What a long week. I see multiple episodes of the Bridge in my near future as I bask in the AC with a fan aimed at my fat self and two dogs and a cat roaming around jockeying for lap position.
FWIW, I was gone from 10 am to about 7 pm today, and when I got home, the only one to greet me was Steve. Rosie and Lily were sound asleep and didn’t even notice I got home. Fuckers. All I want is to be treated like royalty when I come home, you damned dogs.
That’s not too much to ask from your dogs, is it?
SG
Welcome home!
Karen in GA
I just want my cats to understand that my dog is only trying to play, and if they just give him a quick swat on the nose they can put an end to that notion right quick. But instead, they panic. They have no idea of the power they hold in their paws.
shelly
“I bask in the AC with a fan aimed a”
********
AC? How’s the weather down in ol’ Virginie? Up here in New Jersey it’s been practically autumnal all week. Gorgeous.
IowaOldLady
You must be very quiet if your dogs don’t wake up and come running.
cathyx
Your dogs know you’ll put up with every and anything they do.
lojasmo
Waiting at the gate in MSP to fly to SEA to have dinner with Yutsy!
Woot!
lojasmo+3
Too soon?
Yatsuno
@shelly: It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and it rained yesterday. The AC is on in my office and it’s fecking freezing in here right now. It’s somewhat sunny out right now but it’s going to change here soon.
BillinGlendaleCA
No, you should get at least a minute of excitement before they return to their natural state, sleep. I always get a hand mauling from my YorikiePom, the Cocker just barks and wags her tail.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Yatsuno: I’ve noticed on the national map, when I see it on Morning Ho, you all are a bit warm up there. Sometimes hotter than LaLa land!
Mary G
Good to hear from you. My recluse cats are warming up to the rescue human. Even the scaredy cat isn’t freaking out every two seconds now.
CaseyL
Good to hear from you!
Are all the critters free to mingle when you’re not there, or are you still keeping Steve separated from them?
If the AC is off when you’re not home, the ladies could simply be sleeping off the worst of the heat and humidity.
J R in WV
Tonite is the first broadcast NFL game of the season – I’m having trouble being excited about it because of everything that’s wrong with sports culture.
So I’m just gonna watch it without being excited… not care about who wins…
HA
I’m gonna use the football, NFL, College, HS whatever – to distract myself from the political horror the reichtwing wants to unleash!
Oh, yeh, HI JOHN!
Steeplejack
I get treated like royalty by my brother’s dogs when I go over there. Even the old, deaf one, Dick Cheney, gets up and capers around a bit before going back to his bed.
Note: There may be Pup-Peronis involved.
jacy
The husband takes the kids to school in the morning and I sleep in until 8 AM. (Because I’m usually up working until 2). Before they leave they’re supposed to feed the cats.
Well, this morning they didn’t feed the cats at 6:30 as the cats are accustomed to, so when I got up at 8, I found that Pete (the tuxedo) had a) torn the sheets off the kids beds, b) opened up the container of doggie cookies from the the Hoosier cabinet and batted them all over the kitchen, and c) opened up two loaves of bread from the breadbox and completely shredded them.
I know it was Pete, because Spike was still asleep on my head when I woke up and the bedroom door was closed and all four dogs were still in there with me too.
The four dogs said, “LOOK, FREE BREAD!” So at least I didn’t have to clean that up.
The Pale Scot
If they can’t smell ya your not there. I liked to use to slip into the house and just stand over Himself who’d be sleepin’ on the couch. After a moment the nose would start wiggling and we’d be off a game of hide and seek.
srv
Meh. Overlord is not angry enough.
johio
Could be much worse. My senior cat expressed his displeasure at my 4 day absence by hurling his guts out the last three days. Because my sister is so crazy about cleaning up cat puke. Vet appt tomorow morning. Cross your fingers for something benign/easily treated. Despite the tendency to projectile vomit, he’s a total love.
Yatsuno
@lojasmo: Ah great, yer drunk. :P
Text me your flight number, I can’t go home before picking you up and can’t check Book of Faces.
