One of those moods. For some reason, just been low energy and crabbier than normal.
Watching last night’s White Collar on demand, then I have no clue. Might just go to bed early. Might just spend some time pricing fencing, as I am planning on building a privacy fence to keep the varmints out and the ladies and Tunch in, but I just get so frustrated. Everything inexpensive looks so damned tacky, and cedar is so expensive, and I don’t want to have to paint every year, and blah blah blah. See what I mean about crabby?
On the upside, we got slashdotted and did not crash. Those of you who were here two-three years ago should appreciate that.
General Stuck
Yup, the concern trolls have sapped my precious bodily fluids with their neverending bullshit. It’s the bane of being liberal , I suppose. Luckily, when the wngnuts take back over, we might get a break/am only half kidding.
steviez314
It’s Obama’s fault he hasn’t built the damn fence yet.
jeffreyw
I’m grumpy too, made a beef/tomato stew from a Greek recipe with feta in it and it looked so bad I deleted all the pics.
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: But how did it taste?
kommrade reproductive vigor
You mean you get worse?
Christ, I guess the neighbors know when you’re in a really bad mood because you’re up on the roof with a 12 gauge.
Elisabeth
My neighbors had one of those hanging tomato plants in the cherry-sized variety. It was going great ~ lots of little green orbs in neat rows.
Someone else must have been excited by the prospect of fresh cherry tomatoes because they stole it. In the middle of the night he/she pulled the recycling bin over, turned it upside down, snatched that planter off the hook, and took off.
jeffreyw
@schrodinger’s cat: Tasted much better than it looked, full of fresh thyme and rosemary.
BethanyAnne
@Elisabeth: how rude!
/grumble
So… I’m thinking about getting a car sometime in the next couple of months. Prolly the most practical choice is a Honda Accord; say 1990-1997. if I got a new Beetle, it’d cost a bunch more, but I love how they look. And I can sit up straight in them! (I’m well over 6′, so that’s sorta rare). But the most tempting thing is the most funky. Early 80s Mercedes. Mebbe a diesel. /ponder /ponder
jeffreyw
Here’s a hummer pic instead.
Comrade Mary
Oooh — gorgeous! Like a little flying jewel. (And safe for work, too.)
Josie
Just read this post on DKos:
dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/14/884237/-Republicans-are-trying-to-wreck-the-economy
This should be the rallying cry of the Democratic party until the elections. It is the truth and a very powerful message. It should be on every blog and spoken by every Democratic politician.
beltane
Everything I submit to that writing style evaluator comes back telling me I write like David Foster Wallace. That is not what I was expecting.
It feels good to be commenting here again. Husband’s vacation is over, and there is no more World Cup to distract us from the suckiness that envelops everything. I wish I had video of my husband’s reaction to Spain’s goal, though. A big, drunk, orange-clad man throwing stuff was kind of funny.
JGabriel
@General Stuck:
Sometimes, when listening to, or reading about, conservatives, I almost wish McCain had won.
Let them deal with the economic aftermath of the Bush administration. They fucking deserve it.
(Then I remind myself that, yeah, they do deserve it, but the rest of us don’t.)
.
demo woman
John, You might consider a wood fence near the house and chain link elsewhere. You can get tall chain link fences that would work to keep the critters in and out. Also it’s easy to plant forsythia which grows like a weed and provides screening. When I bought my house two years ago, I mulled changing out the chain link fencing and now I don’t even notice it. I have two sides chain link and two sides wood.
t jasper parnell
Try some native grasses for the privacy fence. There’s a house nearby that uses some version that grows over six foot and looks really nice. Or bamboo poles or otherwise.
bemused
It’s quite understandable to be cranky after cleaning up a noxious, putrid smelling dog. It’s a hell of a way to start out a day.
demo woman
@t jasper parnell: Bamboo looks nice but it is invasive. I’ve been fighting the bamboo since I moved it two years ago.
