Colleen Barry

@copycurmudgeon.bsky.social

15033 Followers 287 Following

Copy editor (ProPublica, FiveThirtyEight, ESPN), baker, cross stitcher, cat furniture. she/her

A series of texts from a scammer pretending to be a recall notice. It starts with “This notice concerns an item in your June 2026 purchase history.” After some stuff about safety and a redacted link to their scam site, it says, “We recognize any inconvenience this June cause.”
A hook-and-eye clasp. One side is a wide U shape and the other side is wire bent into a long skinny U and folded back on itself to make a hook. There are two round loops on the end to allow it to be sewn to something, but taking taken together it looks kinda like a tiny cock and balls.
A big orange cat is balanced precariously on the narrow wooden arm of a chair and looking straight up into a lamp. His whiskers are highlighted by the light and he has a little nubbin of a tail.
An orange cat stands in the deep basin of a kitchen sink. He has a little nub of a tail, only a few inches long, sort of like a bunny’s tail.
Headline: “Sylvia Plath, a New York vigilante and Shah of Iran featured in latest historical fiction.”
A big crumpled pile of light green towels is propping open the door of a cabinet. The camera moves closer until in the dark interior of the cabinet you can just see the green eyes of a black cat. He yawns and then stares calmly at the camera before an offscreen human says, “Thanks, bud.”
A line drawing of a shark with a kernel of popcorn in its mouth with the caption “You’re gonna need a bigger popcorn.” Around the image is the text: “And as an extra incentive for you, we are pulling one of our t-shirts out of the archive that is appropriate for the occasion. If you donate $100 or more to this appeal, you will receive a limited-edition Jaws-themed Brattle t-shirt (approximate color & design to the left).”
Cherry blossoms photographed from close up. The branches make a rough semicircle shape, and in the clear space is an industrial brick chimney against a cloudy sky.
Three shelves showcasing books about colors, including “True Color” by Kory Stamper, a book of color charts and seven books whose spines together form a rainbow.
A little worm with a bow tie and fedora driving an apple with four tiny tires on it. A Richard Scarry illustration.
A seagull stands outside a sliding window where pedestrians can order from a cafe. A woman is looking out the window and grinning because a second before the photo was taken she had tossed the bird a piece of dog kibble.
Six books on a bedspread: “Why We Talk Funny,” “Glorious Exploits,” “The Salt Grows Heavy,” a Penguin Classics edition of Edgar Allan Poe stories with a black cloth binding covered in skulls, “The Ghost of Wreckers Cove” and “Ink Girls.”
A little white rounded-front car that has been Frankensteined to, like, the back of a hearse? But in a cute way. The windshield curves up from the hood and then at its highest point goes straight back, maintaining the height, before dropping off at an almost 90° angle to make space for van-style doors. There’s a little round window in the side of the back half. If you zoom in, you can see yellow dogs in the front seats.
A tall glass with the Ayinger logo on it is full of a pale beer. In the background is a blossoming cherry tree, slightly past peak bloom.
An orange cat sits on the lid of a kitchen trash can looking eagerly up at someone who might give him just a little more ham? Please?
An orange tabby asleep in a red desk chair. He’s resting his head on a paw like cartoon character who goes to sleep using their pressed-together hands as a pillow.
A black cat on top of a fridge that’s covered in magnets and photos. He is looking sideways at the photographer, who judging by the angle has to be shorter than the fridge.
The screengrab of The Washington Post front page that appears in the quoted tweet. A story about the Met Gala is the highest visible story, but some small gray text above that story has been circled.
A bright orange bike stands next to a sidewalk along a river with the city of Boston in the background.
An orange-and-white cat sits and looks out the window. Her back is rounded and her head is slightly pulled in so the fluff of her chest sticks out a bit beyond her nose. It gives a shape reminiscent of the S curve silhouette that was fashionable in the early 1900s.
A screen grab of Etymonline that says “pussy” has been a term for a girl or woman since the 1580s (even before it was a term for a cat) and also is used of effeminate men.
A skateboarder jumps off the top of a railing in a skate park. They are silhouetted grabbing the front of the board, which is angled up, and just the back wheels are on the railing. The concrete all around them is covered in overlapping tags. Behind them, cars scoot by on a highway that's catching golden light.
David Suchet as Poirot. Bowler hat, bow tie, gray suit and, of course, a highly waxed little curled mustache.
An orange-and-white cat sitting in front of a TV, which is showing Kumail Nanjiani looking toward the camera. Her long tail is draped down the front of the cabinet she’s sitting on.
“The Nazi Party began gaining parliamentary ground in the 1930s — Hitler's promise to restore law and order to the country and to bring it out of an economic slump, despite presenting no actual plan nor any evidence that the Nazi Party was able to do such a thing, was beguiling — and in 1933 the nationalist, anti-Semitic, anti-Bolshevik, anti–Allied forces Nazi Party came to power.” Underlines have been added to “beguiling — and,” “anti-Bolshevik” and “anti–Allied in forces.”
