Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

White supremacy is terrorism.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

The willow is too close to the house.

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Open Thread

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Think pleasant thoughts. Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

*** Update ***

Maddow is making fun of the music in the fearmongering commercial the Republicans released today, and it made me laugh, because I actually was writing a post this morning in which I was asking if the GOP knew any music besides Ride of the Valkyries and Carmina Burana and then just said to hell with it.

Reader Interactions

195Comments

  1. 1.

    asiangrrlMN

    I got to see hunky Minneapolis fire fighters in t-shirts. That was a good thing. The only thing I like about spring/summer is the sudden shedding of layers.

    Other than that, I got nothing. I’m still got the springtime blues.

  2. 2.

    TenguPhule

    Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

    McCain still isn’t president.

  3. 3.

    Ash

    Think pleasant thoughts. Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

    I got paid?

  9. 9.

    HumboldtBlue

    Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

    District Attorney investigator Wayne Cox from the Humboldt County DA’s office has received the annual award from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

    Cox, who previously served on the Eureka Police Department as traffic officer and began a highly successful program to curb street racing by getting the racers to the local drag strip, broke open and solved an 18-year old case of a missing boy.

    Turns out the young man had been killed by the perpetrator in the heat of the moment after the man learned that the boy was going to turn him in for molestation.

    18 years later, Cox received permission to take the case from an overworked Sheriff’s Detectives and within a year had gotten a confession and discovered the dead boy’s body.

    I happen to know and like Wayne, he’s a good man and a good cop. Check him out next Tuesday at the Capitol building in D.C. when he attends the ceremony.

  10. 10.

    Thankovsky

    Sean Hannity continued to pussy out on his claim that he’d be willing to be waterboarded for charity, thus giving Keith Olbermann license to continue to rake him over the coals for it. He really is the gift that keeps on giving.

  11. 11.

    Comrade Kevin

    I mentioned this in another thread. Manny Ramirez got suspended for 50 games.

    Manny being Manny!

  13. 13.

    Dennis-SGMM

    We’re now more than three months past George W. Bush’s last day in office.

  14. 14.

    robertdsc

    I had a very pleasant “date” with a lady friend on Sunday night. That’s been keeping me up over the disintegration of a long term relationship two weeks ago.

    We had a Tunch sighting this week. That’s also good.

  16. 16.

    gwangung

    I have a T-bone steak gettin’ the tenderizing treatment, ready to be cooked medium well (sorry. still thinking of my digestion).

    What? I think that’s pretty damn good…..

  19. 19.

    schrodinger's cat

    I went out for a run outside this evening, the first time this year. It was wonderful the grass is green and there are flowers everywhere. The weather was perfect 70 degrees and sunny. First we had a horrible winter and then I was sick with strep throat and then the flu. It was good to be finally outdoors.

  20. 20.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

    We saw Gordon Lightfoot last night performing at what appeared to be an AARP convention in Richmond. Prior to his performance we had very good fried food at New York Fried Chicken & Biscuit. We left the concert early due to the rampant smell of bad cologne and cheap beer and went back to New York Fried Chicken & Biscuit for dessert. Based on the condition of the restaurant we assume Richmond doesn’t have a health inspector. (But it’s always the dumps that have the best food, right?) Anyway, any time we get outta downtown Richmond without being murdered, we call it a good time.

  22. 22.

    JK

    The Simpsons got their own postal stamps on Thursday, becoming the first television series to be featured as the sole subject of a U.S. stamp set while still in primetime production.

    h/t Yahoo News

  23. 23.

    cleek

    i made some tasty enchiladas last night, and a kick-ass pork roast with a port & cranberry reduction monday night.

    so that was good.

  24. 24.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    After a year and a half back in the US, I’m going back to Paris on Sunday.

    Hey, we got Obama elected.

    My work here is done.

    Don’t screw it up, y’hear?

    Last time I left, next thing I knew George W Bush was elected. The first time. I clearly can’t leave you people alone with this country for a minute.

    Anyway that’s the good news. I can’t wait.

  25. 25.

    JL

    @gwangung: I grew up in a family that put all the prepared vegies on the table and then broiled the meat. Obviously I don’t understand the term medium well.

  26. 26.

    Fencedude

    Most interesting thing to happen today is that the hotel I work at hosted a conference of the “Republican Women of Polk County”

    Somehow I doubt we’ll ever see a conference for the “Democratic Women of Polk County”

  32. 32.

    JL

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Thanks for making feel old… The first and only time that I saw Gordon Lightfoot was on a college campus in 1970 or maybe 1969.. I knew where he was staying and knocked on his door and he signed his autograph on my Winston cigarettes pack.

  35. 35.

