Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

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

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

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

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Taking a deep breath

Taking a deep breath

by | 99 Comments

This post is in: 

I’m all about working over any of the various conservative hypocrisies, outrages, and offenses from every conceivable angle, and doing everything I can to find ways to shove their shit right back in their faces as early and often as possible and with as much contempt as I can muster and display.

What can I say, I’m generous that way.

But sometimes, you gotta step back bit, take a deep breath, and think of something else for a little bit.  I was about to post my addition to the stream of Komen today, when I felt my dog, the bestest dog in the world, Melody, licking at my ankles under my desk, and I thought “you know, life still has its little joys.”

Consider this an open thread.  What little joys does your life have today?

Reader Interactions

99Comments

  2. 2.

    geg6

    Melody is adorable and, though I am loathe to stereotype, I am amused that a guy with a handle like “soonergrunt” has such a cute and teeny doggie with a name like Melody. It’s making me giggle and, at the same time, adjust my mental picture of you.

  3. 3.

    lacp

    Well, I crushed my enemies, drove them before me, and listened to the lamentations of their women. Then we had a staff meeting and I went to lunch.

  4. 4.

    General Stuck

    Melody is off the cute o meter. And though the Komen/PP war is a pretty big deal on the culture war front, it’s not like they’re Andrew Sullivan, or anything. And the abortion rights battlefield is always strewn with landmines for wayward snark.

  6. 6.

    Chuck Butcher

    I can’t help the picture in my mind of the sleeveless guy in a brutish F10,500 Lifted 4X with the pink poodle on his lap hanging out the window in front of the gun rack…

    oh hell, now I feel like I ought to apologize

  7. 7.

    JPL

    I bet Melody gets lots of “squishes” although several of us already have the bestest dog evah.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    @geg6: I know. My first thought was “that is SO not the dog I would have picked as yours”. But who cares, right? She is a delightful dog and Soonergrunt is a terrific person and they sound like a great match. Appearances can be deceiving. Never judge a book by its cover. Etc.

    I hope you and John and Otis are doing okay. I think about you guys and Henry every day. I lost a beloved white lab in June, and it’s just heartbreaking.

  10. 10.

    Gin & Tonic

    Sierra Nevada has issued a rye IPA. Seems like rye is the new “it” grain, but this seems like a semi-adequate replacement for the Harpoon rye IPA which was a limited edition and is no longer available.

    That’s a little joy, in case anyone misunderstood.

  11. 11.

    bemused

    Thank goodness for our furry babies. They are the perfect antidote to watching the insanity that supposedly higher thinking mammals create. The fluff balls know how to love human beings.

    I was off doing real life stuff and came back Komen mess on tv and then see The Donald and Mitt. I’m still trying to recover from that sight and I’m not too enthused about eating dinner right now.

  13. 13.

    Mark S.

    I thought soonergrunt would have Rottweiler or a pack of wolves Dobermans or something. Instead, he has da cutest widdle puppeh in da world!

  14. 14.

    Soonergrunt

    @geg6: Thanks. And before I go on, I was a dick to you a while back. I was wrong. I’m sorry.

    This dog is primarily because of my daughter. Three years ago at Christmas, her list had twenty entries. The first seventeen, and numbers 19 and 20 were “a fuzzy dog” and #18 was a cell phone. Well, I didn’t think that a ten year old needed a cell phone, so we decided to get a dog. My wife took my daughter to the pound, and we found this rescue Bichon Frise and her pups that had been confiscated from somebody by Animal Control. She picked out the runt.
    I was imagining some large dog that could protect my daughter from any threat, and that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to walk in the neighborhood like a Great Dane or an Alaskan Wolfhound. I got a cotton ball with eyes. And I was hooked as soon as I looked at her.

  15. 15.

    Birthmarker

    Well it rained here 6.5 inches in December, and 7.79 inches in January, and poured down last night. Today is sunny and beautiful and 63 degrees. Daffodils are blooming!

