Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Infrastructure week. at last.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

The revolution will be supervised.

This fight is for everything.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

T R E 4 5 O N

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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Reader Interactions

134Comments

  1. 1.

    kdaug

    Hanging at home with the wife and the dogs, and avoiding amateur night for drunk drivers. (Seriously people, leave it to the pros.)

  2. 2.

    Violet

    I’m having a fancy dinner prepared for me. I don’t have to do anything but show up. Life is good.

  3. 3.

    asiangrrlMN

    Aw, poor puppy. Though, I did giggle. Nothing for me. I don’t enjoy watching people make flaming fools of themselves in public; I don’t drink; I don’t like to drive. So, better I just stay at home.

  5. 5.

    Nicole

    Home with the husband and six-month-old (not dissimilar to a dog, in that everything at this stage goes into the mouth). Like all good New Yorkers, I am avoiding Times Square, though I hear it was plowed beautifully.

  6. 6.

    russell

    I’ll be performing at Jazz Vespers at Old South Church on Boylston St in Boston. Jazz, gospel, and church, if that suits ya.

    If anyone’s in for First Night and are so inclined, stop by and say hi.

    Happy New Year everyone!

  8. 8.

    tPirate

    Me, too. Only in my case, Sheila and I will be joined by the dogs, the cats, and the parrot. We’ll watch a couple of episodes of “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” on DVD and be sound asleep when 2011 rolls in.

    First time I have posted here: I wanted to say “Thank you” to all who regularly post here, making this fun, entertaining, and educational place to visit several times a day!

  9. 9.

    Monkeyhawk

    I don’t drive on New Year’s Eve. It’s amateur night for those with a snoot-full and I’ve been known to fill my snoot.

    And tomorrow’s my birthday. I’ve spent too many years trying to celebrate both days.

    My sister is bringing in authentic Kansas City barbecue tomorrow and the cleaning lady (who makes pies that should be Schedule A illegal) gave me a lemon meringue pie.

    I’m in Fat City.

    (Emphasis on “fat.”)

  10. 10.

    Southern Beale

    We’re going out for an early dinner (hubs kept putting off making reservations until it was too late and the only seating available was at 6 pm but I’M NOT COMPLAINING HONEST). Then it’s home, sweat pants, and watching the hockey game on TV while I take down the Christmas tree. I’m sure alcohol will be involved as well.

  12. 12.

    lamh32

    Happy Early New Year Anne! I don’t plan on being up til midnight, so, my plans are kinda sad, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll be here at home sleeping (I have to work early tomorrow morning).

    BTW, do you have any resolutions for next year?

    My New Year’s resolutions:

    1. Manage my money better.
    2. Get a second job.
    3. Get healthy, i.e. lose weight. it’s at this age (34) that many of my older family members, including my mother became Type II diabetics. It may be too late, but as they say, “it’s better late than never”!

  13. 13.

    Ross Hershberger

    Dinner at Eddie’s Diner, which is not a diner but does have an Eddie. Maybe watch a movie. I’d like to see something where Cary Grant is clever, strong and inspiring. I think getting through 2011 is going to require a lot of inspiration.

  14. 14.

    Pioneer10

    Sullivan underling trying to advance glibertarianism

    And as I survey the biggest policy disasters in recent American history – the push liberals made in California to vest public employees with obviously unsustainable pension deals, the conservative approach to the Iraq War, the non-libertarian, bipartisan consensus that we ought to continue waging a War on Drugs in scores of countries despite the utter implausibility of victory in that struggle

    One of these things is not like the others and no mention of what really screwed up California governance: the conservative backed Prop 13 which allowed no budgets without a supermajority requirements. An eerie precursor to the mess caused by the supermajority requirement at the federal level from the rise of the filibuster. Also galling to me to bring up the false equivalence of underfunding California pension problem without mentioning the fiscal disaster that the Bush tax cuts which glibertarianism loved has caused.

  15. 15.

    henqiguai

    @lamh32 (#11):

    3. Get healthy, i.e. lose weight. it’s at this age (34) that many of my older family members, including my mother became Type II diabetics. It may be too late, but as they say, “it’s better late than never”!

    It’s never too late to get healthy; orrrr die tryin’… (yep, them full power hung forms ain’t gettin’ any easier).

