As I was driving home from work today, I was thinking of how irritated I am with people like Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. I came to the conclusion that these guys are kind of, sort of…worse than guys like bin Laden, based purely on the number of people that will die because of their actions.
Sadly, I’m only half kidding.
3.
Betsy
Awww, cuteness!
No feet, though? You people have no respect for the rule of law.
4.
beltane
My dog does that but she’s a lab which makes things kind of awkward.
No feet, though? You people have no respect for the rule of law.
Hey, I see four perfectly fine feet in that photo! — and two of them are even rear pedal extremities.
Gotta love the “whaaaaat?” expression on the lil terror. Around here we call that position The Baby Doll. The un-partnered version is The Roadkill (aka The Dead Bug) and if the dog klonks its skull flat against the floor, tongue-hanging-out optional, it’s The Full Roadkill.
7.
You Don't Say
I love how the pup is staring at the camera like she’s been caught in the act.
OK, I’m pissed: Two nights of Jon Stewart during this whole health care debacle and no Joe ‘Droopy Dog’ Lieberman!
CUZ MY FRIEND WHO READS THIS CRAP WAS ALL THERE’S A GIANT WHITE CAT THERE AND I WAS LIKE REALLY AND HE WAS LIKE YEPPERS AND SO WHERE’S THE CAT, I’M HERE NOW, LAY IT ON ME DADDIO
I have to admit I enjoy it. I was stunned when that last boss finally died. I suffered epic fails the first several times I went after him. I had to back up to earlier portions of the game to rebuild simply because I was not prepared which was depressing.
I’m in a bad mood. Depressed. I took the finals in my two core classes today. (I’ve got the finals for my two pathetic MBA classes left, but I have a hard time caring.) I loved these classes. I learned a lot. I like and respect the professor. I felt like I was getting my tuition money’s worth.
They have also been the center of my social life for more than three months. I have talked in class to the point of bordering on obnoxious. (That’s my claim; anyone who tells you I went way over that line is just wrong.) My fellow classmates seemed to enjoy my participation. They were all friendly to me.
They are also almost all in their early 20s. I don’t have any obvious things in common with any of them other than being in the MAcc program. They all seem to have their own social circles, and I’m not sure how to break into them.
I was making friends with one young woman, and it had reached the point where we agreed to go out for coffee one Thursday after class. Then she said that something had come up and she couldn’t make it, which was understandable; she has a full time job, and I realize that schedules can change rapidly. Then she couldn’t go the next week. Then she stopped being chatty in class, and didn’t return my e-mails. So, I gave up.
As I was finishing the second exam, I started feeling old and lonely. I really, really didn’t want to return to an empty house, but I don’t have a better option. I sat outside the classroom for a while, feeling miserable, and chatted for a bit as people left. Then they were gone. It’s a month before classes start up again, and I don’t have anything to fill that hole. The cats are nice, but not the same.
Trying not to go +1.
16.
General Winfield Stuck
Took Charlie to the vet today and he is good health. All shots caught up. He is such a sweet dog. Now sawing logs on the end of the bed. I wonder what they dream about. Butterflies?
17.
Mnemosyne
I’m watching Gordon Ramsay — WTF did he do to his face?!?! He should have told the surgeon not to pull him quite so tight.
Forgot to answer your nice comments about my doggie a few threads back. He does look a little curmudgenly in the photo’s, but is not. Probly the sweetest natured dog I have ever had. He doesn’t even bark, at least not yet. And fully house trained. I can’t believe someone abandoned him like they apparently did.
edit — Am watching a great flick called Uprising, about jewish resistance in Poland during WW2/
Puppeh! (Obligatory, for my FH#2, Yutsano). So cute.
I second the request for a pic of Tunchie, though. Old pics are fine, but I wanna see the little guy in his current full splendor.
@J. Michael Neal: I don’t know what to tell you because I’m not in the greatest space myself right now. Just, keep posting here. Do things to keep your mind distracted. Um, call Cole more names. That usually makes me feel a little better.
20.
Lesley
Dogs are so funny.
21.
Steeplejack
For the Balloon Juice archives , here is the screen capture of Tunch’s incursion into gop.am last night. Notice how the white paw of death is poised to strike. And yet the White One remains Zen, remains . . . “I’ve got this.” The Tunch abides.
It is written: “The mountain does not move, because the mountain does not need to move.”
At least the 3rd West Indies/Australia test just started, and the 1st England/South Africa test is on in fifteen minutes. Glad I bought the cricket package.
23.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: I think Tunch is raccoon guarding. I don’t recommend this duty for a cat however, raccoons are known to attack and kill felines. And thanks for the puppeh shout-out, I was gonna get to it at some point I promise!
