Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

The willow is too close to the house.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

I really should read my own blog.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

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

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

We still have time to mess this up!

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

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

This fight is for everything.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Bark louder, little dog.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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Reader Interactions

166Comments

  4. 4.

    South of I-10

    Presents are wrapped, reindeer food is outside, cookies and milk are ready for Santa and I am here just in time for a shiny new thread. Happy celebrating whatever you are celebrating!

  5. 5.

    Keith G

    I love the gentle and laid back attitude of the Mastiffs I have known. Though I am sure under the right circumstances….

  6. 6.

    Tattoosydney

    I miss my doggie. (He’s at home being made fat by our flatmate – cheese on toast with Vegemite is his weakness).

    Happy Christmas to all.

    Tattoosydney + quite a lot + jetlag

  11. 11.

    The Moar You Know

    Me and the cat are hanging out, waiting to celebrate Jesus’ birthday on the wrong day. I’ve built a fire in the wood-burning stove to incinerate Santa if he tries coming down the flue. I am suspicious of intruders.

    Thanks for a full year of entertainment, one and all. And a special thank you to our host, Mr. John Cole, and his minions, who all are pretty cool folks.

  13. 13.

    South of I-10

    @madmommy: Little South is wiped out. I haven’t heard a peep since she went to bed. Did y’all have tornadoes when the front went through? They were a little too close for comfort.

  15. 15.

    Max

    @Keith G: But not all mastiffs.

    My 45 lb wheaten was attacked by a 125 lb mastiff at Doggy Day Care. The mastiff went right for the neck and poor Max had to get 15 stitches, and the staff broke up the fight just seconds after it started.

    My Maxy didn’t back down and actually got loose from the staff hold after they broke it up and charged the mastiff, bleeding and all.

    Go terriers!

    P.S. This was last Feb. and Max is fine.

  16. 16.

    Tattoosydney

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I’m in the “wide awake at odd hours” stage of jetlag. I don’t feel particularly tired. Bed at midnightish. Woke up at 3am. Wide awake. Dammit.

    Food shopping yesterday. We bought marzipan cake, marzipan balls in bright colours with walnuts for the traditional Dutch part of lunch. My pannacottas failed (too little gelatin) so are becoming warm vanilla sauce.

    Went out to dinner tonight. A restaurant with seating in the kitchen (which is its name). Food good but the best bit was watching them churn out beautiful plate after plate.

    Rainy. Snow going away. I haz a little sad.

  18. 18.

    Keith G

    @South of I-10: Yep here in H-town strong winds and hail blew through ~ 4 AM, but it wasn’t til ~ 2 PM that the winds switched to the north and the temp dropped like a rock. Very blustery and getting quite cold for the swamps. But just right for this displaced Buckeye.

    @Max: Ouch sorry to hear about that. Glad that there were no/few pieces permanently missing.

  19. 19.

    madmommy

    @South of I-10:

    Nah, just massive amounts of rain. Which is sucky, because rain+Christmas Eve+little kids=why my name is madmommy.

    They’re finally asleep, so now it’s time to play Santa!

  20. 20.

    Anne Laurie

    @Tattoosydney:

    I miss my doggie. (He’s at home being made fat by our flatmate – cheese on toast with Vegemite is his weakness).

    The thought of Pedro snubbing his cheese-on-toast without Vegemite is giving me a happy. Even if it’s not true. Because I love how dogs can simultaneously be so finicky and so… NOT. Eating used bandaids out of the trash, yes; eating carrot sticks instead of gourmet baby carrots, no!

  22. 22.

    anie

    Merry Christmas to all. Pie – check. Roasted squash – check. Ham the size of a small interstellar object – check. Now I can sit around with the dog.

    Anie +2.

  23. 23.

    Anne Laurie

    @madmommy:

    Finally got the kids into bed, now they need to go to sleep.

    My dad used to say this was why eggnog was invented — “to knock the little bastrds out so the grownups could get down to finishing the goddmned elves’ assembly jobs.” Of course, my mom the killjoy wouldn’t let him spike our drinks, but I have to agree with the sentiment.

  24. 24.

    KG

    Damn, I need a dog. It’s been a few years since the family dog passed away, and playing with my sister’s corgi just doesn’t work as well anymore. Apartment living in southern California is going to require a smaller breed, any suggestions? I’ve been leaning towards an Alaskan Klee Kai, but I’m not sure.