  16. 16.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    Big sleepover party in Modesto (!) with my brother, his wife and kids, my husband and son, a couple of other families, lots of dogs and cats and alcohol, a hot tub, a BBQ, and no driving (after 4 pm today, that is).

    But remember, if you’re going to drink and drive, go real fast with the headlights out so the Highway Patrol can’t see you.

    A happy and safe New Year to you all.

  17. 17.

    Cat Lady

    Cat Gentleman is cooking duck legs for 6, with a zucchini and tomato gratin and white bean vinaigrette with mirepois, a la Roger Verge. Ladies, if you ever have a chance to marry a man who can cook, DO IT!

    Happy New Year’s all you kings and queens of Balloon Juice, all you princes and princesses of left blogostan!

  18. 18.

    South of I-10

    I’m cooking a roast for dinner, we are taking it easy tonight. Rain + drunks on the road = bad news. My brother in law just gave my daughter his old fiddle, so I guess we are having lessons in the new year.

  19. 19.

    aimai

    We’re taking the 14 year old to Ten Tables for dinner. The 12 year old preferred to spend “First Night” with her Cousins possibly in a puppet parade or eating dinner “backwards” starting with dessert. Yes. Other people have nice customs. We just plan to eat and sleep.

    aimai

  20. 20.

    stuckinred

    I’m smoking a chicken and serving the bride that along with cuban black beans and rice. She’s frantically making wedding ring pillows for a wedding art show so I get to keep watching football and annoying you!

  21. 21.

    Eric S

    Walking two blocks to my buddy’s condo.
    Drink wine.
    Eat.
    Drink wine.
    Get an early call from The Girl who is skiing in Jackson Hole and will be in bed early for tomorrow’s skiing.
    Drink too much wine.
    Stumble 2 blocks home.

    Tomorrow morning, I’m going to wish I had drank more water with my too much wine.

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    Making a Chicago-style pizza from scratch (assuming “from scratch” includes pre-made dough from Trader Joe’s) and pancakes tomorrow. G doesn’t have to work on New Year’s Day for the first time in a few years, so I’ll have someone to watch the Rose Parade on TV with me.

    ETA: I’m also making myself warm stuff to wear when we go to Chicago in February. I have a hat done, now I’m working on glove/mittens and I’m almost done with the left hand. I will almost certainly do all of this work and it will end up being 50 degrees the whole time we’re there — which is part of the reason I’m doing it.

  23. 23.

    Cat Lady

    @aimai:

    I’ve been to both Ten Tables. Oldest daughter keeps recommending Hungry Mother, so that’s on the 2011 checklist.

  24. 24.

    hamletta

    @Ross Hershberger: I’d go for Holiday. Prole Cary is engaged to heiress, but falls in love with her madcap sister, Katharine Hepburn. Edward Everett Horton and Jean Dixon are Grant’s surrogate parents, and they’re delightful.

    As to NYE, I’m an ex-bartender, so I ain’t goin’ nowhere, either. I hate New Year’s Eve with a passion. Amateur drunks are amateur tippers, also too.

  26. 26.

    Ross Hershberger

    @hamletta:

    I’d go for Holiday. Prole Cary is engaged to heiress, but falls in love with her madcap sister, Katharine Hepburn.

    That sounds like exactly what I’m looking for, and I’ve never heard of it. Thanks for the recommendation.

  27. 27.

    hamletta

    But I’m not such a grouch that I can’t wish all y’all a Happy New Year!

    And here’s the link to Holiday, since it didn’t work last time.

  28. 28.

    gogol's wife

    @Ross Hershberger:

    Unfortunately I have to go out tonight, so I just watched my Cary Grant: “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.” Cary is fabulous in it, but I watched it because I’m a Shirley Temple freak. What I would recommend is the funniest movie ever made, “The Awful Truth,” Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Grant has never been better.

  29. 29.

    Ross Hershberger

    @gogol’s wife:

    What I would recommend is the funniest movie ever made, “The Awful Truth,” Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Grant has never been better.

    We watched that last winter during a Grant binge. It was hilarious. I’d like George Clooney to turn into his generation’s Cary Grant, because we sure could use one.

  31. 31.

    Mnemosyne

    @asiangrrlMN:

    It warmed up today in comparison to how it’s been all week — it’s 55 degrees. Earlier in the week, it was more like 45 even during the day.