Weird day today. No real other word for it than that.
24.
denverjenpeninpdx
J Michael Neal- I am a returning adult student and I am a senior at a small private college. My age group at 34 is represented at less than 1% of 1200 students. I mean there are maybe 5 of us here, tops. Fortunately, I look very young for my age- I get carded nearly every time I buy alcohol, which is quite frequently (;-)) and I still get referred to as “miss”. You sound really demoralized and I just wanted to say I understand. I haven’t really tried to befriend my fellow students because they are like teenagers. They are so nice and cute, but I am just at a different stage in life, you know? So are you. Next semester, now that I have my feet under me again- I am going to volunteer, with the hopes of meeting people that way. There is nothing wrong with being an older student- just know the limits to which you can connect with the people around you. Go where there are others who are like you and share the same passions. I hope knowing someone is going through it too, helped. That is why I posted.
When I went back as an older student, I found there were other older students in evening classes. It’s also a good idea to volunteer for something you are interested in and support.
Mr. Jud is going through similar trials at the moment. He’s almost 42 (same as you, I think?), quit his crazy-making job at a doomed organization in June, and since then his social circle has dwindled to me, the baby, his sister, and the three guys he plays music with– but even they don’t come around so much anymore, as two were former work colleagues. Also they’re younger by 12-15 years and spouseless/childless.
He has absorbed himself with looking after the baby and fixing up the house, but that’s isolating. I work from home virtually all the time, but my days are about 10-12 hours at the moment. I go to the gym most days and volunteer five evenings a month, so I also have links outside of the house that he doesn’t.
He gamely tried to go to a Parent-and-Child group, but he was the only male and the oldest by a good ten years. He’s joined an American football team, and it looks like that will be good for him, but practices don’t start until early February. I also paid for him to join a photography class (Christmas present, shh), but that doesn’t start until April.
Meanwhile, he’s going nuts. He feels old and useless, like he has somehow ruined his life. He hasn’t, of course; he’s just at a low ebb socially. Relatively speaking he’s lucky, because he has a baby and wife to amuse him (I also pay the bills). It’s much harder to go through that kind of isolation when you’re single and money’s tight (I’ve been there myself, underemployed and alone in a new city). Kill time as best you can, and like denverjen said, try to find some other interest group if possible. It will get over with.
CUZ MY FRIEND WHO READS THIS CRAP WAS ALL THERE’S A GIANT WHITE CAT THERE AND I WAS LIKE REALLY AND HE WAS LIKE YEPPERS AND SO WHERE’S THE CAT, I’M HERE NOW, LAY IT ON ME DADDIO
@R-Jud: One of the big changes in my life is that I don’t feel like I’ve ruined anything. I’m much more upbeat about myself. It’s just that I’ve come to the conclusion that the opinion I formed of the rest of the world while I was deeply depressed was pretty accurate.
There are a lot of things where being right, and the world wrong, doesn’t matter, because the world still wins. There are a lot of companies I’ve applied to for which I’d be a great employee, but they never hired me; I’m right, and they’re wrong, but they win.
30.
WaterGirl
@J. Michael Neal: You’re a great writer, and very intelligent, and your posts are interesting. So I’m confident that if you can just get to a place (besides here!) where there are people of common interests that you will have no trouble expanding your world with other great people.
I am part of a program that mentors kids through the schools, but there really isn’t a social aspect to the program except for the connections to the kids. I’m not sure about your neck of the woods, but if you lived in my town I would suggest you try one of two groups: Habitat for Humanity or the Ski Club.
With Habitat you get a volunteer organization that has group meetings and group activities and a lot of interesting people are involved in that. The Ski Club here has tons of really cool people in the right age group and you can even join if you don’t ski. :-) They do tons of social stuff and physical activities like group bike rides and canoeing (and ski trips).
Bonus: more social connections helps with networking for jobs :-). Wasn’t it your mom who is always talking about networking, or is that someone else?
It’s just that I’ve come to the conclusion that the opinion I formed of the rest of the world while I was deeply depressed was pretty accurate. There are a lot of things where being right, and the world wrong, doesn’t matter, because the world still wins. There are a lot of companies I’ve applied to for which I’d be a great employee, but they never hired me; I’m right, and they’re wrong, but they win.
Depression is depressing because you know that what you’re seeing is the truth.
32.
Shell
Funny, that little canine looks a lot like Little Bitsy
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Notorious P.A.T.
Aww, that looks quite cozy )
Maybe the other animal-lovers here will laugh their fool heads off at this, like I did:
http://www.avclub.com/videocracy/12817/
Brian J
As I was driving home from work today, I was thinking of how irritated I am with people like Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. I came to the conclusion that these guys are kind of, sort of…worse than guys like bin Laden, based purely on the number of people that will die because of their actions.