    Mr. Stuck

    Well, I just installed a faster CPU in my computer and it actually worked. The bad news is the hard drive is now making unnerving noises which I hope is just growing pains.

  38. 38.

    Laura W

    @John Cole: Don’t make me go get Jane Hamsher of the Left to double-team you.
    (Did I use that term right? I just meant don’t make the two of us team up to kick your ass, ‘cuz you know we totally could.)

  39. 39.

    TenguPhule

    1. John Cole sparked a discussion of the joys of Terry Pratchett, which demonstrated how many people of good taste comment on BJ.

    Indeed.

    Inquiring minds want to know, John.

    When do we induct Cole into the Order of Discworld readers?

    Pointy hats optional.

  40. 40.

    PurpleGirl

    I went to a lecture by fiber artist Robyn Love at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio this evening. She spoke about various past projects and her next big one. It was neat being with yarn people for a couple of hours.

  43. 43.

    darkness

    My buds came back! Kirk and spock and my engineering hero, montgomery if-its-not-scottish-its-crap scott.

    Life is fucking beautiful.

  44. 44.

    The Cat Who Would Be Tunch

    @Laura W: Ate himself to death to get away from you, did he?

    That right there explains the “Consistently wrong since 2002” motto to me.

  45. 45.

    John Cole

    @TenguPhule: I was at the bookstore today and was going to purchase Guards Guards because someone said that area of books was better than the colour of magic, but then got into a debate with the clerk about whether Making Money or Guards Guards started that particular set, and walked away with nothing.

  46. 46.

    South of I-10

    I have 4 hibiscus in my yard and they are all showing off today. Little South just told me she was sorry she was mean to me today, it’s because she missed me because she had to go back to school. No one has the flu, which is always a plus.

  48. 48.

    Mr. Stuck

    It was neat being with yarn people for a couple of hours.

    And now your here with a different kind of yarn people:)

  50. 50.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    That right there explains the “Consistently wrong since 2002” motto to me.

    We smile through the hurtful comments and try to make it through to his next happy time.

  51. 51.

    WereBear

    I am grateful we are not weathering this financial crisis under the jumpy hands and winky eyes of McCain/Palin.

    That would be enough for me to sell all my worldly goods (about 793 dollars at yard sale prices) and go hunt for grubs in the forest, waiting for the cats to bring me a squirrel now and then.

  53. 53.

    TenguPhule

    but then got into a debate with the clerk about whether Making Money or Guards Guards started that particular set, and walked away with nothing.

    It’s Guards Guards. You need that one to start the Watch books which leads to Going Postal which ends up at Making Money.

    Otherwise half the jokes in the latter two will not be as funny as they should be.

  54. 54.

    Mr. Stuck

    @Laura W: Ate himself to death to get away from you, did he?

    First thought. Oh noes! Did Fuckhead leave a note?

  55. 55.

    SnarkIntern

    Got my car fixed after a lady backed into me in the drive thru at McDonalds. Large truck versus my Civic. $2k.

    So she decides, at the speaker thing, she doesn’t want to eat there, throws it in reverse, and shortens my car by six inches. The truck bumper is about a foot higher than my car bumper so sheet metal and lights and grill took the hit.

    Anyway the car looks like new and I think body shop guys are gods. They basically did the whole thing in one day. A-fucking-mazing.

    The lady did not own the truck, had a suspended license, and the truck owner had no insurance. She repeated over and over, I didn’t see you! To which I succeeded in not replying, that, madam, is because you do not have eyes in the back of your head at which I was looking at when you hit me … unless you were turned around and had combed your hair over your face and were wearing your sunglasses on the back of your head. Im just saying.

    I don’t love the Civic but despite its shortcomings I can’t find a car I like better enough to replace it. So for only the second time in decades, I am keeping a car longer than 3 years. Which ain’t like me at all.

  56. 56.

    Laura W

    @John Cole: Hey! Funny Guy! I’ve got a great idea! The two-year anniversary of his sudden, painful, tragic and horrifying death is May 18. I can send you a bunch of photos of him at his top weight and you can do another front page Mockiversary post.
    I really can’t think of a more moving way to mark the day.

  57. 57.

    TenguPhule

    @John Cole

    Or start with stand alones: Small Gods, Mort, Good Omens (not discworld but similiar veined humor), Moving Pictures, The Truth, Monstrous Regiment….

  58. 58.

    cleek

    So whatever happened at the job?

    my position has been eliminated.

    i’ll be laid-off in mid-July, but with lots and lots of delicious severance.

  62. 62.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tatuagem do Sydney: Wow! I like your nomenclature. Very, um, non-English.

    @Laura W:

    Don’t make me go get Jane Hamsher of the Left to double-team you.

    Laura W, that does not mean what you think it means.