Hal
Don’t worry. In 8 to 12 years you get to relive the initial excitement of Nov 2008 all over again. Sure, it will only last a few weeks, but hey…
Being a Democrat is like being Scott Norwood during Super Bowl XXV. This close to winning it all, and your kick goes wide. Only it’s the Groundhog day version, and you get to come this close, only to crash and burn, on a daily basis.
Paddy
John re the fence- If you don’t have to have the fence high or private, you could do like I did and put up wrought iron “railing” sections instead of fence sections. I don’t like having my yard too private because of where I live (if someone is coming at my house thru the yard, I want them to be seen) and found some goth looking 4ft railing that was selling for under $20 a section vs almost $40 for “fencing”. Had to be a bit creative with the entry, but it really went with my 1906 house and I got tons of compliments. Put a shorter 6ft privacy fence to the side not seen between me and the crazy neighbor and all was good.
The next to last samurai
John, have you tried going outside and rolling around in offal? That sure seems to make Lily’s day brighter.
WaterGirl
@beltane: I just submitted something from an email message I wrote earlier. Same result as you: David Foster Wallace. Then I copied a recent blog posting by my niece, also with the same result. Coincidence?
lamh32
Alright single fellas, do ya’ll agree with this. In response to another dude complaining about his GF bugging him about getting married after going to his cousin’s wedding, my friend told him “never bring a single woman to a wedding if you ain’t plan on marrying her, it’s only gonna give her ideas!!!”
Okay, the chick in me wants to be mad at that statement, but then I remember all the weddings I’ve been to as a single woman, and I’ll admit, after every one, I do start thinking about what I’d do for my own wedding (which ain’t happening any time soon, since I’m still single). Funny enough, I feel the same way about having babies. I have always said that have no plans to have children. After a lifetime of always being the oldest grandchild in my immediate family, by the age of 15, I had seen enough of the various stages of childhood (mostly bad to my teenaged mind.), I was already sick of kids. But Monday, my friend had a baby, and after visiting with, I thought for a minute about what it would be like to have my own children, then as we were leaving the nursery with all the newborn, toddles, runny nose, crying ass kids, I shook my head, and go my mind right…lol!
Anyway, do ya’ll think it’s a bad idea to bring a single woman to a wedding as your date.
sputnikgayle
We’ve built attractive wire fencing around our yard and kitchen garden from ranch wire (with small panes) and Wolmanized wood. It wouldn’t provide a “total privacy” feature that prevents near neighbors from seeing into your yard but it does keep varmints out because we ran a string of barbed wire at the bottom of the fence line to preclude digging. We have all sorts of climbing vines on it now and it looks lovely. Very low maintenance.
demo woman
I no longer know what an open thread is but I’m going to assume this is one. Pawlenty had a piece today in Politico.
He made several points on how to fix Washington.
On one hand he’s saying screw social security and medicare but on the other hand he’s saying Americans have sacrificed enough. Isn’t this a tad hypocritical and shouldn’t MSM jump all over this?
He did not mention that he cut the budget so drastically that a bridge collapsed and killed folks. Repubs have short term memories.
Am I wrong to read his article this way? What am I missing?
Keith G
So who slashdotted us?
Edit: Btw, I hear Rand Paul has some ideas about fencing.
bemused
John, considering the mood you are in, I kind of hate to bring this up but most cats would find the idea of a measly fence keeping them in laughable. Metal fencing probably would be harder for a cat to climb but that might not even deter a determined cat. oth, maybe Tunch being “fluffy” isn’t into climbing.
I will second the plants idea to hide the fencing. There are a lot of options: grape vines (make wine), hops vines (brew beer) and any number of flowering vines.
QuaintIrene
“Grump, grump, grump, the boys are marching!”