Steeplejack
@efgoldman:
Postscript for you hoarder types: I have a friend who works at the Newseum in Washington, and she says they will pay big bucks for a copy of that edition of the New York Post for their collection. Apparently there are none to be found anywhere, and they have been searching for years.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Steeplejack: Your brother named a dog Dick Cheney? What ever did that poor animal do to deserve that?
patrick II
“The Bridge” is highlighted by the remarkable work of lead actress Diane Kruger. I had seen her in the “National Treasure” movies and appreciated her likable performances. However, in “The Bridge” her portrayal of a detective with asperger’s syndrome is both touching and detailed.
SiubhanDuinne
I am thoroughly enjoying my semi-retirement these days. I go into my old office two or three days a week — never Mondays or Fridays — and generally not much before 10:00 or 10:30 a.m. I work hard and productively while I’m there, but only on the special projects I’m working on — no need to get caught up in office politics or the boring/awkward tasks. I’m making a nice hourly wage on top of my severance package and pension (although it hasn’t actually kicked in yet), and I have nice long four-day weekends to Do Stuff. The temp part-time work will probably run through November, and after that I can start taking some of those nice long road trips I’ve been planning. Right now I feel very lucky in my life.
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne: I hope that didn’t come across as smug. Not my intention at all. Just grateful.
Josie
You need a corgi, John Cole. When I come home, I get the same exuberant greeting from Duncan, whether I have been gone 2 minutes or 6 hours. My dachshund mix rescue, Mitzi, is much more blase about the whole greeting thing.
ETA: Hooray! John’s home!
patrick II
@SiubhanDuinne:
Mitt Romney talking about his wife’s four cadillacs is smug. You came across as someone who has hit a nice time in life and has the good sense to appreciate it.
gogol's wife
@SiubhanDuinne:
You never sound smug!
Santa Fe
Have to find a new show to watch. We have Netflix and Amazon and Hulu, no cable, via xbox. Every time I discover I show that I think I’ll enjoy watching, my wife and teenage son get hooked on it too, and then I’m not allowed to watch without them. Happened most recently with Bones, Eureka, Castle and Numbers. Thinking of trying Torchwood. Or maybe that Western, what’s it called, Justified?
SiubhanDuinne
@patrick II:
@gogol’s wife:
Thanks! I always second-guess my comments!!
Steeplejack
@BillinGlendaleCA:
No, he’s not really named Dick Cheney. He’s an Italian greyhound who has lived to the old age of 16, and as he has gotten deaf and senile he does that “Jon Stewart doing Dick Cheney doing the Penguin” noise and snap when he’s startled or awakened. So sometimes we call him Dick Cheney. That’s his blog nym.
JPL
So far the power bills have been quite low this summer. Today was 68 and the temperature is not suppose to hit the eighties until Wednesday. I’m celebrating having a few extra bucks at the end of the month.
I think it is sweet that Steve meets you at the door. I just finished reading “Following Atticus” and realized how much I miss my Moxie. Nook had the book for $2.99 and it was worth the price.
Mike in NC
AMC is running “Scarface” with Al Pacino (1983), which I managed to avoid up until now since I can’t stand his scenery chewing. Every other word, of course, was bleeped out. Can’t think of a movie as over the top as this one.
greennotGreen
Right now I’m fostering three lab mix puppies. When I come home, I get treated like a chew toy.
Steeplejack
@Santa Fe:
Justified is great. It’s not a Western; it’s more like Appalachian coal-country Sopranos. Although that hardly does it justice. It’s a really good show, not derivative at all. Some great acting and some great characters.
SiubhanDuinne
@efgoldman: What’s interesting is that even though I’ve been out of the radio/classical music business for 30 years or so, it is that which tugs at me and obsesses my mind just about every minute I’m not actually doing my day job. I doubt i’ll ever actually return to broadcasting, but I’m playing with some ideas that will scratch that big itch.
Sounds as though you’ve found a pretty good balance in your life. May we all be so fortunate. Not to mention, NEW GRANDKID!!!
Howard Beale IV
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
beltane
@greennotGreen: I don’t miss those days. My lab chewed everything, even door trim, when she was a puppy. Now she is the most incredibly well behaved dog imaginable.
notoriousJRT
Maybe they have been reading your posts marveling at their new housemate and competition. Maybe they are pretending to be asleep and thinking “A weekly blog post with some pictures of us and marveling about how great we are. Is that too much to expect from one’s human? Knock yourself out, Steve!”
