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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Late Night Open Thread.

Late Night Open Thread.

by John Cole|  July 30, 201111:34 pm| 131 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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I’m off to bed, but I thought I would leave you all with a picture of the new and improved Rosie. All I have to say is “who is ready for bed time,” and she runs to her crate. She gets her treat, I go to bed, and no one bites me in my sleep. She’s a different dog since I crate trained her, and we both have our own separate peace.

It took her a year, but I think I am starting to be trained and am no longer a bad owner. As such, she is a better dog and I like having her around. Funny, that.

And for the love of fucking christ, can you other front pagers stop making stupid fucking categories you only use once?

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Next Post: Open Thread: Sunday Garden Chat »

Reader Interactions

131Comments

  1. 1.

    jwb

    July 30, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    What’s a blog without a boatload of useless tags?

  2. 2.

    jl

    July 30, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    Why isn’t this post under the ‘Crating makes Rosie a wonderful dog and I love her now’ tag?

    How does Cole expect anyone to find old posts without properly descriptive tags?

    Edit: just thought, there’s probably a tag fee for miserable left blogs.

    PS: thnx for pet pic.

  3. 3.

    Alison

    July 30, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    Maybe now you need to crate-train the front pagers.

    Rosie is so cute – I’m happy things are working out for the two of you. You should go talk to our illustrious Congress. Except Rosie probably has more sense than the GOPers.

  4. 4.

    Steeplejack

    July 30, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    @jl:

    LOL. Win.

  5. 5.

    Valdivia

    July 30, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    Just came back from the Barcelona-Manchester united game in Maryland. Barca lost and played badly. Guess they can’t play without Messi.

    The getting there and back took the whole day and I am glad I missed all the crazy town the Republicans are bringing on the debt ceiling. Off to bed!

  6. 6.

    Violet

    July 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    Rosie is adorable. So glad you guys figured it out.

  7. 7.

    Dexter

    July 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    This is the headline over at the Guardian: US debt crisis: Tea Party intransigence takes America to the brink. I so wish the MSM would write something like this article.

  8. 8.

    Valdivia

    July 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    Just to add that Rosie looks very cute in her crate and I am happy John gets to sleep now. Maybe there should be a tag for that ;)

    @Dexter you and me both! It’ll never happen.

  9. 9.

    Alison

    July 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    @Valdivia: I heard similar reports on Barca, and was somewhat surprised. Not having Messi is certainly a hindrance but in general the team as a whole is pretty sharp, what with their fancy fluid passing game and all. (I missed watching the game on TV because I was watching my LA Galaxy whip some Canuckian arse. FAR MORE IMPORTANT :P)

  10. 10.

    etherealfire

    July 30, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    Just coming out of lurking to say I love you John Cole. It’s no accident Rosie chose you as her new victim owner. Dogs and cats are excellent judges of character and she knew you were a diamond in the rough. That is all, back to lurking.

  11. 11.

    jl

    July 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    Rose does look like a happy well adjusted dog in that pic.

    Looks like a nice high class crate too. I had pictures something that looked more like portable dog dungeon.

  12. 12.

    Constance

    July 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    Do you have the Rosie story someplace hidden among 10,000 blog entries from the last year? I’m new to BJ and I’d like to go back and read about her from the beginning. Is she a rescue? Looks like a Jack Russell. Friends have two and they are so great but my veterinarian who has known me for 30 years said I should never even consider it. I’m really a cat person. And by the way, I loathe Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor.

  13. 13.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    Anyone ever eaten at The Book Bindery in Seattle? Looking at it as a possibility for dinner next Friday night after the kid’s end-of-summer-program performance.

  14. 14.

    Yutsano

    July 30, 2011 at 11:51 pm

    That’s not a crate. It’s a birdcage. But I digress…

    No one knows what will happen at work after Tuesday. But a lot of my folks are walking if they expect us to work for free.

  15. 15.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2011 at 11:53 pm

    Walked around with an ear and sinus infection for a week (initially thought it was just a cold) before I finally gave up and went to the doctor yesterday. Finally starting to fee human again. Augmentin is the real deal.

  16. 16.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    @Alison:

    That’s not saying much. The Whitecaps really suck.

    How did Franklin play tonight? I was worried that his abuse at the hands of ManU would leave permanent mental scars.

  17. 17.

    ant

    July 30, 2011 at 11:56 pm

    @Constance:

    She got into Johns car on the side of the road one day.

    Glad that is working out better for you John. I’m trying to picture what I would do if my dog bit me in my bed. lol.

  18. 18.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2011 at 11:56 pm

    @Yutsano:

    But a lot of my folks are walking if they expect us to work for free.

    You’ll get paid. It may take some time, but you guys always get paid for time lost during a shutdown.

  19. 19.

    jl

    July 30, 2011 at 11:57 pm

    Ha! See, Mr. Cole? The epic story of Rosie is lost! Shame, shame on Cole.

    @Constance: I would use the blog search window at the upper left hand side of the front page and type in ‘Rosie’, then you will have to just click on back looking for posts about this insufferable lost dog that latched itself onto the hapless Cole as he tried to cross a road, or whatever nonsense he was up to, (edit: and immediately began a program to destroy aforesaid hapless Cole, but it seems to working towards a happy ending).

