if you've been wondering where all your internet friends have been, you can blame the queer hockey show. i knew this show was coming (when you're canadian, and you like hockey, and ppl know you're into gay romance, they're gonna let you know), but i didn't watch the first 2 episodes until some friends came to town at the beginning of december when episode 3 dropped, and then the show took over my whole life. it ended christmas day night (episodes dropped midnight est which is 9pst), and i have watched it every day since.
oh, it's called heated rivalry, and you should watch it, too.
at one point after airing, the episode 5 was rated 10/10 on imdb (with 57k votes, it's at 9.9 now, as well as episode 6). it sent me looking for a list of best television episodes of all time—not series, but single episodes that stand out.
because i'm always looking for structure, in particular at the beginning of the year when anything seems possible (i want to read more fiction, so i made a spreadsheet of giller prize nominees and winners), what if i watch all of the episodes from wikipedia's list of television episodes considered the best, but without watching the rest of the show? just go in cold and see if they hold up?
you can certainly watch "last exit to springfield" by itself, and "the contest" is still funny without watching the rest of seinfeld, but then, that's what sitcoms are; they're built to be watched in syndication. i've watched less than 20 minutes of breaking bad; will "ozymandias" be a 10/10 watch for me or will i be lost without the context?
(another list project i'm considering is reading all the giller prize nominees and winners—or at least as many as my libraries have in audio. i want to fall in love with fiction again. i've already made a spreadsheet.)
some good reblogs this month
- heated rivalry was funded in part by the canadian government. you're welcome.
- this month's pdf is a list of contemporary poetry to read this year
- the pwhl are celebrating black history month early bc of the olympics. here's the new logo, and it's so good. look at that lettering! a video interview with the artist, sophia yeshi
- presidential assassinations georg
- samplerbot finds great text posts and turns them into cross stitch patterns
i browse itchio jams so you don’t have to
- Winter solstice TTRPG jam, (make a paper game about winter), deadline Jan 12
- Cookie jam, (make something? about cookies), deadline Jan 17
- Comfy jam, (make another game about winter), deadline Jan 23
- Zine jam, (make a zine about things you love), deadline Jan 31
- and, of course, Sunday Zine Club #19, the theme is tea 🫖, deadline February 1
i know i'm looking for a bit of motivation in this new year, and a jam is a great push to make something, anything. bc when you finish a piece of work—no matter how small—it gives you the energy to make another. at least that's what i'm hoping bc the days are so cold and grey right now.
tell me about what you're making right now. what are your plans for 2026? let's cheer each other on.