nostr:npub1amh2kw0pkdkj7nzgm0p9jveymsdas58angcjuf06cagmak06e43sxdcs86 Thanks for the recommendation! I enjoyed it!


Just your reminder that the US military budget is bonkers. 812 billion dollars, most on earth. We could cut our military budget in half and still be the top spenders. You wanna fight climate change? You want UBI or the government to do things that help people? Cut the military budget.


My review of the Decibel Magazine tour's stop in Boston. tl/dr: Catch Devil Master live if you possibly can. https://write.as/brendanhalpin/review-decibel-magazine-tour-at-the-middle-east-march-10-2024


Some things are complicated. Others are simple. In a time of climate crisis and a statewide transportation crisis, it's unconscionable for Massachusetts to be operating an airstrip for private jets at taxpayer expense. #MaPoli #CloseHanscom


TL;DR: It's bad to kill people.


Spooky Season movie review: Messiah of Evil!


No payola in my alphabetical file. 😦


Couch bound with post-vax fatigue AMA


nostr:npub1w83sdzs0y9vnvpfy6222vdmqgpkvhq69x6nk620wyxuuzzlar0js4yget0 nostr:npub18lr9u62xx09y66dkz4u4l5hrvm8z5et8zlwdzs3fme6n692wgl3qx9yv94 I bet that's Jacob Marley rattling the chains he forged in life


Biggest Oscar oversight ever? I'd say 1987. Sally Kellerman gave a credible performance as someone who found Rodney Dangerfield sexually attractive in Back to School. Not even a nomination!


nostr:npub1swlj69ahkxuwspkagmvm9sx5k9cxwynys9aaz08kp60kt7ycf6wqjgav98 It's about a 2-hour drive from Chicago. But I think you might be disappointed... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal,_Illinois


British TV cop: I'm DI Smythe-Throgbottom, and this is my DS.
Suspect: DS....?
British TV cop: DS NUTS! Ohhhhh! Got 'em!


In which I review two works of fantasy and call for more puerile, testicle-based humor in British crime shows: https://write.as/brendanhalpin/fantasy-media-reviews-dandd-and-karen-pirie


question for #writers about #publishing : have people been extraordinarily slow getting back to you, even by publishing standards? Are all the agents and editors spending all their time freaking out about AI and therefore unable to do anything else?


nostr:npub16mzsp9vtc8h6e986507sw88q3xzq5pfjaff30r5wcgfprksnf03s65uzxf This one's so close I wasn't sure it was satire at first


nostr:npub1m6n54fjleyce5yt5sgxmzucc42tg3dwjh7cc2zpt0d5acaylsxesjz0eqx Yep. There's also the "I am powerful enough to sic my followers on you" thing. In any case, it sucks.


Just unfollowed a Big Account™trying to involve us all in some beef they've got with a small account. I'm off Twitter. No time for that bullshit manufactured drama anymore.


I like Fangoria, but I chose not to renew my subscription because it's essentially a hype magazine.Which is cool, but I would like some more criticism, not just 'Hey guys! Look at this movie that's coming out!'


Somebody just downloaded my RPG for free and it made my day! I got novels, too! I'm thrilled whenever anything I make finds an audience. You wanna make my day? Grab a free ebook or RPG! https://bhalpin.gumroad.com/


If anybody needs me, I'll be diggin the scene with a gangster lean


The bass line on this song is really transcendent. Like actually gives me hope for humanity. https://youtu.be/gZFabOuF4Ps?si=h_z8yP6g6iz8FEOK


nostr:npub17qec3n8t4z6epyylk7yydsr5pw2fm4jnmnszlskjkfmppjgm5mgs7zrc53 amazing!


Is it me, or has book design gotten increasingly timid? I feel like every book cover these days looks like every other book cover these days.


nostr:npub17qec3n8t4z6epyylk7yydsr5pw2fm4jnmnszlskjkfmppjgm5mgs7zrc53 I can't believe this because I was such a Twitter addict, but I do not know of the air horn tweet. I mean, I can kind of get it from context, but if you can point me to it, that would be even better!