    In Los Angeles, this is the equivalent of 20 below.

  32. 32.

    Chris Wolf

    Twilight Zone marathon and Blackhaus.
    Dick Clark, my girlfriend and a good dog.
    Fresh Mozarella and tomato with balsamic vinegar.
    Lots of noshes.

  33. 33.

    JPL

    I plan on having a quiet night. I checked my instant queue on netflix and noticed that Les Miserables is being removed tomorrow so I might watch that. When I was married we’d had a long time tradition of a nice meal, and doing a jig saw puzzle. It started with young children, who are now grown and in-laws.. It was quite entertaining.
    The picture is adorable although the dog doesn’t seem to merry.
    Happy New Years!

  35. 35.

    Ross Hershberger

    It’s 51 degrees in Detroit and all of the snow is gone, but the temp is supposed to fall to 20 in the next 24 hours. This should be interesting.

  37. 37.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ross Hershberger:

    I tend to like Grant with a slightly harder edge, so I’d probably go for His Girl Friday.

    Don’t bother with Arsenic and Old Lace — it really doesn’t hold up. If you want a movie where Grant is frustrated almost beyond endurance, I Was a Male War Bride is obscure and kind of fun.

  38. 38.

    PurpleGirl

    @aimai: I was part of a science fiction fan group which ate desert first once a month. We went to an ice cream parlor in Brooklyn, spent a few hours having coffee, tea, cookies, ice cream, etc. After that we would decide on a restaurant for dinner. A nice way to spend an evening. Life is uncertain, eat desert first.

  40. 40.

    General Stuck

    The Old Year cannot go out, and the New Year come in without an epic wingnut whine from the Plutocrat Pravda/

    The Liberal Reckoning of 2010

    The lesson for Republicans is to understand the nature of their political opponents and this long-term bet. The GOP can achieve all kinds of victories in the next two years, and some of them will be important for economic growth. But the main chance is ObamaCare, which will fundamentally change the balance of power between government and individuals if it is not repealed or replaced.

    It’s all about stopping HCR reform for the coming year, for the American wingnut republican. They know full well, the game is mostly up for them if it is fully implemented. It is nice to see a little honesty from the pit of deceit, kind of clears the air a bit.

  41. 41.

    Ross Hershberger

    The movie Holiday directed by George Cukor, with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn is available on Netflix Streaming, so I know how part of my evening will be spent.

  43. 43.

    gelfling545

    Making 100 crepes and a buche de Noel for my sister’s birthday dinner tomorrow. When you’ve seen as many New Year’s Eves as I have, it’s better to just ignore them until they go away.

  44. 44.

    Mike Kay (Christine O'Donnell's Co-Witch)

    Top Ten Twitter Trends for 2010

    * 1. Gulf Oil Spill

    * 2. FIFA World Cup

    * 3. Inception (movie)

    * 4. Haiti Earthquake

    * 5. Vuvuzela (world cup)

    * 6. Apple iPad

    * 7. Google Android

    * 8. Justin Bieber

    * 9. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

    * 10. Pulpo Paul (world cup touting octopus)

    Farewell, 2010.

  45. 45.

    Ross Hershberger

    @Mnemosyne:

    I tend to like Grant with a slightly harder edge, so I’d probably go for His Girl Friday.

    One of few films I’ve seen more than twice. Thrills me every time.

  46. 46.

    Lina

    Here in South Lake Tahoe it was 3* this AM and has warmed up to 28*. They’re expecting 60,000 people (drunks) at Stateline. Epic powder this year, so the town is packed. No thank you, staying home with husband, leftover Chinese and E&J.

  47. 47.

    hamletta

    @Ross Hershberger: I dunno, I think he’s pretty close already. Have you seen his work with the Coen brothers? Intolerable Cruelty, in particular, is about as close to screwball comedy as I’ve seen lately.

    Too bad Catherine Zeta Jones ain’t no Irene Dunne. She’s the one weakness of that movie. Which sucks, because she’s the female lead.

  48. 48.

    thomas Levenson

    Fighting through a head cold to feed 14 inlaws and such, then out for tunes and dancing at da Lizard Lounge in Cambridge.

    If the Sudafed clears, I might actually remember I’m having a good time.

  50. 50.