Sadly, I’m only half kidding.
Betsy
Awww, cuteness!
No feet, though? You people have no respect for the rule of law.
beltane
My dog does that but she’s a lab which makes things kind of awkward.
Keith G
@Betsy: I donno….I see four upturned feet.
Anne Laurie
@Betsy:
Hey, I see four perfectly fine feet in that photo! — and two of them are even rear pedal extremities.
Gotta love the “whaaaaat?” expression on the lil terror. Around here we call that position The Baby Doll. The un-partnered version is The Roadkill (aka The Dead Bug) and if the dog klonks its skull flat against the floor, tongue-hanging-out optional, it’s The Full Roadkill.
You Don't Say
I love how the pup is staring at the camera like she’s been caught in the act.
OK, I’m pissed: Two nights of Jon Stewart during this whole health care debacle and no Joe ‘Droopy Dog’ Lieberman!
Betsy
@Keith G: @Anne Laurie:
I sit corrected! I hadn’t realized that JC had not specified that the elevated feet in question must be human.
ellaesther
@Betsy: I suspect that there is also no respect for the rule of law. Also.
Halffasthero
OT
Finally won Dragon Age.
That is all. Carry on.
freelancer (itouch)
@Halffasthero:
Golf clap.
Evidently that game is immense. Props.
ondioline
CUZ MY FRIEND WHO READS THIS CRAP WAS ALL THERE’S A GIANT WHITE CAT THERE AND I WAS LIKE REALLY AND HE WAS LIKE YEPPERS AND SO WHERE’S THE CAT, I’M HERE NOW, LAY IT ON ME DADDIO
Halffasthero
@freelancer (itouch):
I have to admit I enjoy it. I was stunned when that last boss finally died. I suffered epic fails the first several times I went after him. I had to back up to earlier portions of the game to rebuild simply because I was not prepared which was depressing.
Johnny Pez
@ondioline:
See here. Scroll down to the entry for Tunch.
J. Michael Neal
I hate to do this to a cuteness thread, but . . .
I’m in a bad mood. Depressed. I took the finals in my two core classes today. (I’ve got the finals for my two pathetic MBA classes left, but I have a hard time caring.) I loved these classes. I learned a lot. I like and respect the professor. I felt like I was getting my tuition money’s worth.
They have also been the center of my social life for more than three months. I have talked in class to the point of bordering on obnoxious. (That’s my claim; anyone who tells you I went way over that line is just wrong.) My fellow classmates seemed to enjoy my participation. They were all friendly to me.
They are also almost all in their early 20s. I don’t have any obvious things in common with any of them other than being in the MAcc program. They all seem to have their own social circles, and I’m not sure how to break into them.
I was making friends with one young woman, and it had reached the point where we agreed to go out for coffee one Thursday after class. Then she said that something had come up and she couldn’t make it, which was understandable; she has a full time job, and I realize that schedules can change rapidly. Then she couldn’t go the next week. Then she stopped being chatty in class, and didn’t return my e-mails. So, I gave up.
As I was finishing the second exam, I started feeling old and lonely. I really, really didn’t want to return to an empty house, but I don’t have a better option. I sat outside the classroom for a while, feeling miserable, and chatted for a bit as people left. Then they were gone. It’s a month before classes start up again, and I don’t have anything to fill that hole. The cats are nice, but not the same.
Trying not to go +1.
General Winfield Stuck
Took Charlie to the vet today and he is good health. All shots caught up. He is such a sweet dog. Now sawing logs on the end of the bed. I wonder what they dream about. Butterflies?
Mnemosyne
I’m watching Gordon Ramsay — WTF did he do to his face?!?! He should have told the surgeon not to pull him quite so tight.
General Winfield Stuck
@Anne Laurie:
Forgot to answer your nice comments about my doggie a few threads back. He does look a little curmudgenly in the photo’s, but is not. Probly the sweetest natured dog I have ever had. He doesn’t even bark, at least not yet. And fully house trained. I can’t believe someone abandoned him like they apparently did.
edit — Am watching a great flick called Uprising, about jewish resistance in Poland during WW2/
asiangrrlMN
Puppeh! (Obligatory, for my FH#2, Yutsano). So cute.
I second the request for a pic of Tunchie, though. Old pics are fine, but I wanna see the little guy in his current full splendor.
@J. Michael Neal: I don’t know what to tell you because I’m not in the greatest space myself right now. Just, keep posting here. Do things to keep your mind distracted. Um, call Cole more names. That usually makes me feel a little better.
Lesley
Dogs are so funny.