    @SnarkIntern: Damn. I hope you got someone to pay for your car repairs. That truly sucks.

    Um. I had really good Thai food for lunch–oh, and the server was cute. I’m not partial to blonds, but she was very friendly, too, which helps.

    By the way, Krista, you out there? That thread you posted with you and Darrell getting into it was priceless!

  65. 65.

    Nicole

    Rachel Alexandra was sold to Jess Jackson who is likely to run her against colts. Latest rumor is that he’s going to run her in the Preakness and if he does, Calvin Borel will give up Mine That Bird to stay on the filly. So that’s fun news for a sport that nobody but me and JenJen watch.

  66. 66.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    I was at the bookstore today and was going to purchase Guards Guards because someone said that area of books was better than the colour of magic, but then got into a debate with the clerk about whether Making Money or Guards Guards started that particular set, and walked away with nothing.

    What, nobody could flip open the books and look at the copyright date?

    The City Watch books are uniformly great, so they’re a great place to start, but please don’t obsess too much about reading those in order. However, if you need order, this gives you the CW sequence.

    Making Money is one of the later books about economics and technology (see also: Going Postal and The Truth, which is also classified as a City Watch story). You can read these, or the recent and quite wonderful Monstrous Regiment, out of order and still get a lot out of them.

  67. 67.

    asiangrrlMN

    @D-Chance.: Let’s not jump all over Obama yet. He didn’t explicitly fire the guy. There has been some debate as to whether he can stay the firing or not.

    Look, I’m all for a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I am really pissed that Dan Choi was fired, but this isn’t the fault of Obama. If Obama doesn’t repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in his first four years, yeah, then I’ll be pissed as hell.

  68. 68.

    Mr. Stuck

    @D-Chance.:

    From your link D.

    An executive order would not get rid of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, but would take the critical step of suspending its implementation, hence rendering it effectively dead. Once people see gays and lesbians serving openly, legally and without problems, it will be much easier to get rid of the law at a later time.

    So Obama just decides people shouldn’t follow an existing law by fiat, or telling folks not to enforce it. Now that sounds more like the Old boss to me.

  70. 70.

    TenguPhule

    and The Truth, which is also classified as a City Watch story).

    Come again? The Watch were only supporting cast in that one.

  71. 71.

    JL

    @John Cole: I had kind words prepared about how we need your words of wisdom and then I read Laura’s comment @ 56 and changed my mind. Night John!

  72. 72.

    asiangrrlMN

    Just to add to the Dan Choi firing, I applaud him for openly declaring that he is gay on Rachel’s show. That damn closet needs to be busted wide open. Good on him.

    You know what would be fun? To see all the zaniest threads in the archives here.

  73. 73.

    Thankovsky

    @D-Chance.:
    How do you know this really was Obama’s choice, and that he’s not dealing with tremendous bureaucratic inertia in the DOD behind the scenes?

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Hear hear! It was extremely brave of him. I don’t know if I could demonstrate that level of courage if I was in his position.

  74. 74.

    Comrade Kevin

    @Mr. Stuck:

    So Obama just decides people shouldn’t follow an existing law by fiat, or telling folks not to enforce it. Now that sounds more like the Old boss to me.

    Rachel Maddow had a segment on her show tonight about this, and that is basically what Rep. Joe Sestak said about it.

  76. 76.

    TenguPhule

    However, if you need order, this gives you the CW sequence.

    Someone at wiki is on some serious drugs if Monstrous Regiment is counted as a Watch book.

  78. 78.

    tc125231

    My wife, an architect, is in another green building seminar and is very excited.

    I am still employed, which gives her a certain amount of freedom to do these things.

    Two of my three sons are doing well.

    It could be a lot worse. It would be, if the GOP were still in power.

  79. 79.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @JL: In John’s defense, the only thing worse than a dead cat is a live one.

  81. 81.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    Oh, and Small Gods and Hogfather, a standalone and a near-standalone, are damn, damn good.

    I’ve been getting rid of a lot of books over the past year or so. I used to be a complete hoarder of books (and I’m probably going to get smacked by some people here who probably have as many linear miles of filled bookshelves as I used to have), but I get most of my books from the library these days. I have one professional bookcase and three personal bookcases, and I only keep what fits in there.

    Yet I find that my small stack of Pratchett isn’t enough, so I’m going to have to get almost everything in the Discworld series and move out some other books to make room.

    But I won’t get The Colour of Magic because that’s just a paint by numbers exercise.

  83. 83.

    TenguPhule

    Yet I find that my small stack of Pratchett isn’t enough, so I’m going to have to get almost everything in the Discworld series and move out some other books to make room.

    Get the audio books too. Some of them are even better then just read in print.

  84. 84.