    Reading about the weather while here in California where our overnight lows have been in the low-40s makes me feel better. But then again, watching the Hawaii Bowl, and hearing that it’s in the mid-70s doesn’t.

    Mele Kalikimaka, all.

  27. 27.

    Tattoosydney

    @Anne Laurie:

    No, you are right. If there is no vegemite, he will give it a sniff, huff and walk away. Cheese and honey is an appropriate substitute.

    I hasten to add he is fed properly, and on a diet. His vet just factored in one piece of toast (always cut into eighths) to his food allowance. We couldn’t ruin his mornings.

  29. 29.

    Corner Stone

    @Keith G: That was awesome when the winds changed. I opened my front door (faces North) and the door to my backyard (faces South) to get a little fresh air through after my gumbostravaganza. Temp in the house dropped from 70 to 59 in under 20 minutes.
    Shucking any oysters this Holiday?

  31. 31.

    KG

    @Max: hmmm, I am intrigued… particularly by the “it does not shed” fact.

    This is tough for me, because growing up, we were always a big dog family: golden retriever, collie (who had a litter with the retriever – best thing ever for a kid), great dane/saint bernard mutt (possibly the best dog ever), briefly had a doberman, and an Australian/labrador mutt. As a general rule, I’m a big fan of mutts and strays, but my sister seems to have hit a home run with her bred corgi.

  32. 32.

    Zzyzx

    I had a cookie emergency at Ihoz Labs and had to run to Safeway to get some brown sugar. The store closed at 7. On my way out, a woman started arguing about how it was 6:58 and she said that she should be allowed in. “You can’t do this!” she cried. He eventually let her into the store and instead of just grabbing her supplies, she kept arguing!

    Rule number one of scamming – if you got to where you want to go, keep walking. She was getting angrier and angrier and asking for managers and stuff when she could have just gone shopping. Dead tour taught me how to handle that situation.

  35. 35.

    demkat620

    My dad used to say this was why eggnog was invented—“to knock the little bastrds out so the grownups could get down to finishing the goddmned elves’ assembly jobs.” Of course, my mom the killjoy wouldn’t let him spike our drinks, but I have to agree with the sentiment.

    Wait, doesn’t everybody put whiskey in their kids milk? Did I miss a memo somewhere?

  36. 36.

    Max

    @KG: I have allergies, hence my wheaten terrier. The no shed thing is important to me. So is the no bark thing.

    The havanese are really cool. I’m thinking about getting one for an aging parent.

  38. 38.

    John Cole

    @KG: Get a mutt. They come in all sizes and shapes and colors, will love you forever, and are generally pretty smart and don’t have all the health issues of pure breds.

    Mutt > all.

  39. 39.

    John Cole

    Also, just keep going to shelters until you find the right one, and trust me, you will know it is the right one. I spent several months looking for a cat and ended up with… Lily.

  40. 40.

    Tattoosydney

    @KG:

    When I was growing up we had three corgis, one after another. Each of them was loyal, smart, playful – perfect for kids. We may have got lucky, but I’d have another corgi in an instant.

  41. 41.

    mr. whipple

    Just checked John’s Twitter feed, and I see Palin is a follower.

    I know nothing about these twitters, but can that even be remotely possible?

  43. 43.

    KG

    @John Cole: oh believe me, I’m a huge fan of the mutt. I haven’t been looking very seriously yet, potential move coming in the next couple of months, and starting my own law firm, has gotten a bit in the way.

  46. 46.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    The outdoor dog that we now take care of is tucked into his cozy doghouse on the B&B front porch. The 4 B&B cats (they have a dedicated room in the garage) are in, insulin given (two are diabetic). Our 4 foster kittens are wailing at the door for attention. Our old three-legged dog has his jingle bells collar on and snoozing while the wife watches the tail end of “White Christmas” before I post tonight’s Diary Rescue over at Teh Orange. And the 4 cats that live up here full time are either snoozing or fussing.

    Can’t complain.

  49. 49.

    asiangrrlMN

    @mr. whipple: Yes. Her handler probably just had her follow all political blogs.

    @John Cole: Yup. I looked at eleven-billionty black cats before I found my boys. You’ll know.

    Or not.