Dee Loralei
New season of Psych starts tonight, John. I seem to remember you were a fan. Did anyone watch the new show last night, the CIA chick one? It’s on my dvr and I’m trying to decide to watch or not.
geg6
I’m grumpy, too, Cole. Tuition bills for fall hit the streets on Monday and the whining, crying, and gnashing of teeth of the wealthy families have begun, as contrasted by the poor and working class and lower middle class families with many fewer resources who are quietly and determinedly going about getting every penny they can scrape together to send their kids to college in the fall. You haven’t really lived until you have spent nine hour days, five days a week listening to the terrible financial straights of people whose AGI tops $200-300K and the many, many reasons their child needs the aid set aside for Pell Grant recipients and the academically talented (which Junior totally is but for some reason is not reflected in that 2.8 gpa and 1100 SAT).
Also had to listen to the idiot boyfriend of my John’s idiot daughter lamenting the “gigantic” tax increase we’d all be getting next year because of the commiefascist Obama. The only good thing was that John was happy to let me spank his ass (metaphorically speaking). He pretty much shut up when he offered to show me he was right and went right to some wingnut website to provide me with the “truth” and I showed him the actual legislative history and text and asked him since when he started making over $250,00 a year.
My tv choices are much more entertaing for me than yours, though. A Rick Sebak doc on PBS, Top Chef, and Work of Art (my newest guilty pleasure) to end the evening. Opium of the masses, indeed. And even more so with a glass of wine and a funny ciggy on top. That’s how I survived the Reagan years and it’s probably how I’ll get through the Post-W Decline and Fall of America Due to Terminal Stupidity. I might, however, need better drugs. Can you get Quaaludes anywhere any more?
HRA
John, I once noticed being sapped from energy when the barometer was falling. It happens all the time now. I am just saying….
I would go with the wrought iron sections. I bought some last year on sale at Loews for $18 and change. I put holly bushes in front of them. Though now I am sorry I did not put the ornamental grasses or ferns.
sneezy
@lamh32:
Well, for a single guy, it probably gets a better reception than bringing a married woman would.
jank_w
I think I just sprained my liver trying to send an email to John… does anyone know how to do this through the contact link if you’re on a mac but you don’t have that mail program hooked up? Honestly, I tried, but it’s asking me about pops and imaps. Pure insanity.
bemused
@demo woman:
You’re not missing a thing. He’s a smarmy, nasty prick.
Comrade Kevin
@Keith G:
Slashdot.
Amanda in the South Bay
I’m ridiculously worried about some dear, dear friends who are very soon going to be in a world of hurt because of the UI fiasco. I’m dirt poor and have spent every last penny of my rainy day/iPod Touch/facial hair removal money to help them out (which obviously isn’t near enough). Also pissed off at affluent friends who aren’t helping them.
On the plus side, I have a bottle of chardonnay chilling in the fridge, and I finally got caught up on Visual Basic.Net homework (I know, laugh all you want, I actually have good reasons for taking the course this summer).
geg6
@lamh32:
I am not a guy, so you weren’t really addressing me…but…
I’m single (and childless, thank dog!) and have always had the opposite reaction to yours at weddings (and with new babies). I pretty much spend my time thinking about what a horrifying thing the entire ritual and every single thing about it is the most nightmarish thing I could ever imagine and that I’d rather be mauled to death by a rabid grizzly bear over the course of several days than get married (or have a child).
Guess I’d be a good date, though.
jeffreyw
Thirsty birdies go home satisfied. All praise Mrs J.
flickr.com/photos/jeffreyww/4795083732/
flickr.com/photos/jeffreyww/4795083196/
General Stuck
@lamh32:
beltane
@WaterGirl: It’s driving me nuts. I’m going to try it again later.
stuckinred
A fence for a cat???
Anne Laurie
If you’re talking about a stockade fence or similar, something that completely obstructs the view in or out of your yard, be mindful of how much sunlight it’ll block. As we discovered at our first New England rental, a six-foot stockade fence plus a tall evergreen or two can turn your yard into a dank pit where only moss will survive (and moss doesn’t stand up to foot traffic much less dog patrols).
