Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Bark louder, little dog.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Republicans in disarray!

In my day, never was longer.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Come on, man.

Second rate reporter says what?

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / And Yet Another Open Thread

And Yet Another Open Thread

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Since I apparently can’t be bothered to actually read anything and comment on it, here is another open thread, this time with the greatest doggie who ever lived:

thepooch

thepooch2

Tunch and Lily stand out as probably the only two good decisions I have made as an adult.

As an aside, you will either understand this or you will not, but for the last couple of weeks, I keep coming back to Jane’s Addiction Then She Did. And no, I am not on heroin (or anything else, for that matter. I’m just that boring these days). Just I keep coming back to that song.

Reader Interactions

150Comments

  1. 1.

    steve s

    thepooch2

    Tunch and Lily stand out as probably the only two good decisions I have made as an adult.

    Sounds like Concern Trolling.

  5. 5.

    Comrade Mary

    The site’s gotten quite speedy again. That cyber-enema is really working.

    So are there any pictures or testimony re Tunch and Lily getting cuddly? We won’t need a certificate.

  7. 7.

    Warren Terra

    Tunch and Lily stand out as probably the only two good decisions I have made as an adult.

    Sounds like Concern Trolling.

    You’re going to get commenter Steve S all upset again.

  8. 8.

    Molly

    Why do pictures of Tunch and Lily, and reading John’s stories about them, make it all ok again?

    We love ya, big guy. And I don’t just mean Tunch.:)

  10. 10.

    Violet

    Oh, she’s gorgeous! Her eyes are so beautiful. I bet she had you at woof, didn’t she?

    I love her red bone-shaped tag. It’s so festive!

  11. 11.

    Warren Terra

    Hm. I typed my comment #7 in complete ignorance of comments #3, 4, and 6. I hope that #3, #4, and #6 are not spoofing, because I despise spoofing – but they don’t sound like the real steve s.

  13. 13.

    LD50

    @steve s: Indeed: a brown and smelly concern troll.

    Sorry for the concern trolling.

    I’ll just leave now.

    SHIT! I did it again! AGGGGHHHH!!!!

  15. 15.

    LD50

    Tunch and Lily stand out as probably the only two good decisions I have made as an adult.

    So, what, were you 16 when you quit being a wingnut?

  16. 16.

    Seanly

    Oops, am I #13?

    My wife & I credit the pregnant dog we rescued and the pup of hers we kept as the reason why our marriage has lasted. Not in the “must stay together for the kids” way, but in the “learn about patience, understanding and true unconditional love” way. I should send our depressed blog master some pictures of Ginnie & Duncan.

  18. 18.

    Turgidson

    Done with the bar exam….until I found out I failed and have to take it again.

    Thought I’d be all fired up to meet up with my fellow law dogs and get bombed, but I’m too tired to move, much less go to a remote venue. Might just pass out on the couch.

    Lily is teh awesome. I demand that John clone her and send me a copy.

  19. 19.

    Turgidson

    oops that should say “find out” I failed.

    No sense worrying about that until November, though.

  21. 21.

    Anne Laurie

    Choosing Tunch and Lily as roommates were very good decisions indeed.

    How’s your garden growing?… or is that a sore point, too?

  22. 22.

    cbear

    I wonder what it means for the future of the human race that so many people, myself included, spend so many hours obsessing over John Cole’s pets?
    God forbid the guy ever gets a wife.

  23. 23.

    khead

    This is my first comment in a while, but the site went back to normal for me before I added the comment (as suggested by Tim).

    Still slow as hell loading though.

  24. 24.

    RedKitten

    “Now now, you did also start BJ which is also a good decision.”

    True. And ceasing to be a wingnut was also an excellent decision.

  25. 25.

    deamous

    I’d just like to note that the original title of “Then She Did” was “Then She Died.” Perry Farrell changed it so that the song’s meaning wouldn’t be quite as obvious.

  26. 26.

    khead

    I should also add that I am just too lazy to wait for – and sift through – 400 comments to see if the answer/solution has already been posted/addressed.

  27. 27.

    Anne Laurie

    Hmmm…. d’you suppose John would make enough to have the site debugged from the ground up if he ran a “Tunch vs Lily” pay-to-vote poll?

    How ’bout if he promised a “Tunch & Lily cuddling” picture once we’d chipped in enuf soiled singles to buy off the webdemons?

  28. 28.

    CaseyL

    John, you have a beautiful girl, there. (And a handsome boy with Tunch.) You done good.

    It was 97 degrees today in Seattle… and we were grateful, because that’s better than the record-breaking 103 degrees yesterday.

    How hot was it yesterday? I poured water over my cat and she liked it, that’s how hot it was.