    @Tattoosydney: You and your freakin’ marzipan. We have snow. Lots of it. Supposed to get twenty + inches. Now, you know that makes me happy.

  52. 52.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Corner Stone: Which strikes fear in my very heart. Just what we need–moar Texans!

    @mr. whipple: Yes, except she probably doesn’t read any of the twits she follows (no offense, Cole). It’s fairly standard to follow other pols. And, I haven’t seen any evidence that Palin reads at all.

    And, it makes me insanely deliriously giggly to listen to Weezer sing Silent Night for some reason.

  54. 54.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    @John Cole:

    My wife and I have gone to the occasional cat show. It’s wonderful looking at such cats. But we could never bring ourselves to get one since that would mean one less shelter cat to rescue.

    Again, not judging, honest, particularly since most folks we met there also have at least one “rescue cat” in their household.

    I should also add that when we were doing animal rescue in NOLA after Katrina, one of *the* biggest supporters of our group’s efforts was the FL chapter of the American Kennel Club. They took a *lot* of our dogs, mutts and all.

    Our one shelter cat’s sister was taken by a Siamese rescue even tho the litter wasn’t pure bred.

  55. 55.

    Seebach

    @Corner Stone: As soon as Texas is a net positive for this country and not a negative, we cool. Until then, Texas can fuck itself with the part of itself that needs to be fucked by itself.

  56. 56.

    Seebach

    I mean seriously. Texas is going to have me voting in the Republican primary for the candidate Dick Cheney endorsed. Does that not say bad things?

  58. 58.

    Corner Stone

    @Seebach:

    Until then, Texas can fuck itself with the part of itself that needs to be fucked by itself.

    Strangely, this sounds kind of hot.

  62. 62.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Corner Stone:

    Hater.

    As a born and raised Houstonian (’85 in this bitch!), I think I have more than enough room to make that comment. But enough of that silly nonsense. Word on the street is that you were a fan of VIP back in the day?

  64. 64.

    Corner Stone

    @Midnight Marauder: You were too fast on your re-putdown to me. I edited mine to be what I meant to actually say – “haiter”. Which is to say, “you are a hater of the Goodhair” or “haiter”.
    Yeah, it doesn’t actually make much sense but I’m going with it as a bad punjab.

    And, no – TWOTS is dead wrong. VIP was a sexist abomination and I boycotted that motherfucker.

  66. 66.

    Corner Stone

    @Midnight Marauder:

    (‘85 in this bitch!),

    Wait a second…wait one fucking motherfucking second…1885? You’re older than TZfer the baby jeebus’ sake?
    Cause you can’t fer the love of all things holy mean you were born in *1985*??

  70. 70.

    geg6

    First, gotta get this outta the way: geg6 +10. So I’m just conscious enough to say merry Christmas Eve to all you Juicers. That is a great pic of the doggies, but Lily would be nice to see. I am glad Congress is on break, that so many are happy about the HCR bill even if I am not yet, and that I don’t have to read FDL or WaPo any more. In a bad year overall, those are things to be happy about. So off to drunken dreams of sugar plum fairies with a nice warm man and two doggies, all snug and cozy on each side of the bed. And they just showed fireman from the next tonwship saving a cat from a fire using CPR on the news. You have to love a country where that happens even if it drives you nuts 99% of the time. Feliz Navidad, John Cole.

  74. 74.

    Steeplejack

    @South of I-10:

    Elf is fast approaching “holiday classic” status. I saw it when it first came out, and I have been mildly surprised at how well it holds up on subsequent viewings.

    My favorite line: “You sit on a throne of lies!”

    I just got home from work about an hour ago–ugh!–and am trying to get caught up on my +’s.

    New holiday memory: coworker and I talked ourselves into a big jones for champagne, and we ended up finding some Korbel Extra Dry at a 24-hour CVS drugstore on Christmas Eve. Never saw that coming.

  76. 76.

    Keith G

    Ironically on Christmas eve, irrational Texas hate continues to bob up the the surface.

    @Seebach:

    Why paint 25 million folks with the same unimaginative brush?

    Yeppers we do have some a-hole pols but so do so many others: East, West, and Central. Stupid citizens? We have our share, but you ever been to rural Indiana? Troublesome state government? After this year’s fun in Sacramento, Albany, Chicago?