Coated chain link in a dark color is much less obtrusive than you’d think, installs fast, and can be ‘reconfigured’ so you can set up Tunch-proof, varmint-proof, dog-proof areas as needed. We replaced the decades-old chainlink around our property with four-foot black chain link around the back & side yard to keep the dogs where they belong. When it went in two years ago, we planned to use low decorative ‘wrought iron’ sections to outline the front yard as well, but so far the irises/daylilies/landscape roses are doing so well that we haven’t bothered. Our new neighbors to the east are planning a six-foot privacy fence between their yard & ours, and I’m not sanguine about how much sunlight they won’t get during summer evenings for their proposed backyard hot tub, but at least he’s a former professional hardscaper so at least it should be sturdy…
Davis X. Machina
@BethanyAnne: 6’4″ here — no modern sedan beats a New Beetle for headroom. Saabs were always pretty good for tall people, but they’re orphans.
burnspbesq
@lamh32:
There is no logical reason why going to a wedding should up the ante, but it does. That makes the two of you A Couple. Weird, but there it is.
demo woman
@bemused: The MSM is so frustrating, here is the guy who says Americans shouldn’t suffer but fuck your social security and medicare and gets away with it. Oh yeah, there are black panthers doing bad things somewhere and Sarah is writing on facebook about parenting. Gee… We are screwed.
beltane
@stuckinred: A fence would provide needed exercise for Tunch. He would provide awesome displays of balance and grace. A fence is good at keeping dogs in, which is great, but that’s about it.
Davis X. Machina
@geg6: How often are aid packages recaluclated? Mrs Machina has gotten the word that she’s going part-time next year — we both teach — and all our paperwork and stuff on file at daughter’s university is from February, when things were sunny and grand. It’s a 20% reduction in our gross. I updated FAFSA already….
lamh32
@geg6: @General Stuck:
Don’t get me wrong, I’m usually where ya’ll are. It’s always momentary. it’s like when those sad ass hallmark holiday card commerical comes on or a sad, sad song like “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye” comes on the radio.
It’s takes me longer than a moment to get over the feelings that rush up, but then my true reality comes back, and I back to my basics…
oliver's Neck
Arts & Letters Daily coerced me into reading an article by Matt Ridley at “Reason”, which was bad enough.
Then, I foolishly waded into the comments section wherein Ridley was being ripped a new one for a timidly phrased claim that excessive patent and copyright laws stifle innovation. One commenter fumed that he wished “Reason would demonstrate more reason and less altruism”.
I had a brief notion of replying to this fellow that he had constructed a false dichotomy, but then decided that smashing my head in between the door and its frame would provide more satisfaction for me.
stuckinred
@beltane: With the girth of that gato he’d probably have to build a ramp on one side and a trampoline on the other!
On the other hand JRT’s have been know to tunnel.
D-Chance.
Oh, yeah, I can see Tunch secured by some freaking fence… god, Cole, how long have you owned a cat?
stuckinred
ha, the new ticker machine that they put in Cheney means he won’t have a pulse!
lamh32
Okay, I so don’t wanna feel sad for Darth Vader, but if this is true, then damn, no one really wishes death on their enemies right?
Grim
BTW, Rachel Maddow is talking a bit about this at the beginning of her show.
WereBear (itouch)
Holy crap, Rachel Maddow just reported that, due to the device he’s now wearing, Cheney will no longer have a pulse.
General Stuck
@stuckinred: Neither does Vlad the Impaler.
JGabriel
@Dee Loralei:
It was okay. Might be better to let a few episodes accumulate, say 3-6, then watch them together to see if they hold up as a serialized story or not.
.
RSR
keep Tunch in? haha; although the girth thing may help, I find cats can, will and do find avenues to roam if they wish
That said, for the most part, our Alabaster hardly ever leaves our fenced yard (unless following us out while we do some landscaping or chat with neighbors) even though he can squeeze through the fence. He will, however, squeeze through in order to run around to the front of the house to come through the basement window when necessary.