    How hot is it likely to be this weekend? Hot enough that I won’t be going to the Renaissance Faire, because it’s moved to a new site that has NO SHADE WHATSOEVER. I feel really sorry for the live-steel demo groups, who’ll be wearing armor. I feel sorrier for the equestrian troops, and hope none of the horses collapse.

    I hate this weather. I hate the heat. If I wanted to endure this kind of weather, I’d still be in South Florida.

    On the better, brighter side: my sweet old Ariel (She Who Had Water Poured On Her) looked to be at death’s door last weekend. Her teeth were so bad she couldn’t eat. Her doctor and I agreed that at this point, the potential additional damage to her kidneys (from the anesthesia) was less important than the immediate danger of her starving to death. So I took her in and they cleaned her teeth and she’s an infinitely happier kitty who, please god, will live at least a few months more. The night she was gone, staying at the clinic – and I really didn’t know if she’d make it, frankly – was so lonely and I missed her so much, I cried when the doctor called to let me know she was fine and could come home.

  29. 29.

    RandomChick

    @RedKitten:
    I concur. Personally amassing such a large group of critter-lovin’, repug-snarkin’ smartasses is quite an accomplishment. Balloon Juice is a triumph in the reality shaping community of blogs.

    And you keep us all here by the sheer force of your will . . . or it could be the gravitational pull of Tunch keeping us here

    ………………. runs!

  31. 31.

    xyzzy

    CaseyL, aren’t you supposed to be going to Sea Fair? I mean, what with all the hype, and all.

    We’re dying up north here in B’ham, too. Doing wet exits in the sea kayak out in Bellingham Bay in the name of “practice” is all the rage these days.

    And the high in Denver, Colorado today was something like ~60F, whereas it’s normally around 90ºF.

    Some crazy weather these days. I wonder what sort of two-weeks-of-ice-and-snow craziness is going to hit us up here this winter, again.

  33. 33.

    gbear

    The formatting is back!!
    Pictures of Lily!!
    The proprietor is sick of us!!

    Nice to see things getting back to normal.

  34. 34.

    Brachiator

    @Comrade Mary:

    The site’s gotten quite speedy again. That cyber-enema is really working.

    Unfortunately, no. It’s been a slow and balky for me, using Chrome as a browser.

    On the other hand, Lily looks relaxed, confident, cared for. Just amazing.

  35. 35.

    Ash Can

    Doggie-boo and kitty-boo! Huggies all around! :) :)

    (Yeah, so I’m feeling warm and fuzzy tonight. Bite me.)

  36. 36.

    steve s

    Then She Did is a good Jane’s Addiction song. I think it’s offa Ritual De Lo Trollo Concernio.

  38. 38.

    tim

    John, I hear ya, buddy. Sometimes I feel the same damn way. I hope you’re just being maudlin and not really down in the dumps.

    And thanks for the Tunch picture in the previous open thread. I’d been missing the big guy. Any chance we’ll see some TunchCam soon?

  39. 39.

    gbear

    @CaseyL:

    It was 97 degrees today in Seattle… and we were grateful, because that’s better than the record-breaking 103 degrees yesterday.

    Sounds like George Orr had an effective dream…

    We went the whole month of July without temps getting into the 90s. That’s fine by me, but we’re also into the 14th month of severe drought in the area around Mpls/StP. Minnehaha Falls doesn’t even exist right now.

  40. 40.

    JGabriel

    @xyzzy:

    Some crazy weather these days.

    We’re in an El Nino. Expect some nasty California landslides and East Coast blizzards over the next 12 months.

    .

  43. 43.

    CaseyL

    xyzzy – Funny thing, but I’ve never gone to SeaFair in all the years I’ve lived here. The closest I’ve been to it is when a friend of mine used to have a big party at his place on the same day as the hydro races. His house is on a hill a few miles from Lake Washington, and right in the Blue Angels flight path. They’d buzz the house, regrouping between stunts, flying so low over us we could see the pilots in the cockpit. (I love the Blue Angels, pacifist though I am.)

    Sitting in a field, or on a boat, for hours and hours under a hot sun, with everyone around me getting shitfaced and playing (different) loud music, while hydros roar around and around…just isn’t my idea of a good time. So, no SeaFair for me.

    cbear – thanks for the good wishes (and from your mouth to the FSM’s ear).

  45. 45.

    LD50

    the high in Denver, Colorado today was something like ~60F, whereas it’s normally around 90ºF.

    Clearly this proves that global warming is a lie.

  46. 46.

    Beej

    @CaseyL: Okay. That explains it. And confirms my belief that the end is near. Here in Nebraska we are coming to the end of a July with only 2 days where the temp reached 90 or higher. Right now it’s 65 degrees with 35% humidity. This is ridiculous. July is supposed to be a steam bath-100 degree days where the humidity perches at about 75-85%. And now it’s 103 in Seattle? What the hell is going on?