  77. 77.

    madmommy

    Finished! Presents wrapped, Santa gifts on display, stockings stuffed, and I’m +4-ish.

    Thanks for providing such wonderful snark, I might not comment often, but I’m here every day. Whether the post is serious or open, I never fail to learn something I didn’t know, and laugh out loud. Also.

    Merry Christmas!

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack

    @madmommy:

    And merry Christmas to you! I think I discovered Balloon Juice a little over a year ago, during the heat of the campaign. I came for the political analysis and stayed for the snark, the pets and the bad music videos. You can’t buy memories like that.

    Steep +3 (catching up)

  80. 80.

    CaseyL

    Not much happening tonight, but tomorrow the neighbors and I get together for a cherry crisp breakfast (I’ll supply the crisp; neighbors will supply the ice cream needed to hit all the relevant food groups for a nutritious meal), then it’s off to see the new Sherlock Holmes, and then our traditional Christmas Dinner at the all-you-can-eat Indian buffet.

    Ho Ho Ho!

    Happy Solstice to all, and to all a good night!

  84. 84.

    Anya

    So I found out from The Google that the Obamas left their dog behind; should he be impeached for this?

    Merry Chrismass to those of you who celebrate.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    I’ve got the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert on HBO on in the background, and I just got weirdly emotional as I heard the tremendous crowd reaction to the introduction of Lou Reed–“Lou! Looou!”–who then proceeded to play “Sweet Jane”–with Metallica as his backup band. WTF?!

  87. 87.

    Steeplejack

    @Corner Stone:

    I paid tribute to you upthread.

    Haw. Thanks for clarifying. I saw that and couldn’t figure out whether to start a flame war or object to the fact that you were saying I was a Tunch sock puppet.

    Have a merry Christmas, and have another Steeplejack for me.

  89. 89.

    Corner Stone

    @Steeplejack: Nah, let’s you and I take it easy.
    Anytime I refer to people’s handles here I say, “nom de Tunch” as opposed to nom de guerre. First, I think it’s damn funny. Second, there’s the whole kitty and nom thing going on. Then there’s Tunch. If you ask me that’s a whole fuckton of funny all bundled together. But it may be just me.
    So Jack Daniel’s and applejuice sounds like a good combo for a “steeplejack”.
    But I’m good with a flame war too. My son’s with his mom and the lady I’m casually dating is a 3 hour drive away visiting family. So I’ve got nothing else going on but rocking out with my kak out.
    My family and I did our Christmas earlier.

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    @Corner Stone:

    I’m decompressing from work. Didn’t get out of the Big Box Bookstore until after 9:30 p.m., and I can’t come home and just hop right in bed. So I’m catching up on Balloon Juice threads with the HBO concert in the background. Sending mellow vibes of peace and love to all the Balloon Juice community–even Brick Oven Bill and Makewi. And the dude whose helicopters were not laughing.

  92. 92.

    Corner Stone

    @Anya: That is without a doubt the most interesting question of the night.
    Who could Cole team with that would simultaneously destroy the underlying principles of adopting pets, while also crossing lines in such a way that he also actually moved forward an impeachment movement?
    Michael Vick? No, that’s too easy.

    Damn Anya, that’s a nice question.

  93. 93.

    Corner Stone

    @Steeplejack: I’m jamming to a really good mix myself. Got some Ludacris, Nate Dogg, modern string quartet, RATM, The Fray, Crowbar, Incubus…I could go on but trust me. It’s doing it for me.
    As for the helicopters, I think Midnight Marauder has you covered there:
    Not laughing

  97. 97.

    Martin

    Here on the late coast we’re finally done for the day and the kids are now in bed. Just waiting a spell to start unloading the gifts (need to retrieve one from the neighbors still). Been a busy day. Tomorrow is fun and food.

    Good wishes to all – especially those (like my mom) getting snowed in tonight. She’s expecting 12-18 in Iowa.

    @Steeplejack: I agree on Elf. Favreau makes great movies and few can do what Will Ferrell does. My kids now always ask me to put the star on the tree by jumping off the sofa.

  100. 100.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I wish. I’m hoping he manages to drop me a line tomorrow at some point. I’ll be busy most of the day with my family although I’ll try to sneak on and check e-mail just to see if I’ve got a message.

  101. 101.