    Edit: but I forgot about the recent Tunch/Rosie plot.

  20. 20.

    Valdivia

    July 30, 2011 at 11:57 pm

    @Alison Priorities! :)

    It was weird because pretty much 3/4 of the stadium was cheering them on but they were sort of lollygagging the whole time, while Manchester looked super sharp and tight on defense. When they finally scored a beautiful gol, MU came in and did their 2nd one right away deflating the energy. It was weird as you say because it felt like they were sloooowing everything down to set up a play and nothing would happen.

    But: I was at the gym two days ago and they were there. All of them and I got to hang out with them for about an hour. Best hour of my week :D

  21. 21.

    Yutsano

    July 30, 2011 at 11:58 pm

    @burnspbesq: To the restaurant suggestion: no. But I took a glance at the menu and it didn’t seem to intrigue me much. E-mail coming forthwith (has it been three weeks already?).

    @Valdivia:

    But: I was at the gym two days ago and they were there.

    You were surrounded by a bunch of handsome fit British lads? Jelus, I haz it! :)

  22. 22.

    CaseyL

    July 31, 2011 at 12:00 am

    I’m very glad things have,finally,worked out for the two of you. The crate training must be fairly recent – wasn’t it just a few months ago you were ready to sell her cheap give her away free to the next band of wandering gypsies that happened by?

    Do you close the crate, or does she stay in it even with the door open?

    Lily sleeps with you, doesn’t she? Does Rosie know that? Does she mind?

  23. 23.

    licensed to kill time

    July 31, 2011 at 12:03 am

    Does anybody actually search tags to find stuff? Seems like the search results would be awfully random. I always thought of them as a sort of amuse-bouche, kind of small warm-up comments to get your appetite going.

  24. 24.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 12:05 am

    @Yutsano

    No no, surrounded by the whole of the Barcelona team. Much much better. Believe me I have never been so distracted at the gym my whole life. #1 and #24 are to.die.for. :) As well as great players, of course ….ahem.

    BTW: Hope your work situation with this insanity stays on the up and up.

  25. 25.

    burnspbesq

    July 31, 2011 at 12:06 am

    @Yutsano:

    You were surrounded by a bunch of handsome fit British lads? Jelus, I haz it! :)

    Worse. I took it from her earlier email on the subject that she was in the gym with Barca. Fit, swarthy men.

  26. 26.

    Alison

    July 31, 2011 at 12:07 am

    @burnspbesq: They do suck, you are not wrong. Even so, a 4-0 win is a 4-0 win :)

    Franklin looked good, and scored one of those four! So no lasting scars, apparently :)

  27. 27.

    Yutsano

    July 31, 2011 at 12:08 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Fit, swarthy men.

    Don’t tell wifey. Her jelus shall indeed be more intense!

    (Not that mine has lessened any mind you. If a man from Espana swept me off my feet I would not complain.)

  28. 28.

    Alison

    July 31, 2011 at 12:08 am

    @Valdivia: The funny thing about the gym story is that I’d bet the majority of people in there had no clue who they were. Soccer may be getting more popular here, but………… :)

  29. 29.

    Joe Bauers

    July 31, 2011 at 12:09 am

    “…no one bites me in my sleep.”

    You know John, I didn’t know how good I had it. At no point in my life have I ever had to say that explicitly by way of explanation for why things are going OK for me. You’ve demonstrated that it could have been worse, and I thank you for that.

  30. 30.

    Punchy

    July 31, 2011 at 12:10 am

    Looks like Reid’s gunna get rolled tomorrow. Quick, celebrate being a Democrat tonite! Tomorrow, I suspect you’ll wish you weren’t.

    Maybe, just maybe, Obama will go 14 on their ass. The impeachment papers will have wet ink, but who the fuck cares.

  31. 31.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 12:15 am

    @Alison

    Yes.Exactly! I was the only one (and two european guys, but they were gawking cause its Barca, I was gawking cause they were Barca and they were Teh Hawt) :)

  32. 32.

    aimai

    July 31, 2011 at 12:17 am

    Any of you dog people have an explanation for why the Crate Training worked on Rosie (or on John, as the case may be?)? Is it the doggie equivalent of being swaddled? Does she no longer worry that Tunch will eat her at night? What?

    aimai

  33. 33.

    Cliff in NH

    July 31, 2011 at 12:21 am

    @aimai:

    It’s a den thing, its rosies safe place .. so she feels safe and happy and Not on bite whatever moves duty all night.

  34. 34.

    stinkdaddy

    July 31, 2011 at 12:23 am

    Oh my.

    http://nationaljournal.com/budget/outlines-of-debt-compromise-emerge-20110730

    Other component parts of the tentative deal include:

    $2.8 trillion in deficit reduction with $1 trillion locked in through discretionary spending caps over 10 years and the remainder determined by a so-called super committee.

    The Super Committee must report precise deficit-reduction proposals by Thanksgiving.

    The Super Committee would have to propose $1.8 trillion spending cuts to achieve that amount of deficit reduction over 10 years.

    If the Super Committee fails, Congress must send a balanced-budget amendment to the states for ratification. If that doesn’t happen, across-the-board spending cuts would go into effect and could touch Medicare and defense spending.

