This is the Something Good Index, a continuously updated list of everything mentioned in this newsletter. Above-pictured is the author, beardless in Budapest in the early 2000s.

50 Years of Text Games: Tremendous newsletter-turned book about the history of interactive fiction, by Aaron A. Reed. SG25, SG62, SG86

1912Universal: Mysterious YouTube commenter. SG88

2001: A Space Odyssey: Food-themed Stanley Kubrick film. SG19

14846 Lampedusa: Six-kilometer-wide asteroid named after Sicilian nobleman and novelist. SG17

Aleksandra: Pseudonymous theological computer programmer and old friend of the author. SG21, SG38

Allergies: Seasonal, bad, ever-shifting. SG25

Amadeus: Salieri biopic. SG50

Amis, Martin: Late British novelist and journalist, the voice of whom has lived in the author’s head for decades. SG84

Amygdalar Earworms: Catchy memories. SG56, SG57

Anbernic RG353XXSP: Cute little game machine. SG105

Aquariums: Pandemic hobbies, microbiomes, sites of occasional great drama. SG32, SG81

Ask a Manager: World’s greatest advice column. SG30, SG54

At Close Range: Luridly beautiful ‘80s neon noir directed by James Foley. SG103

Austerlitz: 2001 W.G. Sebald novel with memorable opening. SG82

Bal des Quat’z’Arts: Annual Parisian art student rager, 1892-1966. SG67

Baldwin, Alec: Actor, podcast host, one-time sayer of the author’s name. SG71, SG75

Bar EXXXotica: Defunct neighbourhood strip club, remembered via its paper debris. SG14, SG43

Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi: Unexpected Barcelona sanctuary. SG90

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família: Unfinished wonder. SG65, SG90

“Being Boring” (music video): 1990 Pet Shop Boys single with memorable opening. SG82

Black Ox Orkestar: Recently reunited diasporic Jewish music outfit, old friends, one of whom in front of the author memorably vomited. SG75, SG77

Bois de Balincourt No.04: Maison Louis Marie candle recommended by Eve Thomas. Evoked uncertain but happy feeling. SG4

Braithwaite, James: Brilliant illustrator and animator, creator of SG and SG: BABC logos and so much more. SG83

Brets: Le chipsier français. SG10, SG20

Brown, Margaret Wise: Author of Goodnight Moon; literary genius; bohemian; died tragically. SG5

Cadence Weapon: Talented musician, inspirational letterist. SG16

Call sheet: A day’s shooting schedule. SG44

Cantacuzène, Balaşa: Romanian princess, ex-girlfriend of Patrick Leigh Fermor and keeper of his lost diary. BABC10

Casio Lineage LCW-M100TSE-1A2JF: A very good all-around watch, neither smart nor stupid. SG105

Chat: Promising, under-used platform feature. SG72

Chemnitz: Town in Saxony known for its large copper Karl Marx head. SG89

Compress ‘da Audio: First online music piracy ring, c. 1996. SG55

Current 93: Hallucinatory U.K. act. SG100

Dangerously Prancy: Ongoing delightful art project by James Braithwaite. SG83

Dark Is Rising, The: 1973 Susan Cooper fantasy novel with a masterful 2022 BBC World Service adaptation. SG92

Davies, Terence: Late British master filmmaker. SG90

Dawn: 1987 Octavia Butler publication, one of the best sci-fi novels ever written, selon moi. SG86

Deep Wheel Orcadia: Sci-fi novel written in Orkney verse, by Harry Josephine Giles. SG75

Dickinson, Emily: Singular poet. SG95

DJ Tommyboy: Elusive Texas DJ and video artist. SG85

Doctors Without Borders: Worthy charity. SG91, SG92, SG93

Dr. Ruth: Sex guru, Holocaust survivor, author, humiliator of this newsletter’s author. SG102

“Dreams Never End”: 1981 New Order song with memorable opening, well-placed in Carlos. SG82

Durant: Missing meatball maker. SG65

Dust jackets: Unnecessary adornments; to be discarded without guilt. SG11, SG42, SG75

“Elegy V: His Picture”: John Donne poem, dirtbag selfie anthem. SG50

Emisar D4V2: Hand-assembled flashlight of great beauty and charm. SG86

Ex Libris: Bookplates meant to signify ownership. Fundraising instrument for a cause dear to this newsletter’s heart. SG91, SG92, SG93, SG94, SG104, SG105

