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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  July 3, 20112:27 pm| 58 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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It’s like old people dying hot here. I turned the AC on and think I am indoors for the rest of the day.

*** Update ***

Anybody watching Suits? It’s got the unbelievably hot Gina Torres from Firefly and Angel, and has the great Rick Hoffman, who is always in the role of one of the biggest douchebags on a show- he was Agent Scary on Chuck, he’s been on Leverage, etc. It’s like casting agents say “We need someone who can play a good douchebag. Jeremy Piven’s not available? What bout Rick Hoffman?”

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58Comments

  1. 1.

    Elizabelle

    July 3, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    The pets will love it.

    John: you reading a good book or watching a flick?

    Would recommend taking a day off teh internets, with the doom and gloom.

  2. 2.

    abo gato

    July 3, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    It’s way freaking hot in South Texas, plus we need RAIN. Hotter than the hammers of Hades as a friend said the other day.

  3. 3.

    TheMightyTrowel

    July 3, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    I’m in the only spot in england that didn’t have blazing warm sunshine today. Goddamn grey cloud-bowl of a city.

  4. 4.

    Phyllis

    July 3, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    It’s actually rather pleasant here. However, I’m paying for AC and satellite, so it’s couch-surfing with the Braves and Orioles.

  5. 5.

    General Stuck

    July 3, 2011 at 2:38 pm

    We are getting some much appreciated relief from both the heat and dryness, with the beginning of our monsoon season arriving on time this year, at least unless things change as they are wont to do with the weather.

  6. 6.

    PurpleGirl

    July 3, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    It’s not very warm in NYC but it is muggy. We had a morning thunderstorm and the day is gray. I may turn on the AC when I get back from doing some food shopping (store is at the end of my block, a really short walk).

    I’m watching The Two Towers and will watch Return of the King. I really liked the movies, I have no problems rewatching them.

  7. 7.

    South of I-10

    July 3, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    It’s awful here, heat index is 100. Luckily we are invited to a friend’s pool party later. My fear of bathing suits is overcome by the heat.

  8. 8.

    J. Michael Neal

    July 3, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    Yesterday and today haven’t been so bad, but Thursday and Friday were nightmares: over 100 and very humid. Blech. I bought a new air conditioner Thursday, and the four-legged members of the household were quite grateful.

  9. 9.

    Hunter Gathers

    July 3, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    “We need someone who can play a good douchebag. Jeremy Piven’s not available? What bout Rick Hoffman?”

    Sam Rockwell must have been out of their price range.

  10. 10.

    PurpleGirl

    July 3, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    I watched the pilot episode for Suits; the actors are good and the story is different. But it takes a few episodes before I really pledge allegiance to a TV series.

  11. 11.

    jacy

    July 3, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Suits has been a pleasant surprise. The concept sounded sort of hackneyed, but it’s actually been quite compelling. (In a USA network sense of the word, which means not compelling in a highbrow Mad Men sense of the word, but more in a disposable/popcorn sense of the word, but, hey, these days I’ll take my diversion where I can get it.)

    Tell me, though, doesn’t it seem like Gabriel Macht is channeling Adrian Pasdar in Profit?

  12. 12.

    ruemara

    July 3, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    It’s all spongebob here. I think I’ll just prep for tomorrow’s poorly attended party and apply for a few more jobs, for shits and giggles.

  13. 13.

    RSA

    July 3, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Suits: Very entertaining. We’ll see if they can sustain it, though. It has a strong element of “douchebags screw each other over”, and that could get old.

  14. 14.

    Amir_Khalid

    July 3, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    I live in the tropics, but I have no love for air conditioning myself. As a journalist, I spent too many nights being refrigerated in hotel rooms where turning the A/C controls down, all the way, raised the temperature from “Arctic cold” to “not quite warm enough to sleep comfortably”.

  15. 15.

    trollhattan

    July 3, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Triple digits here, but not Phoenix-triple so there’s that.

    Will the WSJ be calling Boeing “lucky duckies” now?

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2015494306_danny03.html

    Also, too: New Thai PM–I’m guessing she’ll get a visit from the Big Dog, just because.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14004755

  16. 16.

    Anya

    July 3, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    Hey John, someone should front page the DOJ filing a brief saying DOMA is unconstitutional. Everyone should read the actual brief, it’s stunning.

    Also, too, please send some love to the DOJ lawyers who filed the brief because the wingers will send them their hate. The phone number and the email are listed on the legal brief.