    No net new tax revenue would be part of the special committee’s deliberations.

    This deal is being reported all over the place. WH denies it… I’d sure like to believe them, because this is a fucking disaster.

  35. 35.

    Joseph Nobles

    July 31, 2011 at 12:24 am

    Pleasepleaseplease let the House GOP impeach Obama over this ludricrous mess. Obama could use the 73% approval rating and 47 states in 2012.

  36. 36.

    Warren Terra

    July 31, 2011 at 12:25 am

    And for the love of fucking christ, can you other front pagers stop making stupid fucking categories you only use once?

    This should be a tag.

  37. 37.

    Nutella

    July 31, 2011 at 12:25 am

    @stinkdaddy:

    “Super Committee” means the two houses of congress we have now are completely useless so we’ll make a third, unconstitutional, one and that will obviously be better.

    Great.

  38. 38.

    Cliff in NH

    July 31, 2011 at 12:27 am

    Here is a Late Night Doggie to keep you company:

    Molly says
    Zzzzzzz…..

  39. 39.

    Warren Terra

    July 31, 2011 at 12:27 am

    Oh, and because I shipped the “Reply Button” threads:
    given that Cole seeming claimed it’s fixed, should I be troubled that it isn’t working for me (Chrome, Windows 7)? Or that I can’t edit comments now either?

  40. 40.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    July 31, 2011 at 12:28 am

    @stinkdaddy:

    Congress must send a balanced-budget amendment to the states for ratification.

    I’m curious whose going to enforce that. The Supreme Court won’t touch that with a ten foot pole and the executive can’t exactly walk in and hold Congress at gunpoint. And it’s not like the tea party needs a law to screw with the country.

  41. 41.

    stinkdaddy

    July 31, 2011 at 12:28 am

    It’s not unconstitutional, it just isn’t in the constitution. It’s within the rights of the chambers to set rules allowing fast-tracking really stupid ideas. What it is is undemocratic, and I don’t see how I could support any Dem who votes for it. 10-year caps? Across the board cuts without a penny of revenue?

    We’ll see how it works out but if the past few months give any reason for optimism I fail to see what it is.

  42. 42.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    July 31, 2011 at 12:29 am

    @Warren Terra: Win!

  43. 43.

    Joey Maloney

    July 31, 2011 at 12:30 am

    Here’s some Cole-bait: Radley Balko is unhappy with the operation of the free market.

  44. 44.

    suzanne

    July 31, 2011 at 12:35 am

    no one bites me in my sleep

    God, you’re no fun.

    I have a feeling this deal they make is going to be some absolute total shit. I’ve been trying really hard not to think about it. Maybe I should have a drink.

  45. 45.

    aimai

    July 31, 2011 at 12:39 am

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent):

    No one can enforce it but since the dems under Obama and Reid have always moved to pay forward more than the Republicans have asked for the inability of the dems to vote for the balanced budget amendment in a timely fashion will be used to somehow force them to vote for, or proffer, the absurdly high cuts. If Obama and Reid agree to this in order to lift the debt ceiling they deserve everything they are going to get in terms of being reamed out politically and electorally. This would be as bad as having the entire debt fight all over again before the election. Therefore, I don’t think they are going to agree to these triggers. Frankly, the entire bargaining process should have gone the other way. Obama and Reid should be insisting that McConnell bring them all the votes they need, in both houses, or Reid puts in an all tax hike bill, they vote it down, and Obama uses the fourteenth amendment. McConnell et al are begging Obama to save their fucking bacon privately, while demanding that he and Reid concede publicly and privately on all fronts. Obama should call their bluff, insist that McConnell and the remaining sane Republicans do all the heavy lifting and meet the House Democrats more than half way, and then just turn out the lights and let McConnell’s paymasters do their work.

    If the Republicans have to raise the debt ceiling to survive with their corporate overlords that’s what they’ll do–at any price. If they don’t then no amount of concessions to them will get them to do it. Better to stop, drop, and roll to put out this fire than to keep throwing more gasoline on it.

    aimai

  46. 46.

    Elie

    July 31, 2011 at 12:39 am

    Warren:

    I can’t reply. The edit function shows up when you post a comment.

    John, some of us are STILL having probs with reply. I have Explorer and nothing fancy — why, why, why?

  47. 47.

    suzanne

    July 31, 2011 at 12:40 am

    Congress should just pass a bill that would mandate that anyone making less than $250K a year must immediately commence fellating the nearest rich white man and at least be straightforward and honest about the entire fucking thing already.

  48. 48.

    Cliff in NH

    July 31, 2011 at 12:41 am

    Live action Molly!!

    Zzzzz.

    G’nite!

    @suzanne:
    I’ve been trying really hard not to drink about it. Maybe I should have a drink.

    Here, have a beer, the deal will totally suck.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    July 31, 2011 at 12:46 am

    @Elie:

    Here’s my response to your question about the reply button in the other thread:

    Elie, if you hover over the right spot with your cursor, the reply button will appear. Try moving your cursor anywhere along the line that is at the bottom of a comment. Do you see “Reply”?

  50. 50.

    burnspbesq

    July 31, 2011 at 12:47 am

    Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. Someone needs to remind Obama of that.

