Amanda

@tacittaciturn.bsky.social

369 Followers 223 Following

nobody in particular | EC, WI

Screenshot from an article appearing on (full disclosure) the Toast POS System website. But it seems fairly solid and has a basis in data collected with some rigor. So it doesn’t take major red flags for me. “What is the average lifespan for a restaurant? “The average restaurant lifespan is 72.5 months, or just over 6 years. We calculated this using BLS data by tracking how long restaurants from a single year stayed open. This method is called a survival-weighted average, and it gives a more accurate picture than simply measuring how many fail in the first year.”
Mostly black pit bull-type dog with a white chest and white paws, wearing a pastel rainbow harness and “smiling” up at the camera
Drop down list of preferred languages on online student records platform. The languages displayed are Eastern Frisian, Ebira, Efik, Egyptian (Ancient), which I have jokingly selected only for this screenshot, and Ekajuk.
The cover of Angela Lansbury’s “Positive Moves” exercise video. It promises “a personal plan for fitness and well-being at any age.“ The cover image features Angela in peach-colored loungewear, somewhat the same hue as her hair and skin: arms in a dramatic pose, seemingly inviting the viewer to join her on her wellness journey.
Screenshot of the results of the 7/10/26 NYT Connections puzzle. It shows categories guessed, in color order: blue, yellow, purple, green as well as my win percentage and other stats.
[Weinstein’s victim], a hairstylist an actor, spent days on the witness stand at all three trials, telling jurors that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel in 2013 — and being questioned extensively about the complex relationship she had with him before and afterward. The Oscar-winning producer denied the charge and said everything that happened between him and [the survivor] was consensual. In a letter that prosecutor Nicole Blumberg quoted in court Thursday, [the survivor] said she could “no longer endure going through this,” adding that the 8-year-old case has “put me through more harm than good.”
Lottie, a black pitbull mix wearing a colorful bandana and harness, licks the last remnants of peanut butter from the outside of a ziploc bag, which smears the rainbow-colored paint on the canvas inside the bag
An actor, who plays the killer in a student-directed, prom night-set slasher film, holds a makeup compact with a broken mirror. We see a fractured reflection of the actor’s face in the compact mirror in the foreground, and the reflection of the actor’s torso and shoulders in the bathroom mirror in the background. She is wearing a fuchsia dress with a sweetheart neckline.
Notification of successful ticket purchase. Screen reads “Your Tickets Are Waiting” with the option to “View your tickets in the Ticketmaster App” (🙄)
A close-up of a sticky note on a poster board, on which one young person has logged their response to the question “What makes you feel safe?” with the words “cheese burger” and a drawing of a cheeseburger
Screenshot of Kirk Bangstad/Minocqua Brewing Company's blog from May 4 with the headline "First Gaffe of the Campaign--I forgot to put my campaign info onto my nomination forms"
Screenshot of text exchange: 17-year-old: “We watched a documentary that Mitch McConnell is in and he looked very … disturbing” Mr: “lol how so?” 17: [shares some photos of Mitch McConnell] “This.” Me: “Yeah, that’s how he looks. A little like a turtle”, to which she reacted with a side eye emoji
Screenshot of a commercial text message: “Welcome to Domino's! This is Dom, Domino's Ordering Assistant Bot. You may receive up to 12 msgs/order. Text HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg & data rates may apply.”
Screenshot of a local news story: “A mechanic switched careers, fulfilling a lifelong dream at the age of 47: 'I had to try it' https://www.weau.com/2026/04/10/mechanic-fulfills-dream-age-47-becoming-police-officer-i-had-try-it/“ The story features a photo of a mechanic’s shop on the left, and a photo of the subject of the story, a white man with a shaved head and a gray beard, wearing a police uniform, on the right.
A text sent at 7:43 AM that says “Dad and I were voters number six and seven, respectively, at our polling place this morning” My daughter has given it a thumbs down reaction
Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling in the final scene of the film 45 Years, which (not a huge spoiler) presaged this Alpine Divorce nonsense by a good decade
Local second-run and special screening movie theater marquee advertising TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze and The Secret Agent (and also the not-on-theme Song Sung Blue)
A white woman wearing round glasses and the habit of a religious order
Poster for the film Sentimental Value featuring interlocking photos of actors Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning
Illustration from Dr. Seuss’ “What Was I Afraid Of?”, featuring the narrator of the story stopping in terrified surprise when confronted by the “pale green pants with nobody inside ’em”
Illustration for a Weekly World News story titled “Olympic Yeti?! Downhill Skiing Postponed Due to Multiple Yeti Attacks” featuring a B&W photo of a downhill skier and a crudely illustrated yeti, which looks like it was created for an early 1980s computer game
Not the best/most illustrative example of the setting, but, in this photo, Phillip Baker Hall and Mark Ruffalo carefully study papers, illuminated by a desk lamp. There’s a lot of dark wood and file cabinets and it’s dark and moody.