  17. 17.

    cathyx

    July 3, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    I turned my air conditioning on yesterday for the first time this year. It was upper 80’s. Today it’s in the 60’s so I hope I don’t need it anymore this week. I love Oregon.

  18. 18.

    Third Eye Open

    July 3, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    It’s hot, but it’s the South, so you can’t expect otherwise.

    On a more horrible note, the Magnuson order has been overturned. The ACF basin is now free for the taking. The Circuit court even came up with an a-historical view of the approved uses of Lake Lanier.

    Ultimately,Atlanta was never asked to, and did not, contribute to the construction costs.

    This is revisionist history of the highest order,

  19. 19.

    shano

    July 3, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    This is my first full summerin Az. with new ‘cool’ roof installed. This is a standing seam metal roof with a coating that reflects heat. Stephen Chu was damn right!

    Terrible hazy heat today and the house is a cool 72 degrees. No AC.

  20. 20.

    Third Eye Open

    July 3, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    … Atlanta was asked, Mayor Hartsfield is quoted extensively regarding the decision not to allocate funds for secured storage in the reservoir. The people I feel bad for (on a professional level) is the Corps. They are going to be forced into being the bad-parent, and in the name of “fairness” are going to continue a policy of slow suicide of the Apalachicola River and Estuary.

  21. 21.

    metalgirl

    July 3, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    I really like Suits too. I also tried Unnecessary Roughness (I think that’s what it’s called) and was surprised that I liked it too. I’m glad Burn Notice, White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Leverage are back. The summer (and these shows) will be over before you know it and we’ll have to wait until January for more of these shows. I alleviate my guilt in watching these by the fact that they are on when it’s too hot or cold to be spending more than a few hours each day outside.

    I’m thinking of going to see the 3-d Transformers movie tomorrow. Anyone seen it yet?

  22. 22.

    Cain

    July 3, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    So.. how many people on google+? So far it has been pretty great.. and I think part of it is that the “mundanes” (to steal a term from Piers Anthony’s Xanth series) haven’t shown up. So it’s all geeks and we’re having fun having the place to ourselves before the rubes show up.

    I’m itching to have a politics circle/balloon-juice circle. My ideal one would be cornerstone and stuck in the same circle.. battling it out every day while I drink martinis and manhattans and of course tunch pictures.

  23. 23.

    Cain

    July 3, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    It’s a lovely cloudy 65 degrees over here in Portland. Suck it!

  24. 24.

    Linda Featheringill

    July 3, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    abo gato #2

    Hot in Texas:

    I checked the current temperature map on weather dot com and I see what you mean. It’s hot all over the state. Yuck.

  25. 25.

    Cain

    July 3, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    @Anya

    Also, too, please send some love to the DOJ lawyers who filed the brief because the wingers will send them their hate. The phone number and the email are listed on the legal brief.

    But I thought Obama hated the gays?! Wildpyrite told us so! Oh my goodness!

  26. 26.

    patrick II

    July 3, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    I am streaming “Serenity” in the other window while browsing the internets and here is John saying how unbelievably hot Gina Torres is. Agreed. And she can shoot also.

  27. 27.

    Mustang Bobby

    July 3, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Here in Miami (aka The Tip of the Dick) it’s typically hot and humid like all our summers, but not 110 like other places. I don’t think Miami has ever recorded an air temperature over 98, but when you throw in the heat index — factoring in the humidity — we’re usually like 105. It’s also raining, which is in keeping with the Rainy Season, but we’ve been having a drought, so it’s welcome. My lawn has looked like breakfast cereal for the last month.

    I enjoy Suits. The plots aren’t startling, but I like the interplay between the characters, and I’m always wondering how Mike will pull everyone else’s stones out of the fire. I’m also becoming a fan of Covert Affairs, but that might be because in one episode guest star Tim Guinee got to drive a silver 1965 Mustang 2+2 that was a dead ringer (except for the red interior) for the one that I had when I was 16 and later sold for $300 to buy a pick-up truck. I was an idiot.

  28. 28.

    Linda Featheringill

    July 3, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    shano #19

    cool roof:

    Wonderful! And the roof should be just as functional if electricity fizzled out or something. Very nice.

    Expensive? Compared to conventional roofs.

  29. 29.

    Amir_Khalid

    July 3, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    @metalgirl #22:
    I’m in two minds about seeing Transformers 3 myself. It’s a typical Michael Bay movie, so the detractors say: big, loud and obnoxiously stupid (Rottentomatoes critics’ rating 38%.)But the favorable opinions say that it’s big, loud and obnoxiously stupid done right (Rottentomatoes fans’ rating 90%). Your call, man.