  51. 51.

    Lesley

    July 31, 2011 at 12:49 am

    I can see you spent an inordinate amount of time in Photoshop getting rid of Rosie’s naturally laser-red eyes.

  52. 52.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 12:55 am

    I may have figured out the best bits of advice for my kids:

    If you can see that you’re going to fall down a staircase (Gone With the Wind), grab on to something that will break your fall, or get into a fetal position so you don’t kill/cripple yourself.

    Would that advice be salient to the budget shitiation?

  53. 53.

    burnspbesq

    July 31, 2011 at 1:00 am

    Arsenal – Boca on espn3.com. Should be worth watching for a bit before drifting off to sleep. Strange to see Martin Keown and Robbie Savage in suits.

  54. 54.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 1:04 am

    @burnspbesq:

    I would watch for a bit but I am all futbol-ed out!

  55. 55.

    Brachiator

    July 31, 2011 at 1:05 am

    This deal is being reported all over the place. WH denies it… I’d sure like to believe them, because this is a fucking disaster.

    Just got through reading a Yahoo news story on this, and I agree that this is a stinker of a deal. Stupidity like a balanced budget amendment, the possibility of automatic across the board spending cuts if agreement cannot be reached. No tax increases. This would negate in advance any future Obama proposal for permanently killing the Bush tax cuts or coming up with any comprehensive tax reform which did not massively benefit corporations and the wealthiest citizens.

    What is the point of holding out if you are going to cave in anyway?

    Oh well, let’s see how this crap is pimped on the Sunday pundit shows.

  56. 56.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:07 am

    But, aimai, doesn’t Obama have to wait until the Senate/House/My sister my daughter thing plays out before he has to do anything? I think this has got to go down to the wire. Obama’s best defense in the 14th amendment scenario, is that the H and the S have screwed off the last hours before default. Default lasts a few days, and THEN the big O rides in on his 14th amendment dragon and dares them to fucking sue/impeach. They would look like the biggest pussies in pussiedom. (I’m sorry, it seems apt at the moment, and hell I’m a woman.)

  57. 57.

    Anne Laurie

    July 31, 2011 at 1:08 am

    Hhmmph. I still think Bachmann Turner Diaries Overdrive was a perfectly cromulent tag, if only other people could be bothered using it. It’s not like there haven’t been enough posts about Ms. Crazy Eyes in the past couple weeks!

  58. 58.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 1:09 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    I love that tag!

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    July 31, 2011 at 1:12 am

    @Valdivia:

    I would watch for a bit but I am all futbol-ed out!

    Is that what you kids call it these days? :)

  60. 60.

    Davis X. Machina

    July 31, 2011 at 1:12 am

    @stinkdaddy:

    It’s within the rights of the chambers to set rules allowing fast-tracking really stupid ideas.

    The PPACA, passage of which was set up by the budget-reconciliation process, was one of those fast-tracked, really stupid ideas.

    Absent a reconciliation resolution’s immunity from amendment and filibuster, Congress would have still been debating health care when the House changed hands.

    A tool is what you do with it.

  61. 61.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 1:14 am

    @Yutsano:

    :D

    Umm. I wish!!!

    I did just get back from visiting with my long lost love from 20 years ago and that was…there are no words

  62. 62.

    Brachiator

    July 31, 2011 at 1:17 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    Hhmmph. I still think Bachmann Turner Diaries Overdrive was a perfectly cromulent tag

    Oh hell yes!

    @fleeting expletive:

    and THEN the big O rides in on his 14th amendment dragon and dares them to fucking sue/impeach.

    I would love to see this. There is no point in Obama accepting shit that he knows to be wrong just so he can claim that it was the best deal possible or that it represents evidence of bipartisan compromise.

  63. 63.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:19 am

    I am indifferent to the Reply Tag issue. I think blogs *cough “Atrios”* deteriorate when! it becomes a closed conversation among a group of distinct people. If you only think of your fellow commentors as people out there in the world, you are not as likely to write something like “Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow?” , which drove me away to that site, even more than the content-free comments’

    If you disagree, Get Off My Lawn!

  64. 64.

    MattR

    July 31, 2011 at 1:20 am

    @Brachiator: The deal as described is pretty crappy but according to TPM, John Kerry is saying that Dems wont agree to it unless it includes a provision to increase taxes in addition to across the board cuts (inclusing entitlements and defense spending) if no agreement is reached by the Super Committee. They comment that the current deal is based on something done in the 80’s. However they note that defense spending is not as sacrosant to the Republicans as it was in the 80’s (especially among the Tea Party) so they would be much more likely to accept defense cuts if it means cuts to other programs as well. This is why the Democrats are smartly demanding that failure to reach a deal includes something the Republicans abhor so badly that they will actually compromise to prevent it.

  65. 65.

    OzoneR

    July 31, 2011 at 1:22 am

    What is the point of holding out if you are going to cave in anyway?

    Whatever happened to “it would be ok to give in as long as you fight?”

    Oh right, that was complete bullshit.

  66. 66.

    Yutsano

    July 31, 2011 at 1:22 am

    @Valdivia: I don’t do anything with any of my exes. Ever. I find this psychologically healthy. Even the one who thought he could just come back after dumping me unceremoniously six years ago.

