rounds, one judge scored the fight 116-113 in favour of Heaney, another had it 115-114 to Pauls and the third judge presented a 114-114 scorecard. Despite Heaney dominating the early rounds by boxing on the back foot, Pauls hurt the British champion in rounds eight and 11 and was close to scoring a couple of knockdowns.

The world watched whilst Britney Spears rose to fame dressed in ‘sexy schoolgirl’ uniform dancing in a school gym, singing ‘hit me baby, one more time’. They watched as she become a global phenomenon and sex symbol. They laughed as she was chased endlessly by the press. As she struggled to cope. As she shaved her head. As she struggled to keep custody of her children. As she was sectioned and medicated.

This post is dedicated to Mike Wrotniak, an American living in London who drew my attention to this phenomenon. How do you end a conversation with someone? Most of us probably assume that this is a straightforward process. A conversation winds down and both parties say ‘goodbye’ – or some variant thereof – bringing the conversation to its natural end. At the risk of stoking social anxiety in readers, nothing could be further from the truth.