Sarah Arneson

@saraharneson

NJ-born and raised, Tar Heel since college. Fan of walkable communities. Print designer turned UX designer. Photographer, crafter (jack of many crafts, master of none). Taking deep breaths.

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Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Mar 16

Thanks to CODA, I learnt that Matlin’s gesture was a combo of the ASL fingerspelling for the letters I, L, Y. And as Emilia Jones shows here, you can add/convert the L to an R for “I REALLY love you.” #Oscars #HATM

Still from the trailer for CODA, showing the main character gesturing out a car window with the ASL letter sign for “I really love you,” a combo of the letters I, R, L, Y.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Feb 8

Not like I’d ever drive on #FranklinStreet if I could just drive around it, but here’s a GPS-warning illustration of #UNC students rushing downtown to celebrate beating Duke.

GPS map of Chapel Hill showing red lines on Franklin and surrounding streets after UNC beat Duke at the Dean Dome and fans rushed downtown to celebrate.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jan 25

I hadn’t heard much about #DeliverMeFromNowhere after it came out, but I really liked it. A quiet movie about a sensitive genius struggling with childhood trauma, who does the most courageous and beneficial thing: seeks help. I loved the way they described it. (I don’t think this is a spoiler.)

A still of part of the “Deliver Me From Nowhere” epilogue text: “Bruce Springsteen continued to struggle with depression but never again without help or hope.”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jan 10

I grew up in the 80s and there was a year or two when a few of the trendier/wealthier kids wore multiple Swatch watches on each arm. To me it always evoked Bananas Gorilla.

Richard Scarry illustration of his character “Bananas Gorilla,” who is fully clothed and is wearing at least three watches on each arm. Here he seems to have tripped while carrying more than a dozen bananas; they’re in midair all around him.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Dec 22

Chapel Hill shout out! This wouldn’t have registered for me when I saw it in the 80s in NJ. My future! (Autocorrect when I was entering the alt text made me realize they prob named this fake venue by taking “Vanderbilt” and changing a few letters.) #ThisIsSpinalTap #ThisIsSpinalTap

A still from This Is Spinal Tap, people milling outside a music venue, with the text “VANDERMINT AUDITORIUM / Chapel Hill, North Carolina”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Oct 18

Great crowd in Hillsborough, NC on this 🚫👑 Day … I’m always grateful to have several regional options. And I’m always impressed by those who plan who plan ahead! #NoKings #NoKingsDay

No Kings Day in Hillsborough, NC, Oct. 18, 2025. A row of seven protesters in brightly colored inflatable costumes (characters like pink and blue somethings — maybe Pokémons — and a variety of different colored unicorns) stand on the sidewalk holding signs.

No Kings Day in Hillsborough, NC, Oct. 18, 2025. A man in a chicken costume crosses the road. He is also wearing a crown and a clown nose.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Sep 7

A doctor I trust more than RFK Jr.

A still of Dr. Mauer, in a white dentist’s tunic, standing in front of a reel-to-reel stereo. From #Severance season 2.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Sep 4

Yeesh.

Still from #MadMen , season 1 episode 1 ... Rachel Menken responds to some of Don's nonsense nihilism with the observation, "I don't think I realized it until this moment, but it must be hard being a man, too."

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Sep 4

This is in a town east of you, in pretty densely populated area next to CH. All deer, all the time.

Two pics, one showing a dozen deer grazing in a driveway. The the next pic is annotated, with the deer heads circled and numbered in yellow. Bold white text shows above, reading: “One dozen deer”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Sep 3

My husband sometimes brings home assorted publications from his architecture firm, but I had never seen this one before. Did a double take when I saw it this morning, even with its appropriate spelling … It still managed to evoke #Severance. It’s going to be a long couple of years.

A copy of “Lumens” Fall 2025 sourcebook of lighting fixtures.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Aug 3

This piece on #AndSoItGoes by @lindaholmes.bsky.social is lovely and insightful; felt like my teen years. I love her description of buried lyric memory … I’ve described it as “feeling like an activated sleeper agent” or “knowing something deep in my lizard brain.” It’s a wild conduit to the past.