In addition, just keeping Tunch in doesn’t mean you won’t have visitors.
General Stuck
Just got a new movie in from NF. A Denzel flick about him searching for some scroll, or something.
JGabriel
@lamh32:
Seven to eleven years ago, Cheney’s death would have done immeasurable good for the country. Now, it’s really too late.
.
stuckinred
@General Stuck: Rachel is getting ready to show a military comic about DADT. You old enough to remember Connie Rodd?
jurassicpork
Earlier this week, former Vice President Richard B. Cheney underwent major heart surgery. The ex VP suffers from an aggressive and progressive form of congestive heart failure. Besides fluid build-up, cardiologists discovered 10 other causes for Mr. Cheney’s congestive condition. What were they?
lamh32
@General Stuck:
The Book of Eli? I’ve got that from netflix too, haven’t had a chance to watch it, though I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
debit
@geg6: Oh god, me too. Felt that way even when I was young and foolish, so the ex and I scampered off to Vegas to just get it over with.
@ thread: I succumbed to Woot last week and bought a camera. It’s a basic point and shoot, but I figured it’s a step up from the iphone. As usual, Chloe is my victim.
You know, lately I haven’t turned on my tv except to catch up on the DVRed episodes of It’s Me or the Dog. No Countdown, no Maddow. I haven’t been to the GOS for ages, and were it not for catching a few minutes of Democracy Now in the car on the way to work, and the headlines here, I wouldn’t have a clue what’s going on in the world. It’s actually rather nice.
WereBear (itouch)
Ah well, got scooped. But I would think a transplant is contraindicated because of his widespread coronary artery disease. Under normal circumstances, which this is not.
bemused
@demo woman:
It’s truly mind blowing the garbage that is passed off as “news”. When a rare moment of decent reporting occurs, it’s startling because it is so unusual. All that money that is spent on cable news shows, producers, pundits to produce 95% crap 24/7.
beltane
@lamh32: The evil this man unleashed will live on for a long, long time. Whatever happens to his physical person is immaterial to all but his family.
JGabriel
Sign that Yahoo! is no longer hip:
.
lamh32
@JGabriel , @beltane:
yeah, but being from the land of voodoo like I am, you don’t mention death and anyone, unless you really wanted the outcome. Growing up, it was engrained in us to “not be putting shit out in there” (in the universe) that you not want to come back to you. i.e. don’t calling in for work, cause your grandmother/father/brother/sister etc died, was in a car accident is sick, etc, cause it might come back to ya.
I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s still something I just can’t get rid of even after all my “book learnin” as my grandma used to say.
But I hear ya though, still isn’t it better to try someone for their crimes while still on earth when they can “feel the punishment” as opposed to them being death and gone, and going to their grave never being put on trial.
General Stuck
@lamh32: A bad Denzel movie is rare. Think I’ll watch it tonight. It sounds kind of dystopian which my fav genre.
eemom
I’ve been married almost 19 years. We didn’t actually have a wedding because I was so grossed out by the ridiculous expense, pomp and circumstance of it all from my sister’s wedding earlier that year. We just went to the chambers of a judge that my husband’s boss was friends with one Saturday morning in October, and the only other person in attendance was my stepson, who took some very nice pix. Afterwards we went to Old Ebbitt Grill for lunch.
Many people made fun of it, but I’ve never regretted — and now lo these many years later, I am pleased to reflect that I didn’t contribute to the mortification or discomfort of any young, single, coupled yet uncommitted guests.
Really, weddings kinda suck.
John Cole
I lost interest in the Book of eli halfway through. Felt like I was watching the movie version of Fallout 3. The game was better.
Re: fence
I intend to use the cat proofing at the top, or somethign like it.