  47. 47.

    Delia

    Only 103 in Seattle? It was 106 in Eugene. That was Tuesday. Yesterday only made it to 105. Today we were only 92 and I’m trying to get my house cooled down so I can sleep tonight. The damn thing was, it wasn’t cooling off much at night. At 10:00 p.m. it was still 85 degrees. My dog would look at me longingly, wanting his afternoon walk. I just showed him how hot it was in the backyard and he got dejected. Tonight I got home at 7:30 and it had cooled off. He gave me all his “Come on, let’s go” signals. So we finally went.

  48. 48.

    Fulcanelli

    I understand your de-motivation, especially where blogging is concerned, Mr. Cole. There seems to be some weird energy shit going on lately, the wife and I both feel it, and others we know are noticing it too. It’s not just the economy, political frustration or Mercury in retrograde. It’s different.

    I think the low-bandwidth wingnuts may have devised a way to channel their vulgar, evil stupidity energetically over the intertuubz in some devious way which multiplies it exponentially and it’s fucking with our collective chi. Bastards.

    Or maybe I’ve just come to the depressing conclusion that a good size chunk of the US population is clinically insane and it’s time to break out the side arm and thin the herd down in self defense.

    That is a darlin’ little pup you’ve got there in Lily. She’s a keeper.

  50. 50.

    Steeplejack

    @CaseyL:

    [. . .] my sweet old Ariel [. . .].

    Hang tough. When my old cat Simba was fading away at age 15, I let her stay at the vet’s for two days while they “rehydrated” her, and she ended up having another good three years of productive life. (Productive = being a love sponge.)

  51. 51.

    CaseyL

    Della and other victims of hot weather –

    Y’all probably already know this, but in case not… I have found the following very helpful for falling asleep when it’s still too hot at night:

    1. Set up a good box fan at the foot of the bed (on a chest, chair, footstool, whatever)

    2. Take a T-shirt or undershirt and wet it thoroughly

    3. Put on the soaked shirt

    4. Get in bed so the fan blows on you

    5. Fall asleep before the shirt dries

    (I’ve used a spritzer bottle on bare skin, but a wet shirt works better.)

  52. 52.

    Comrade Kevin

    It was 97 degrees today in Seattle… and we were grateful, because that’s better than the record-breaking 103 degrees yesterday.

    Thanks for taking that for us.

    Signed,

    Northern California.

  53. 53.

    ellie

    That song takes me back. It’s been absolutely beautiful in NW Ohio this summer. I have only had the A/C on three times. Usually, it is too humid to breathe here, since this place used to be a swamp.

  55. 55.

    cbear

    @CaseyL: I think that’s great advice, especially for all you lady commenters here on BJ, but let me add to your list.

    1. Set up a good box fan at the foot of the bed (on a chest, chair, footstool, whatever)

    2. Take a T-shirt or undershirt and wet it thoroughly

    3. Put on the soaked shirt

    4. Take pictures and post on Baloon Juice.

  56. 56.

    Steeplejack

    Cole!

    Re pics: That is one sweet trash hound you’ve got there. It always bears repeating.

    I’m posting here/now because my circadian rhythms are shot. I’m usually on the late-night crew, but I am on early tonight and am about to go to bed, because I’ve got a rare early shift at the part-time job (health insurance!) tomorrow.

    Anyway, here’s my 2 cents: Keep the faith, Cole. Look on the bright side: the recent problems with your site brought hundreds of lurkers out of cloaking mode to get a cookie–just so they could stay connected to your site. There are a lot of people out there who read your blog, and are inspired by it, that you never see. Allow yourself to take that in and really feel it. We like it when you post, and we love the pics of Tunch and Lily, but you have also created a community that sustains itself. You’ve got a good cadre of regular commenters–“this delightful rabble,” in RedKitten’s memorable phrase–and the whole is in some obscure way more than the sum of the parts. So don’t feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

    Take as much time as you need to recharge your batteries, and come back when you’re ready. We’re all here for you. And you will never know how much you have done for us.

  57. 57.

    burnspbesq

    espn.com is copying Balloon Juice by referring to band names and song lyrics in headlines.

    Front page headline on a story about the fallout from the Big Papi drug revelations: “Faith No More.”

  58. 58.

    Fulcanelli

    @Phoenix Woman: Last time the wife and I smudged the house the cops came looking for the cheeba…

    It was after the last time my in-laws visited. January 2003.

    Haven’t seen or heard from them since. Shit works.

  59. 59.

    gbear

    I spent the evening shopping for new glasses after my six-year-old frames snapped in half on monday. I hate shopping for new glasses. Everything is either something your uncle would wear or else something that will look totally stupid when you see it in pictures six years from now. That plus any glasses with decent progressive bi-focals end up costing at least $650.