A black cat stretched out on a bed, snugged up against the photographer, who’s lying down. His head is turned slightly away, but one green eye is cracked slightly open and pointed at the camera.
A footnote in a book ending with “Salve, Grandpa Pliny, let’s get you back to bed.”
Black Adder to Dr. Johnson: “Oh, well, in that case, sir, I hope you will not object if I also offer the doctor my most enthusiastic contrafibularities.”
A big orange tabby cat with his nose right up against the filling at the end of a cannoli, which is being held by an inattentive human. There’s a box labeled Modern Pastry on the table because this is not a Mike’s household.
The “Get in, loser” meme from “Mean Girls” but instead of “we’re going shopping” it’s been sloppily edited to say “we’re watching the 1980 Angela Lansbury vehicle ‘The Mirror Crack’d.’”
An orange-and-white cat stands on her back legs with her face in front of the TV. On screen, a person in a red British phone box.
Zoltar the fortune telling machine. It’s an animatronic head and torso of a man with a fake crystal ball and some tarot cards in front of it.
Ralph Fiennes in a chef’s coat with dozens of chefs in aprons arrayed in rows behind him.
An orange cat lying on a seat that’s attached to a window. The sun is lighting up his face and side while other areas are in shadow. He’s directly over a big cast-iron radiator.
An orange tabby cat with white on her lower face and chest looks up at the ceiling with her head angle to the right. She’s dangling one front paw off the sofa.
An orange cat hanging his head over a small railing on a shelf on a cat tree shelf. A poster with orange cats on it is out of focus’s behind him
An orange-and-white cat loafed on a bookshelf with her front paws folded. She looks like she’s calling you into a meeting and you should be concerned.
An orange cat stands up and stretches against kitchen cabinets, showing off his wee little tail. It’s only about two inches long and a bit triangular, kind of like a deer’s tail.
An orange-and-white cat and an all-orange cat play tug-of-war with a string.
A plastic tub that used to hold like a quart of Temptations cat treats on the floor with the lid popped off. A buttload of treats are scattered around it, except for one area of floor that's suspiciously bare.
A large black cat on a tiled floor next to a cat carrier. That cat is looking alert and curious and perfectly healthy.
A fluffy tuxedo kitten with extremely wide, round eyes, staring into the distance like it has just seen something that it cannot comprehend and has been permanently changed on a fundamental level.
A childish drawing of a black cat being pulled away from from a gate by a pair of arms. The cat looks furious and his front paws are straight out reaching for the gate.
A finished loaf of challah on a cooling rack. The braiding is a little uneven but it looks basically like a normal six-strand loaf. The crust is shiny and deep golden brown with buttery yellow bits at all the low points of the braid.
A pile of snow that comes up to the middle of the payment thingy on a parking meter. Behind it is more snow, a pedestrian who is only visible from the shoulders up, more snow and then some buildings. It is basically impossible to tell that the pedestrian is actually walking on the street because the snow is so high you can’t even see the gap where the road is.
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool. I grow old … I grow old … I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
A mural with a silhouette of a head on a background of words like join, congregate, connect, tell, speak, say.
A black cat stares intently at a half-eaten crepe on a table.
“Old dykes against tech bros” stenciled in pink on a brick sidewalk. The photographer’s green boots and black jeans are visible at the bottom of the frame.
A gray-and-black tabby with green eyes hugs the business end of a wand toy to his chest while lying on a rug. There are no claws involved because he is just too sweet.
A black cat partially lying on his side and looking up at the camera. He’s on a white rug with multicolored stripes, and he’s next to the legs off an office chair.
Two reference books on a desk. Both books are open to a page in the Ns with one stacked on top of the other.
A black cat perches on the arm of a couch and looks at me with a neutral expression.
A black cat stares up menacingly.
A black lying on a blanket with his arms stretched out in front of him and his green eyes wide open. Above him is the corner of an in-progress cross stitch with some orange shapes on it.
A silver-and-black tabby repeatedly stands up and puts his front paws on a rolling stool and looks longingly up at the seat. Even though the seat is like two feet high, he simply cannot figure out any way to get up there. Eventually he makes a tragic sound because the stool is being so mean to him.
Sam Neill, alone in a movie theater, throws his head back and laughs. His shirt is covered in hand-drawn crosses and he’s holding a big bucket of popcorn.
A large black cat sitting on a rug and staring up at the camera with an air of mild disapproval.
A large and very fluffy cat sitting on a table. He has a dark brown face and lower legs, with a tan back and white chest and belly. He’s like a bowling ball you want to hug.
Text conversation: My mom: “You did a good job. Maeve got off the bus reading one of the books you gave her. Well, she was reading it as she crossed the street so maybe not such a good job.” Me: “Hahahaha. Which one?” Mom: “Not sure, but you told her it was one of your favorite series.” Me: “Sideways stories from wayside school!” Mom: “Yes!”