  67. 67.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:23 am

    Valdivia, are you saying there were sparks between you and your way former love?

    Being old myself I cannot imagine sparks with any of my 3 formers. NO WAY.

  68. 68.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:28 am

    Hey, BJ, when you’ve got late Saturday Night comment posters, youve got it all, n’est pas?

  69. 69.

    Joseph Nobles

    July 31, 2011 at 1:28 am

    Another Bible lesson: the decision of Solomon. When he threatened to cut a disputed child in half, the true mother gave up her claim to see the child live. The other woman was content to see the child die rather than lose. Solomon at once granted the child to the true mother.

    The analogy here should be clear, although expecting a similar outcome is probably naive.

  70. 70.

    Comrade Kevin

    July 31, 2011 at 1:30 am

    @Joseph Nobles: Interesting, that is a story that came to my mind recently as well.

  71. 71.

    FlipYrWhig

    July 31, 2011 at 1:35 am

    @MattR:

    They comment that the current deal is based on something done in the 80’s.

    Sounds a bit like my memory of Gramm-Rudman. Which, like my memory of parachute pants and unlaced high-top sneakers, is less vivid than it once was.

  72. 72.

    Davis X. Machina

    July 31, 2011 at 1:36 am

    @FlipYrWhig: We can hope. Gramm-Rudman-Hollings (Fritz was a co-author) triggers were completely toothless.

    Someone at The Nation, or The Progressive, used to call it Grandstand-Rudman.

  73. 73.

    Joseph Nobles

    July 31, 2011 at 1:37 am

    @Comrade Kevin:

    Unfortunately here, the GOP wants to cut the baby in half, and the Democrats are down to choosing a weapon.

  74. 74.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:39 am

    Joseph N., How many Republicans do you think there are to spare the baby (the US economy and perhaps the global economy). It is an apt parable indeed and scary in its application right now.

  75. 75.

    JGabriel

    July 31, 2011 at 1:40 am

    Dexter:

    This is the headline over at the Guardian: US debt crisis: Tea Party intransigence takes America to the brink.

    Was just reading that article and came across this description of the Senate Minority Leader:

    MITCH MCCONNELL The Kentucky senator is an old lag …

    [Double-take]

    Whoa. Is that Rhyming Slang? Intentional, or just coincidence? I wonder if they’ll describe Eric Cantor as runty or John Boehner as a trying brick.

    .

  76. 76.

    Anne Laurie

    July 31, 2011 at 1:40 am

    @jl:

    Looks like a nice high class crate too. I had pictures something that looked more like portable dog dungeon.

    Seriously: Almost all dogs like a “den” of their very own to curl up in. Some dogs, especially rescues with “trust” issues, prefer a more enclosed den, even if it looks like a ‘dungeon’ to us primates. Rosie might like her crate even better with a towel or blanket obscuring the top & sides… and if your dog “doesn’t like” their nice open wire crate, see if draping it makes it more attractive.

  77. 77.

    BattleCat

    July 31, 2011 at 1:40 am

    All this talk about babies is making BattleCat hungry.

  78. 78.

    hamletta

    July 31, 2011 at 1:42 am

    @Elie:

    John, some of us are STILL having probs with reply. I have Explorer and nothing fancy— why, why, why?

    Because you have Explorer, dear.

    Download Firefox. Or Chrome. Or Opera. Or Safari. Or Bubba’s Browser ‘n’ Bait Finder.

    Anything but Exploder.

  79. 79.

    MattR

    July 31, 2011 at 1:42 am

    @FlipYrWhig: @Davis X. Machina: If done right it seems like the best hope to reach a compromise. To combine it with a reply to Joseph Nobles, the analogy that pops to mind is a parent threatening to take away a toy if the children can’t agree how to share it.

    @Anne Laurie: My Ellie was a huge fan of her dungeon like crate. When I removed it from the apartment she decided that under the bed is her new den.

  80. 80.

    hamletta

    July 31, 2011 at 1:45 am

    @fleeting expletive:

    Would that advice be salient to the budget shitiation?

    Naw, I believe it’s more of a kickin’ sitch’ation.

  81. 81.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:52 am

    Hamletta, I’d shure go along with yur suggestion of kickin’ the crap outa them goldurn recalcitrant republicans sitch’ation.

  82. 82.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 1:53 am

    Or was that a movie reference I missed? Oh Brother, perhaps?

  83. 83.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 2:01 am

    This thread needs a tag, “stop making stupid fucking categories you only use once”

  84. 84.

    dead existentialist

    July 31, 2011 at 2:02 am

    @BattleCat: Battlecat is channeling Jonathan Swift.

  85. 85.

    Citizen_X

    July 31, 2011 at 2:16 am

    the biggest pussies in pussiedom

    That needs to be a tag.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    July 31, 2011 at 2:19 am

    @Valdivia:

    I was just thinking of you tonight and wondering if you had met with the guy and how it had gone. No words could mean really, really good or really, really bad.

  87. 87.

    Warren Terra

    July 31, 2011 at 2:19 am

    FWIW, I’m now getting the reply button (Chrome, Windows 7).