Yatsuno
@SiubhanDuinne:
Up to these parts amirite?
I recommend flying though. That’s a long road trip from the Peach State.
WereBear
@Steeplejack: I’ve gotten hooked on it, too.
And the Elmore Leonard provenance… awesome.
Steeplejack
@Mike in NC:
For understated Pacino, and good movies in general, check out Carlito’s Way (1993) or Heat (1995).
JPL
@notoriousJRT: haha.. John seldom reads comments but for Lily and Rosie’s sake, I hope he reads yours.
The Dangerman
@notoriousJRT:
Oh, it may be worse than that; the dogs might be thinking “where’s OUR climbing tower, Biped?”
ETA: Not to mention they see the Cat getting blitzkrieged on the Nip and they’re just a wee bit jealous
eemom
@Steeplejack:
dunno if you’d call it “understated,” but Dog Day Afternoon is one of the bestest Pacinos, imo — and John Cazale-not- Fredo, also too.
Roger Moore
@johio:
Could just be stress from missing his human. Cats have been known to do that. Mine will also sometimes puke because he eats too much too fast.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yatsuno: Yes, sometime in the next year or two I will be visiting the Pacific NW and BC. And I’m not the least bit daunted by long car trips. I’m not afraid to fly, but I find it so distasteful these days that I would much rather be on my own schedule with my own wheels. Getting there is half the fun, right?
First long trip, though, will probably be New England and Atlantic Provinces, likely next spring. Other folks around these parts spend the winter studying seed catalogues and planning next year’s gardens; I study road maps and plan out a do-able itinerary.
schrodinger's cat
John Cole@top
Good to see you posting John, I was getting worried since I didn’t see any posts from you. Has Steve kitteh used his tree yet?
Robert Samuelson needs this Editor Kitteh. Samuelson has a second column out hating on the internet.
? Martin
@Josie:
That’s because whether you’ve been gone 2 minutes or 6 hours, your corgi thinks it’s time to be fed again. I’ve got a corgi.
Steeplejack
@eemom:
Oh, jeez, Dog Day Afternoon is the epitome of Pacino not being understated. Except maybe for And Justice for All . . .
I do wish John Cazale had been in more movies before he died. A big loss not appreciated at the time.
Anne Laurie
@Santa Fe: If you like Bones and Castle, you’ll like Body of Proof. Only three seasons, alas, but hey — Dana Delaney and Jeri Ryan!
In the same vein, I’m really liking Crossing Jordan, but I’m only on the first season.
schrodinger's cat
@? Martin: Are you the Queen of England? Hi Liz.
cckids
@Santa Fe: If you haven’t yet, try White Collar. Very fun, light show, the humor is reminiscent of both Castle & Bones.
Yatsuno
@SiubhanDuinne:
You’d better alert RedKitteh. I bet she’d be pleased as punch to have a BJer up her way pop in! Plus you’d get to see Sam and Alexkitteh!
I Heart Breitbartbees
@efgoldman: You know what they say: You can’t spell “slaughter” without “laughter.”
lamh36
@Anne Laurie: I actually love Body of Proof. I swear I watch it cause I envy every outfit Dana Delaney M.E. character wears (I mean stilletto Jimmy Choos to a crime scene and big boxy purses…luv it).
Also too, the last season added Mark Valley as Det Tommy…and I’ve always hearted Mark Valley since his Days of Our Lives, days.
SiubhanDuinne
@efgoldman:
I am slightly notorious for giving prospective or brand new parents a copy of the classic “Pat the Bunny” as a first-book offering. It may well have been the first book I was given as a baby, and over the years I’ve probably wrapped and presented 25 or 30 copies. The tactile stuff (soft flannel bunny, daddy’s scratchy sandpaper beard) seem to fascinate little children, generation after generation.
lamh36
WTF is this Bullshhhh!!!
Wow right after a judge ruled that Stop and Frish was unconstitutional, now Mike Bloomberg is saying that ALL public housing residents need to be fingerprinted!!!!