Screenshot of a text: “I briefly saw her, she waved and said hi while I was driving the floor sweeper“
Screenshot of an automated email from TikTok inviting me to follow Bon Iver (the band) because they're "in my [phone] contacts". The accompanying photos-- to jog my memory, I suppose-- are stills from promotional videos featuring Justin Vernon in sunglasses and a camo hat.
Holding up a well-chewed copy of Olivia Laing’s Funny Weather with our late dog, Pippi, looks on guiltily in the background
Screencap of the first paragraph of an essay called Dead Alive, written by Cynthia Carr about the legacy of artist David Wojnarowicz for ARTFORUM in 2018. Text reads: I’ve been trying to find a couple of lines written by David Wojnarowicz, lines I came across while researching my biography of him, Fire in the Belly (2012). I remember them being scrawled in one of his small notebooks, yet somehow they aren’t in my “Notebooks” file—or in “Journals.” But the gist is burned into my brain. What he described more poetically than I’m able to was the sight of a homeless man lying in a refrigerator box. Only the man’s feet and lower legs were visible. David photographed the scene, and, as I recall it, he wrote in the elusive notebook: “That was once someone’s tiny little baby.”
Screen cap from my weather app that says it “feels like” -19F “It feels warmer than the actual temperature“
Screenshot of a post from 1/22/2024; “I really do some of my best, albeit least proud, bullshit writing when I’m four hours into churning out responses to grant report questions and encounter the third iteration of “Describe how this funding has literally changed life as we know it. Go ahead: be hyperbolic.””
Screen shot of a comment on a sponsored ad for Chewy pet supplies: “I literally JUST ordered Chewy for the first time ever and I get on FB and I see this??? I never see Chewy on my feed! I won’t be ordering Chewy again!😡 My dogs aren’t gay Chewy!”
Triptych of the “incredulous blinking man” meme
Screenshot of a Facebook post from Congressman Derrick Van Orden. Text reads “Just hours after ICE officers were violently attacked in Minnesota yesterday, our Eau Claire office was targeted by an individual fueled by anti-ICE rhetoric—shouting slurs, pounding on our doors, and attempting to force his way inside. This is the direct result of Democrats’ violent rhetoric. It must stop now.” The post is accompanied by a photo of the rear bumper of a car (presumably Van Orden’s) with the license plate number redacted and phrases like “Fuck ICE” and “Your Turn!” written on it with car window marker. It looks extremely not-menacing.
Stuart gears up to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, and his sister sneaks in from the sidelines, extinguishing a few of them. Looking defeated, Stuart half-heartedly blows out the remaining candles.
Scoot McNairy as Gordon Clark on Halt and Catch Fire In this publicity shot, Gordon is wearing a white button down shirt with a small print and a loose necktie. His arms are crossed. He has short, dark hair, glasses, and a mustache.
A small gnome statue with a red conical hat, nestled in the powdery snow
Two Facebook comments, one after the other. The first: “I liked that they told us ASAP unlike some schools where they tell you at the last minute, and then you have to struggle to find someone to either watch your kid or something.” The second: “Very inconvenient for people who work at 6/7 am, to get a call at 5 am talking about 2 hr late start. How the HELL ? Yeah let me ask my boss if I can open the store 2 hours late. GET REAL ECASD.”
Screenshot of a headline from New York magazine: “Is Dupe Culture Swaying Your Diamond Purchases? We asked experts to weigh in on why natural diamonds will always be a worthy investment.” Article by Stephanie Nguyen
Screen shot of a Facebook comment with the name redacted. The comment read s “I have a free hole, I can make it deep enough, it won’t smell!”
Panels of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt cover the entire National Mall in Washington, DC: October, 1996
Martin’s quilt panel for Tom Eyen. It has a blue gray background and features Tom’s name in gold block letters, along with his life dates: 8-14-40 to 5-26-92. A purple and gold Dreamgirls jacket is the focal point. The panel also features mementoes from and representing Tom’s life: personal photos, a rainbow flag patch and inverted pink triangle patch among others.
Théodore Pellerin in the film Lurker, smiling widely with a bloody bottom lip
Text from my husband : “Dick Cheney!!!!” My reply: “I assume he is dead because of the level of glee implied!”