General Stuck
@stuckinred:
Likely old enough, but don’t remember it.
demo woman
@John Cole: Good luck with that.
lamh32
@John Cole:
Hey JohnCole, you don’t come between a Black woman and her love of Denzel. I’m gonna love this movie no matter what! So don’t ruin it…LOL!
General Stuck
@lamh32: I second this emotion.
lamh32
I asked a friend about that whole “bringing a single woman to a wedding” and she came up with some things that can come up. Here’s her responses:
“I think a wedding can force some issues to come to a head:
If you’re a guy and you’re dating a woman and you DON’T take her to the wedding;
If you’re a guy and you’re dating a woman and you take somebody else to the wedding;
If you’re a single female and you take your guy to the wedding and afterwards start talking about marriage while he stays good and silent;
If you’re a single female and you aren’t dating anyone at all and have to decide whether to scrounge up a male friend or go alone*
*if you scrounge up a male friend, will he think you’re trying to get with him”
lawnorder
No fence will ever hold a cat
stuckinred
@General Stuck: She was the star if the military PS Monthly that was a comic book that gave tips for maintaining everything in the TOE!
Rachel is getting ready to show something similar for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell issues.
stuckinred
@lawnorder: How bout with a moat full of burning oil?
schrodinger's cat
@John Cole: How is Tunch kitteh, has his wound healed? Some pictures would be nice too.
Thanks!
beltane
@John Cole: We have something like that on top of the chicken run and my two lighter cats still regularly walk around on top of the run, frightening the birds and making a nuisance of themselves. Plus, you may get visiting cats entering your yard who then can’t get out again.
stuckinred
Dignity and Respect
MikeJ
Hmm. Should I be pissed about the tongue bath King5 is giving the teabagger candidate, or thrilled that they’re helping split the wingnut vote?
Svensker
We have an inexpensive spruce fence, which we painted. Only have to paint every couple/three years. However, depending on how much fence you need, it may be cheaper to get a cedar fence and not paint it, than pay for a spruce fence plus primer and paint. Not worth it to get cheap paint for something like that, so you’re looking at $30/gallon or thereabouts for a lotta square footage, plus a lotta labor. Spend some time doing the numbers before you do a penny wise/pound foolish move.
RedKitten
@John Cole:
So…what’s the over/under for how many days pass before John is on here grouching because Tunch keeps foiling his plans?
grandlaff
We’re installing this Purrfect cat fence for our 5 cats. Not sure if it would contain dogs, too (they might chew through the mesh?). It isn’t cheap, and not private; however, if you want privacy you can just get the hinged top section and attach it to a wooden privacy fence. A wooden lower and hinged mesh upper would work for cats and dogs, of course.
purrfectfence.com/default.asp
WereBear (itouch)
At my previous place, we built a room out of dog kennel panels and fastened it to the wall of the house with two cat doors. Filled the gaps with that plastic grid for roof gutters, fastened with zip ties. Worked a treat.
suzanne
Out here in America’s Litterbox, they sell nice-looking fencing made of woven rebar. Weathers to a nice brown, lets light in, and plants like to climb it. It definitely goes with a more modern/industrial decor, though, so it might not be your thing.
Church Lady
Someone else may have already suggested this, but think about fencing with treated pine. Three years ago, when we refenced, we opted for the pine instead of the cedar. Not only did we really like the way it looked, but it was much less expensive than the cedar.
SIA
Ah. The memories…
SIA
@bemused: And nobody likes him (Pawlenty) anyway. He doesn’t have a chance, even after getting rid of his Camaro-head.
SIA
@Anne Laurie: Anne Laurie, I worship you. You know more than any other person in the world. No one is better informed!
/bows reverently
SIA
@WereBear (itouch): I’m trying not to laugh (not that he’s ill, John Cole, but that he doesn’t have a pulse). I wish him and his family *choke*choke* the very best.
ETA how embarassing – too many posts. I’ll shut up now.
bemused
@SIA:
Camaro-head, lol.