NYCHA tenants should be fingerprinted: Bloomberg
Josie
@? Martin:
You know, I’ve been wondering if his excessive happiness at seeing me has anything to do with the fact that I feed him and give him treats. Nahh – I prefer to think that it’s because I’m such an awesome person. Seriously, I am very determined to help him keep his boyish figure, and he is just as determined to get every morsel of food he can find or beg.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: You should do a search on lighthouses on the coast of New Hampshire and Maine also. It might be an interesting side trip.
Billy Dilly
@Mike in NC: Scarface is my favorite guilty pleasure movie, The tossing of F Murray Abraham out of the helicopter was my favorite scene, as for over the top, it was Hannibal for me though there are South Korean flicks that do a good job doing that(Sympathy For Mr Vengeance and I Saw The Devil, which Spike Lee is supposed to an American version) come to mind.
Roger Moore
@lamh36:
I guess it’s really sunk in that he doesn’t need to worry about reelection, so he can finally say what he really thinks. What an asshole.
max
@Steeplejack: Justified is great. It’s not a Western; it’s more like Appalachian coal-country Sopranos. Although that hardly does it justice. It’s a really good show, not derivative at all. Some great acting and some great characters.
Seconded!
I see multiple episodes of the Bridge in my near future as I bask in the AC with a fan aimed at my fat self and two dogs and a cat roaming around jockeying for lap position.
1) The Bridge is all fucked up and shit, especially that last episode. Which is awesome. (I like Marco best.)
2) AC? Dude, it’s like upper-70’s outside, and more rain comin’. Like fuckin’ winter is comin’ on and shit. In my hometown, it’s a much nicer 86.
So, the little lesbian girl down the street, the one with the new baby (don’t ask), was goin’ to Balmer Pride and the timing belt on her Focus broke. Shenanigans ensued. The vehicle eventually got towed to a mechanic. Tow truck driver said timing belt, and he was right. The pros sat on it for a couple of days, muttered about the timing belt, and then a few days later announced it needed a new motor for which they were happy to bill her a mere 4800$. (I presume that’s a new crate motor plus a big fucking markup.) There was more towing, since that was more than the car was worth. I ordered parts. Workin’ on it today, I come to find out that these “pros” sorta took some of parts on top of the engine off, and then sorta forgot to put some screws back in (which they left in the leaf catcher to rust), and kinda left some other parts entirely off the car. I get to clean up their mess. Yay.
Luckily, we’re actually talking only 350$ in parts for the whole repair and that’s because I’m being thorough.
max
[‘I hate jerks like that. I bet they love Chris Christie.’]
cckids
@efgoldman:
Oh, don’t resist the book urge! Get some of Sandra Boynton’s board books, (I especially recommend “The Going-to-Bed Book”, “But Not the Hippopotamus” and “Moo, Baa, La, La, La”), which, despite their titles, have enough humor to make them fun to read for the hundredth time. I started reading to mine before they were 3 months old; it became part of our routine & very calming & bonding for us all. Go for it!!
SiubhanDuinne
@Yatsuno: Yes indeed, she’s on my list!! When dates get closer, I’ll be asking for suggestions and sending out bat-signals all over the Juiceosphere.
Anne Laurie
@lamh36:
I could never stand to watch Mark Valley — almost quit on Fringe because they kept resurrecting that creep! — but now that he’s getting older his Body of Proof character seemed a lot less smug & self-involved.
So, of course, they cancelled the show (unless there’s an update I missed). If you watch through the third season, it looks like they were setting up a new Big Bad arc for future seasons, and then in May the last few episodes hastily scrambled together a ‘closure’, dammit. Oh well, three worthy seasons is two-and-a-half more than the critics predicted when it first aired!…
The Dangerman
@JPL:
Another Pharophile (lighthouse fanatic) in the
houseblog? That bug has bitten me over the past several years.cckids
@Santa Fe: PS., Isn’t Nexflixing shows the best thing ever?
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL: Great idea!! Thanks! (I can see I’m going to have to start a new notebook pretty quickish-like.)
Billy Dilly
@lamh36: Lot of progressives cream in their pants because of this guy, he makes run to the gun-nuts like Wayne LaPierre(who you notice has basically fell off the face of the planet since his nut case Presser after the Newtown massacre.)
lamh36
@Anne Laurie: I think Body of Proof is a mid-season broadcast show. So it only does 1/2 a season?