Alvergue, who joined UW-Eau Claire in 2013, said he was feeling overwhelmed by the election and Elon Musk's attempts to sway Wisconsin voters with $1 million checks. As the child of immigrants, he said he was also distressed by the Trump administration's mass deportations. "I still care about these things, "he said. "But that doesn't mean I get to go out and knock tables over."
Another screen shot from UW Eau Claire College Republicans Facebook page, depicting their Halloween costume contest. The contestant on the left is wearing a rainbow hoodie, bucket hat, and fanny pack, as well as a (surgical style) face mask. They are holding a small sign that says “No Kings”. There is also someone dressed as Gandalf the Gray in the center, and the aforementioned person in an ICE agent costume on the right. They are all standing in front of a classroom white board. Text reads: “It was great to see everyone dressed up last night! Congrats to our winners on their awesome costumes!”
Screenshot from UW Eau Claire College Republicans Facebook page. An individual wearing jeans, an American flag bandana face covering, and what appears to be a mock tactical vest with the letters ICE on the back pretends to arrest another person, wearing jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. This is happening in front of a classroom white board. Text reads: “It was great to see everyone dressed up last night! Congrats to our winners on their awesome costumes!”
Screen cap of a Facebook post I wrote on October 10, 2013: Watching Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) ... Stuart (before the big "reveal"): "I don't think the mother is so bad after all." Me: :Stuart, she just killed two people!" Stuart: "Think about it, though: your husband dies, some other guy makes you buy a motel, then HE dies. How would you feel?" MaryAlice: "I don't like motels anymore."
Screenshot of text message: I'm doing good. Have have my phone back now. I feel basically normal, but there's a slightly loopy feeling. I feel normal, but I know there is quite cognitive strangeness.
Ad for a website called "in stock labels dot com", which shows an image of a sticker printed with the word "discontinued"
An adult in his 40s tries to help reunite a black, pitbull mix dog with one of her favorite humans: a young man who has been away at college. The dog sniffs the young man and lets him pet her briefly before wandering off in another direction.
Pippi, a floppy-eared black Labrador retriever-Airedale mix with tan brindle markings, chews on a a stuffed toy while guarding one of many tea towels she stole from the kitchen in her short life.
Elio’s notebook with the words “I thought he didn’t like me” written in large letters, with the names Elio and Oliver scrawled: smaller, repeating, elsewhere.
A quote bubble attributing the quoted comment to Alan Howard as the character Michael in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover. Questionable whether a 35-year-old film demands a spoiler alert, but just in case: spoiler! The character dies while being force-fed pages from books.
Screenshot of Wordle puzzle from 9/21/25 (correct answer: “COVEN”) alongside a still from the Mark Borchardt (American Movie) film, COVEN, with the caption “It’s alright, it’s okay. It’s Sunday’s Wordle”
Screenshot of an Instagram post featuring headshots of actors Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal with the headline “Josh O’Connor Talks About Spitting in Paul Mescal’s Mouth for ‘The History of Sound’”
An adult, black-and-white pitbull-type dog sits dutifully among scattered leaves wearing a pastel rainbow harness and pink collar
Q: We did this thing at GQ where we asked people, what's the sluttiest thing a man can wear? Lee, I was curious, what’s your answer to that? What is the sluttiest thing a man can wear? A: Oh my gosh. There's really some not-safe-for-work answers to this question. Q; We welcome all of those answers. A: What is the sluttiest thing? The answer is different for everyone, isn't it? I guess what comes to mind is less clothes… but that's not even that slutty. It's just like, a body. There's nothing slutty about a body. It's what people do with it. [Laughs]
Screenshot of a post from LAD BIBLE featuring a cute bulldog puppy perched protectively on the shoulder of a sleeping man, reclining on a pillow. The caption reads “Bulldog puppy ‘saved owner’s life’ by chewing his toe to the bone while he slept” The sub-caption is “They truly are man’s best friend”
I just published something I wish I didn't have to write. "Navigating Layoffs with Humanity: A Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Compassionate Terminations" addresses the painful reality many nonprofit leaders are facing right now. Shrinking funding. Political threats. Burnout-driven departures. If you're grappling with these impossible decisions, you're not alone. But you also shouldn't have to figure it out alone. Here's what I see happening: Leaders making gut-wrenching choices without HR guidance Organizations risk legal compliance during vulnerable moments Teams are left fractured because the process wasn't handled with care
Photo of a TV screen with the text “CONTAINS TOBACCO DEPICTIONS”
Screenshot from a reel with a furniture rehab person hauling two mismatched nightstands onto the driveway to begin refurbishing them. The superimposed caption reads “My kids, ‘Nobody wants two different nightstands.’”