  17. 17.

    schrodinger's cat

    I am home with a slight fever and bad cold with teh kittehs for company. They were taking good care of me, one kitteh was by my head and one by my feet. BTW soonergrunt, both my kittehs are bigger than your sweet little goggie!

  18. 18.

    geg6

    @WaterGirl:

    You are sweet. We’re hanging in. It’s been a big adjustment for us all and will be for a while, I’m sure. Otis was sniffing and sniffing at the space where Henry spent his last days just this afternoon. They were never good buddies, but it’s obvious he misses him. One good sign is that last night is the first night he spent in our bedroom (always Henry’s place and only Henry’s). I hope he keeps doing it because it seems to comfort John.

  21. 21.

    schrodinger's cat

    @geg6: In the other comment you mentioned about getting another dog. Have you thought about a kitteh? Did you see that video about the dog, fostering kittens? Let me see if I can find it.

  22. 22.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Soonergrunt: We’ve had a rescue Bichon-poodle mix for nearly 13 years now. Just in black, not white. And he’s the best dog in the world, even though he doesn’t see or hear very well any more.

  23. 23.

    Cap'n Magic

    I know that this is one messed up Winter-my petulant rescued Persian Ozzie is shedding fur like mad.

  24. 24.

    cathyx

    2 different neighbors have that same kind of dog. One guy is the sweetest cutest little dog and the other one I want to punt kick it every time it follows me barking at my heels.

  25. 25.

    gelfling545

    That is one adorable doggie. One of my great joys is my old pug Snarla. She is a very cat-like dog who just likes to curl up on someone’s lap & snooze. She’s not as cute as the grandkids but not as exhausting either.

  27. 27.

    Soonergrunt

    @Chuck Butcher: It’s also true. I was taking a nap. I wake up, and there’s my kid holding this ball of white fluff with three tiny black dots in her hands and they both had this “can I keep it?” expression.
    Next to her was my wife, with the biggest shit-eating grin.
    I lost that battle before it ever started.

  29. 29.

    Josie

    Melody is so cute I just want to hug her. I taught four groups of fifth graders about food chains and took them on nature walks through our native thorn forest, taught them to use binoculars and showed them chachalacas, red winged blackbirds, kiskadee flycatchers and golden fronted wookpeckers. We even spotted a bunny rabbit in the underbrush. The kids were enchanted and so sweet. This is the best job in the world.

  30. 30.

    Cat Lady

    @geg6:

    I’ve been watching this and want to let you know this cat lady haz a sad for you and Henry. My one and only dog was the love of my life and I never got another dog because of the pain I still feel more than 20 years later, and good for you for wanting to get back in the saddle. How’s John?

  33. 33.

    t jasper parnell

    I found a Bulgarian socialist noir novel called Zift. So far so glad am I to read it.

  37. 37.

    t jasper parnell

    As it is in moderation because of the dreaded s word a repost
    I found a Bulgarian s word noir novel called Zift. So far so glad am I to read it.

  39. 39.

    Mustang Bobby

    Driving home with the top down, my Ray-Bans on, and the Beach Boys blasting out of the stereo, making the guy in the Jag next to me at the stop light on US 1 and Bird Road look over and give me a wistful grin of appreciation. I made someone else’s day, too.

  43. 43.

    piratedan

    a day off… spent the day driving into Portlandia and spent two glorious hours wading thru various and sundry CD’s @ Music Millennium. Picked up 10 discs of varied and sundry nature from Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Other Trail Songs to The Definitive Pop Collection for Marshall Crenshaw.

    beautiful scenery, beautiful music and no agenda for the day, feels like my soul is sighing.

  44. 44.

    Soonergrunt

    @Maude: She is pretty smart. The best thing we ever did was take her to obedience class, which we learned is more for us than her. Our vet insisted on it. Older guy, very much like my granddad. Told us that “this is a Bichon. Lovely, fun little dog, but somebody has to be in charge, and if you don’t take charge, she will.”

