2025 in substacking
Here is what you liked best.
I went back to the analytics dashboard to pick out the top 10 stories of 2025. Here they are below. There’s a lot of Poilievre, some Trump, and a lot of Huntsville — and also beer! — and I guess that tracks. Hope you enjoy this trip down recent memory lane.
Number 10:
Poilievre’s problem(s)
Before we get to the beef jerky of the subject, you’ll find an Ottawa Citizen column on summer fun that doesn’t include painfully slow transit commutes, an essay on why artists should study cats and become mild sociopaths, and a commentary on the Coldplay CheatCam thing
Number 9:
A day fit for no kings
As I sit in my Lowe Mill temporary abode snacking on pimento cheese and crackers (when in the South…), I reflect on events of a somber day that started with what looks like a targeted political assassination in Minnesota. At the time of writing, it’s unclear what the motives may have been so I will refrain from speculating. It’s just not h…
Number 8:
Direct flight to heaven at Straight to Ale
When Bruce Weddendorf took to Facebook to offer furloughed US federal employees and their families 50% off, I wasn’t surprised. This is what a business does when its owners care about their community at least as much as their bottom line.
Number 7:
The way through is together
The most surprising thing so far is how many Conservatives are openly, or at least semi-anonymously, criticizing the Poilievre/Byrne duo for fucking up their shot at a majority government.
Number 6:
Seeking signal in a flood of noise
This would normally be a post for paid subscribers only but I’m making it free for everyone because it’s important to keep a cool head in these especially troubled times.
Number 5:
Who cares?
You’ll forgive me for the slacker pace of my recent postings. I have been on the mother of all road trips between Jacksonville and New Orleans and back to Pensacola Beach, with another week or so in my beloved Huntsville via Montgomery. It’s my extended birthday month celebration because it’s not every day you turn 5…
Number 4:
Post-election post mortem
If you want to skip straight to the English part, scroll to the 7:50 mark.
Number 3:
Let’s talk sports
I joked with a friend that writing against the Sens deal would make me Enemy of the People for a day or three and I wasn’t wrong. Evidently, we are not allowed to say negative things about professional sports.
Number 2:
Too much copium is bad for you
This is the email I got from the Conservative Party Saturday morning. I may have been guilty of enjoying my life Friday night, but I confess I have no fucking clue what they’re talking about. What federal board ruled on SirJAM?
Number 1:
Poilievre is covered in loser dust
Cruel? Nah. I don’t think so. More like brutally honest. Pierre Poilievre says — insists! — he’s the leader of the common sense people. Common sense people don’t speak in euphemisms. They speak the cold, hard truth. Even when it hurts.