    The one bright spot during the shopping run was seeing a grumpy looking Garrison Keillor driving his aging Volvo the wrong way out of a very busy and narrow one-way parking alley with tons of pissed off drivers trying to get around him going the right way. I mean, he’s only lived in the neighborhood most of his life.

  60. 60.

    eastriver

    JC, seriously. I know you post stupid things like this because you’re either 1) out of shit to say, 2) trying to be positive, or 3) pumping the comments.

    Whatever.

    But let’s pretend that you’re serious. Fair enough.

    Grow up, dude. Find something that doesn’t eat Purina to put all your hopes and dreams in.

    I bet this is much more sincere than you suggesting that your closest companions have four legs and eat their own crap.

    Get a foster child. Something. Just don’t put a collar on it and post photos of it BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT WRITER’S BLOCK.

    Tuff luv. Rock on.

  61. 61.

    eastriver

    JC, seriously. I know you post stupid things like this because you’re either 1) out of shit to say, 2) trying to be positive, or 3) pumping the comments.

    Whatever.

    But let’s pretend that you’re serious. Fair enough.

    Grow up, dude. Find something that doesn’t eat Purina to put all your hopes and dreams in.

    I bet this is much more sincere than you suggesting that your closest companions have four legs and eat their own crap.

    Get a foster child. Something. Just don’t put a collar on it and post photos of it BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT WRITER’S BLOCK.

    Tuff luv. Rock on.

  62. 62.

    LD50

    Take as much time as you need to recharge your batteries, and come back when you’re ready. We’re all here for you. And you will never know how much you have done for us.

    NOW HOW ABOUT A HUG???

  66. 66.

    MikeJ

    While the outside temp has finally started down, it’s still hot inside. I’m considering lighting a fire draw all the heat up the flue, but it sounds like too wacky an idea even for me.

  67. 67.

    xyzzy

    @CaseyL:

    Sitting in a field, or on a boat, for hours and hours under a hot sun, with everyone around me getting shitfaced and playing (different) loud music, while hydros roar around and around…just isn’t my idea of a good time. So, no SeaFair for me.

    Pretty much my impression, too. It’s like NASCAR on water. Woah, I guess I just branded myself as an elitist asshole! I guess I’ll never have a chance at the GOP nomination now.

    9:30pm and it’s finally dropped below 70ºF up here… hope you guys are doing as well down in Seattle!

  71. 71.

    wonkie

    OPne hundred and four inn Shelton, Washington. Our weather is always a little worse than Seattle’s.

    I’ve been sleeping on the deck. It’s actually quite nive out there, very peaceful. I can see the stars through the trees. I live on rural island and the nights are dead silent except fopr the ocassinaly dog or coyote. But the days have been flat out miserable.

    My husband and i just (tow days ago!) adopted a new dog from our local dog rescue.l Her name is Jodie and she is a Germanshepard collie mix. She’s also probably the ony dog in the world that could get along with our elderly nealry blind cranky and eccetric corgie mix. Jdie is a very amibale animal. SHe got rejected by her original famly for failing to be a wartchdog. Jodie would probably greet burglars at the door and roll over for tummy tickles. She loe sht water and e=we have been taking her down to the beach to swim.

  72. 72.

    ninerdave

    the greatest doggie who ever lived:

    Wouldn’t that actually be Lassie? I mean how many times did she rescue Jimmy from the well.

    Just sayin’

    …and you don’t need to be a doper to appreciate Jane’s A. Maybe you need to when you try to understand Perry Farrell talking, but not the music.

    Bonus trivial: Perry Farrell = Peripheral.

  74. 74.

    Fulcanelli

    @ninerdave: Caught Jane’s A in a small RI club on the Nothing’s Shocking tour. They tore the roof clean off the joint. Bitchin’.

  76. 76.

    Debbie(aussie)

    I noticed you guys suffering in NW US. Wonderful weather here in SE Queensland. 1C in the morning, 21C, beautiful blue sky days. Almost perfect.

  77. 77.

    Fulcanelli

    TV’s got them images, TV’s got them all…

    Nothing’s Shocking.

    Sex and Violence!

  78. 78.

    Lesley

    Tunch and Lily stand out as probably the only two good decisions I have made as an adult.

    Bubble over Tunch and Lily’s heads says: John Cole will stand out as the best person who ever happened to us.

    Lily looks confident and happy. Her head held high says it all.

  79. 79.

    JGabriel

    Tattoosydney:

    JGabriel: I love you.

    Aw, thanks, man. Don’t let AsianGrrrl or the SO see. I wouldn’t wanna get you in trouble or have crazy jealous people attacking me.