I can’t even stand to see his lying face on tv. He has just screwed Minnesota and grinned all the way.
Ruckus
@geg6:
Can you get Quaaludes anywhere any more?
Don’t know availability but what I do know is that, along with a few other semi medicinal items, if used in ways not envisioned by the mfg or FDA they are pretty fine stuff. There was enough fine for me to change my whole life, into not having them around/available any more. Moving, new friends, finding new hobbies, being able to remember what day it is when you wake up, you know the little things.
Anne Laurie
@lamh32:
The evening news were pushing the happy-talk scenario that this is a “new medical frontier” where someone not qualified for a transplant has the LVAD bolted in as a permanent replacement for their
blackened, shrivelled, icymeatpump. Given the number of young otherwise healthy people on the transplant lists, I think giving Cheney a healthy heart would cause an even greater outcry than when Mickey Mantle got his new liver… and that’s assuming his doctors think Darth could survive the results, no sure bet for someone who had his first heart attack in his 30s.‘Course, for us (ex)Grey’s Anatomy watchers, the immediate reaction to this news was “Cut the wire, Izzy! Cut the wire!”
Ruckus
@WereBear (itouch):
I thought he never had a pulse. Having one would have meant that he is human, and I just don’t think there is enough evidence.
lamh32
@Anne Laurie:
god I hate Izzy! That whole storyline made me stop watching Grey’s Anatomy. that and making the ONLY not skinny chick a lesbian, instead of hooking her up with McSteamy who she had wicked chemisty with.
but i digress…
Scott Alloway
@BethanyAnne: Go Honda. On our third Honda Accord. The second (a 1996 Accord) has 177K miles and I use it. Have to replace the Clutch master cylinder right now but otherwise it has been a great car. Minimal maintenance – a new radiator, put in a new drive axle and that’s it. The new one was run over by a school bus yesterday (tire tracks on the hood and right fender) but the engine well was intact and I drove it in the parking lot today (after bending back fender metal from the wheel) and it was fine. Then AAA took it to the collision repair place for an estimate. Long story short – love the Mercedes idea but I really like Hondas. Even more than my first love, a 74 MG Midget. Signed, Over 60 but still love to tinker.
BethanyAnne
@Scott Alloway: Yar, the Honda is the clearly sane choice. It would be my 2nd Accord. I sold the first one when I went motorcycle-only about a decade ago, which, um, doesn’t much argue for my sanity :)
Mnemosyne
@BethanyAnne:
I had a friend who was 6’11” (yes, you read that right) and oddly the car that fit him best was a Honda del Sol. That thing had wicked headroom.
CynDee
@jeffreyw: This is just SHOCKING.
@ John Cole:
1. You’re not just meaninglessly crabby. The fence problem is a major frustration and worry. We need the right fence for safety and privacy. It needs to be affordable, in scale and look decent — it takes over the view and sets the tone for the entire appearance of your property. If it’s not sturdy and easily and affordably maintainable, it’s an absolute nightmare. It is VERY hard to get all these qualities — the whole effort is a multi-dimensional problem that doesn’t go away. So we drop it all and think and think and think, but it’s needed so we have to go over the whole deal again and again and try to figure it out. It’s NOT you being crabby.
2. Sweetie, have you had your thyroid checked? And don’t let them do just a TSH test. You also need to test Free T3 and Free T4. Trust me. I’ve been low-thyroid for 45 years. Make sure you get a doctor who is thorough, cares about your total health, and understands and is willing to investigate and talk about all aspects of thyroid function. Many don’t want to deal with it, and throw a stock T4 synthetic pill at you that is useless to many patients. That ain’t good enough.
Your thyroid affects all your body functions, including your heart. If you have a compromised thyroid and get casual, incomplete care you’re in for a nightmare. Low thyroid can cause fluid to build up under your skin, all over your body. This is a serious condition: myxedema. The low thyroid can make your blood vessels too permeable, so fluid from your vessels escapes into your body.