    Ross Hershberger

    Oh, man. The movie Holiday was made 72 years ago. Seventy-two years!
    For some reason it always depresses me a little to see movies where every single person involved is probably deceased. I dunno why.

  51. 51.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ross Hershberger:

    There’s a barely hidden undercurrent in that movie where it’s made pretty clear that Grant has gotten engaged to the sister because he really, really wants to have sex with her, so his dilemma becomes whether he should marry someone he wants to fuck or if he should marry someone because they’ll be able to have a conversation afterwards. Not an easy thing to pull off in a movie made under the Hays Code, but Grant manages it.

    ETA: I hope that wasn’t a spoiler, but come on — it’s a Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn movie. Like you had any doubts about how it was going to turn out.

    @stuckinred:

    Charade‘s not bad. What’s really fun is to find some of Grant’s early movies like Blonde Venus or She Done Him Wrong that were made before the Hays Code kicked in. I’m in a big Pre-Code Hollywood phase right now.

  52. 52.

    Ross Hershberger

    @hamletta:

    Have you seen his work with the Coen brothers? Intolerable Cruelty, in particular, is about as close to screwball comedy as I’ve seen lately.

    That’s what I was thinking of. And Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?

    His dramas are excellent but I like seeing an intelligent actor playing the fool some times.

  53. 53.

    robertdsc-PowerBook & 27 titles

    No plans save for drinking raspberry Snapple tea while playing Call Of Duty Black Ops multiplayer on my PS3.

  56. 56.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    First New Year’s Eve in the new homestead. I want bourbon, I want scotch, I want beeeeerrrrr……….

  57. 57.

    Zuzu's Petals

    Will be in for the night. If I’m lucky my neighbor will set up his music stand in the middle of our four-way intersection (no traffic, really!) and play Auld Lang Sine on his trumpet. The best is seeing all the other neighbors sitting on their front steps enjoying the moment.

    Tomorrow morning I will host my annual mini-brunch for the neighborhood. Always fun. This year I’m including Chinese tea eggs, because why not?

    Happy New Year, everyone!

  58. 58.

    Ross Hershberger

    @hamletta:

    And I IMDB-ed Jean Dixon, and she was Molly the snarky maid in My Man Godfrey.

    We watched that last winter as well. Kind of… serious… but very enjoyable. I’d like to find more William Powell films besides the well known Thin Man series. I have to stay away from those or I get all hung up on Myrna Loy for weeks.

    I’d also like to find more movies with James Mason. He’s great in the very few films I’ve seen him in and there must be more.

  59. 59.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @stuckinred: #18:

    Football YEAH! Meinicke Bowl, awesome sauce!!

    w00t! 31-26 bitchez! Go Bulls! YAY!! USF Rules!! !!

    (Am I doin it rite?)

    P.S. You’re smoking a chicken? How do you roll it up in those little papers?

  62. 62.

    Ash Can

    The boyz and I are going to have supper out at one of the local restaurants, then we’re going to a party at the neighbors’ house across the street. There’s nothing like a group of parents of grade-school-age kids getting together and getting rowdy. I love New Year’s Eve!

  64. 64.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ross Hershberger: You like James Mason? See if you van find The Seventh Veil. Mason at his creepiest. For great high camp, track down the original (well, mid-50s or so) Journey to the Center of the Earth. Arlene Dahl and Pat Boone, also too.

  65. 65.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ross Hershberger:

    There’s a great James Mason movie directed by Nicholas Ray called Bigger Than Life. It’s definitely a 50s melodrama, but Mason can turn it up to 11 without looking like he’s overacting.

    And, of course, there’s Lolita, though I suspect that movie works better after you’ve seen 10 or 15 James Mason movies and can see how he’s playing off his own image.

  70. 70.

    Mike in NC

    For the first time in several years, we’re not going to a party, not dressing up and taking a long drive, not required to feed and entertain house guests, not doing a damn thing. Just us and the cats tonight. Bliss!

  71. 71.

    PurpleGirl

    @Mike Kay (Christine O’Donnell’s Co-Witch): We went to a place on Atlantic Avenue, called Peter’s. It was between Court and Clinton, a few doors away for Sahadi’s. But it isn’t there anymore. The building was sold and the new owners wanted the shop for their own use. It was a bummer when it closed. And I think only two or three of the group who went actually lived in Brooklyn.

  73. 73.