Roky Erickson song of the day: Bermuda
https://write.as/brendanhalpin/roky-erickson-song-of-the-day-bermuda


nostr:npub1m7u7y9egcwk3g4wf7l760drxdghlyy8l8qplcxqluue6z7ty6q6q40avsd Yep. I'm sure it still gets used, but not blithely in public like it used to


This is why it's weird to me that so many people my age are resistant to change and learning. The people who challenged me and pissed me off when I was in my teens and 20s were mostly right. Knowing this, I'm not gonna dismiss out of hand the people challenging me today.


I should add that none of this stuff just got better on its own. (except for the phone thing). Things got better because activists demanded it. And pissed people off. And made waves.


A lot of movies from the 80's, 90's, and early 2000s haven't aged well. Because the attitudes they have toward women, toward people of color, toward queer people, are no longer acceptable in mainstream society. They were then. It wasn't even edgelords trying to be daring--there was just a much higher ambient level of bigotry, homophobia, and misogyny in the culture.


If you were a teen and you wanted to talk to another teen, you had to call their home and usually talk to their parents. Some folks my age will probably say this built character or social skills or something. It did not. It was awful. Really happy kids today don't have to go through that.


Something else that's considerably less important but still good: EVERYONE used to smoke. Like, everyone. And they used to smoke everywhere. Planes, restaurants. I stopped going to see live music in my 20s because going to a club meant breathing in smoke for hours and coming home reeking of the stuff.


Everybody used to just throw "fag" and "faggot" around as generic insults. It's hard to explain to folks now how being gay was a shameful secret in the 80s. But maybe this will help. Paul Lynde, Charles Nelson Reilly, Liberace: not one of these  guys was out.


In my high school there were 200 students and probably 25 or 30 faculty members. In the 4 years I was there in the 80's, there were zero out queer people. This was not unusual.


A lot of stuff has gotten worse, but a lot of stuff has gotten measurably better in many respects during my lifetime. So here's a thread as I think of them. First: it's a hard time to be queer in the USA, but it used to be nearly impossible for a queer person to be themselves.


nostr:npub1hdz9tj7v8p4sq7kmk34y45r35qwry77n547slgfc7gvqhx6q6c9s57zlmn I wish I knew more about California geography so I could give you the good response I suspect this joke deserves!


Crime fiction review: 1979 by Val McDermid: https://write.as/brendanhalpin/review-1979-by-val-mcdermid


People act like weed isn't dangerous, but that shit is a gateway to jam bands


nostr:npub1w6kr0p0lff4tuphn90edd8yvwcpaqcclvcdtletm96xdvwf7tawsppduc8 Tolkein's dead! Give it a rest!


nostr:npub1w6kr0p0lff4tuphn90edd8yvwcpaqcclvcdtletm96xdvwf7tawsppduc8 just watched the D&D movie today and they had an American actor doing a British accent! Why?


nostr:npub10xgltprqhg36w7fv4uqwrkclsqqas39l79xe2r0wfdvalztawe4qlvh39u nostr:npub15074264qfye8gc2u9s3fdn2cq23x90mx372fluj8ff48hj22zrzqh7e4gg Before it eats me! Clearly a me or them scenario


My review of two mildly disappointing Netflix thrillers! https://write.as/brendanhalpin/not-sticking-the-landing-dear-child-and-the-woman-in-the-window


nostr:npub1drv84ayv6ss9dj5f98esau9hmvu60jl52mnedkpvt6mu5gmaleaqe4auf7 Aw, shucks!


nostr:npub1drv84ayv6ss9dj5f98esau9hmvu60jl52mnedkpvt6mu5gmaleaqe4auf7 definitely sub optimal. Fortunately I married well


nostr:npub19kr9jlq66y804t0a64adl39n5ztp3wunvaqv4q52k4cq3q685z2qu48m4r If the competence of Senators doesn't matter, why do we vote? Shouldn't we vote for a chief of staff who will appoint a Senator to do their bidding?


nostr:npub14ep69ps7cvpl9fyt4hqmfm8s5k08kzg0fta0d7mq9uxn822j2saschcpuj Right? Go to the beach! Spend time with your grandkid!