“Expert Judgment on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant”: Warning to the future. SG31

Feitlowitz, Margeurite: Scholar, Angélica Gorodischer interlocutor. BABC8

Field of the Cloth of Gold, The: Site of a legendary 1520 rager in which swans and at least one dolphin were consumed. SG67

Frame of Mind: Important, elusive DJ Tommyboy mix. SG85

Freezies: Cold summer treats. SG25

Galactus Trilogy, The: Issues 48-50 of Fantastic Four, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, introducing the planet-eating cosmic menace and his herald, the Silver Surfer. SG8

Garak, Elim: Tailor, Cardassian spy, SG patron saint. SG77

Gellman, Yani: Heartthrob, friend of the newsletter. SG58

Gigamesh: Barcelona bookstore, site of missed opportunity. BABC9

Gil, Gilberto: Brazilian musician, politician, all-around hero. SG55

Good-handedness: Reassuring feeling on first encountering a work of art. SG82, SG84

Gotham Bookmart: Defunct New York diamond district bookstore with rich past and mystical aura. SG27, SG41

Gouda: Mispronounced cheese. SG82

Glow: “A newsletter for candle lovers,” by friend-of-SG Eve Thomas. SG4

Guangzhou: Southern Chinese city, site of structural awakening for the author. SG90

Hav: Exploration of a fictional world, foundational text for this newsletter, written by Jan Morris. Also first selection for SG: BABC. SG80, BABC1, BABC3, BABC10

Heti, Sheila: Novelist, friend of the newsletter and part inspiration for its creation, Trampoline Hall co-creator and programmer. SG35, SG71, SG102

High-Rise: 1975 J.G. Ballard novel with memorable opening. SG82

Historias Extraordinarias: Life-changing, 4.5-hour 2008 Argentine film, dir. Mariano Llinás. Another SG foundation text. SG82

Holiday Mix for You, A: Perennial playlist. SG48, SG93

Hotel Thermal: Communist-era resort, longtime obsession, excellent elevator lobbies, author once saw a solo dog exit an elevator on the 14th floor. SG9, SG78

Houdini: Magician, ill-fated Montreal visitor. SG26

“I’ll Be There for You”: Rembrandts hit, Friends theme, Czech anthem. SG78

In Patagonia: Bruce Chatwin travelogue, second SG: BABC selection. BABC4

I Like Movies: Movie by and for movie lovers by friend-of-the-newsletter Chandler Levack. SG105

Island City for Something Good: Graham van Pelt guest playlist. SG18

Istituto Morosini per lo Studio delle 15:32, 10 apr 1954, L’: Venetian museum dedicated to the exhaustive study a specific moment on a day in 1954. SG12, SG36

Jakob von Gunten: 1909 Robert Walser novel with memorable opening lines. SG82

Kabul Party Hostel: Unexpectedly long-lived Barcelona youth hangout, site of a mysterious ailment for the author. SG90

Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was: Angélica Gorodischer novel, third Barely a Book Club selection. BABC7, BABC8, BABC9

Kar Lo Pyar: Rock and Reggae: Ambitious, ill-fated Musarrat Nazir album. SG40

Karlovy Vary: Czech spa town, Hotel Thermal location, place of endless mystery and wonder. Author was once thrown out of a party there. SG9, SG78

Kasugai gummies: Japanese candies, bags of which are adorned with poetic text. SG24

Kid Detective, The: Heartbreaking comedy by newsletter friend Evan Morgan. SG25

KLF, The: English dance duo who burned a million pounds. SG101

KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds, The: Mind-bending book by John Higgs about the band in question. SG101, SG105

Kon, Satoshi: Japanese filmmaker of infinite talent and creativity, gone too soon. SG28

de Lampedusa, Giuseppe: Depressive Sicilian nobleman and novelist. SG17

Last Night at the Lake: Atmospheric short by the author of this newsletter. SG29

Laurel Hell: Great Mitski album. SG54

Law, Matt: SG reader, contributor, poet. SG55

Leckie, Ann: Favoured SFF author. SG86, SG89

Le Guin, Ursula: Author, SG patron saint, translator of Kalpa Imperial. BABC9, SG105