    Linkmeister

    @Anya: Actually, it’s our anti-rabies Dept of Health that’s at fault for poor Bo having to stay at home. 120 days mainland quarantine plus 2 rounds of vaccines before we let critters into the state.

  104. 104.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: I think I’m just tired right now more than anything. Tomorrow should be hella fun and I’m pretty happy with my gift choices. Plus it still wigs me out about my bud the gay cowboy being a dad. Especially since he told me he did it the old fashioned way. He says he still likes guys but if you think I’m gonna let him forget this little factoid you don’t know me very well :)

  105. 105.

    Corner Stone

    @Linkmeister: Do not ruin our good time game with all your pesky facts!
    Ain’t nobody givin’ a damn about facts!
    I was still trying to figure out who Cole could partner with then the Princess Leia inabikinionJabbascruiser scene came on the teevee. I forgot pretty much everything at that point.

  106. 106.

    PanAmerican

    The Polar Express sucks.

    I get that Zemeckis was up against the limits of what was then possible (dead eye cgi), and I like the story fine, but Aerosmith? Seriously??

  109. 109.

    Anya

    @Linkmeister: Calls for impeachment averted then. Right Corner Stone? Although, facts should never get in the way of a good witch hunt.

    I just heard that Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon broke up. That is so sad, they were my ideal progressive couple.

  110. 110.

    Steeplejack

    @Martin:

    Heh. That’s my favorite visual from the movie–when Ferrell sproings onto the tree and takes the whole thing over. It’s so great that I have been tempted to try it myself sometime. (But I have resisted so far.)

  111. 111.

    Corner Stone

    @Anya:

    Calls for impeachment averted then. Right Corner Stone? Although, facts should never get in the way of a good witch hunt.

    Hells no. He’s The President! Obviously he could’ve signed an EO or swayed Congress to pass a law or some shit like that.
    It’s still on him and with no doubt in my mind impeachment proceedings must commence forthwith.

  112. 112.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN:

    Wow. Just…wow.

    That was my reaction too. I mean, I’ve flirted with him mercilessly before (don’t worry it was mutual and nothing happened) but after he told me he engaged in the horizontal mambo I didn’t know whether to die laughing or just fall over for shock.

    EDIT: risked massive blockquote fail there. Hopefully edit saves my skin.

  117. 117.

    burnspbesq

    @madmommy:

    Merry Christmas to you and hubby and the madkids. It’s been an … ummm … interesting journey, hasn’t it? From FDL to Trex to Relaxed Politics to here. This joint is awfully cool. Thanks and best wishes to everyone who makes it that way … even B.O.B. and John Sears.

  118. 118.

    Anya

    @Corner Stone: In that case Cole could partner with Darth Vader, I saw somewhere a picture of him with a gorgeous dog. Is that going too far?

    I think Cole’s posts explaining why the cause is bigger than the personalities would be really fun read. Also this is a good way to discover how many apologists he has and the level of our devotion.

  119. 119.

    bago

    Alright, here is my sappy Christmas post. Shit seems to be kind of working. The fact that this is a step up is dissapointing, but it beats the alternative.

  120. 120.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Can I steal that? I told him I’d set aside the cognitive dissonance of the situation for now mostly because the little one is ADORABLE! Little guy too, but so is Dad (he’s 5’7″) and just as ornery. I think Brent (my bud) might just have met his match.

  123. 123.

    Yutsano

    @burnspbesq: What? No Michael Gass? You even pay pretty damn near perfect tribute to him in your comment. Do…you…want…the…helicopters…to…not…laugh?

  124. 124.

    Corner Stone

    @Anya: My response is too serious for this thread.
    On another note, have you ever heard Korn done by string quartet? It’s quite good.

  125. 125.

    burnspbesq

    @Anya:

    Tis the season. I had a great dinner, am waiting for spouse and kid to go to sleep so I can deploy gifts, hanging with the BJ crowd and listening to some very interesting music (the Adams violin concerto, played by Chloe Hanslip). In my current state of mellow, it’s all good.

  131. 131.

    Yutsano

    @burnspbesq: I was coming to a similar conclusion. Not that I’m an anti-drug nut or anything, I just prefer reality for all its bumps and flaws.

  132. 132.

    Anne Laurie

    @KG:

    Apartment living in southern California is going to require a smaller breed, any suggestions? I’ve been leaning towards an Alaskan Klee Kai, but I’m not sure.