Medicare part Deeeeeeeeez nuts!

Thank you, fediverse, for providing an outlet for these intrusive thoughts so that I may stay employed.


Yeah, I'm sorry, but politics is really a "what have you done for me lately" game. Great, Feinstein did some good things 30 years ago. She also held on too long and harmed the country in the process.


Just checked my retirement accounts, and I've got enough saved up in there to last me a cool three months! I'm 54 years old!


If you're into masochism, no judgment, but it's just rude to display it publicly by joining the cross country team


Just putting this out there: I'm looking for someone to do some cover #art for a book I'm publishing. Looking for something fun and comic-book-y. Kind of a Lumberjanes vibe. Sound like you or an #artist you know? Let me know! (Yes, I pay money, not "exposure")


We should do this with other holidays. "Here, have a portion of stuffing. Now go away."


Another reason why Halloween is the best holiday: people come to your house in fun costumes and make you smile and then, almost immediately, they leave


Me, sighing: "okay, time to buckle down and read these papers"

IT team: Moodle is down.

Me: welp


nostr:npub1kpprmfwjhsxcracn5ru7fxwdstcemhhsmnzcwrmzukqn3n5alw0s9date2 Yeah, I'm sure this isn't an original idea. I've just been struck by how it's playing out in my life recently.


nostr:npub18ljjwuh8vt0lrh3fe3vsefddt40u297gtsk3d4v4ywhjnvms9zfqy480hq hell yeah!


nostr:npub18ljjwuh8vt0lrh3fe3vsefddt40u297gtsk3d4v4ywhjnvms9zfqy480hq Joe Strummer. I think he'd be both fun and thought provoking. Plus I could thank him for all the music.


Have watched the first 4 eps of Dear Child on Netflix and it is really good. If you like that kind of thing. Which I do.


I'm mulling a longer piece about this, but I've really been thinking a lot about how "procrastination" is a hugely important part of my creative process. How my brain is doing the work even when I'm not sitting down and banging out words (or lesson plans)


And just like that, my Roky Erickson song of the day project to celebrate Spooky Season is underway. We begin wtih "Two-Headed Dog!" https://write.as/brendanhalpin/roky-erickson-song-of-the-day-two-headed-dog


nostr:npub1dgsrtum45we57dd9zs6r9967fxxheqvruy86c2z0gy0ftv4ll6jq60nfw8 On behalf of dads, I am happy to proclaim that this joke has earned you the degree of Honorarius Pater and all the privileges appertaining thereto. Welcome!


nostr:npub1m6n54fjleyce5yt5sgxmzucc42tg3dwjh7cc2zpt0d5acaylsxesjz0eqx I mean, it may all be AI generated...


nostr:npub182wc9sk8ejqd53nezcfrwkenwcfg3umca7t2xxceg6m95lk97zms950znl yep. Like those!


Somebody make a bot that just replies, "Jesus Christ, how do you sleep at night?" to every LinkedIn post


Yo, I was in Whole Foods and there's a new device at the checkout that's all like, "Pay with your palm with Amazon One!" and I'm pretty sure folks two towns away heard the "oh HELL no!"


I need to let this go, but it just bugs the shit out of me. This tiny town funds a library. The mostly-rural state works to get digital lends to all residents. And here's ol' Brewster pretending like none of it exists.


Tech people: the fuck is a passkey?


nostr:npub1nvuze4vcwaldr2v8v3rng5hpmylm3m8rmmwxenksaa87zzdwyskq6gq6xh nostr:npub1kt3hutklgrma64ykjwk4trxq9rtyfnxhkjz729g4pd9xl7hzhrjse75004 Lois McMaster Bujold, The Warrior's Apprentice


Saw an article about crypto bros that was all, "ha ha, those idiots thought it would just keep getting more valuable forever!" and while that is indeed dumb, it's also the entire premise of investing in the stock market


This amazing exchange on Murder She Wrote:

Grant Goodeve:  You ask a lot of questions.
Jessica Fletcher: I'm nosy.