If your doc seems indifferent, tell him or her, “If you don’t want to investigate this thoroughly, can you recommend someone who will?” And don’t assume that any endocrinologist will be willing to be thorough. Many aren’t. And beware of Cytomel, a synthetic T3. It acts really fast rather than gradually, and can seriously spike your blood pressure. I hate to tell you unpleasant things. I was seriously ill for 18 months when Armour natural Thyroid I had been taking for years changed their fillers so that they interfered with absorption of the hormone. Millions of patients were affected by this. You can di e. I was put on T4, first levothyroxin, then synthroid. These both assume you make your own T3 out of the T4. Many patients don’t. I got sicker. Every time I took one, it spiked my blood pressure. They added Cytomel (synthetic T3). It came close to causing a stroke; was hospitalized twice on an emergency basis. The answer finally turned out to be a compounded combination of T3 and T4, made at a compounding pharmacy. I had been to four doctors, including one endocrinologist. They were barely interested and took very little responsibility for seeing me through and never considered it a crisis at all. Other patients were not so “lucky” as to get the right care in time. People need to know this.
Steeplejack
This appears to be the most recent open thread.
This is where I am tonight–psychedelic Afro-funk.
That is all.
geg6
@Davis X. Machina:
Damn. It’s very late and I’m sorry I missed your question. Hopefully, you may stop in and see this.
Call the financial aid office at the school. Every financial aid officer has the power of professional judgment. This means, within the parameters of the Feds and the college’s policies, changes can be made for special circumstances. Every school has a process for these things, so you should call and find out how to start the process. There will undoubtedly be forms to fill out and documentation you’ll have to provide, but if the aid officer says you have a case, it may be worth the trouble. It’s getting toward the start of fall semester, so I’d recommend making that call to the aid office ASAP.
burnspbesq
@Ruckus:
‘Ludes were one drug I was never tempted to experiment with. I knew people who ate them like they were M&M, but you would go to parties and they would be sitting in the corner drooling on themselves. Glad to hear you got past that dead end.
Pasquinade
The privacy fence that I installed at this house serves its intended purpose: keeping stray dogs and children out of the back yard. It does not keep out the raccoons and opossums who come to dine on the food left out for the feral/stray cats. The opossums go under it, and the raccoons go over and under, as do the ferals/strays.
At another house I put up a privacy fence to keep in a chainlink fence-climbing big German Shepherd. Within a month or so, he had dug under the privacy fence and the neighbors’ chainlink fence that backed up to it.
asiangrrlMN
@geg6: Double down on this. Plus, I could never understand spending so much money, time, and attention for one day. Never made sense to me (children thing, either).
@jeffreyw: No fair! You can’t just post the ones that turn out well! Give the rest of us hope that maybe one day, we, too (ok, me) can cook pretty like you.
@demo woman: You got it exactly right. Ratface fucker Pawlenty is now suddenly Mr. Fiscal Responsibility after manipulating it so the Twins got their welfare stadium and after he ran the state economy into the ground. Jackass.
JD Rhoades
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
Too short range. For roof work you need at least a 30-06.
JD Rhoades
@lamh32:
Yes, because it keeps you from hitting on drunk bridesmaids and cute cousins of the bride.
Corner Stone
@lamh32:
If you’re actually dating someone then obviously you have to take them.
Otherwise, I would never bring a casual date to a wedding. Much prefer to go single and either catch up with old acquaintances, or see what else is going on.
Every guy in a relationship hates, hates, hates going to weddings. I’ve seen several couples who really got into some heated arguments after attending weddings together.
Corner Stone
@JD Rhoades:
That’s kind of a problem. Because if I start drilling people at 200+ yards it gets a little hard for me to prove their intent.
A 12 ga is good up to 50 yards, and if they keep coming after catching spray at 50 then there’s a real problem.