Sunday Overnight Open Thread - October 26, 2025 [Doof]

The Sunday night ONT is here. So are you. Lurkers welcomed, regulars tolerated. Open thread, as always.

Do "Man Cards" Expire With Age?

If not, this old timer better turn his in!

95-Year-Old Man Starts Taylor Swift Fan Club in Retirement Home

Taylor Swift just released her latest album The Life of a Showgirl and her popularity has reached every demographics—including a certain 95-year-old in a Nebraska retirement home.

Frank Uryasz is a resident at the Remington Heights Retirement Community in Omaha. He was talking to a worker one day who expressed disappointment that Swift had never responded to any of her fan letters.

Frank wanted to do something about it.

“I know some people,” the 95-year-old said in an interview with Omaha’s KETV.

He started a Taylor Swift fan club and worked to spread the word as far and wide as he could. Membership kept snowballing, from 10 members to 20 and, soon, into the triple digits.

***

The club is preparing to deliver a big envelope to Taylor’s team in Kansas City, where her fiancee, Travis Kelce, plays NFL football for the Chiefs. There’s a letter typed for Taylor and Kelce that includes marriage advice from Frank, who is a lifelong Chiefs fan. There’s a letter for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the envelope too, along with photos of the newest—some might say oldest—Swiftie fan club.

Frank is having fun just thinking about all of them showing up to the Remington Heights building someday. And maybe that’s the whole point: you’re never too old to dream.

“We’re having a wonderful time with this,” he said.

Dude. Seriously - DUDE!!!

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This grandma can probably kick Grandpa Swiftie's ass!

80-Year-Old Grandma Who Learned to Swim at 59 Just Became Oldest Ever Female Ironman Finisher

With every step toward the finish line, Natalie Grabow was proving it’s never too late to get started.

Earlier this month, the 80-year-old grandmother from Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, became the oldest woman to ever finish the punishing Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

She swam 2.4 miles—even though she never learned to swim until she was almost 60—then she pedaled 112 miles on a bicycle and immediately ran a full 26.2-mile marathon to make history.

News segment video clip at the link.

ONT Assorted Vids

For the gear-heads

Hi Kwality!

Fellas - have you considered Korea?!

Et tu, Dana Bash??

This is becoming more frequent. Dems are getting challenged by usually-friendly media types.

'Ette Couture (Courtesy of Piper)

It's that time of the week - when we turn the ONT over to our good friend Piper for a bit. Here's this week's fashion pr0n.

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It’s Fall y’all! Time for Boots That'll Have You Leaf-Peeping in Style
Ah, fall 2025—when the air crisps up like a fresh apple cider donut, pumpkin spice everything reigns supreme, and suddenly, your sandal collection feels as out-of-place as flip-flops at a hayride. Enter the boot: fashion's coziest co-conspirator, ready to stomp through crunchy leaves, dodge rogue acorns, and turn every sidewalk into a runway. From slouchy boho dreams to equestrian vibes, we've rounded up the boots that have us swooning. Buckle up—or should we say, lace up—for our cheeky review of the kicks that scream "autumn slay" without whispering "wardrobe malfunction."

Slouchy Boots: The Boho Slacker That Says "I'm Effortlessly Effortful"
Picture this: You're channeling your inner '70s free spirit, but with a 2025 twist that involves zero patchouli. Slouchy boots are back from their 2010s hiatus, courtesy of Louis Vuitton's surprise boho drop. These knee-high wonders wrinkle and bunch perfectly imperfect, pairing flawlessly with midi skirts.

Princess Kate was seen wearing this trend during a visit to Northern Ireland.

The boots are Gianvito Rossi block heel boots in brown suede. You may purchase them here. The coat is Alexander McQueen Bespoke, on Olive.

Burgundy Beauties: The Wine-Stained Sirens of Subtle Drama
Burgundy isn't just fall's color du jour, it's the boot shade that's equal parts vampy romance and I spilled merlot on my soul. Seen strutting at Hermès and Max Mara, these deep-red darlings flatter every skin tone like a magical filter, making your legs look endlessly elongated and eternally elegant.

Zara Tindall was seen wearing Dune London Suede boots in burgundy recently. The bag is also Dune London, the skirt and jacket are The Fold London Napier Boiled Wool in Navy.

I couldn’t find the suede boots, but a smooth leather substitute can be found here.