    Sigh. Everyone always loves me for my mind. Or schlong. No ever loves me for just me.

    Oh, wait … I guess that is me.

    .

  80. 80.

    burnspbesq

    @bayville:

    The Pirates folded this week. How many regulars did they trade?

    It’s too bad we don’t have promotion and relegation in MLB. The Pirates should be in the International League.

  81. 81.

    CaseyL

    Holy cow, debbie, that’s an enormous temperature differential. Is that normal for you guys?

    Things are supposed to be more nearly normal here, starting tomorrow. So they say, anyway.

    steeplejack – I meant to thank you for mentioning subdermal rehydration. It is pretty amazing; I had an elderly rescue kitty whose life was prolonged by about a year with it. And Ariel was rehydrated for her tooth cleaning, and has certainly been very chipper since. I’m not sure how much good it would do her long-term, though, since she has a water fountain that she adores, and keeps pretty well hydrated that way – I’ll have to ask her doctor how much of a qualitative difference the subdermal stuff makes.

    (Also, Ariel is 19 – she was actually still quite youthful until a little more than a year ago, and then started aging pretty fast. It’s not just her kidneys: she’s also got some problem with her hips and isn’t very strong or steady on her hind legs. Keeps swaying sideways, almost toppling over.)

  82. 82.

    Debbie(aussie)

    CaseyL. Yes pretty normal. August can be even worse, minus 3 or so and still up to the 20’s. Not looking forward to summer tho. Regularly temps like you are experiencing.

  84. 84.

    steve s

    I just saw Charlie Rose talking about something I wasn’t interested in. What a concern troll! Can’t believe what a troll he was. Also, whoever programmed the commercials was a Concern Troll.

  85. 85.

    KG

    @18/19 – you know, I had the same experience after taking the bar. we’d all made plans to go get sloshed, but by the time it was over, we all just went to our respective homes and slept. I don’t think I woke up until Saturday.

    And remain confident. If you feel like you passed, you probably did.

  86. 86.

    KG

    @72: you’ve got a point about Lassie. Pretty much every dog I’ve ever owned would do that sort of thing once, maybe twice if they were hungry. But every week, nope.

  87. 87.

    TuiMel

    And here I have been thinking that my JRT is the “greatest doggie who ever lived” (in a tie w/my dearly departed first JRT). Now I’m bummed, and I don’t know WHAT I’m going to tell the Jack.

    The good news is the temp in my Seattle neighborhood seems to be cooling off. My fan actually seems to be bringing in cool(er) air from the outside. Packing up a household is never any fun. Doing so in sweltering heat – well you get the picture.

    Mr. Cole, I am hard-pressed to believe that Tunch and Lily are the ONLY two good decisions you have made as an adult – may be two of the better (best) but not the only ones. Maybe you should lose the Jane’s Addiction song and think about “Tomorrow” (Annie)? If I’ve put that in your head, you needn’t thank me.

  88. 88.

    pattonbt

    Dumb healthcare reform thought.

    How about make whatever plan comes out mandate that any citizen is entitled to the same coverage that elected federal officials and federal employees have available? I mean, we the tax paying citizens, are already paying for that, why not be allowed to extend it to all of us? Or, if socialized healthcare is so bad, ban the federal government from any way subsidizing medical coverage for any of its employees (elected ot not) to make them equal as the rest of us (either employment based, i.e. private sector because we know working for the gubmint aint workin, or personally funded insurance). I mean, we have the greatest healthcare in the world right? And if its important to you you should pay for it, not the gubmint right?

    Im sure these are dumb for a multitude of reasons, but just sounded amusing to me for some reason.

  90. 90.

    Anne Laurie

    my sweet old Ariel (She Who Had Water Poured On Her) looked to be at death’s door last weekend. Her teeth were so bad she couldn’t eat. Her doctor and I agreed that at this point, the potential additional damage to her kidneys (from the anesthesia) was less important than the immediate danger of her starving to death. So I took her in and they cleaned her teeth and she’s an infinitely happier kitty who, please god, will live at least a few months more.

    Y’know, I’m dental-phobic. I mean, really phobic, as in “shaking so hard the instrument tray by the dental chair rattles”. And no amount of lecturing, persuasion, or positive experiences have made me any happier about letting someone poke around my mouth with sharp implements. But after witnessing half a dozen elderly dogs & cats effectively turn back their clocks after a good dental cleaning, I’ve learned to suck it up and make the damned appointment for myself every six (okay: nine) months, even if I’d rather just wait until one of my several dozen aging fillings falls out & maybe takes another tooth with it. Much as it makes me wince to say this, when we’ve been talking & reading about how so many people can’t afford it, but: If you can get your teeth cleaned, but you don’t want to… go get ’em scaled. It’ll probably lengthen your lifespan. And dentists are getting much better about “catering to cowards” — mine uses the pediatric gum-number before injecting the novacaine, and he’s really patient about stopping & giving me a break in the middle of a procedure if I start hyperventilating. If the guy you’re going to won’t do the same, there are plenty of other dentists who will.