From the attached link, with the part “The words” through “the car” highlighted:

But the first thing I did after I finished watching the documentary was to go back to the albums and start at the beginning. The words are mostly still in there somewhere, stuck in the back corners of the bottom drawers of my memory, in that way where you couldn't write them down on a blank sheet of paper, but if the music starts playing, they seem to materialize in your mouth, line by line, right before it's time to sing them out loud in the car. I am humming these songs in my kitchen. I am wishing I had seen him live a few more times. I am wishing I had gotten better at the piano.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jul 29

The thing I love about #Severance is there is always more to consider. The joke is this hacky photoshop (MDR group pic inserted into a real historical photo) and near-all redacted text, but I somehow never really read what remains. (Or I’ve already forgotten, during the off season …) 1/2

A still from Severance season 2 (ep 1?) shot from over Mark S.’ shoulder, a heavily redacted issue of “The Kier Chronicle” front page, showing the four MDR members standing up in a convertible, in a ticker tape parade. The headline is: “INNIES” BLOW THE WHISTLE with subhead: Already, the world has come out to say "Thank You"

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jul 18

The gymnastics involved in this tepid observation!

Screenshot of the Variety article
With this portion highlighted: “David Ellison, who leads Skydance, has projected an image of being intrigued by the politics espoused by President Donald Trump”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jul 17

I would have been embarrassed if I hadn't gotten this one ... #Wordle #UXDesign

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jul 16

Went and found this old post of mine referencing Lobel's #TheGreatBlueness, which is apparently no longer out of print! So many images from favorite children's books stuck with me for DECADES. Also: Toad's to-do list, with "Wake up" as the first thing he gets to cross off. Always a good start!

Cropped social media post of mine from 2013 ... on left is a pic of four full containers of butternut squash soup, on right is a page from Arnold Lobel's "The Great Blueness" where a the wizard (a bearded man in a red outfit) is losing his balance as huge containers of paint are overflowing all around him.

Caption of social media post: "Making — and finding containers for — a double batch of butternut squash soup reminded me of the wizard in the excellent (and criminally out-of-print) children's book, "The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments," by Arnold Lobel. Happily, I did not have to find out what would happen if the containers overflowed and swirled together on my floor."

Also ... I've always use em dashes (once I learned about them), and thank goodness I use them incorrectly — with spaces surrounding them — now that that's a rumored indicator of AI writing.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jul 16

We finally tried Pelican Snowball in our neighborhood. Hard not to think of this “Hit me in the face with a snow ball” campaign from #MadMen … even if Don (says he) doesn’t think about Ginsburg at all. (Why a pig? “I don’t know, but you all laughed.”)

A two-pic collage: Rainbow shaved ice from Pelican Snowball while husband gets a red raspberry shaved ice from clerk. Second pic is a still from #MadMen — a presentation board with a large mockup of an ad for “Snoball” shows a black & white drawing of a cop getting snowballed. Underneath are smaller images of different characters: a Native American, a female teacher, and a pig.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jun 25

More #Severance -adjacent shots I grabbed from #TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty the other day … symbolic blocking with wall text, elevator fights, Adam Scott being snarky, Dylan’s doppelgänger from the door factory.

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Adam Scott’s and Ben Stiller’s characters shot from the back of an elevator; the doors are open between them enough to show the word “Life”

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Ben Stiller’s and Adam Scott’s characters in a physical fight on an elevator.

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Adam Scott’s character wrongly (sarcastically) guesses that the motto of Life Magazine is “I’m lovin’ it”

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Ben Stiller’s and Adrian Martinez’s characters on an elevator at their Life Magazine jobs. (Stiller’s character says “Hey, this is an ocean. That’s a boat.”)

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jun 25

I happened to watch #TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty earlier this week, and grabbed some shots that reminded me of #Severance. I’m sharing them after hearing this morning about upcoming new eps of @benstiller.redhour.com ‘s and Adam Scott’s podcast … starting tomorrow!

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Ben Stiller’s character stands at the front of a payroll line and says to the person working at the window: “Walter Mitty. Severance package.”

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … overhead shot of the beautiful lobby of the Manhattan building where Life magazine offices were in the movie. People are walking on a wave-patterned marble floor.

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … Ben Stiller’s character is walking away from the camera down a long, plain white hallway.

Frame from the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” … a close-up of Ben Stiller’s character’s finger hovering over the trackpad button of a laptop.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jun 14

No Kings protest in Durham, NC today. Happily we had about six other options of protests to go to in our town and surrounding areas. Very heartening to see a TON of people there. 🚫👑

Durham NC - No Kings protest, June 14, 2025

Parade leaders’ banner reads “With liberty and justice for all.”