  48. 48.

    lamh35

    ok, so I’m petitioning good thoughts, vibes, prayers or whatever for me. I’m a clinical Microbiologist by profession and my dream job is to work for the CDC in ATL. Micrbiology jobs of the kind that I want (laboratory duties more than administrative duties) are few and far between at CDC. But this past week they had 2 Microbiology positions open one administrative the other laboratory and I’ve applied for both. I’ve been waiting at least since I became a Clinical Microbiologist and since I moved from NOLA to DFW (thx Katrina) for a position to be opened. So I applied for both. I am definitely qualified for the laboratory position and it pays the same and a little more as my current job and I’ve educationally qualified for the administrative position, to I applied anyway (I really more in between).

    Anyway, I’m taking any and all luck, prayers, and thought…! As my grandmother used to say, I’ve already “claimed it in the name of Jesus”, but I’d still like to add the prayers or good vibes or good thoughts along with it :)

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @geg6: Glad to hear how you guys are doing. I am so glad you have Otis. I imagine he is a huge comfort, even though he is grieving, too.

    I kept a photo of Bailey on the table in the living room, along with a beautiful card from my niece, and I lit a candle for Bailey every night for 3 months. It seemed to help me, don’t know if it would help you.

    The saying on the card was almost like a prayer: peace to soothe you, grace to hold you, love to comfort you.

    I wish for all those things for you and John. Otis, too. Though he may just be the love to comfort both of you.

  52. 52.

    Josie

    @lamh35: I will keep a good thought for you. I know how hard it is to search for just the right job and how great it is when you find it. Here’s hoping for good fortune for you.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @Soonergrunt:

    I was imagining some large dog that could protect my daughter from any threat, and that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to walk in the neighborhood like a Great Dane or an Alaskan Wolfhound. I got a cotton ball with eyes. And I was hooked as soon as I looked at her.

    That’s how it goes. I never wanted a big dog, a boy dog, or a black dog. I took in an abandoned dog for a friend until they could find a home for him. He was all three. One of the best dogs ever, and i never let him go.

  58. 58.

    Raven

    @WaterGirl: The day the bride bought Raven home I couldn’t believe it. “What the hell is that, a Poodle”. He was a cocker and he had the heart of a lion.

  62. 62.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Raven: Cockers are brave and aggressive fuckers underneath all the curls. Beau, my dog when I was growing up, was an English cocker. He was solid muscle, and he never met a male dog he didn’t want to fight. With his people, he was the friendliest thing ever.

  68. 68.

    gogol's wife

    @geg6:

    Me too! She is so squee.

    I have my enormous cat Louis and my little darling girls (also cats) Masha and Sasha (to answer your question about joys). Also too my classes are underway so I’m less nervous now because I am getting to know the students.

  69. 69.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Raven: Jimmy looks very much like Beau did. They even move the same way. Cool vids. Thanks for pointing them out.

  72. 72.

    greenergood

    Happy things today: Frosty night followed by beautiful sunrise around 8.15, not 6.30 like in December (days getting longer – Happy Imbolc, pagans!). Sunny morning, the third in, ohhh, about three months in the w. of Scotland. Cat happier too in dry weather. Lots of snow on the mountains. Good yoga class. Watched clip on intertubes of FLOTUS and Ellen de G. doing push-ups, while trying to imagine Callista doing the same – tee hee. Watched another clip of Captain Combover Frump endorsing Hairdo Mitt as H.M. slowly backed away like the vampire out of Nosferatu trying to evade the poisonous (to a vampire, that is) sunrise – tee hee.

    Normal service will resume, no doubt, in three, two, one…

  74. 74.

    maya

    @lamh35: OK, since you already have Jesus in your corner, you might try repeating this, often and, with feeling– nam myoho renge kyo. It not only calms the spirit, it is renowned for producing positive results.

    And, yes, there will be scoffers.

  76. 76.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Raven: Beau loved to go with people in the car; he just hated the “in the car” part. I used to let him get in the car when I was going someplace, drive around the block, let him gratefully escape, and then go about my business.

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: That video was a slow starter, but it was worth the wait. Too sweet watching them chew on the same vine together, and it looks like they’ve still got the magic as they romp around.

    I always loved that we got to see a cocker spaniel coming off the alien ship in close encounters of the third kind.