JPL
@lamh36: Years ago the NYTimes did a series about the drop in the crime rate between NYC and Boston. The percentages were the same but the approach was different. Guiliani used the shoot first approach and Boston gathered neighborhood leaders, churches, schools and some gang leaders who had recently been released from prison, to gather ideas. One of the programs started was an afternoon program that provided snacks and homework help. There’s multiple solutions to the same problem as long as you are willing to look for them.
chopper
treated like royalty? once when i came home from work, i found out my 80 lb bulldog had gastric distress and exploded liquid shit all over the walls and floor of the dining room. i spent literally 3 hours cleaning up all the liquid shit, all the liquid shit in the world.
FWIW, she looked at me like she was sorry. that was the one and only time she ever looked at me with any glance that betrayed a feeling of guilt. cause the situation was that awful.
i can still smell it to this day. that was back in ’03.
JPL
@The Dangerman: I grew up in New England and took the old lighthouses for granted. They were just part of the coast. Kids are so silly.
cckids
@efgoldman:
That is the question, isn’t it? I’m decent at predicting consumer trends, but this one ? ? I think I am way too attached to dead tree books to be remotely objective/logical about it.
Roger Moore
@JPL:
If the results are substantially independent of the police department, it’s probably something about the underlying conditions that caused the drop in crime, not anything the police were doing. Which, of course, argues strongly in favor of the Boston approach, because it doesn’t involve gratuitously violating people’s rights.
Scamp Dog
@SiubhanDuinne: I once heard someone at a toystore ask if they had Pat the Bunny. They didn’t, and I had to fight the urge to run over and ask if they had Spank the Monkey…
Davebo
You’ve obviously got the wrong dogs John.
Mine goes wacko when I get back from a 20 minute trip to the store.
Then again, he also loves cat food. Just because he thinks it’s made from cats…….
I could ship him to you. He’s a thin 120 lbs and likes swimming, boat and car rides, and I think he’s a Libra. And I can guarantee you he’d never munch on a cat, despite his love for cat food.
Josie
@efgoldman:
She will value the books for themselves if they are used for quiet cuddle time and communication time with the people she loves, like her parents and you. Kids still love that, no matter how many electronic devices they have.
Redshirt
I don’t think my rabbit friend in the woods is among the living any longer. Fox got her, I think. No proof though, so I still hold out some small hope.
Davebo
Fair warning though. He has been known to take huge dumps inside Petco and you can’t try to claim is wasn’t him as those piles are bigger than most of the other dogs in the store.
DAMN YOU P.J.!!
lamh36
Welp…he’s now on the “some woman” trip…Ya know that woman…THE JUDGE! Nothing sexist about that at all.
Bloomberg: Judge In Stop & Frisk Case Knows ‘Absolutely Zero’
Bloomberg is a piece of work.
cathyx
@efgoldman: what difference does the format of the book make? It’s still a book.
My sister always looks down on people who have a large movie collection. But she has a large book collection. what’s the difference?
The Dangerman
@JPL:
For me, part of the reasons Lighthouses are so cool is there is typically some amazing history associated with them (thus, kinda beyond kids). One of my favorites is the Ste. George’s Lighthouse (near Crescent City, CA) that was created after an ugly shipwreck disaster (the Brother Jonathan) right after the Civil War. The BJ (hmmm, fitting for this blog) had tremendous loss of life, but the survivors (there were several) largely did so because of the amazing courage of some African Americans (again, right after the Civil War) on the ship whose names, best I have ever found, will never be known to history.
Redshirt
@cathyx: Real books smell better and feel better and look better, and yes, even sound and taste better. Other than that, they’re just the same as an eBook.
phein39
@Karen in GA:
We had an outdoor cat who moved in with us in grad school, not sure where he came from or how old he was, but he’d been declawed all the way around and had one fang left. Still fended for himself and brought us tribute from time to time, though.
After leaving him in the house for about 8 hours, I bent down to pick him up but he was too quick for me: He reached out and slapped me on both sides of the face — boxed my ears, really — and ran out the still-open door.
Last time we made that mistake.
lojasmo
@Yatsuno:
Jesus Christ, dude. I missed my fucking flight waiting at the wrong gate.