  30. 30.

    shano

    July 3, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    I did not check the expense, but I did get a $1,500 tax credit. My old roof had to be replaced anyway. Who says tax incentives dont ‘work’? It all depends on what you want to encourage.

  31. 31.

    Jo

    July 3, 2011 at 3:39 pm

    Suits is pretty funny. Good writing so far, let’s see if they can sustain the burn.

  32. 32.

    Rekster

    July 3, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    I would like to show my love for “Men of A Certain Age”.
    this is at the top of my favorites. Great writing, plotline, acting and just a great series. Wednesday 10/9 pm TNT. Season finale this week but one needs to see this from the beginning. Not very good ratings but I’m hoping for the network to keep it on.

  33. 33.

    desertflower

    July 3, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    Ok…no complaining about the heat. Yesterday, here in Phoenix it was 118 degrees. That is NOT a typo.Someone actually DID cook an egg on the sidewalk…the mere thought of doing that, and having it COOK, is disgusting.Haven’t seen rain in I don’t know how long….monsoon is here, but not the rain.To whomever said this was their first summer in AZ and you think you’re good to go because you got the reflective coating on your roof redone…I hope your ac isn’t SET to 72 degrees, because if it is…you will die of sticker shock when the APS bill comes in the mail.When it’s 118 outside, 79 on the inside feels pretty good…and your checkbook will thank you for it:)Happy 4th everyone…off to the pool.

  34. 34.

    Constance

    July 3, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    I live in Northern Nevada high desert in a small straw bale house. I opened the windows this morning, placed a small fan in the west window to move all the old air out for about an hour, then shut everything back up. It’s 96 degrees out and I expect about 76 degrees inside the house when I get home.

    My house cost about the same as a stick-built house of the same size (about 1,000 sf) and is very low tech. It’s warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

    People looked at me funny when I built 15 years ago and I hired my own building inspector and plan checker because the building department shuddered when they looked at the plans. I would do it again in a minute. I’m not in a flood zone so I think it will hold up.

  35. 35.

    burnspbesq

    July 3, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Just got home and saw the non-call from the Australia vs. Equatorial Guinea match in the Women’s World Cup. I have no idea what to say about that.

  36. 36.

    moonbat

    July 3, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Yay! Gina Torres! I had skipped over Suits to this point because the two principles look almost identical, but if she is in it, I’ll give it a look. I miss Firefly.

  37. 37.

    Southern Beale

    July 3, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    Darwin Award winner:

    ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike’s handlebars and hit his head on the pavement.

    The accident happened Saturday afternoon in the town of Onondaga, in central New York near Syracuse.

    I’m sorry but people protesting helmet laws are idiots.

  38. 38.

    metalgirl

    July 3, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    @Amir_Khalid #30 – good points. I heard “reviews” that attest to your 2nd point but haven’t talked to anyone who has actually seen it. I told my 16 year old (last kid still living at home) that I’d take him and his friends tomorrow if they’d like to go. Hopefully, I’ll be entertained by the movie but I’m *sure* I’ll be entertained by the conversations before and after :)

  39. 39.

    PurpleGirl

    July 3, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    Constance @ #34: I knew someone who built a straw bale house outside Moscow, Idaho. I didn’t stay in contact with him so I don’t know how the house has stood up. But from what he explained about it, it looked interesting.

  40. 40.

    JR

    July 3, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    I watch “Suits” for two reasons. First, as a fresh law school grad, I like to be able to yell “you’re so fucking WRONG!” at legal-themed TV shows (I’m not supposed to watch “Harry’s Law” while my wife is home anymore). Second, Gabriel Macht’s eyebrow mole makes me feel better about my own mole, which is still technically under my hairline but sometimes makes guest appearances when my hair gets mussed.

    It’s well into the 90s here in Silver Spring, but the outdoor chores wait for no man.

  41. 41.

    Southern Beale

    July 3, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    93 in Nashville today. We put foam insulation in our attic and did one of those air leak tests where we filled up all the air leaks in the house. Still if I didn’t have AC it would be well over 80 degrees in our upstairs.

  42. 42.

    JR

    July 3, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    By the by, if you want to indulge your Gina Torres love some more, there was a moderately watchable Ron Livingston show on a few years back called “Standoff” where he was an FBI negotiator dating his partner, and Torres was their boss. Not the best effort of anyone on the show (though Peter from “White Collar” shows up in an early episode as a hostage taking air traffic controller, and Elizabeth Reaser–whom I’ve loved since “Sweet Land”–makes an appearance in a later one), but a decent program nonetheless.