    Same thing goes for your household companions. Your vet should already be checking your pet’s teeth, but let me tell you as a “consumer” — barring other medical conditions, it’s totally worth the expense & worry to have your old dog or cat’s teeth cleaned as necessary. As little predators, they’re genetically conditioned not to let on how much it hurts them to chew, unless the gingivitis turns into an open abscess, and sometimes not then. And it’s not just a hard-core sales technique when they tell you about oral infections stressing the animal’s whole system; I know what it’s like to spend a sleepless night worrying that Old Blue’s erratic heart or kidneys won’t survive the anesthesia, but I’ve also been thrilled that Blue gained not only precious extra months/years, but also a renewed interest in life.

    CaseyL, I hope your old girl continues to be happy & make you happy for many moons to come.

    Wonkie, congratulations on your new companion, and I hope you enjoy many happy times together as well!

  92. 92.

    pattonbt

    @Tattoosydney:

    Of course, the unfortunate flipside being Monday gets here before everyone else.

    But its Friday arvo and Im outta here……..

    Off to run the river.

  93. 93.

    Turgidson

    What did Tunch have to say about Lily sitting in his throne???

    Starting to sink in. No more bar exam until November when I find out I failed! Woo!

  94. 94.

    Turgidson

    @pattonbt:

    Didn’t Kerry suggest that in 2004? He didn’t offer details, but his thesis was “if I’m entitled to this awesome health care as a Senator, you should be too.” Bush’s noise machine painted that as a government takeover, too.

    I still love BO in most respects, but it appears he and his team haven’t figured out yet (or just won’t react to the fact) that his “loyal” HAAAA! opposition will LIE, LIE, and LIE some more to oppose his goals, and that the vast, vast majority of the beltway media will either be complicit with the lies, or be shockingly negligent in investigating the lies. Obama still seems to think we’ll all sit down and have a reasonable discussion about the issue. Uh. No. Just impose your will, Mr. President. That’s why we hired you, duh.

  95. 95.

    Martin

    A little insight on why the last 8 years happened.

    IT IS AN often-noted but rarely understood phenomenon: the significant number of people who manage to earn a living, often a handsome living, by being wrong. Not always wrong, necessarily, but wrong enough, frequently enough, to warrant the description wrong-headed. We see evidence of it everywhere, from those sporting commentators who consistently struggle to accurately predict a result (“Manchester United have way too much for this Barcelona team” – often heard in May 2009) to the financial advisers whose advice proved very costly indeed (“You can’t go wrong by investing in property and bank shares” – often heard from 1998 to 2007).

  97. 97.

    ninerdave

    @Fulcanelli:
    Oh hell ya, I caught ’em a couple of times in small clubs. Amazing band. Their first live record actually comes close to what they were. Their version of Sympathy for the Devil still kills.

    I made sure my bands always covered Pigs in Zen and Mountain Song. HA!

  100. 100.

    Gravenstone

    @burnspbesq:

    The Pirates folded this week. How many regulars did they trade?

    It’s too bad we don’t have promotion and relegation in MLB. The Pirates should be in the International League.

    ESPN had a graphic up the other day showing all the regulars the Pirates had traded since ’03. That was a pretty stout starting 9, plus a couple more for the rotation.

  101. 101.

    Gravenstone

    @steve s:

    I just saw Charlie Rose talking about something I wasn’t interested in. What a concern troll! Can’t believe what a troll he was. Also, whoever programmed the commercials was a Concern Troll.

    Dude. Rest, give it! The schtick wasn’t terribly funny when you started and now it’s beyond tiresome.

  102. 102.

    RedKitten

    @ Anne Laurie:

    But after witnessing half a dozen elderly dogs & cats effectively turn back their clocks after a good dental cleaning, I’ve learned to suck it up and make the damned appointment for myself every six (okay: nine) months, even if I’d rather just wait until one of my several dozen aging fillings falls out & maybe takes another tooth with it.

    ‘Tis true. When we got Dreyf, his teeth were a mess. He had to have half of them pulled, poor little guy. They cleaned the rest, and it really was like having a new dog. He was a lot happier (which makes sense — how happy would you be if your mouth constantly hurt?), and because he didn’t have all of that infection constantly going through his bloodstream, he was a lot peppier and healthier too. We’re convinced it bought him an extra year, and a good-quality year at that. Best money I ever spent.