Let England Shake: Infinitely haunting PJ Harvey album. SG15, SG90

“Letting My Balls Drop”: Poorly-titled lecture. SG71

“Letter Ghost”: Juvenilia. SG70

Limerence: Romantic fixation to the point of obsession. SG36

Lizzie McGuire Movie, The: 2003 teen Rome-com, set of which was accidentally intruded on by author, who would later befriend one of its stars. SG58

Lolita Podcast: Tour-de-force of literary criticism and history by Jamie Loftus. SG7

Luz: German demonic possession film. SG37

Madrid: Spanish capital, host to the author for 49 hours, home to works by Goya, Bosch, something called the “Brutal Bacon.” SG73

Magic Flute, The: 1975 Ingmar Bergman adaptation of Mozart opera with memorable overture sequence. SG51

“Marcia Baila”: Les Rita Mitsouko song; pinnacle of music video art; heartfelt defense of life and love and all that is good. SG84

Melatonin: Chemical supplement, responsible for strange dreams. SG25

Millennium Mambo: Ravishing, melancholy 2001 Hsiao-Hsien Hou romance. SG86

Mixed Feelings: Inconstant playlist. SG69

Montaug, Haoui: Legendary downtown nightclub doorman, poet, AIDS victim. SG5

Morris, Jan: Travel writer, Hav explorer, inspiration. SG75, SG80

Munroe, Jim: Longtime friend of the author, zine pioneer, novelist, early email-address-haver. SG74

My Canon: Playlist as crypto-autobiography. SG52

Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992: Enthralling dance music compilation featuring cover of “State of Independence” by Musarrat Nazir. SG25

Nazir, Musarrat: Pakistani movie star, singer, and mother of SG contributor Omar Majeed. SG40

Never Happened: Short film. SG53

New Year’s Day Movie, The: Missing artifact of Canadian cinema, incompletely re-constructed by the author. SG77

Ninefox Gambit: Interesting sci-fi novel by Yoon Ha Lee. SG25

Nitrogen cycle: Method of preparing aquariums for fish life. SG32

“Nobody Reads Anything”: Unofficial slogan. SG102

Notes on a once-glimpsed, now largely forgotten children’s story set in a snowstorm in the Imperial capital in its waning years: Something Good printed zine. Some still available. SG45, SG46, SG74

Notting Hill Editions: A cool press founded by the popularizer of the Rubik’s Cube. SG105

Number Go Up: Good, angry book about crypto by Zeke Faux. SG89

Odyssey, Emily Wilson translation of, The: 2018 English-language version of Homeric epic with memorable opening. SG82

Of Time and the City: Elegiac 2008 “city symphony” film by Terence Davies. SG90

On Some Faraway Beach: Never-completed sound art project. SG29, SG79

Pain: Universal constant, underdiscussed. SG95

Partying: Misunderstood, necessary, historic activity. SG67, SG77

People’s Almanac, The: Book of interesting facts and stories, misremembered. SG13

Paprika: Final film of Satoshi Kon. SG28

Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack 1: Useful fanny pack. SG44

Phantom Thread: 2017 Paul Thomas Anderson movie in which a very good New Year’s Eve party occurs. SG67

Pikes Hotel: Ibiza site of 1987 Freddie Mercury birthday party in which 350 bottles of Moët & Chandon were consumed. SG67

Pink Gin: Cocktail selected by contributor Ariel Esteban Cayer. SG37

Paradise Garage: Ur-disco. SG67

Peake, Mervyn: Brilliant, heartbreakingly doomed artist and writer; author of Gormenghast series. SG103

Piranesi: Labyrinthine but compact Susanna Clarke novel, master class in world-building and narrative voice. SG2

Place of Greater Safety, A: Magnificent French Revolution novel by Hilary Mantel. SG105

Pleet, Rachael: Friend of the newsletter, illustrator, occasional contributor. SG3, SG10, SG13, SG22

Professor Chip: Instagram potato chip critic. SG10, SG20, SG100

Reed, Aaron A.: Games historian, designer, researcher. SG25, SG62, SG86

Rosemont metro: Inconveniently-located subway station. SG63

Sad YouTube: Predecessor project to Something Good. SG22, SG88

Saeculum: Span denoting the time between when something significant began until the death of the last living person to have been present at that moment. SG68