    Ailuridae

    @eemom:

    Me, too re; Amateur Night. I know a lot of bar owners and some bartenders and they, too, hate this night. Except for the money.

    I just got back from watching my first NBA game at the United Center in a decade plus (I had season tickets for the strike shortened 98-99 season) and, sadly, my beloved Nets lost. I am going to work tonight, make some paella and sangria for my partner and look bad with an even mix of sadness and satisfaction on 2010. I consider myself incredibly blessed so am hoping that in 2011 the poor, weak and afflicted are treated better.

    And please everyone, drink until your heart is content and then some, but do not drive. We call them magical yellow chariots for a reason.

  74. 74.

    KCinDC

    I’m staying in, but now realizing I have no beer and trying to decide whether I want to deal with what’s likely to be going on at the liquor store now.

  76. 76.

    cmorenc

    None, beyond curling up with a couple of good Blu-ray movies on the new home theater system in the bonus room.

    Tonight, I’m contributing some quiet yang to counterbalance the wild yin of some outrageous PAR-TY nights on New Year’s Eve past, so that the overall karma will be harmonious.

  77. 77.

    Genine

    I’m just chilling. I will watch the ball drop and drink sparkling pear juice this year. I’m mixing it up a bit. Usually I have sparkling apple cider. lol

    I was thinking of going out. But Denver has a high of 12 degrees today and it’s supposed to be -7 tonight. Besides, there are a lot of good movies on.

    And since I do not have anyone to kiss (yet), I will work on my book instead. Then tomorrow will be the traditional meal of collard greens and black-eye peas. (For prosperity :-D)

  79. 79.

    JPL

    @stuckinred: Maybe that will bring good luck.. I tried cooking black eyed peas on January 1 and didn’t notice the luck they brought to me. Maybe charred peas will work.

  80. 80.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @hamletta: When I was a heavy partier, I never liked NYE or St. Pat’s Day. Too many people who drink heavily twice a year and think they can still knock them back like they did when they were in college. maintaining that kind of capacity takes dedication and hard work. Now that I party less, I still don’t like the two holidays (as nights to go out) for the same reasons. Fookin’ amateur nights the both of ’em. I was top league; now I am more or less retired. I don’t need the aggro.

  82. 82.

    stuckinred

    @JPL: I’m too involved in this damn game. I had em in the pressure cooker and just left it on too high. Another batch is on as we speak. I have to say that the smell of the burnt peas is canceling the smell of the 4 coats of oil finish I put on the heart pine floor this week!

  83. 83.

    Mnemosyne

    @PurpleGirl:

    He always has great end of the year posts, so I suddenly remembered to check back and see if it was up yet. They’re usually not topical, so that was an interesting change.

  84. 84.

    eemom

    staying in with the husband, kids and doggies, drinking quality grape products, and not having to work is my idea of the perfect night on this or any other.

    Plus tonight we got teh Twilight Zone marathon!!

  85. 85.

    Mike Kay (Christine O'Donnell's Co-Witch)

    I attended a fan club of “The Big Lebowski” and of course they would hold their meetings at bowling alleys. The club was full of young college grads and the women were really good looking. So much for stereotypes. Who knew Coen Bros. had such a young demographic.

  87. 87.

    Sko Hayes

    What does it say about my life when my 84 yr old dad and 68 yr old stepmom are going out on the town and I will be in bed by 10 PM?
    I don’t drink anymore and being out on Drunk Driving night is not my idea of a good time.
    Great suggestions for movies. I’ve got Network ready to watch tonight (“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”).

  88. 88.

    Martin

    Have family in town this week keeping me busy but we’re off to a New Years party in a few hours with some Blizzard muckety-mucks. Catered dinner and lots of booze. I’ll look out for WoW tips for Cole.

  90. 90.

    mr. whipple

    A nice filet dinner, followed by the traditional new years eve of clipping my toenails.

    They really needed to be done a couple months ago, but didn’t want to blow the tradition.

  91. 91.

    John - A Motley Moose

    Thinking of walking up to the store to get a bottle of liquor. Can’t decide if I want a bottle of Jack or a good vodka. The Jack will definitely help my forget about the last year, but it will come with a price tomorrow morning. I’ll probably continue to debate with myself until the store closes and the decision is taken out of my hands.

  93. 93.