  43. 43.

    Josie

    July 3, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    abo gato #2: In deep South Texas, we are baking also, but we got rain last week – almost every afternoon since Wednesday. It’s so good for all the plants, but now we are steaming with the heat and humidity. I always think of summer just as something to endure here.

  44. 44.

    Josie

    July 3, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Aaaaand, according to my big dog, who hates firecrackers and thunder, it’s going to rain again very soon. She just passed through looking for a cave to hide in….. Yep, the dark clouds are gathering overhead. She is better than a barometer.

  45. 45.

    Amir_Khalid

    July 3, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    @Southern Beale #38:
    I think this is what they call martyrdom for the Cause.

  46. 46.

    desertflower

    July 3, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    @Constance#35….how lucky are you:) That’s wonderful.There are homes around that are built efficiently..Paolo Solari has one in Paradise Valley,AZ…some portion is underground…facing the right way as not to get the sun in the heat of the day.I suppose it’s hot everywhere…here in the desert, we treat summer like winter time in colder climates.In the house more except for very early on the morning…then we all come out at night like vampires and get the rest of the yard work done.Practically in the dark.A bit of a pain, but the rest of the year’s weather makes it worth it.

  47. 47.

    Bill Murray

    July 3, 2011 at 5:02 pm

    @36 burnspbesq:

    It’s no one could believe that had happened, but with the other results, it doesn’t make any difference in the end

  48. 48.

    Bill Murray

    July 3, 2011 at 5:14 pm

    I should also add

    1. It’s been cold and rainy for the last few days, but is beautiful today in South Dakota.

    2. Grand Old Games (http://www.gog.com/en/frontpage) has a nice blend of new games and old favorites ported to newer operating systems that will make my weekend more fun

  49. 49.

    MazeDancer

    July 3, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    Suits pilot was, indeed, such smart, delicious writing couldn’t wait for the next episode.

    Ep 2, not even half as good. Still mildly entertaining. But not as, oh, yay, wordsmithing happening here. Hoping it was just a start-up glitch. Because the actors are, as all have noticed, just great.

  50. 50.

    quannlace

    July 3, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    Here in NJ we’ve been spoiled by a week of almost perfect summer weather, that also helped block out memory of what we had a couple weeks ago. Non-stop rain; I mean, inches in one hour. Perpetual gray skies that made you feel like you were living in a cave.

  51. 51.

    wobblybits

    July 3, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    @Cain: I’ve been dying to get on to google+ but I don’t have an invite and have to wait for it to open up for new sign ups :(

  52. 52.

    Ruckus

    July 3, 2011 at 7:28 pm

    Southern Beale

    One doesn’t need a helmet if there is nothing to put inside.

  53. 53.

    gocart mozart

    July 3, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    The very first cute cat film clip ever can be found
    here ==> http://gocart-mozart.blogspot.com/2011/07/thomas-edison-boxing-cats-boxing-babes.html

  54. 54.

    JPL

    July 3, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    Since Netflix instant was taking Brotherhood off, I watched all twenty-one over four days. I then ordered season three. The experience taught me never to become hooked on a series again. Also, too you get sore butt syndrome and that’s not fun. Don’t get me wrong there are some series that I enjoy, it’s just you don’t have to watch every single episode. BTW, I do wish that Brotherhood had one redeeming main character. (Cassie doesn’t count)

  55. 55.

    kay eye

    July 3, 2011 at 10:08 pm

    100F plus in Central Texas almost every day.
    Our neighbor observed that between Texas weather and Rick Perry, Hell is a step up.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    July 4, 2011 at 2:07 am

    I enjoy Suits. Am so glad that by this time next week, my summer tv season will be going gangbusters, with the returns of The Closer, Eureka and Warehouse 13, to compliment my USA fare, Leverage, and my ABC Family guilty pleasures.

  57. 57.

    RadioOne

    July 4, 2011 at 2:29 am

    It’s actually been weirdly cool in New England for July. TV-wise, just finished watching the first disc of Breaking Bad season 3 on Netflix. Generally speaking, it doesn’t seem like things are going to go well for the Walter White family this season.

  58. 58.

    Thymezone

    July 4, 2011 at 3:11 am

    I’d rather cut off my arm than agree with you about a tv show, but yeah, Suits is the best new show on tv and sure to be a mega hit. Sharp, witty, well put together, tight. If all tv were this good, we could all just spend our entire lives in front of the tube, which is the way it was meant to be.

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