Salamerta Generation, The: Short story, first appeared in The Awl. SG47

Salbutamol inhaler: Assists in breathing. SG44

Samsung Maxima Zoom 105GL: An unremarkable point-and-shoot camera that nonetheless produces remarkable results. SG104, SG105

Saucer Cinema: Xenomorph-obsessed podcast. SG29

Schmidt sting pain index: Remarkable act of masochistic aesthetics. SG95

Scorpia: Feared 1980s computer game critic. SG17

Seltzer, Le: Montreal-made bubbly water. SG18

Sides: Script pages, resized by half and handed out on set at the beginning of a day’s shoot. SG44

Sleep paralysis: Unspeakable affliction. SG61

Smoky Something Good, The: Mezcal-powered update on this newsletter’s signature cocktail (see below). SG66

“Something Good”: Kate-Bush-sampling 1992 Utah Saints dance hit, inspiration for title of newsletter.

Something Good #75: The missing issue. SG75

Something Good, The: Eponymous summer cocktail, invented by Michelle Marek. SG24

Barely a Book Club: Literary offshoot newsletter. SG80

Sorcerer: 1977 William Friedkin thriller, cinéma de scumbag at its absolute sweatiest. SG86

Sebastian Stockman: Dust-jacket admirer. SG42

Spaghetti eis: Ice cream in spaghetti form, or spaghetti in ice cream form. SG89

Styrene, Poly: Brace-mouthed, curly-haired punk visionary, X-Ray Spex singer. SG17

Sullam, Sarra Coppia: Venetian-Jewish salonnière, romantic correspondent. SG17

Super Sexe: Downtown Montreal strip club, lost in flames. SG43

Suspect Video: Sadly defunct Toronto video store. SG13

ThruNite Archer 1A V3: Flashlight that failed. SG44

Time of Gifts, A: Patrick Leigh Fermor travelogue recounting journey by foot across inter-war Europe, written four decades post facto. BABC10

Time travel: Attractive activity. SG6, SG79

Tinnitus: Regrettable affliction. SG25

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: BBC mini-series, rare masterpiece adaptation of a masterpiece book, invented mumblecore. SG1

Untitled Viennese story: Long-forgotten children’s book set in Vienna. SG27, SG41

Titus Groan: Marvellous, enigmatic, extremely funny first volume in Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series. SG103

Tombs of Atuan, The: Luminous Le Guin Earthsea entry. BABC9

Toshiba Libretto 50 CT: Compact 1990s portable computer, site of certain juvenilia. SG70

Trampoline Hall: Long-running Toronto lecture series, home to first performance of “Letting My Balls Drop.” SG71

Tropical Truth: Autobiography of Something Good patron saint Caetano Veloso. SG23

Tropicália: 1960s Brazilian musical and artistic movement. SG23, SG55

Translation State: Recent, excellent sci-fi novel set in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch universe. SG86

True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee: Marvelous biography of a complicated man by Josie Riesman. SG8

USB battery pack: Useful. SG44

van Pelt, Graham: Musician, radio host, playlist-maker extraordinaire. SG18

We Are Raccoons: Jim Munroe novel. Sci-fi, A.I., indie games. SG74

What Is My Face?: Short documentary by the author of this newsletter and neuroscientist Sofía Landi. SG33

Whitehead, Jocelyn Gordon: McGill student, amateur boxer, Houdini assailant. SG26

Wilensky’s: Decades-old lunch counter, seller of pressed-baloney sandwiches. SG60

Wrench, Chris: Late friend of the author. RIP. SG52

WPIX Yule Log: Original televised fireplace. SG3

Wu, Irene: YouTube commentee. SG88

You Can Live Forever: Widely-pirated feature film directed by the author of this newsletter and Sarah Watts. SG34, SG59, SG60, SG76, SG80

Younger Lady, The: Mother of Tutankhamun, died mysteriously, mummy discovered in the Valley of the Kings. SG5

Zamor: Enslaved child turned French revolutionary. SG5

Zines: Newsletter progenitors, friendship initiators, physical objects that may outlive all of this. SG45, SG46, SG74

If you read this far and you don’t subscribe to Something Good, you probably should.