    Mike Kay (Christine O'Donnell's Co-Witch)

    @eemom:

    Plus tonight we got teh Twilight Zone marathon!!

    you new yorkers are so decadent.

  96. 96.

    Superluminar

    Greetings all you septic tanks from my local! Currently deciding whether to stay here or move to another place with more chicks, but laziness and loyalty are likely to keep me here even though this place is run by Chinese who aren’t even celebrating NYE… I also got Prof Levenson’s book this afternoon and am excited to begin reading… Happy New Year to all here, Obot and Firebagger alike, I blame GG for any lack of festive cheer BTW. Discuss.

  98. 98.

    JCT

    @eemom: Hey — I’m doing almost exactly the same! Curling up with the Twilight Zone Marathon with doggies, kitteh, better half and my oldest — shipping her back to college tomorrow (huge sad sigh). Youngest now eschews our company to hang with friends, but he’s too big to fit on the couch anyway.

    And there is no way I’m heading out on these slick icy roads with the drunken nuts.

  100. 100.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @thomas Levenson: As it so happens, I have a bespoke tequila (unopened) in the house. I will probably have a couple of glasses of wine and watch a movie or two with the lovely Mrs. Omnibus rather than go full bore into a tequila haze.

  101. 101.

    gogol's wife

    @Ross Hershberger:

    “The Man Between”! “A Star Is Born”! “Wicked Lady”! “East Side, West Side”! James Mason is the best!

    And don’t forget the Thunderbird commercial (on YouTube).

  102. 102.

    Comrade Mary

    I’m freshly pedicured, I have a bottle of bubbly, and I’ll be cycling down to Le Guy’s place soon. It’s pretty damn mild here — about 10 degrees Celsius or 50 F — and it will be at least as mild on my way home tomorrow, too. But, like Detroit, we’re going to see it plunge to sub-freezing by tomorrow night. Brr!

  103. 103.

    CA Doc

    Cracked crab, good bread, champagne at home. Foosball and Just Dance tournament with the kids. We’ll see if anyone actually makes it to midnight.

  104. 104.

    Ailuridae

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Is bespoke a brand? Is is a phrase I am wholly unaware of?

    I ask as there is a restaurant in Chicago by that name and your use of it re: tequila piqued my interest.

  110. 110.

    eemom

    bespoke made its debut on this blog several nights ago in a thread about Marty Peretz. And yes, suits.

    I don’t rightly understand it meself.

  111. 111.

    HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist

    The wife and I have a tradition of boiling crabs or lobsters to celebrate the new year. This year it’s lobsters.

  112. 112.

    gogol's wife

    I wish I were getting into my jammies now to watch “Animal Crackers” on TCM, but instead I have to go out. So Happy New Year, Balloon Juicers!

  113. 113.

    FlipYrWhig

    @eemom: Custom-ordered, that is, you be-speak your preferences to the tailor rather than picking out something ready-made. Ergo, the finished garment is be-spoke.

  114. 114.

    Gina

    Staying home with the family, and pets. Oldest dog still hates fireworks, so midnight is a trial for him. He perseveres, however. Making a pork roast and Madhur Jaffrey’s black eyed peas with mushrooms and tomatoes aka Lobhia aur Khumbi. I always *hated* black eyed peas til I found this recipe, and even the Fussy McComplain-alots (my kids and husband) eat.it.all.up.

  116. 116.

    Origuy

    I’m putting on my kilt for a Hogmany dance. We’re supposed to be out of the place (Episcopal church) by 11, so I’m not sure where I’ll be at midnight.

    As a public service, here are the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne, including the Scots pronunciation.

  118. 118.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Omnes Omnibus: Never heard it being used to refer to anything but clothes, but it makes sense.

    The first time I saw the word–probably two years ago–I thought it was “bes-poke” rather than “be-spoke.”

  119. 119.

    Ross Hershberger

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Custom-ordered, that is, you be-speak your preferences to the tailor rather than picking out something ready-made. Ergo, the finished garment is be-spoke.

    Approximately, but what you’re describing is more accurately called made to order. Bespoke is made to measure, meaning made from your actual bodily dimensions rather than made to a pattern adjusted for your general shape.
    I sold suits at Saks and had this HAMMERED into me.

  121. 121.