    Laura W

    @TenguPhule: Well then THAT’S what I meant!
    (Let’s see how well John sleeps tonight with that image seared into his big forehead.)

  85. 85.

    TenguPhule

    Oh, and Small Gods and Hogfather, a standalone and a near-standalone, are damn, damn good.

    Technically Hogfather is part of the DEATH Family Series.

  86. 86.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    @TenguPhule: I agree that they’re not a major part of the book, which is why I prefer to classify it as part of the Ankh-Morpork society and technology series, but it’s included in the list I linked to, that’s all.

  87. 87.

    TenguPhule

    @TenguPhule: Well then THAT’S what I meant!
    (Let’s see how well John sleeps tonight with that image seared into his big forehead.)

    @Laura W

    Ah, you caught that I never said what kind of dreams, did you. *evil grin*

  91. 91.

    asiangrrlMN

    @TenguPhule: Yes, what he said.

    Ok, y’all are making me want to read more Pratchett. I like dark, twisted, funny novels. Where should I start? I’ve read both his books with Gaiman, and that’s it.

  92. 92.

    John Cole

    @asiangrrlMN: I’d rather shower in prison. Is it not enough that I have repented. Must my archives be thrown in my face every day?

    When a dog shits on the floor, I understand rubbing his nose in it right then and there. I don’t, however, understand the urge to rub his nose in every pile of shit he made over the course of his life.

  94. 94.

    asiangrrlMN

    @John Cole: Sorry, John. My humble apologies. I just really dug some of the zanier threads. It’s really fascinating for me to read you from a few years back and then read you now. It’s heartening to know that people can evaluate their positions and change their minds.

    Plus, blog fights!

  95. 95.

    JL

    When a dog shits on the floor, I understand rubbing his nose in it right then and there. I don’t, however, understand the urge to rub his nose in every pile of shit he made over the course of his life.

    That’s repulsive.. I’m reporting you to Cesar Millan.

  98. 98.

    TenguPhule

    I like dark, twisted, funny novels. Where should I start?

    If you like dark and twisted, Granny Weatherwax should be right up your ally. I recommend “Witches Abroad” & its sequel “Lords and Ladies”

    The DEATH family is also dark but funny, “Mort” “Hogfather” “Soul Music” “Thief of Time”

    For more down to earth, urban ironic humor, “Guards Guards” and the Watch books.

    Small Gods, as already mentioned is also good for beginners to Discworld.

    Or if you want the greatest con-man ever seen: “Going Postal” and “Making Money”

  100. 100.

    Brick Oven Bill

    I would like to comment on fear mongering music. Mine in particular.

    Through my ‘912’ and other connections, a new band is forming. There are many very talented people that are attracted to this message. I enjoy being a protester. This band will not have some dumb name like ‘The Little Rockers’ on that pandering, dumb Huckabee show.

    I like the name ‘Iron Teabag’. This is as complex as Rush’s ‘Moving Pictures’, but cooler. Think of the album cover.

  102. 102.

    dmsilev

    _Carmina Burana_ is so overused for ‘scary classical music’. Can’t the GOP at least be slightly less cliched and go for the Mars movement of _The Planets_?

    -dms

  103. 103.

    Laura W

    @John Cole: I had it on but muted in case I had to come to the defense of my poor Walter, RIP, again.
    I blame you.
    For everything.

  104. 104.

    The Cat Who Would Be Tunch

    @John Cole:

    How about a more lighthearted subject like how’d you come up with the name “Balloon Juice”? Does that take the edge off?

  110. 110.

    TenguPhule

    @Brick Oven Bill: Personally, I think of teabags as soft and squishy so maybe you can come up with a better name.

    His apparently rust when exposed to water.

  113. 113.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    @asiangrrlMN: He’s not really dark. Twisted & funny, yes. Start with any of his books except:
    The Colour of Magic
    Eric
    Equal Rites
    Mort
    Sourcery

    If you like science fiction try Strata or the Dark Side of the Sun (which gets my vote for his weirdest book).

  114. 114.

    Mike in NC

    What does Obamamerica have against gays? Is he a bigot? Should we get him fake boobs, a sash, and a tiara?

    Get yourself some fake boobs and blow Dick Cheney.

  115. 115.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @Mr. Stuck:

    First thought. Oh noes! Did Fuckhead leave a note?

    Stuck, you want me to let Rome out of the box again?

    I didn’t think so.

  116. 116.

    asiangrrlMN

    @TenguPhule: Thanks for the suggestions. I like Death as a character, so I will probably start there.

    John, I only watch Rachel on-line after they post the vids, so don’t spoil it for me!

    kommrade reproductive vigor, great! Dueling reading lists.

  118. 118.

    IndieTarheel

    Finished the move into the new house.