    Same computer, but different network and service provider, if that’s an issue.

    ETA and can edit, too.

  88. 88.

    hamletta

    July 31, 2011 at 2:25 am

    @fleeting expletive:

    Or was that a movie reference I missed? Oh Brother, perhaps?

    Yup. “Gonna paddle our little bee-hinds.” “Nope, gon’ kick it.”

    I thought it was appropriate. It so often is, these days.

  89. 89.

    fleeting expletive

    July 31, 2011 at 2:31 am

    Same movie, right? I love that movie.

  90. 90.

    patrick II

    July 31, 2011 at 2:37 am

    @Warren Terra:

    No, it should be a category.

  91. 91.

    boss bitch

    July 31, 2011 at 2:43 am

    @aimai:

    Frankly, the entire bargaining process should have gone the other way. Obama and Reid should be insisting that McConnell bring them all the votes they need, in both houses, or Reid puts in an all tax hike bill, they vote it down, and Obama uses the fourteenth amendment.

    Oh-kay.

    1. An all tax hike bill? Mitch would laugh in Reid’s as he easily peels off Democrats to tank such a bill. One of the best things coming out of the current negotiations is the unity that I see amongst Democrats because cuts and revenues is something even the bluest dog could sell back home. An all tax hike bill would have some of them on TV distancing themselves from it and Harry Reid.

    2. The 14th Amendment is not something you pull out in the beginning or the middle of the game. It is an extreme solution that he can MAYBE get away with if all other options have been exhausted. Lawyers and scholars can’t even agree on whether Obama can do it. And color me shocked that so few people seem not to give a shit about the political consequences to Obama and to the party. Oh yeah, I know —guts balls dick spine and all that. If this isn’t played carefully, a Republican Senate and WH will fucking rip entitlements to shreds.

    Obama should call their bluff, insist that McConnell and the remaining sane Republicans do all the heavy lifting and meet the House Democrats more than half way, and then just turn out the lights and let McConnell’s paymasters do their work.

    Riiiight. this like telling the arsonists that you’re going to let the house burn down.

  92. 92.

    patrick II

    July 31, 2011 at 2:45 am

    @hamletta:

    I am not saying this is true… but the sample size was 100,000.

  93. 93.

    PeakVT

    July 31, 2011 at 2:50 am

    @dead existentialist: Or Fat Bastard. Get in my belly!

    Every time I see Chris Christie I think of Fat Bastard.

  94. 94.

    Viva BrisVegas

    July 31, 2011 at 2:54 am

    JGrabriel:

    MITCH MCCONNELL The Kentucky senator is an old lag

    An old lag is a veteran convict, someone who has been behind bars too long and seen too much. Although it can also refer to someone who has been institutionalised for too long.

    (Reply not working for me, anybody else using Firefox 5.0?)

  95. 95.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:00 am

    And for the love of fucking christ, can you other front pagers stop making stupid fucking categories you only use once?

    Actually, WTF are you talking about John? Here are all the tags on the front page currently. Each one has dozens of entries, with most of them showing up more than once just on the front page itself:

    – Open Thread

    – All we want is life beyond the thunderdome

    – C.R.E.A.M.

    – Excellent Links

    – Assholes

    – Blatant Liars and the Lies They Tell

    – Clown Shoes

    – Fuck The Middle-Class

    – Fuck The Poor

    – Good News For Conservatives

    – Republican Stupidity

    – Republican Venality

    – Election 2012

    – General Stupidity

    – IOKIYAR

    – Party Like It’s 1998

    – Bleg

    – Readership Capture

    – Our Failed Media Experiment

    – Sports

    – The Dirty F-ing Hippies Were Right

    – Uncategorized

    So, what’s an example of a one-off tag? And what triggered this? Not any of the stories from today, certainly.

  96. 96.

    asiangrrlMN

    July 31, 2011 at 3:08 am

    Cole, I’m happy that things are progressing nicely with your problem child. She looks very happy in her crate.

    @Yutsano: You taking my name in vain again? Oh, yeah. I’m very jelus. Hm. What? Heh.

    @Cliff in NH: Awwwww! Molly is a total sweetheart. She looks so content, too.

    As for the deal, I’m going to wait and see. Plus, I’m just pretty much done with the whole thing.

  97. 97.

    Joseph Nobles

    July 31, 2011 at 3:23 am

    @Patrick II: All those respondants chose to take the test after following Internet ads, so I think that’s an automatic deduction of 50 IQ points right there.

  98. 98.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:25 am

    @Constance:

    Constance, here’s the post where JC found Rosie:

    https://balloon-juice.com/2010/06/15/all-i-wanted-were-some-new-damned-sheets/

  99. 99.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:26 am

    @Constance:

    And here’s the one where he named her:

    https://balloon-juice.com/2010/06/15/doggie-drama-update/

  100. 100.

    Uncle Clarence Thomas

    July 31, 2011 at 3:40 am

    .
    .
    @boss bitch:

    Riiiight. this like telling the arsonists that you’re going to let the house burn down.

    Good point. It is much better to tell the arsonists that you’re going to give them everything they want, now and in the future, if every threat they make is backed up by the threat of arson. Really, there is no logical alternative, is there?
    .
    .