    SIA

    @JPL: I watched Les Miserables last night on streaming from Netflix. It was very good, much better than I expected. Even powerful at times. Geoffrey Rush & Liam Neeson had some chemistry I thought.

  122. 122.

    Ross Hershberger

    @gogol’s wife:

    “The Man Between”! “A Star Is Born”! “Wicked Lady”! “East Side, West Side”! James Mason is the best!

    I had thought that Mason didn’t make a lot of films because I’m not familiar with many, but according to IMDB he worked steadily for 50 years. I should read up more on him and pick some of his best to rent. He has a particular intensity and presence on screen that I like.

  123. 123.

    debbie

    I was planning to chauffeur my 13-year-old nephew to his first boy-girl New Year’s Eve party, but I think he’s gotten himself grounded again. What is it about puberty?

    I guess I’ll just go back to watching the John Adams series and see what it is the founders really were all about.

  124. 124.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    So… who’s got plans for the evening?

    I am visiting this evening with the legendary Laura W. We’ll prolly knock down a coupla bottles of wine and then make some mosaic art.

  125. 125.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ross Hershberger:

    I think all of the DVD versions of A Star Is Born should be the restored version, but check the box before you pick it up. It got seriously butchered by the studio between the premiere and going into wide release and it was only within the past 15 years or so that a restored version was available.

    TCM always shows the restored version, so you’re fine there.

  126. 126.

    THE

    Happy New Year to all.
    We had a hot day yesterday the 31st ,
    40C or 104F
    So spent as much of the day as possible under a/c
    Evening with dear friends,
    host was testing out his new pizza oven,
    so we marveled at the leaning tower of pizza.
    While washing it down with ice cold beer.

    Whiled away the hours till midnight in the warm breeze in their garden to the scent of mosquito coils/candles smoking away.
    First taste of Lithuanian vodka. Various other ethnic concoctions too numerous to mention, too many to recall.

    Woke early,
    Looked at my watch. The date is 1/1/11
    How cool is that?

  127. 127.

    Ross Hershberger

    @Mnemosyne:

    I think all of the DVD versions of A Star Is Born should be the restored version, but check the box before you pick it up.

    I’d have to have a long think before watching a film of that name. I know it’s not the same production, but my first wife was a Streisand fan…

  128. 128.

    Dee Loralei

    @Ross Hershberger: There’s another cute Grant movie called HotShot or Hot Stuff. It’s with Barbara Stanwyk. She’s a moll, nightclub dancer, mob boss’s girlfriend. And he’s the youngest genius working on an encyclopedia, living in a home of elderly geniuses working on the same. He enlists her to teach him slang, so he can add it to their book. My absolute favorite Grant movie is Bringing Up Baby. But let me also add Holiday to that. My other favs are I was a Male War Bride, Pappa Goose and Houseboat.

    And yea, I think George Clooney is the closest thing we’ve got to Cary Grant nowadays.

  129. 129.

    Mnemosyne

    @Dee Loralei:

    You’re thinking of Ball of Fire — that’s Gary Cooper with Barbara Stanwyck, not Cary Grant. Great movie, but sadly Grant-free.

    Only Angels Have Wings is Grant’s movie with Howard Hawks. It starts off slow, but it’s really good.

    ETA: Why, yes, I am the person in my office who everyone turns to when they have a pop culture question and don’t want to look at IMDb. How did you guess? ;-)

  130. 130.

    Ross Hershberger

    @Mnemosyne:

    Why, yes, I am the person in my office who everyone turns to when they have a pop culture question and don’t want to look at IMDb. How did you guess? ;-)

    Why do people think I’ll know who wrote Charlotte’s Web when they’re doing a crossword puzzle? And why do I think they’ll want to hear about Elements of Style instead of finishing the puzzle?

  131. 131.

    Dee Loralei

    @Mnemosyne: Well yes, it was Ball of Fire with Cooper, not Grant. LOL now I feel silly. But thanks. It was still a cute movie along the same lines Ross was looking for. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

  134. 134.

    Steeplejack

    @Mnemosyne:

    Cool. I’ll have to check out the Universal Backlot set.

    All this has gotten me to do some IMDB diving and ferret out the name of a really amazing Stanwyck movie that I saw once on TCM: The Miracle Woman (1931). Amazing cinematography, and Stanwyck is transcendantly beautiful. Good acting, too.

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