    So, what is it that you like about the AKK? Their shape? Their coats? Their personalities? Don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person (they seem to be a West Coast phenom), but since AKKs are downsized ‘sled dogs’, I’m guessing they’ll have the same possible drawbacks as their kin. First of all, Arctic dogs are really high-energy — if you’re not prepared to put in the equivalent of jogging several miles with them every day, or paying someone else to, they’re not always good apartment dogs. Second, even when well-exercised, “sled dogs” have retained enough of the wolf run run run coding that they’re hellacious escape artists and sometimes incurable runaways. Also, they are frequently big ‘talkers’, which is great if you like a dog that responds woo-woo! woof! AROO! to your every comment, but your neighbors might not agree. And finally, when Arctic dogs ‘blow coat’, they really blow — twice a year, here in the cold climes, you’ll spend hours with a rake pulling enough loose fur off your dog to make a whole ‘nother dog. Seriously, the Siberians who originally domesticated these guys knit warm sweaters from dog fur. How carrying a dense wooly undercoat like this in warm humid Southern California works, I don’t know, but you’ll want to talk to local breeders / rescuers to find out before you lose your heart.

    Which doesn’t mean you can’t have a AKK, if that’s what you really want; I’m sure there are lots of (comparatively) quiet, home-loving AKKs out there, and lots of people find a high-energy dog is a great exercise buddy. (Or you could get into dog agility, or flyball, or frisbee competitions.) Just so you know what you’re getting into, before you end up breaking at least two hearts. And if it’s the “outline” of the AKK you’re responding to, you might want to look at American Eskimo Dogs, Finnish Spitzes, Shiba Inus, even Skipperkes…

    Or you could do like John suggests, find a shelter or three (or a breed-specific rescue) in your area, and let them know what kind of dog you’re looking for. The risk is that some shelters are so overcrowded, and some rescuers so overwhelmed, that people might try to “persuade” (push) you into adopting some dog, any dog, just to free up a space. If that happens, get the heck out — there are LOTS of rescue groups out there, and the ones you want to be dealing with are the ones where you have to persuade them that you’re “right” for one of their charges. But if you’re looking for a moderately active small-to-medium sized dog with fox ears, a moderately long coat, and a tail curled over its back (e.g., a spitz type), you’ll be spoilt for choice. I know California is arse-deep in abandoned petshop ‘purse dogs’ who grew too big for faddist fashionistas — so much so that rescue groups are transporting them here to New England in batches, where there’s a shortage of smaller dogs. Heck, our latest rescue (not from CA) is an 18lb, 15-inches-at-the-shoulder, black-and-white girl with an inordinate prey drive who looks like a half-sized Border Collie with an exceptionally silky coat… and she’s (theoreticly) a purebred Papillon!

  133. 133.

    Glocksman

    I had a good Christmas all around.

    For my niece’s family, I decided to build them a new PC to replace the ancient socket 423 P4 Dell they’ve been using since the beginning of the decade.

    WIth a mix of parts drawer pieces and some new purchases (PSU, video card, and optical drives), I managed to assemble a pretty decent system based around a MSI 945P mainboard, a Prescott 3.4GHz P4, and 2 GB of RAM all in an Antec TX 630 case with an Earthwatts 430 watt PSU.

    The OS was my old copy (I switched to windows 7) of Vista Home Premium.

    Sure, it’s not the latest i7 processor (that’s in the system I just built for myself :) ), but it’s light years ahead of what she currently has and I was able to put it all together for about $100 or so in new parts.

    I bought my sisters Sears gift cards since I have no idea what they’d really like and like most guys I hate shopping.

    Heck, I’d sooner have all of my teeth extracted with rusted pliers than visit the local shopping mall. :)

    In return, I received the practical gifts I’ve come to expect, because my family knows me all too well in that while I’ll spend over a grand on computer parts, I buy the absolute cheapest towels, bedsheets, etc. that I can find.

    One sister gave me a really nice set of thick towels and washcloths while the other bought me a set of nice bedsheets.

    My niece gave me a new Dirt Devil bagless vacuum.
    She was kind of worried about whether or not I needed it until I truthfully told her that I was still using the 20 year old Hoover that had been my Mother’s.