  104. 104.

    harlana pepper

    Aaaah, yes. Tunch & Lily pics! I am now officially ready for the weekend. I love Lily’s delicate little pawses, what a sweet little lady she is. John, I know you are drowning in the blog love, we all care, while minding our own business at the same time. What a great bunch of peeps, what a fantabulous blog-master!

  107. 107.

    RedKitten

    harlana pepper: It’s August 13th, so not far to go now, unless I go overdue. (I’m really, really hoping I don’t go overdue…I’ve had a good pregnancy, overall, but I’m ready to have it over with, kthxbai.)

  108. 108.

    harlana pepper

    @RedKitten: Indeed, I have sensed that from your recent posts! Hang in there, hon, almost there! Are you cursing the internets dating site right about now? ;)

  109. 109.

    RedKitten

    LOL — no, I’m not cursing the internets dating site. Now once I’m in actual labour, I’ll probably be cursing everybody and everything, from my husband to my mother, to even Tunch and Lily. But right now, no — I’m still a pretty damn content human being. :)

  110. 110.

    harlana pepper

    @RedKitten: I’m happy for you, for sure. Now, mommiehood is pretty much out for me since me and mine are a bit long in the tooth, but wishing you blessings – do you know what you are having?

  111. 111.

    Svensker

    Hang in there, John. Summer doldrums. Crappy economy. Moderate feeling of fizzle from the High Hopes Administration. It will get better.

    If my hub ever gets past his animal allergies, I want to have two pets named Lunch and Tilly. In honor of their samenakes.

  113. 113.

    harlana pepper

    what a vile, horrible little creature she is, sorry for so many posts but that is the price you pay for no edits functions :)

  114. 114.

    Cat Lady

    If John ever changes that futon cover, we won’t recognize his animals. I hope the flea problem has been resolved for that very reason.

    I’m with Anne Laurie on the teeth cleaning. In addition to the physical benefits comes peace of mind. I’ve been told by someone who knows that not having your own teeth as an old person is the largest impediment to quality of life, even if other things bother you. Dentures never fit well, especially the bottom ones, which means chewing is difficult, they affect your ability to taste, and leads to self-consciousness and self-imposed isolation. Suck it up and go, and you’ll be glad you did.

  115. 115.

    The Saff

    harlana pepper: congrats on the engagement. I saw your post yesterday.

    RedKitten: hang in there! For some reason, I always wanted a summer birthday so he/she will be lucky (and having peridot as a birthstone). Is Tuesday too early for the impending birth? It’s Barack Obama’s 48th birthday.

    And it’s nice to see Lily and Tunch pix on Balloon Juice! Hang in there, John Cole — what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. This site is the best on the interwebs. But I know what you mean about the news just being too much to take. Why does so much of the electorate fall for the lies and nuttiness from the rightwing?

    OK, time to do some work…

  119. 119.

    Cat Lady

    @harlana pepper:

    I didn’t know that! How do you know? And, that would explain a lot. I often wonder if certain persistent physical problems explains why certain people seem to hate the world. I know that Rush gives me a pain in my ass, but my contempt is only directed at him.

  120. 120.

    Dan

    Hey John. For some reason I dusted off Ritual for the first time in years this week and gave it a listen. That and Nothing’s Shocking are great albums and among the first signs that rock was about to rouse itself from the hibernation it went into during the Hair Metal Years. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc. may not have been influenced by them very much but I still think of them as following in Jane’s footsteps.

  121. 121.

    harlana pepper

    @Cat Lady: Actually, I have to admit, I don’t know for sure. But check him out on KO sometimes – looks just like bad dentures to me. He is so rotted from the inside, I can easily imagine all his teefs falling out.

  122. 122.

    RedKitten

    @ harlana pepper: We have no idea what we’re having. And I know some women have a motherly instinct that tells them the gender, but I can’t even venture a guess.

    Mind you, I have been having fun, when people ask me if I know the gender, and I tell them that we’re hoping for the baby to be intersex, so that we have a boy and a girl at the same time, without incurring the expense of two children. It’s fun to watch them freak out and flap around and shriek at me to NOT SAY THAT! Because yes, my saying it will create a retroactive time warp that will go back to my first trimester and affect the development if my kid’s sexual organs. (No offense intended to any intersex readers out there — I just enjoy tweaking people who get wound up easily.)

    Either way, we’ll know soon enough. And yes, that would kick ass if the baby was born on Obama’s birthday.

  124. 124.

    harlana pepper

    Is Malkin trying to change her image to sell her book or something? She sure was all cutsie-pie on Washington Journal this morning, i.e., ‘I love it when callers call me a young lady, teehee!’ Burf!

  128. 128.

    harlana pepper

    this is interesting, i just received an anesthesia bill for surgery I had back in Feb of 2008, it’s not much, but it’s weird I am just now getting this bill – can’t get through to them directly so I left them a message – anybody every had this happen?