Though I'm a horror fan, body horror has never been my thing. But today I had a tooth pulled and an implant drilled into my skull, and I can now say I like body horror even less.


nostr:npub1q45gewq4ha25nkkxwdt8wk05gz8dt22nuwpfqrwx8z73dpqt5kgsw50hyv ha! I got mine for free!


And that's his best song! This isn't "11 o'clock Tick Tock" or some shit!


Of course Bono is kind of a ridiculous egomaniac, but you gotta give him credit for appearing on the Mary J. Blige cover of "One" where she OWNS the song.


nostr:npub1zd7dvnel853fz56teu5tf8harxqtdkaddy42pst0lpky0kkygxvsjzyta7 I have found the auto generated stuff on Spotify getting worse and worse. Or, I guess I should say, it seems to be drawing from an ever-shrinking list of songs


nostr:npub1m3axnhk7fgfa3mwvyfs936h8u7h5zfp6kxmrhthz6ulnqdnz87hsnhaw5y nostr:npub18yvu9lhx2n33nn0pj22e7wlneucv433q9z22f5fvfc3qry6j6vmsqe40v5 nostr:npub17qec3n8t4z6epyylk7yydsr5pw2fm4jnmnszlskjkfmppjgm5mgs7zrc53 My pleasure!


Don't get me wrong: "ACDC" and "Fox on the Run" are great, but Ballroom Blitz is a tough act to follow


Actually unbelievable that "Ballroom Blitz" is the first track of that record.They should have put a warning on it: "just take the record off. It doesn't get better than this."


nostr:npub18yvu9lhx2n33nn0pj22e7wlneucv433q9z22f5fvfc3qry6j6vmsqe40v5 I wrote one to be sung to the noun song tune: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1joga80hfBMY7Y_kPRjJ50nhSnRb3KoAYoveFTYkwI6Q/edit?usp=sharing


You know what, fuck it. I'm going chasing waterfalls. You're not the boss of me, T-Boz!


nostr:npub13vvfm5djl3y7y8rjnyw2wg4qyjx6hnkc44cn0rdw06agwc8kktvq8a0sze nostr:npub14ep69ps7cvpl9fyt4hqmfm8s5k08kzg0fta0d7mq9uxn822j2saschcpuj Thanks for the info!! I was just looking at Hoopla today and realized they didn't have holds and wondered if that was due to a different pricing model. I do use and enjoy my library! All the time!


Hey, #librarians : do ebooks on Hoopla cost the library less than ones on Overdrive? Or is it all pretty much the same?


nostr:npub1m6n54fjleyce5yt5sgxmzucc42tg3dwjh7cc2zpt0d5acaylsxesjz0eqx when I see another one, I'll take a pic. Fortunately there aren't too many in my neighborhood!


Apparently an Irish athlete with my name scored a hat trick in a football match yesterday and I'm just glad there is a Brendan Halpin who is good at sports out there.


nostr:npub1hy4kzcakaf5jyamv0d7nwru0sfkte49vs76csm222hltz27yqyqqw6fw8v Well, I'm all for it!


nostr:npub18y80ck6g5me73r2733ugr42qzgju50y63v8h5k7yhdrev6na6n6srh6mjx Fair, though someone did make this poster in the 80's, which seems pro hurkle durkle:

https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/111/029/814/022/634/831/original/4f5ff4f04b9d1c61.jpeg


My younger daughter introduced me to the (possibly archaic) Scots phrase "hurkle durkle" which means to lie in bed after its time to get up. I would like to see this used more widely. I'd also like to build a political movement around it.


Allow me to clarify--she still should have had a license, and she must have been on her phone or something to swerve that badly and she could have killed someone. But knowing that the cops hate her, I was immediately skeptical of their speed estimate.