    Only two things broken, neither valuable nor irreplaceable.

    And we have a president who doesn’t suck.

  119. 119.

    Mr. Stuck

    Carmina Burana is so overused for ‘scary classical music’. Can’t the GOP at least be slightly less cliched and go for the Mars movement of The Planets?

    Cliche is the height of creativity to them. I think they are about to dust off the old “Anti-Christ” theme for Obama. Maybe a little photoshopping with Obama riding a tricycle and knocking his deceased grandmother (RIP) off the balcony because she was about to deliver his Kenyan Birth Certificate to the press.

  122. 122.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tatuagem do Sydney: Aw, we can but fake-dream. I will be wearing black, and you and your real hubby can wear whatever you want.

    It seems to me that perhaps you have a little crush on Miss Kylie. Maybe she can be the best woman at our fake-wedding….

    I never thought I’d say this, but who cares that her songs aren’t great or that she’s not the best singer ever?

  123. 123.

    Bubblegum Tate

    The layoff axe has been swinging at work, and it didn’t get me. Huzzah!

  124. 124.

    BethanyAnne

    I’ll just toss in a vote for “Small Gods” it’s a fab way to start on some Pratchett. :-)

  125. 125.

    TenguPhule

    If you like Death, try Reaper Man.

    But you need the background from Mort to actually get it.

  126. 126.

    asiangrrlMN

    I’ve read Small Gods and American Dreams. Can you guys reach a consensus what I should read next?

  128. 128.

    Brick Oven Bill

    Once when I was in college, I was perusing a second hand book store when a moderately large woman in a Mickey Mouse Club t-shirt and sweatpants began to eye me from the next section over. I was in the US business history section, she was in the romance section. She turned around, squatted down while reaching for a book and exposed to me an ample case of builder’s bum.

    For some reason that I still cannot understand, I got very nervous and bumped into the book riser and a dusty copy of Chevron’s 1987 Annual Report slid off the top and hit me in the head. I took this as a sign and began to flip through it. The section on exploiting the oil shale just made so much sense to me. I read it and re-read it and finally looked up. She was gone, but I was still holding the Annual. I paid $2.15 for it and walked out of the store a changed man.

  129. 129.

    Betsy

    My “something good” this week was that a bunch of white dudes seemed to get genuinely pissed off at the collective sexist and racist freakout over Sotomayer. I can’t tell you how heartened that made me. Thanks, guys! You are all Not Assholes. :D

    Also, my kitty has begun sleeping with me. She was extremely skittish when we first got her back in September, so this is a big step.

  130. 130.

    Gus

    Something good and not irritating had to happen this week

    The lump on my dog’s side isn’t cancerous. That made my week.

  132. 132.

    TenguPhule

    Can you guys reach a consensus what I should read next?

    On Discworld? We’ll have nationalized health care first.

    My vote would be for Mort if you’re a DEATH fan as it leads into DEATH as a major character rather then his cameos.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    @PurpleGirl:

    Are you on Ravelry? If so, take a look in the Remnants forum and look for a thread called “Sterilized cat having kittens!” It has a happy ending with 4 out of 5 kittens surviving a surprise caesarian. Snapshot is on page 9.

    (I’m on Ravelry, but under my other internet persona.)

  135. 135.

    Tatuagem do Sydney

    @asiangrrlMN:

    It seems to me that perhaps you have a little crush on Miss Kylie.

    I’m an Australian gay man – it goes with the territory – like forgiving Russell Crowe for almost everything since 1994 just because he played gay, wore tiny shorts and snogged John Polson.

    I never thought I’d say this, but who cares that her songs aren’t great or that she’s not the best singer ever?

    Just think of the tiny gold shorts – that’s what the rest of us do.

  137. 137.

    Betsy

    Awww, thanks guys! That’s a much nicer reaction than I got the first time a picture of her was posted here. (Well, from the first commenter anyway – everyone else was nice.)

  138. 138.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    @asiangrrlMN: Can you guys reach a consensus what I should read next?

    No. SATSQ.

    …sorry, couldn’t resist.

    However, I’ll join the chorus recommending the Death-centered Discworld books, given what you’ve written about your tastes.

  139. 139.

    geg6

    A good thing? How about several. I am lucky enough to have the best man evah: cooks, tills the soil, loves his doggies and his daughter, is good at all he sets his hand to, makes me laugh all the time, and cherishes a later in life relationship with a difficult to please woman whose ability challenge him he finds erotic instead of frightening. Plus he will be taking me to see the Star Trek movie despite his total disinterest in it. That will be the day after we drink beer, eat wings, and watch the Pens. And it will be just before we have the first spring green salad from his garden with Delmonicos from the grill and a couple of bottles of pinot noir. All very good things. Sigh. I can’t wait for 5pm tomorrow to enjoy them.