    Couple that with some quality time engaging in Nerf gunfights with my grand nephews, and it was a rewarding time all things considered (holidays are still kind of bittersweet even though it’s been almost 10 years since Mom died).

  134. 134.

    Corner Stone

    @Yutsano: Let’s not get too far into the demands my friend. I for one have steadfastly refrained from demanding you fill in the story regarding your friend and his upcoming child.

    ETA – and I wouldn’t listen too closely to what bbq has to say either.

  136. 136.

    Corner Stone

    @Glocksman:

    For my niece’s family, I decided to build them a new PC to replace the ancient socket 423 P4 Dell they’ve been using since the beginning of the decade.
    …
    WIth a mix of parts drawer pieces and some new purchases (PSU, video card, and optical drives), I managed to assemble a pretty decent system based around a MSI 945P mainboard, a Prescott 3.4GHz P4, and 2 GB of RAM all in an Antec TX 630 case with an Earthwatts 430 watt PSU.
    …
    The OS was my old copy (I switched to windows 7) of Vista Home Premium.
    …
    Sure, it’s not the latest i7 processor (that’s in the system I just built for myself :) ), but it’s light years ahead of what she currently has and I was able to put it all together for about $100 or so in new parts.

    Ok, now you’re just showing off.

  137. 137.

    Glocksman

    @Corner Stone:

    Nah, because the only reason I had the cash to build my new setup was because of all the mandatory overtime at work (I work at the Evansville TJ Maxx Distribution Center) over the last 2 months.

    While I bitched about having to give up time off, I didn’t mind the extra cash and I was grateful that TJX was confident enough about the future to pay time and a half for the 8 hours over 40 worked and double time for the hours over 48 worked.

    So please shop at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. :)

    Oh, and I got Windows 7 for $50 because I pre-ordered it in June when MS had a promotion going.

    If I was bragging, I’d have thrown in the 8 GB or RAM, the ATi 5770 1GB video card, and the new NEC e-IPS 23 inch monitor into the post. :)

  138. 138.

    Anne Laurie

    @Corner Stone:

    … then the Princess Leia inabikinionJabbascruiser scene came on the teevee. I forgot pretty much everything at that point.

    Y’know, that’s one of the few Star Wart scenes that actually made sense to me. Jabba picked up an expensive exotic pet, the way Mike Tyson and some rappers buy white tigers, and of course if one is buying exotic wildlife as a form of status symbolism one wants the prize specimen to be displayed to best advantage. Jabba’s mistake lay in assuming that the female-gender centerfolds pinned to his humanoid peers’ walls indicated “correct show turnout” for a human woman, the way poodles or Arabian horses are elaborately groomed for show purposes… (/dognerd)

  139. 139.

    Yutsano

    @Glocksman: Great stores to shop at I will confess. However there was a bizarre line in their Christmas commercial that made my mind boggle. “Great tasting cashmere”? I thought maybe it was a cheese I had never heard of before.

  142. 142.

    Glocksman

    @Yutsano:

    My biggest fear is that one day Home Office decisions will start making sense to me, because when they do I’ve obviously become insane. :p

    That said, there are times I think my sisters talk to me as much as they do is because of the 10% (sometimes 20%) employee discount I get. :)

    Personally as a ‘big guy’ I prefer Marshall’s because they have a larger selection of mens shoes and ‘big and tall’ mens clothing than the local TJ Maxx does.

  144. 144.

    Corner Stone

    @Glocksman: I have things to say here but I will not. The process for outcomes is an interesting one but not really a good one for this thread.
    BTW – I’ve often thought of changing my nom de Tunch to “H&KMan” but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

  145. 145.

    Glocksman

    At the risk of giving out ‘insider information’, if any of you are in the market for ‘small kitchen appliances’ you really need to check out TJ Maxx and Marshalls next month.

    A lot of our overtime involved shipping out KitchenAid and Cuisinart food processors, mixers, coffee makers, etc. for the planned home sale on January 3, 2010.

    I personally moved out about 30 pallets of professional grade KitchenAid mixers that we were selling for $229 each.

    That may sound high, but before I came to TJX, I worked as a line and short order cook at a buffet/grill, and we bought the same mixer for $250 or so back in 1992.

  146. 146.

    Glocksman

    @Corner Stone:

    I’m being somewhat sarcastic here.
    After all, if HO were as incompetent as a lot of us ground level grunts believe them to be, the company wouldn’t be where they’re at today.