Catching a 9:45. Landing in seattle at 9:15 local. I can take a train in if you don’t want to be out so fucking late.
Having breakfast at portage bay (south union) with Doug at ten, after I pick up the car. You’re more than welcome to join. IF you don’t mind picking me up so late, we can have some dinner anywhere you choose.
Let me know. I left my number on our facebook chat. I can’t seem to find yours.
J
Roger Moore
@Redshirt:
Except for the part where the paper books weigh a lot more. I’ve read big, thick paper books for long enough that my arm was sore. Not nearly as big a problem with an ebook. Also, too, it’s a lot easier to bring your whole library of ebooks with you wherever you go, which is a big deal if you like reference books.
cathyx
@Redshirt: You sound like an old fashioned book snob.
schrodinger's cat
@Redshirt: Another fan of real books, some how they are just more relaxing than say a Kindle, especially a huge novel, like Middlemarch that I am reading right now.
BillinGlendaleCA
@lamh36: The judge is a former US Attorney, Mikey should do his research prior to opening his yap.
Dead Ernest
@SiubhanDuinne:
My dear SiubhanDuinne – in all the tremendous amount of time I’ve spent reading this blog [shakes head and thinks of what I should’ve been doing instead], there has been no ‘voice’ here as gracious and humane as yours.
So even though I felt the fetid breath of envy as I read your post (making it all the easier to think it) the notion of you – of all the voices here – sounding smug was/is inconceivable.*
In fact, I was left only feeling happy for you.
*in this rare instance I’m using a word that I’m certain I know the meaning of h/t Princess Bride.
lojasmo
@Yatsuno:
Just go home dude. My flight doesn’t get there until 9:15.
Alaska DL 1537, though you are by no means obligated to pick me up at that fucked hour.
J
call or text me 503-272-1440 (google voice) Lost your number in that clusterfuck facebook thread.
Redshirt
@Roger Moore: Oh, I know. I just moved my library, all the while pondering the fact that all those books, and many more, could fit on a tiny tablet.
But we must sacrifice for what we love, must we not?
Redshirt
@cathyx: I’m actually a slate snob, but books are the next best thing.
John Cole
@Steeplejack: Dog Day Afternoon
JPL
@The Dangerman: The Brother Jonathan shipwreck is a fascinating story. (thank you Wikipedia) Most of the shipwrecks in New England, especially on the Cape were fishing vessels. The coast line has old Victorians with widow peaks, which I always thought were extremely romantic places. Now a days, not so much. Would you really want to stand out in the cold and rainy weather waiting and waiting and waiting?
BillinGlendaleCA
@The Dangerman: Only lighthouse I’ve been inside is the one down in San Diego(Point Loma?). I’ve been outside one in Tahiti and Point Fermin her in LaLa land(not inside but good pics).
Billy Dilly
Books for me, besides when the world goes boom, all those electronic devices, I still have my books. Right now reading Lincoln, President-Elect by Harold Holzer. An excellent story about Lincoln from the day he was elected to the inauguration. Oh by the way there is a great show on Fox about Fox Sports One, but it is getting interrupted by a football game. especially the knob slobbing on Robert Kraft and Dana White.
Anya
@lamh36: Can Bloomberg just disappear now? Like, can that be a thing? I am sick of him.
Pogonip
@efgoldman: That’s what I love about the Kindle. Used to be, you went to the dr’s office with A Book, and if it turned out to be uninteresting , you were stuck. Now you can just switch from the turkey to another book.
schrodinger's cat
@efgoldman: I like the Kindle too and have one of the older versions and it is great for travel.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Anya: Amen. I saw a clip of him saying that about the fingerprints, and it seemed to me he was really off the cuff, I wonder if he doesn’t know he stepped in it. Not that I think Napoleon Bloomaparte gives a fuck. I think we’ll be subjected to his third-way, non-partisan, even-Democrat-Mike-Bloomberg thinks for a long long time.
Is Christine Quinn Bloomberg II, or were his coattails just convenient?
BillinGlendaleCA
@Roger Moore: I recently ordered two books in Kindle format. They’re books with primarily with historic pictures, Downtown LA and 1000 Oaks, and it’s nice to be able to zoom in on the pics. Less weight and storage is nice too.