  140. 140.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Betsy: Chompers is so precious! Isn’t it great when they finally start to trust you?

    @Gus: Woooot! Good news, indeed!

    @Tatuagem do Sydney: I’ve heard of that movie. I never saw it because I don’t care for Crowe, but it looks good. I’m going to have to watch it not!

    As for Kylie’s tiny gold shorts, oh yeah.

    Pratchett fans? Mort a good place to start?

    Betsy, I can’t believe those cat-haters said that about Chompers. She’s a doll! Then again, I am the crazy cat lady.

  141. 141.

    jrosen

    Some musical suggestions for GOP commercials: (from a musician)

    Gounod —Funeral March for a Dead Marionette (a version of this was the theme music for “Hitchcock Presents”)

    Saint-Saens — Fossils from “Carnival of the Animals”

    Richard Strauss- Don Quixote (as in “tilting at windmills” variation)

    Satie — Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear (musical dada…music of the absurd)

    Berlioz — the Ride to Hell from “Damnation of Faust” (now t hat is REALLY scary)

    Just sayin’

  142. 142.

    Betsy

    @asiangrrlMN:
    So awesome. And the nice thing about it is that it’s been gradual, so I feel like there have been little rewards every week or two. The first time she jumped onto my lap, I was afraid to breathe, lest I scare her away!

  143. 143.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    @asiangrrlMN: Mort or Hogfather, or Monstrous Regiment. All of them feature kickass women, but Pratchett’s sheer decency shines through all three as well.

  145. 145.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist: Yeah, that was a stupid question on my part. I just want to know where to dive in. I love Half.com, and I’m not afraid to shop there.

    Comrade Mary, so a general consensus seems to be Mort. Cool. I’m so gonna blast you guys if I don’t like it.

    Betsy, my boys were born in captivity, and they cottoned to me right away. Still, they are much more affectionate now than they were when I got them. It’s so rewarding.

  146. 146.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    @asiangrrlMN: Pratchett fans? Mort a good place to start?

    I’d say yes, but have Reaper Man ready to go right after it. IIRC Mort is a very quick read.

  147. 147.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    @asiangrrlMN: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call your question stupid – I understood SATSQ to mean “Simple answers to simple questions.”

    1000 pardons!

  148. 148.

    Emma Anne

    John, I really would not stress about the order you read Terry Pratchett. The first time through, I read whichever ones I could get my hands on at the time, and it was fine (now I have almost all of them). Nabakov says you can only reread books anyway.

    The only ones I *wouldn’t* start with are Color of Magic/Light Fantastic or Reaper Man. Too disconnected and confusing. TP has gotten better and better in my opinion. He was always funny and entertaining, but the early stuff doesn’t have the plot and character development that the later stuff does.

    The audio books really are awesome. I am just finishing up Making Money, and I am liking it better each time. Now I suppose I’ll have get all of TP’s books for my Kindle too . . .

  149. 149.

    The Moar You Know

    I like the name ‘Iron Teabag’. This is as complex as Rush’s ‘Moving Pictures’, but cooler. Think of the album cover.

    @Brick Oven Bill: You are a god among men, BOB. Can’t wait to hear the demented aural sodomy that I religiously believe you are capable of producing.

    Rock on, you hero. Rock on.

  150. 150.

    geg6

    Can I just say how much I like Michael J. Fox? You want the think positive thoughts? Watch him in action. On ABC right now.

  152. 152.

    The Moar You Know

    More Kylie perviness for you… mmmm cheerleaders.

    @Tatuagem do Sydney: Jesus Fucking Christ.

    I’m speechless. I don’t even know what you call that.

    WHY DO I CLICK THE LINKS ON BALLOON JUICE DEAR GOD WHY

  153. 153.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist: No, it was just me changing it from Simple Answers to Simple Questions to Simple Answers to Stupid Questions because it was a stupid question on my part.

    So, Mort it is! I’m soooo dissing you guys if I don’t like it. I know that scares you, deep down inside.

    The Moar You Know, fucking hawt, that’s what you call that.

  155. 155.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    @asiangrrlMN: I know that scares you, deep down inside.

    Ha! That’s it, exactly. I worry that if you don’t like it, you won’t read all of them over and over until you have them memorized, like I have. That’s been a source of great joy to me and I greatly fear depriving you of that through bad advice. :)

  156. 156.

    ChrisB

    Maddow’s segment on don’t ask don’t tell was outstanding tonight. Guys like Lt. Choi are the perfect role models to change the policy.

    In fact, the whole show was worth watching tonight.