    That said, I personally see at least $20k or more in wasted printed shipping labels being thrown away each year in our DC alone because someone at home office doesn’t want to spend the money to modernize our kludge of a computerized distribution setup.

    IOW, while they aren’t as stupid as some of us would like to believe, the tendency to look at the short term over the long term is alive and well at TJX.

  150. 150.

    Anne Laurie

    TattooSydney, I just remembered to check the snailmail, which included a memory book from the Spousal Unit’s cousin’s honeymoon — in Sydney. They got to pet koalas! And hand-feed a wombat!…

    Damn, now I’m jealous. World’s worst traveller, but I’d get a passport for that, I would.

  151. 151.

    Glocksman

    Martin:

    I’m not going to guarantee that you’ll find one in your local TJ store because the high volume stores got priority.

    That said, if you really need or want such a mixer, it’d be worth your while to see if your local TJ or Marshalls has any in stock.

    In my personal opinion, they’re worth the money if you need the flexibility they offer WRT food processing and mixing.

    If all you need is a mixer, you can do just as good cheaper.

  152. 152.

    Yutsano

    @Glocksman: :: scribbles furious notes ::

    In all seriousness, I’m almost as much of a kitchen gadget whore as my little brother is. His birthday isn’t until late June, but I might get him a new shiny toy. I don’t think he has a blender.

  154. 154.

    Glocksman

    @Yutsano:

    If I didn’t think I’d get fired for it (I’m serious), I’d send you a scan of my paycheck stub which would get you 10% off of your purchase.

    My shop is a union shop and I am the steward for my area, but we aren’t the UAW and we don’t have the kind of power that’d keep me from being terminated for abusing the employee discount.

  155. 155.

    Steeplejack

    @Anne Laurie:

    Jabba’s mistake lay in assuming that the female-gender centerfolds pinned to his humanoid peers’ walls indicated “correct show turnout” for a human woman [. . .].

    You mean they don’t? [Ducking, running]

  157. 157.

    Yutsano

    @Glocksman: It’s okay. I make an okay living mostly because my living expenses are ridiculously low (cheap rent, own car outright, decent health care price, no huge huge bills) so even without the discount I’d still bite there. Plus I know all about the discount game. My brother is a manager for a hotel and usually gets us rooms for about half price or even less whenever we need them. And his chain is a nice mid-level hotel.

  159. 159.

    Glocksman

    @Yutsano:

    Quality kitchen gadgets appeal to the real cooks among us, don’t they?

    That said, the small KitchenAid mixers were usually too small to be of real use grinding cabbage into cole slaw.

    For that purpose, we had a several gallon KitchenAid mixer whose attachments could grind up a whole head of cabbage without a hiccup.

    You probably already know this, but as a former professional cook, my advice is to buy the best instruments your budget will allow as it will pay off in the end.

  160. 160.

    Yutsano

    @Glocksman: I bullied my brother into making his fantastic chicken enchiladas tomorrow to go along with my mom’s beef ones. I am soooo looking forward to dinner tomorrow!

    Kitchen Aid mixers are fantastic for home use, but for a professional kitchen they just don’t have the capacity save for smaller tasks. That being said, expense doesn’t always translate into quality. A $500 knife is worthless if it doesn’t feel comfortable in your hand whereas a $20 with a similar cutting edge will do the task but at a higher comfort level. I won’t go out and buy the most expensive toy just to say I have it if something that will do the job but for less expense exists out there.

  161. 161.

    Polish the Guillotines

    Merry Christmas, Juicers.

    It’s midnight, so I figure I’m good for around five hours of shut-eye (if I’m lucky) before the kid sounds Reveille.

    And to all, a good-night.

  162. 162.

    Platonicspoof

    @Anya:

    So I found out from The Google that the Obamas left their dog behind; should he be impeached for this?

    Actually, Bo is Rahm’s dog.

    Sorry. I meant to say “Merry Xmas!”

  163. 163.

    Corner Stone

    Weaksauce motherfuckers. The one night out of the year I get to stay up past 2am that doesn’t involve hookers, cocaine, fireworks or hookers & cocaine & fireworks.

    ETA – oh well, at least Pantera will never leave me.
    And holy shit but the woman playing the pharoahs wife in The Mummy is super freakin hot.

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