  78. 78.

    Raven

    @WaterGirl: Do you mean the connectivity or the production? I love the way her ear fly when she runs but I wanted the vid to fit the song so there are extended grazing shots.

  81. 81.

    WaterGirl

    @gbear: I can’t believe I spent 3 minutes watching that, but I watched the whole thing and giggled all the way through.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: Love the car scene every time, the way those ears swing around, like the young girls in high school who know they are cute always swing their hair.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: Oh, the slow starter was the video with Jimmy and the girl.

    Loved your video, I think I watch it every time you post it even though I’ve seen it before. Love watching your girl with her ears flying. But as you’ll see from my other comment, my favorite part is the flipping the ears back and forth in the car.

    I have probably told you this before, but when I was in my early 20s, my cocker spaniel LOVED to ride around in my roommate’s VW minivan. The seats were high and she sat so tall. My roommate adored her, too, so he would take her for rides and she would sit so proudly in the seat while they rode around.

    Did you know Kevin Bickford (my roommate) when you were here? He was a townie from Urbana, left to be a clown with ringing brothers for a year, then came back and lived with us for a year, then left again.

  86. 86.

    Anne Laurie

    @Soonergrunt:

    I was imagining some large dog that could protect my daughter from any threat, and that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to walk in the neighborhood like a Great Dane or an Alaskan Wolfhound. I got a cotton ball with eyes. And I was hooked as soon as I looked at her

    Melody is adorable, and so are you. Real men don’t need giant dogs to compensate for their tiny organs (not that there’s anything wrong with giant dogs, not even such rare breeds as the Alaskan Wolfhound). And all things being equal, smaller dogs have longer lifespans, so with any luck you’ll have many years with Melody even after your daughter goes off to college.

  89. 89.

    DanielX

    Two high points of the day….

    1. Hearing and seeing my spouse (who works at home on Thursdays) yelling “Zoey, you brat!” at the 15 pound black female feline. Zoey has a thing about lying on the desk under the halogen lamp while Mrs. X is working, to the right of the keyboard and mouse. Since Zoey has a large furry ass, this involves a certain amount of butt clicking on the part of the cat and a certain amount of yelling on the part of Mrs. X, who of course is Zoey’s most favorite human….

    2. Providing directions to a truly obnoxious Pats fan in front of me at the grocery, who was giving the semi-terrified high school girl behind the cash register a raft of shit because she didn’t know the directions to his downtown hotel from the north side of the city. He was half lit, giving her shit just because he could, was old enough to know better, and the girl was getting teary-eyed upset. So I said I could tell him how to get there, and provided him elaborate directions. Accurate, too, except that somehow I told him to turn right (north) instead of left (south) at the interchange two blocks to the west of the grocery.

    In these parlous times you have to take advantage of any opportunities for amusement that come your way, especially if you can provide someone a valuable lesson in the process. Welcome to Indianapolis, asshole.

  90. 90.

    Angela

    Oh that is all goodness! My joys are many. A huge one today was walking my dogs out the door, down 21st Street to my vet, and then continuing the walk down to Rittenhouse Square. Beautiful day, great city.

  91. 91.

    Galen West

    I haven’t posted in a long time, but I came across this thread and couldn’t resist the “What little joys does your life have today?” My joy today and everyday is that I am alive after having my kidney removed because of cancer. So thank you socialized medicine and thank you God for making me enjoy my days (even though I am 1 month out from surgery and popping the Vicodin like they are skittles).

  92. 92.

    DanielX

    @Galen West:

    Amen, Galen, and here’s hoping you’re cured. Don’t turn up your nose at Vicodin, sometimes oral narcotics are the only cure for what ails you.

  95. 95.

    Mnemosyne

    I have the kind of husband who gets home from work and says, “So is it too much of a cliche for us to watch Groundhog Day today?”

    No, it’s not.

  96. 96.

    ruemara

    @lamh35: Lucky Thoughts out to you and may some bank off of you and bounce back to me. BTW, that sounds like an amazing position.

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