Steeplejack
For the Balloon Juice archives , here is the screen capture of Tunch’s incursion into gop.am last night. Notice how the white paw of death is poised to strike. And yet the White One remains Zen, remains . . . “I’ve got this.” The Tunch abides.
It is written: “The mountain does not move, because the mountain does not need to move.”
J. Michael Neal
At least the 3rd West Indies/Australia test just started, and the 1st England/South Africa test is on in fifteen minutes. Glad I bought the cricket package.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: I think Tunch is raccoon guarding. I don’t recommend this duty for a cat however, raccoons are known to attack and kill felines. And thanks for the puppeh shout-out, I was gonna get to it at some point I promise!
Weird day today. No real other word for it than that.
denverjenpeninpdx
J Michael Neal- I am a returning adult student and I am a senior at a small private college. My age group at 34 is represented at less than 1% of 1200 students. I mean there are maybe 5 of us here, tops. Fortunately, I look very young for my age- I get carded nearly every time I buy alcohol, which is quite frequently (;-)) and I still get referred to as “miss”. You sound really demoralized and I just wanted to say I understand. I haven’t really tried to befriend my fellow students because they are like teenagers. They are so nice and cute, but I am just at a different stage in life, you know? So are you. Next semester, now that I have my feet under me again- I am going to volunteer, with the hopes of meeting people that way. There is nothing wrong with being an older student- just know the limits to which you can connect with the people around you. Go where there are others who are like you and share the same passions. I hope knowing someone is going through it too, helped. That is why I posted.
Notorious P.A.T.
@J. Michael Neal:
Well, you’ve got us )
HRA
What Notorious P.A.T. said.
When I went back as an older student, I found there were other older students in evening classes. It’s also a good idea to volunteer for something you are interested in and support.
R-Jud
@J. Michael Neal:
Mr. Jud is going through similar trials at the moment. He’s almost 42 (same as you, I think?), quit his crazy-making job at a doomed organization in June, and since then his social circle has dwindled to me, the baby, his sister, and the three guys he plays music with– but even they don’t come around so much anymore, as two were former work colleagues. Also they’re younger by 12-15 years and spouseless/childless.
He has absorbed himself with looking after the baby and fixing up the house, but that’s isolating. I work from home virtually all the time, but my days are about 10-12 hours at the moment. I go to the gym most days and volunteer five evenings a month, so I also have links outside of the house that he doesn’t.
He gamely tried to go to a Parent-and-Child group, but he was the only male and the oldest by a good ten years. He’s joined an American football team, and it looks like that will be good for him, but practices don’t start until early February. I also paid for him to join a photography class (Christmas present, shh), but that doesn’t start until April.
Meanwhile, he’s going nuts. He feels old and useless, like he has somehow ruined his life. He hasn’t, of course; he’s just at a low ebb socially. Relatively speaking he’s lucky, because he has a baby and wife to amuse him (I also pay the bills). It’s much harder to go through that kind of isolation when you’re single and money’s tight (I’ve been there myself, underemployed and alone in a new city). Kill time as best you can, and like denverjen said, try to find some other interest group if possible. It will get over with.
Tattoosydney
@ondioline:
Dead thread, but I think I love you.
J. Michael Neal
@R-Jud: One of the big changes in my life is that I don’t feel like I’ve ruined anything. I’m much more upbeat about myself. It’s just that I’ve come to the conclusion that the opinion I formed of the rest of the world while I was deeply depressed was pretty accurate.
There are a lot of things where being right, and the world wrong, doesn’t matter, because the world still wins. There are a lot of companies I’ve applied to for which I’d be a great employee, but they never hired me; I’m right, and they’re wrong, but they win.
WaterGirl
@J. Michael Neal: You’re a great writer, and very intelligent, and your posts are interesting. So I’m confident that if you can just get to a place (besides here!) where there are people of common interests that you will have no trouble expanding your world with other great people.
I am part of a program that mentors kids through the schools, but there really isn’t a social aspect to the program except for the connections to the kids. I’m not sure about your neck of the woods, but if you lived in my town I would suggest you try one of two groups: Habitat for Humanity or the Ski Club.
With Habitat you get a volunteer organization that has group meetings and group activities and a lot of interesting people are involved in that. The Ski Club here has tons of really cool people in the right age group and you can even join if you don’t ski. :-) They do tons of social stuff and physical activities like group bike rides and canoeing (and ski trips).
Bonus: more social connections helps with networking for jobs :-). Wasn’t it your mom who is always talking about networking, or is that someone else?
R-Jud
Depression is depressing because you know that what you’re seeing is the truth.
Shell
Funny, that little canine looks a lot like Little Bitsy