  101. 101.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:42 am

    @Constance: Here’s when John picked out Lily:

    https://balloon-juice.com/2009/06/05/i-think-this-is-the-one/

  102. 102.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:42 am

    @Constance:

    Here’s John planning for Lily to come home:

    https://balloon-juice.com/2009/06/06/dog-planning/

  103. 103.

    Arclite

    July 31, 2011 at 3:43 am

    @Constance:

    And here’s John saying that getting Lily was the best decision he ever made.

    https://balloon-juice.com/2009/11/13/the-best-decision-i-ever-made/

  104. 104.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 4:46 am

    @fleeting expletive:
    & @ Yutsano–
    I’m totally agreed exes are better off as exes but this is more like a platonic thing from my teenage years that sort of never gelled cause I was so young and sheer serendipity put us in each other lives again.

    @WaterGirl: thanks! No words in the amazingly fantastic sense. Like a gift from the universe. :D

  105. 105.

    Yutsano

    July 31, 2011 at 4:53 am

    @Valdivia:

    cause I was so young and sheer serendipity put us in each other lives again.

    Please don’t go all rom-com on me. It’s bad enough I’m dealing with all that with wifey now.

    @asiangrrlMN: OH HAI HON!! Wuz just talking boutchu!

  106. 106.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 5:02 am

    @Yutsano:

    Trying not to. But before you know it i’ll be bustung out in Latin poetry. Or if not you can check put page two (might be 3, you wont miss it) of my flickr feed (linked in my nym) and see me doing romantic in all spledor.

    How another those Barca guys? ;)
    Why are you up so late?

  107. 107.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 5:03 am

    Can’t type to save my life and can’t edit on the iPad. So I think you get my meaning.

  108. 108.

    Lysana

    July 31, 2011 at 5:09 am

    @Valdivia:

    I’m totally agreed exes are better off as exes but this is more like a platonic thing from my teenage years that sort of never gelled cause I was so young and sheer serendipity put us in each other lives again.

    AWWW!

    Though I’m of the opinion that sometimes, exes can be good friends. But I’m polyamorous, so I already don’t fit into the standard cultural patterns. My ex-BF made sure to let me know he’d broken up with the woman who is now our mutual ex-GF and was pleased for my comforting words. Said ex-GF may hire me to catsit for her while she goes to Burning Man this year if her first option for said job falls through.

  109. 109.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 5:23 am

    @Lysana:

    I think trying to get back with exes is tricky. There’s a reason they’re exes right? Having said that I’m friends, truly just friends, with pretty much all my exes. So I totally get you! Ex-g of currect boyfriends are tricky too. Hats off to you!

  110. 110.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    July 31, 2011 at 5:52 am

    NO doubt you’ve all called it a night?

  111. 111.

    Keith G

    July 31, 2011 at 7:19 am

    Maybe, just maybe, Obama will go 14 on their ass. The impeachment papers will have wet ink, but who the fuck cares.

    When has he shown that this will happen? In 2013, Obama will be known as a very calm and reasonable ex-president.

  112. 112.

    Constance

    July 31, 2011 at 9:00 am

    Thanks ant, jl and Arclite. That was fun.

  113. 113.

    shortstop

    July 31, 2011 at 9:53 am

    That is great news, John. So glad you’re seeing results. I know how hard/wearying it can be to be consistent in training, so congrats for sticking with it.

  114. 114.

    WaterGirl

    July 31, 2011 at 10:12 am

    @Valdivia:

    That’s so great! It truly is a gift. Remind me again – where do you guys live in relation to one another?

  115. 115.

    gnomedad

    July 31, 2011 at 10:13 am

    @Arclite:
    With any luck, this will spur a competition among front-pagers to see who can come up with the most narrow and obscure tag. Don’t let us down, guys!

  116. 116.

    WaterGirl

    July 31, 2011 at 10:17 am

    @Valdivia:

    I tried to find the flickr set, I even went to page 5, but all I saw was architecture. I did find one photo of two legs, one appearing to be male, one female, but the rest of the photos were all architecture. What am I missing?

  117. 117.

    CynDee

    July 31, 2011 at 10:18 am

    @etherealfire: You’re really excellent. Hope you decide to de-lurk more often.

    @John Cole — What a fine guy you are. I feel bad because in my ignorance I really talked down the crate idea. Fortunately you knew the best thing to do and had plenty of people giving you the benefit of their great crate knowledge. You are tops for persisting. Rosie just never had a space truly her own before; who among us would be able to stand that without some kind of behaviors showing up?

  118. 118.

    Samara Morgan

    July 31, 2011 at 10:37 am

    you are a bad dog owner because she is still FAT.

  119. 119.

    Origuy

    July 31, 2011 at 10:38 am

    If the Reply button hasn’t appeared, hold down the Shift button and click Refresh, This will reload the CSS page that contains the fix.

    Greetings from rainy Oban, Scotland, where I’m wondering how many dollars it’s going to take to buy a pound next week.

  120. 120.

    SBJules

    July 31, 2011 at 11:03 am

    I never had a problem with the reply button, but I used to be able to link to someone’s post & I can’t seem to do that. What could I be doing wrong? (Ok, probably a lot).