    As for the good news, my son’s new symphony was performed by his college orchestra last night. What a treat it was to hear it. It followed by a piece by Brahms and I can’t believe how shamelessly Brahms stole some of my son’s ideas.

  159. 159.

    Laura W

    Here’s my Good News.
    Drew Peterson has finally been arrested for at least one of two probable spousal homicides.
    They’d better have a damn tight case after all this time.
    Absolutely creepy how much media time and attention this psychopath got. I’m lookin’ at YOU, Larry (shouldn’t you be long gone by now) King.

  163. 163.

    freelancer

    After picking it up at a grocery store Monday, I finished reading Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 and I found the story to be absolutely amazing and heart-wrenching, but I kept yelling at the author in my head, because while he and his men displayed amazing courage in the face of adversity, this SEAL was definitely a wingnut.

    I’d be absolutely riveted and then about every 20 pages or so, he’d bring up another trope that Liberals don’t support the troops, or that we wanted reasonable ROE because we’d rather protect the ‘terrists than our own fighting men. Either that or he’d spout some type of wingnut history, like he saw with his own eyes abandoned al Qaeda training camps North of Baghdad after the invasion, the WMD’s were in Syria, GWB is awesome cause they’re both from Texas. (Uhm, did they airlift Kennebunkport to Houston?)

    I mention it because its the first time in a long time, where I’ve really sunk into a narrative despite loathing the tone of the author. Has anyone else had a similar reading experience?

  165. 165.

    grumpy realist

    I feel a big smug because I was into Pratchett many years before he became famous (both of his science fiction books are fantastic, in my opinion. Strata probably sparked the Discworld.)

    Notes:

    Hogfather has been made into a movie now available on DVD; highly recommended. Actors very good. The special effects capture the spirit of the book quite well and go beyond it. (Although read the book before you watch the movie, otherwise you won’t understand what the rat skeleton is all about.)

    The Last Continent makes much more sense if you’ve ever visited Australia. I didn’t think the book was that amusing my first reading through. The second time I read it was after having gone on a camel safari through the Outback (and getting stranded by rains). Much, much funnier.

  166. 166.

    noncarborundum

    Some musical suggestions for GOP commercials: (from a musician

    You forgot Mozart’s Musical Joke. I’d just love to see a GOP video that ended with that final “cadence”.

    In this spirit, perhaps also the very end of Ives’s Symphony No. 2.

  167. 167.

    Anne Laurie

    Yesterday I planted two little saplings in our yard, an Asian pear tri-graft and an antique apple quad-graft. This involved removing enough clayey construction fill to put down four sacks of ‘compost planting medium’ so that their poor little roots would get some nourishment. (Thereby leading me to once again bless my late grandparents for getting the heck out of Connemara because I’d never survive the healthful farming lifestyle.) Also got both lingonberry bushes and the first blueberry bush planted out, so now it’s just the remaining 6 blueberries that need to get in the ground before the heirloom tomato plants start arriving, yay!

    When a dog shits on the floor, I understand rubbing his nose in it right then and there. I don’t, however, understand the urge to rub his nose in every pile of shit he made over the course of his life.

    Disgruntled vengeance. Truly, you have forgotten your roots in the Republican party, Mr. Cole.

  168. 168.

    DougJ

    Here’s a pleasant thought: Many Ramirez out for 50 games for taking steroids.

  169. 169.

    asiangrrlMN

    @DougJ: Many Ramirez? I thought it was only Manny! And, to be fair, it was only Manny being Manny.

  170. 170.

    wasabi gasp

    Balloon Juice- what you fill a balloon with- hot air, in other words, my random babble.

    Heh, and here I was gettin’ a dumpster of love vibe.

    Now that picture of the guy with the beer bong and the flying keg makes a little more sense.

  172. 172.

    asiangrrlMN

    Oooh, ooh, I am watching Rachel. She’s doing the bit on the Republican fear commercial, and I gotta say, I don’t find the music scary at all. I find it exciting and thrilling, so bring on the terrorists!

  173. 173.

    Bostondreams

    Just got back from the new Star Trek movie. As someone who favored the original Trek and DS9 over the other series, I have to see this was very well done. They did a great job with the characters without being parody, and the way they explained the new reality and changes was very Trekian. I wish all ‘reboots’ could be as well done! Loved it! :)

  175. 175.

    Zuzu's Petals

    I had a wonderful visit from my son and his wife and my darling grandbaby. She is the roundest, laughingest, most beauteous thing ever.

    Life is good.

  176. 176.

    Joshua Norton

    I don’t find the music scary at all.

    Ah, the “Carmina Burana” – music of monks and drunks. The “Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi” the repugs keep using to try to scare everyone has been used in almost every cartoon and comedy skit that attempts to portray terror that now it’s as fearsome as the Looney Tunes theme song. It just makes them look like even bigger scaredy-cat drama queens. And really silly ones at that.

