Columnists
Monday, April 20, 2026 · Bradford County
The Dead Bug Actually Works—Here's Why, and How to Stop Screwing It Up
The dead bug is boring and unsexy, which is exactly why most people butcher it. Here's what the exercise actually does and why your lower back will thank you for doing it right.
Skip the State Capital—Head 90 Minutes East Instead
That charming county seat everybody photographs? The real action is in the farm towns along the state route where you can eat better, park free, and actually have a conversation with someone who grew up there.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Stop Overcrowding Your Cast Iron, and Other Truths About Searing Meat
The difference between a golden crust and a sad, steamed surface comes down to one thing: leaving enough space between your pieces. Here's why your cast iron has been lying to you.
Monday, April 20, 2026
How to Build a Raised Garden Bed That Won't Rot in Three Years
Stop buying those flimsy cedar kits that cost $80 and fall apart before you harvest a tomato. Here's how to build one that'll last a decade for under $40.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Fall Largemouths Are Stupid Right Now—Here's Why That Matters
The pre-spawn feeding frenzy is turning five-pound bass into suicidal idiots, and if you're not out there this week, you're leaving fish on the bank.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Viral Concert Livestream Scam Is Out of Control and We Need to Talk About It
Your favorite band isn't really performing from their living room, and the $40 ticket you just bought is definitely not legitimate.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Rattlesnake Ledge Taught Me Why People Abandon Hiking Plans at the Parking Lot
The 4.2-mile round trip near North Bend, Washington is deceptively brutal—and absolutely worth the cursing on the way up.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Peculiar History of People Taking Things Way Too Literally
A man once collected 46,000 beer bottles to prove a point. A woman sued her dry cleaner for $54 million over a lost pair of pants. Sometimes the absurd part isn't the initial incident—it's how committed people get to being right.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Brutalist Is a Masterpiece That Proves Slow Cinema Doesn't Have to Be Punishment
Brady Corbet's 215-minute opus is getting dragged online for its runtime, but everyone complaining about the length is missing why it absolutely matters right now.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Sad Girl Autumn Has Peaked, and We Should All Be Relieved
Dark academia TikTok has officially jumped the shark—and it's time we admit that performative melancholy is just depression with a better lighting setup.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Museum Audio Guide Is Dead, and Good Riddance to Boring
Those headsets you rent at the entrance? They're turning art appreciation into a theme park. We need to talk about why the best museums are finally ditching them.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Fed Just Admitted It's Been Wrong All Year—And Nobody's Acting Like It
Jerome Powell conceded yesterday that inflation stays stickier than his team predicted. Here's what that confession means for your mortgage, your job, and the rate cuts you thought were coming.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Paradox of Forgetting: Why Hemingway Was Right to Write Badly First
Ernest Hemingway's famous advice to "write hard and clear about what hurts" only works if you're willing to produce garbage first—and most writers skip this essential step.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Why We Keep Misreading Emily Dickinson—And Why It Matters
Her dashes aren't random pauses. They're a revolution. Here's what your high school teacher never told you about how to actually read her work.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Affirmation Trap: Why "I Am Enough" Might Be Gaslighting You
Turns out, telling yourself you're enough when you're falling apart doesn't fix anything—and that's actually okay.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Traitors is TV's Most Honest Show About Why Your Friends Suck
Every reality competition pretends to test strategy and nerve. The Traitors actually tests something scarier: whether you can live with yourself after betraying someone who trusted you.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Viral Dance Trend That Actually Proves Gen Z Has a Better Eye Than We Do
Everyone's been roasting those 30-second TikTok dances, but they're actually doing something classical ballet companies have been struggling with for decades—making movement feel alive.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Great Skincare Pivot Nobody's Talking About (But Should Be)
We've gone from 10-step routines to "just water," and honestly? The pendulum swing is making everyone look worse.
Monday, April 20, 2026
My Sister Borrowed My Car and Returned It With the Gas Tank Empty—Now She Won't Apologize
A reader is furious over a simple favor that turned into a lesson in entitlement. Darla weighs in on whether this is worth a family war.
Monday, April 20, 2026
You Quit Your Job Without a Backup Plan. Now What?
A reader ditched their stable job for a dream that evaporated fast. Here's how to stop free-falling and actually land somewhere.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Guy Who Texts His Ex at 2 a.m. (And Why He Keeps Doing It)
You know you shouldn't. You do it anyway. Here's what's actually happening—and how to stop.
Monday, April 20, 2026
My Kid's Teacher Won't Stop Texting Me at 10 PM — And I'm Losing My Mind
A parent's question about boundary-stomping educators reveals a bigger problem: we've normalized the idea that caring about your job means being always-on. It's not.
Monday, April 20, 2026
I Maxed Out My Credit Card on My Mom's Medical Bills. Now What?
A reader faces $8,000 in credit card debt after helping a parent through a health crisis. Here's how to dig out without drowning in guilt.
Monday, April 20, 2026
I Cashed Out My 401(k) at 35 to Start a Business. Now What?
One reader took the nuclear option with their retirement savings. Here's why that decision haunts them—and what they can actually do about it.
Monday, April 20, 2026
My Kid's Teacher Says He's "Gifted" But Won't Stop Lying — Should I Believe Her or My Gut?
Smart kids can be the best liars. One mom wonders if her son's intelligence excuses his dishonesty, and Mama Mae has thoughts.
Monday, April 20, 2026
My Husband Won't Stop Texting His Ex—And I'm Losing My Mind
She says it's "just friendly." He says I'm being controlling. Meanwhile, their text threads look like a romance novel. Here's what's actually happening.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Fed Just Admitted Its Math Was Wrong, and Nobody Cared
Federal Reserve officials acknowledged this week they've been overestimating inflation's stickiness for months. The market yawned. That's the real problem.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Art of the Productive Digression—Why Wandering Minds Built Civilization
Some of history's best ideas came from people who were supposed to be doing something else entirely. Here's why your tendency to go off on tangents might be your secret superpower.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Why We Need More Bad Poetry (Yes, Really)
The internet has convinced us that every poem must be polished, publishable, profound. It's a lie that's killing the thing poetry actually does best.
Monday, April 20, 2026
The Affirmation Nobody Tells You About—And Why It Changes Everything
Most affirmations fail because they ask you to believe something you don't yet. Here's the one that actually works because it starts with what's already true.
Monday, April 20, 2026