  121. 121.

    dww44

    July 31, 2011 at 11:05 am

    @Keith G: Given what’s on offer on the other side, I don’t think we’d be worrying about what sort of ex-President Obama was. We’d be trying to figure out how the world’s greatest economic engine sunk so fast and everything’d be so austere that no one would have time to look backwards or forwards.

    But, I’m not throwing in the towel yet. Maybe lots of folks will figure out that even a Jon Huntsman won’t be able to sever the crazy tentacles from within his own party.

  122. 122.

    gregw

    July 31, 2011 at 11:21 am

    “for the love of fucking christ” has to be a new category.

  123. 123.

    WyldPirate

    July 31, 2011 at 11:23 am

    Sounds like the crate is equivalent to a benzodiazepine for Cole and Rosie

  124. 124.

    Keith G

    July 31, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    @dww44: I get nervous when I contemplate the idea that my candidate’s future is depending on the “I am not as bad as they are” argument during these times. The “selling” job this time around will have to be much more full-throated than Obama has shown comfort with.

  125. 125.

    Todd Dugdale

    July 31, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    @aimai: Dogs love crates because they give them a feeling of safety. It’s the dog’s “room” and a place that they will never be kept out of. They also can easily defend themselves in the crate, so they feel secure.

    It’s hard to bear in mind when looking at something like Rosie, but all dogs are essentially wolves for the purposes of behaviour and psychology. They crave security, stability, and predictability. When they have those things, they are calm. And when you add affection and a clearly-defined role in the “pack”, they thrive.

    Dogs don’t want to be treated like “people”. It makes them anxious and insecure. They don’t look at us as People and themselves as Dogs; they see us as fellow (albeit strange) dogs. You have to be the alpha wolf, not a “buddy”. Canines are hard-wired to love their “boss” and have a mild contempt for those below them on the pack’s hierarchy. When these lines get blurred (like allowing the dog to sleep in the same place as the Boss), the dog has to take over the role of the Boss – which they are reluctant to do.

    Essentially, by giving Rosie the crate, John acted like the alpha wolf.

  126. 126.

    Sophie Amrain

    July 31, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    they crave security, stability, and predictability. When they have those things, they are calm. And when you add affection and a clearly-defined role in the “pack”, they thrive.

    Sounds like people to me.

  127. 127.

    Todd Dugdale

    July 31, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    @Sophie Amrain:
    “Sounds like people to me.

    In a superficial and incomplete sense, yes.
    People want security, but they also want freedom. Dogs have little understanding of the concept of freedom, and what understanding they do have of it is terrifying to them. A lone wolf is “free”, but not by choice.

    People like stability, but they also have self-interests. Dogs don’t, by and large. All interests are subservient to those of the “pack”, including those of the individual. Dogs love getting orders. The wolf who sits around all day doing nothing to contribute is a failed member of the pack. They are “dead weight”, and they know that the pack is better off without them. Hence, insecurity. They have no idea how to maintain or increase their status in the pack, and this is seen as instability.

    People like predictability, but they chafe under routine and seek out variety. Dogs get anxious when their routine is disrupted, and wonder what it “means” – and tend to assume the worst.

    The closest analogy to people would be recruits in boot camp, with John as the drill sergeant. Letting a dog sleep on your bed, with access to all of your smells, is like your drill instructor talking about his feelings, sharing his diary, and asking your advice.

    I have seen so many people complain about their dog’s behaviour. When I meet the dog and act like the Boss, give them a “job” and pay attention to their “work”, and offer them an insignificant reward (e.g. letting them drink a tiny bit of water from a bottle they saw me drink out of) these “behaviour problems” disappear. In fact, the problem then becomes that the dog is far more attached to me than the owners who try to be the dog’s “buddy”.

    Dogs are wolves. Wolves are similar to people, but what works for them doesn’t tend to work for us – and vice versa.

  128. 128.

    Jill

    July 31, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    I can’t believe you’re only just now crate-training this dog. Todd @127 summed it up very nicely. My elderly mother had a series of crate-trained rottweilers, the last of which died last year when Mom was 83. She often wasn’t alpha enough with them, but they were all crate-trained, and all knew that “crate” meant bedtime. Now she has a little yorkie mix who from day one has been a very sensible dog. She found the doggie door on her own, takes care of her own bathroom needs, alerts Mom when the doorbell or phone rings because Mom is hard of hearing. Poppy doesn’t sleep in a crate, but then Poppy is more of a home health care aide than a dog.

    One of the rotties had very strong guarding instincts. He would chew everything in sight — unless he’d been out in the car while she ran errands. Obviously you can’t do this in the summertime, but in winter she would take Jimmy everywhere and he would guard the car, then go home exhausted and be good. Some dogs just need a job. But all dogs need to know who is boss.

  129. 129.

    Valdivia

    July 31, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    that was it. my idea of romantic gooyness. :)

  130. 130.

    Zython

    August 1, 2011 at 3:46 am

    I just have one question, John. What breed is Rosie? I ask because I have a dog that looks eerily similar to her, and since we found him as a stray, don’t know exactly what breed he is.

  131. 131.

    Paul in KY

    August 1, 2011 at 8:54 am

    @Constance: You’ll fit in well around here ;-)

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