  129. 129.

    Persia

    @RedKitten: Good luck! I thought I was having a girl but I wasn’t sure if that was just my brain’s reaction to my husband being SURE the kid was a boy. (She wasn’t.) I kind of love the intersex thing. Keep horrifiying the neighbors. (Though just before El Kiddo was born we saw a BBC piece on real intersexed children which was a bit scary and very educational.)

  131. 131.

    Punchy

    Can we get a “Pirates, RIP” thread? Seriously…..Snell and Dirty Sanchez Wednesday, Grabow and (fuck…cant remember) yesterday?

    I have no prob with remaking a shitty team, but I’ve never seen someone try and do this in about a 1 week span.

    Damn…..

  133. 133.

    RedKitten

    @harlana pepper: No kidding — I’ve already scrubbed my two upstairs bathrooms and the floor upstairs, and am about to get started on the main floor, plus I’ve been commenting here, plus I’ve been doing research on how to properly wear my Hotsling, and these guys can’t even muster up a “good morning”? ;)

  135. 135.

    R-Jud

    @RedKitten: I hope you go into labor bang on schedule. I was 17 days over and was absolutely climbing the walls.

    Top tip: singing during the contractions helps. Nitrous oxide helps even better. It wasn’t until they jacked me up with induction hormones after hour 22 that I really started screaming.

  137. 137.

    Punchy

    @RedKitten: Just wait until that football-sized creature tries to Shawshank his/her way out of the quarter-sized opening. Physics tells me it cant be done, and I’m sure your nerve endings will as well. But in the end, you’ll end up with one wet crying machine, and be so proud of it.

  138. 138.

    Napoleon

    @Comrade Jake:

    That party is stuck in a vicious cycle. As it has gotten smaller the elected officials have to cater to the base even more, which makes them look nuts and drives off the center which makes the party smaller which means. . . .

  140. 140.

    BruceFromOhio

    I keep coming back to Jane’s Addiction Then She Did.

    … which is impossible to listen to without following up with Three Days.

    Caught them with Henry Rollins opening at the Cleveland Agora about a hundred years ago. It remains the standard against which all other shows are measured.

  141. 141.

    The Saff

    RedKitten: A friend once said childbirth is akin to passing a watermelon through a garden hose. She went through it twice. I can’t even imagine once. By the time I found the right guy (or he found me), we were too old to have our own. So now we have 3 cats and 1 dog.

  142. 142.

    Dan

    @BruceFromOhio: I saw them at the JAR in Akron about a month before the first Lollapalooza festival (where I saw them again). During the encore I was within spitting distance of Perry Ferrell. Probably the best concert I’ve been to.

  144. 144.

    RedKitten

    “RedKitten: A friend once said childbirth is akin to passing a watermelon through a garden hose.”

    Now that’s a charming thought. :)

    Well, everybody says that having a kidney stone is comparable to childbirth, and I HAVE had a kidney stone, so hopefully it’ll at least give me some idea of what I’m in for.

  145. 145.

    Cat Lady

    @RedKitten:

    I’ve done both. The kidney stone has no payoff – the baby is a teacher now who is making a difference in children’s lives and just recently thanked me for raising her right. That was my August baby, too. I’m an August baby too, although alas, I was born exactly on the cusp between Leo and Virgo. I’ve never known what that means.

  146. 146.

    wonkie

    About cleaning the teeth of dogs: I adopted an old corgie mix three years ago ( so he has gone from old to very old). I took him straight to the vet upon adoption of course and the vet said that he had bad teeth and a bad heart and had no better than a fifty fifty chance of surviving a teeth cleaning.

    So I didn’t do it. As far as I can tell he is a happy dog. He sleeps most of the time but eats well. Very well, actually: he has doubled in size since I got him even though he gets diet dog food and a walk every day. He bounces to greet me, nipping my fingers corgie fashion and fiercely defends his couch from our new German shepard mix. I hope I made the right choice. I can tell by his battered little body and neurotic little soul that his earlier years were not easy (blind in one eye, missing one ear, fear biter) so I just want him to have some good years now. I don’t want those years to get cut short by a teeth cleaning.

  147. 147.

    Laura Clawson

    CUTE!

    Tunch is also cute, but I have a cat already and I’m more of a dog person, so my dog cravings are more intense.

  148. 148.

    WereBear

    I love both dogs and cats. They are a different pet relationship.

    When I had a big yard and kids with lots of energy, dogs were great; they got enough exercise and playtime.

    But now, with a chronically ill husband, long hours on the computer, and a third floor apartment, three cats is wonderful.

    Everybody gets what they need. And that’s the bottom line.

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