Durham NC - No Kings protest, June 14, 2025

A no parking sign with the “par” part crossed out

Durham NC - No Kings protest, June 14, 2025

At the top of a hill, a long stream of protesters stretching down the street

Durham NC - No Kings protest, June 14, 2025

A sign reads “I love my immigrant neighbors”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Jun 9

The “Be excellent to each other” edict walked so “Wouldn’t it be tight if everyone was chill to each other” could run. #hatm #BillAndTed’sExcellentAdventure #ParksAndRecreation

Still from the Grizzl office in Parks & Recreation (TV show), with the wall painted with the inspirational thought “Wouldn’t it be tight if everyone was chill to each other.”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· May 23

Trammel Tillman is a goddamn STAR (and of course he greeted Guillermo, because he is classy). Look at this beautiful man in this beautiful suit! Tagging #Severance because I can’t remember the name of the MI movie. And also because SETH MILCHICK.

Trammel Tillman greets Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo before going over to the desk for his interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 21, 2025.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· May 21

I'm so sorry for your loss. And thank you so much for all you do.

Picture of two dogs with the text "Having a dog will bless you with many of the happiest days of your life, and one of the worst."

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· May 13

Aww, the Mark Twain Prize ceremony for #Conan is the perfect distracting thing to watch tonight. (This is my third bsky post that mentions this #Simpsons ep in one way or the other. Monorail!)

The Mark Twain Prize ceremony, Kumail Nanjiani does a bit describing the references to Conan’s start in comedy writing on The Simpsons, though he only wrote three episodes, which a screen lists as “Marge vs. the Monorail” and “Two other episodes”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· May 12

What a freaking shot! Storytelling, my friends. (Ignore the CC line, we have it on by default … I’m talking about the shadow cage.) #hatm

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 30

Excellent sliver moon tonight. Attempted to capture it with my crappy phone:

Very thin crescent moon on Tuesday Apr 29, 2025 … seen above the still orange, pink and purple colors at the horizon. Some red taillights are visible in the distance.

Zoomed in shot of the very thin crescent moon on Tuesday Apr 29, 2025 … seen in the blue sky of the evening. A pole in the foreground connects several wires.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 27

First of the season. 🌱

On a screen porch with a red glider in the background, a hand holds two mojitos.

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 26

Pretty great Saturday: Delicious Lebanese food and beautiful arboretum wandering in Raleigh, then browsing and buying at @flyleafbooks.bsky.social in Chapel Hill to celebrate #IndependentBookstore Day. (Note love for #LettersBookshop in Durham via Dave’s t-shirt; a nice coincidence today.)

Exterior of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC

Sign outside Flyleaf Books:
Independent Borkstore Day
* hidden golden ticket
> 12- credit
audio book bundle)
* story time @10AM
* prizes!! snacks!!
* spend $150 + get a free tote bag

Outside Flyleaf Books, man holding shopping bag that says “Think outside the books” … his T-shirt says “Letters Durham Bookshop”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 12

Favorite throwaway joke in the recent #AbbottElementary … NO ONE one wants to “set up an account.” #UX #UXDesign

Still (1 of 4) from Abbott Elementary epidode “Rally” … teachers are desperately discussing ways to save their school and one teacher responds to a suggestion, “That’s it. We become a charter school.”

Still (2 of 4) from Abbott Elementary epidode “Rally” … another teacher responds to the charter school suggestion: “Okay, how the hell do we do that?”

Still (3 of 4) from Abbott Elementary epidode “Rally” … a third teacher is at a laptop and enters a search: “How to become a charter school”

Still (4 of 4) from Abbott Elementary epidode “Rally” … the teacher at the laptop gets the search results back and says, “Make an account? Never mind.”

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 6

I hope that @booker.senate.gov has been seeing a lot examples of how he has inspired people this week. This one from #HandsOff rally in #Durham today.

Hands Off rally in Durham, NC, April 5, 2025. A woman holds up a sign that reads:
"IF AMERICA
HASN'T BROKEN YOUR HEART, THEN YOU DON'T LOVE HER ENOUGH.”
COREY BOOKER

Sarah Arneson@saraharneson· Apr 5

Yes! And could Jake Johnson play Oscar’s brother? (I asked Hollywood for this in 2019, but don’t know if it heard me.)