  181. 181.

    Redshift

    I actually was writing a post this morning in which I was asking if the GOP knew any music besides Ride of the Valkyries and Carmina Burana and then just said to hell with it.

    Well remember, during the campaign they kept getting into trouble using the music of living composers. Nowadays GOP messaging is so weak it would probably be overwhelmed in the news by a copyright action from a musician, so they’re not taking any chances…

  184. 184.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    @asiangrrlMN: Do you want to read Pratchett or Gaiman?

    Really Pratchett is not a series writer, thank God. You don’t have to read them in any particular order to “get” an individual book. Frankly some of his first books of a particular story arc aren’t as good as the later ones (Exception: Guards! Guards!). Uh … try Witches Abroad for Pratchett. That was the first Pratchett book I read. You can read Equal Rites after to see how much he changed the main character.

    Gaiman is no where near as prolific, but Anansi Boys sort of follows American Gods (not a sequel). Coraline was pretty damn creepy, wish it had been out when I was a kid.

  185. 185.

    Paul Weimer

    The fishing opener is here in Minnesota tomorrow. It’s a big deal (even the governor gets into it).

    I don’t fish, so it all just baffles me. I guess I couldn’t be governor either, since it would probably be a scandal that I don’t fish and have no skills in doing so.

  186. 186.

    Attaturk

    Please Mr. Cole,

    Most members of the GOP also know “Yakkity Sax” and the chorus of “Proud to be an American“.

    Get your facts straight!

  187. 187.

    jrosen

    Another idea: any 2 minutes of Philip Glass, repeating the same stale chord over and over.

    Yackety Sax is not a bad idea, except that I actually like it and would hate to hear it tainted. It’s also associated with Benny Hill, who I’m sure would hate to be caught in such company.

    Can anyone imagine what would be appropriate for Michele Bachmann?

    I have had to play Carmina Burana a few times and always found it trying…a poor man’s Oedipus Rex as far as I’m concerned. The only redeeming feature was that it uses three keyboard players, and as one who switched from violin to keyboard when required I always made some extra $$$ from it. We also had some fun making up our own words…like “Oh, oh, oh, tuna sub to go, hold the mayo, hold the mustard…” etc.

    Most people have no idea what is really going on underneath all those white ties and tailcoats!

  188. 188.

    jrosen

    Here’s one more: “March to the Scaffold” from the “Symphonie Fantastique”. We could save that for the torture trials.

  189. 189.

    Persia

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: Also, Gaiman just pulled the movie rights Anasazi Boys because the producers kept insisting the leads had to be made white, so he gets extra cool points for that. I love them both, though.

  190. 190.

    CaseyL

    Ah: Terry Pratchett. Gods, I love that man.

    The first Pratchett book I ever read was “Pyramids.” I think that’s an excellent place to start with Pratchett, in that it’s a standalone but introduces many of Discworld’s recurring themes. It hooked me, anyway.

    Just read his newest, “Nation.” It’s a YA, I think, but absolutely good for grownups, too. Being a YA, it’s a tiny bit sunnier than his others. There is the full snark and uncomfortable insight quotient, however. (Pratchett’s YAs are wonderful, BTW. I’m especially fond of the Tiffany Aching series.)

    Of all the Pratchetts, the only ones I really don’t like are the Rincewind books, and I don’t know why. I’ll put up with Rincewind if the story is good enough, e.g., Fifth Elephant.

    The CW series is my favorite; then books that focus on Death and his extended family; then the Witches. I mean, I’ll read anything by Pratchett – but those are my faves, in order of preference.

    Pratchett’s non-YA, non-Discworld “Good Omens” is a must read, an absolute, essential must read. It’s “The Omen-as-done-by-Monty-Python,” I mean, it’s exactly that – and was co-written with Neil Gaiman.

    *sigh* Pratchett. He’s been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers, and I desperately hope whatever experimental therapy he’s on works, because I do NOT want to lose another beloved writer!! (I’m still not over Mike Ford’s death.)

  191. 191.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    @CaseyL: Of all the Pratchetts, the only ones I really don’t like are the Rincewind books, and I don’t know why. I’ll put up with Rincewind if the story is good enough, e.g., Fifth Elephant.

    I agree, but Fifth Elephant is a Watch book – are you thinking of Last Continent?

    It took me a while before I really accepted the Rincewind stuff, but I came around to thinking it was OK.

  195. 195.

    PhysicsFun

    Think pleasant thoughts. Something good and not irritating had to happen this week. What was it?

    The Maxwell equations predicted modes for a resonant cylindrical cavity qualitatively consistent with observed HeNe laser modes. Man, that is a thing of beauty!

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