Equestrian Elegance: Gallop Into Fall With Polo-Ready Panache
Saddle up for fall's equestrian-inspired boots, where countryside charm meets city sophistication, straight from the stables of Gucci, Tory Burch and of course, Hermes. These polished, riding-style boots boast sleek lines, structured silhouettes, and subtle hardware—like buckles or stirrup details—that whisper "I summer in the Hamptons" without the trust fund. Perfect for pairing with tailored blazers or cozy sweater dresses, they bring a refined yet adventurous vibe, like you’re one canter away from a countryside.

Once again, we have Zara Tindall as a great example. The coat is Hobbs London Livia Wrap Coat in Vicuna, the bag is Fairfax & Favor Rye Crossbody in black leather. The sunglasses are Monc Belleville in Whiskey. The boots are Fairfax & Favor Regina high heeled boots in Mahogany leather.

Unfortunately they are sold out, otherwise I would be adding another pair of boots to my closet. Here is a cute alternative from Burberry.

Our SLOTUS has been in Israel this week looking fabulous, her style is really starting to elevate as she becomes more comfortable with her role. She wore 2 outfits from Anthropology :

On October 22, she, along with the VP, meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal Herzog. The meeting took place at the Beit Hanassi presidential residence. Usha Vance wore Alice & Olivia Breann Long Fitted Blazer and Alice & Olivia Tisa Mid-Rise Boot-Cut Pants. I can’t tell the shoes.

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Thanks, Piper!

History plus Geography equals Archaeology!

This one has been in my ONT queue for a while. Enjoy!

Hadrian's Wall: The defensive Roman wall that protected the frontier in Britain for 300 years

Hadrian's Wall served as the most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire for 300 years. The wall is located in northern England, runs for about 74 miles (118 kilometers) between Bowness-on-Solway in the west and Wallsend in the east.

Construction started around A.D. 122, after a visit to Britain by Emperor Hadrian (reign A.D. 117 to 138 ), who was determined to consolidate the Roman Empire's borders. England and Wales had both fallen to Roman control by A.D. 61 when the Iceni queen, Boudica, was defeated. Scotland, however, had successfully resisted Roman attempts at conquest thanks to a people called the "Caledonians" who thwarted attempts by Roman legions to take permanent control of the Scottish lowlands.

The wall was Hadrian's attempt to establish a defensible border between southern Britain and the unconquered north. Built using local materials by Roman soldiers from the II, VI and XX legions, the wall's initial fortifications were finished within a few years and were staffed mainly by auxiliary (non-Roman citizen) units.

Much more at the link. Long and interesting article!

DJ Doof - Today's Birthdays Edition
(from thisdayinmusic.com)

Born on this date in 1967: Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist Keith Urban, whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia.

Born on this date in 1963: American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, from the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, which was founded in 1981.

Born on this date in 1953: Keith Strickland, guitar, keyboards, drums, with the American new wave band The B-52's.

Weekly commenter stats for week of 10-26-2025

AoSHQ Commenter Statistics:
Number of posts: 92
Number of comments: 24141
Number of unique hashes: 1900

Top 10 commenters:
1 [389 comments] 'Boss Moss' [55.25 posts/day]
2 [375 comments] 'TheJamesMadison, seeing dreamlike horrors with Mario Bava'
3 [373 comments] '18-1'
4 [373 comments] 'Bulg'
5 [336 comments] 'Blonde Morticia'
6 [332 comments] 'Cow Demon'
7 [299 comments] 'Skip '
8 [274 comments] 'toby928(c)'
9 [264 comments] 'ShainS -- Bury My Heart At a Texas MoMe '
10 [261 comments] 'the way I see it'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [192 names] 'Old Man Adams' [27.27 unique names/day]
2 [166 names] 'My Delta name is Miklos'
3 [160 names] 'More Washington facts'
4 [58 names] 'Bob And Shirley Chipeska, federal employees'
5 [57 names] 'The Grateful - Acta Non Verba'
6 [45 names] 'Count de Monet'
7 [45 names] 'Intercepted Reddit Transmissions brought by the Intrepid AoS Liaison'
8 [41 names] 'Duncanthrax'
9 [38 names] 'Quarter Twenty '
10 [34 names] 'I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper'

Tonight's ONT brought to you by valid questions

posted by Open Blogger at 10:01 PM

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