Surprise surprise! The police lied! https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/09/07/metro/new-report-finds-kendra-lara-was-driving-speed-limit-time-accident/?p1=HP_TrendingBar


#Bospoli just got an anti- Ricardo Arroyo ad sponsored by Democrats for Education Reform, so I guess the anti-public-Ed lobby is backing one of his opponents


nostr:npub1zd7dvnel853fz56teu5tf8harxqtdkaddy42pst0lpky0kkygxvsjzyta7 and now I too have learned about it!


nostr:npub1jqccd2psyqkm2z6z2n5smzgyjgjfj9vcrmslz3v2wehp3g73z3qqpcgzee Guns of Navarone is a good movie that features a lot of Nazi deaths, but it's from 1961 so they're not that over the top.


nostr:npub1jqccd2psyqkm2z6z2n5smzgyjgjfj9vcrmslz3v2wehp3g73z3qqpcgzee Dead Snow features a lot of over-the-top deaths of Nazi zombies.


One of my posts on www.brendanhalpin.com has suddenly attracted a lot of attention and the fact that I'm not on the birdsite or facebook and I don't have comments turned on means people may be fiercely debating my piece, but they're doing it without me. Which is great. I already said what I wanted to say.


A lot of folks are sharing the thing about Proud Boys getting more jail time because they didn't do plea deals. Though I loathe these defendants, the idea that the state punishes you for exercising your constitutional right to a trial is deeply fucked up.


nostr:npub1v2nqu2xssw5zk7nqf449w4xdrv40n393c64ayjkudpe6gjfy0dhq3tasly I feel like there might have been something like that in Minority Report? Or else they just made a big deal about ads following you everywhere..


nostr:npub14ep69ps7cvpl9fyt4hqmfm8s5k08kzg0fta0d7mq9uxn822j2saschcpuj Oh cool@ I'll check it out!


nostr:npub14ep69ps7cvpl9fyt4hqmfm8s5k08kzg0fta0d7mq9uxn822j2saschcpuj Yes! Just the slight realization that maybe being born into a job doesn't mean you're any good at it.


nostr:npub18ljjwuh8vt0lrh3fe3vsefddt40u297gtsk3d4v4ywhjnvms9zfqy480hq Worst thing about the MCU is the incredible racism of Avengers: Infinity War. Cap says "we don't trade lives" and then thousands of Black Wakandans die to keep an android safe. WTF.


Nick Lowe and The Hives are playing in Boston on the very same night and I am really torn.


I just want to evangelize for the book I just finished reading: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. An absolutely delightful, charming fantasy with a really interesting theme that heroism is what happens when other people fail to do their jobs properly.


nostr:npub1us2ef9pu8rhjwwdjeuncftpn6zvgkramyllrk7wmnkxhjvcmwvpsq0u74s I would take anybody's garden fresh tomatoes, but probably not in that setting. Nothing about gym locker room says "wholesome foodstuffs" to me.


New Stones song is solidly mediocre, like pretty much everything they've done in the last 40 years


nostr:npub165tmrzqpdhgp30zqr699v0m72s5jfazlfldfuajw645m69z04s6sq4g3qt Or possibly Velma...

https://files.better.boston/media_attachments/files/110/918/003/468/575/833/original/97edd78df6ad9126.png


Wrote a piece about why #Boston #CharterSchools are in trouble, this time amplifying the voice of a charter alum. Check it out: https://write.as/brendanhalpin/bostons-charter-schools-in-crisis-still
#MaEdu #BosPoli #MAPoli


nostr:npub18ljjwuh8vt0lrh3fe3vsefddt40u297gtsk3d4v4ywhjnvms9zfqy480hq horrifying/intriguing!


Brendan Halpin

Bostonian, writer, teacher, parent, spouse. Fan of public libraries, public transit, horror movies, punk rock, and bikes.


While, like most Americans, I could definitely use more money than I’m making, I’m not in danger of being unhoused or hungry, so if your budget is limited, I’d prefer you grab one of my books for free and spend your art budget on the work of a creator struggling to buy necessities.

Having said that, I certainly welcome any money you want to spend. I welcome positive feedback even more.
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