Steeplejack
@John Cole:
Haven’t seen that one in a long time. He might have gotten a bit worked up in the “Attica! Attica!” scene. But that had Cazale in it too.
Roger Moore
@efgoldman:
I wound up getting a Kindle when I realized I didn’t have enough space in my bookcases for all my books, and didn’t have space for any more bookcases. I figured I would get a Kindle, ditch a bunch of books that I had read, had no sentimental value, and were available to buy again if I really wanted to re-read them. It worked really well, and I’ve been a convert ever since. I still have plenty of paper books, and I don’t foresee ever getting rid of some of them- there are no ebook versions of most of my museum catalogs- but most of my new book purchases are electronic.
Roger Moore
Totally unrelated, but some scientists are recommending a new twist on TNR for feral cat colonies. Rather than completely removing the cats’ sex organs, they’re recommending vasectomies for toms and hysterectomies for queens. The idea is that by leaving the cats’ gonads intact, they’ll engage in unproductive intercourse and thus interfere with the reproduction of some of the unfixed ones. It seems like a plausible approach, though it does leave the problem of the sexual behavior on the part of the modified animals.
Mary G
Half the carpals in my wrists have collapsed and I had trouble holding even a thin paperback without pain and almost gave up reading for a year or two. Kindle saved my sanity.
JPL
@Mary G: There is nothing like climbing in bed with a good nook.
Redshirt
Your future in eBooks. “Take-Backsies”.
Drunken hausfrau
OT: my dog goes nuts every time he hears Hitler… We are watching some WWII documentary, and he is sound asleep,until hitler starts yapping! He does this all the time, even Charlie Chaplnt in the Great Dictator elicits this reaction, when imitating Hitler speaking. Anyone else with a vehemently anti-Htiler pug?
I Heart Breitbartbees
@JPL: Still, come back in 20 years. I imagine the results will be quite different. I also imagine one will have turned out to be more cost-effective and better at reducing crime in the long run. I don’t imagine it will be the place the Dodgers were born.
Patty Krebs
Where have you been? I’ve been so worried! This blog, the entire internet, needs you!
Santa Fe
Wow, great suggestions for shows from the folks here. Might have to dip in to Justifed, for sure. Think I’m going to give Continuum a try tonight.
Anya
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Quinn is Bloomberg’s mini-me. She’s favor of stop and frisk. Need I say more.
SiubhanDuinne
@Dead Ernest: I am quite overcome. Thank you. What a lovely thing for you to say.
SiubhanDuinne
@Scamp Dog: Snorfle. Also, heh.
newdealfarmgrrrlll
alas, my work schedule prohibits a dog in addition to my cats. I’m gone too many hours at a time; the cats don’t care as long as they’re fed, but a dog would need to be let out.
So i make do with my wonderful grandoggie, my daughter’s husky-shepherd rescue. She LURVS her grandma. Greets me like the best thing she’s seen in weeks. It has nothing to do *cough* with the fact that my pockets usually contain doggie treats.
mainmati
I’m actually really surprised it is hot and humid up in WVA because in normally soupy DC it is unusually wonderful. AC is off; windows open as temps are like Fall. What’s going on in your neighborhood?
Felonius Monk
@efgoldman:
You’re right – that sounds good. I have a fresh pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk sitting in the freezer just begging for the spoon.
JoyfulA
@JPL: The drop in crime may be mostly due to the elimination of lead in gasoline: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/08/lead-crime-racism-black-white-juvenile
? Martin
@JoyfulA: I’m not sure ‘mostly’ applies, but the evidence supporting lead as a catalyst for aggression, lack of impulse control, and a host of other things is getting hard to ignore.
HeartlandLiberal
John, just to make you feel even more neglected, you need to read “Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home” by Rupert Sheldrake.
You will particularly enjoy the descriptions of the excitement displayed by dogs who sense somehow that their beloved master has just gotten up from their desk at work ten miles away, and is heading for the parking lot to drive home. Those dogs run to the door and sit there, tail madly thumping in anticipation, for the whole time it takes their owner to drive home.
Sheldrake has documented this phenomenon in blind test after blind test on video.
What true canine companions.
stinger
@SiubhanDuinne: I am deeply envious, but you don’t sound smug. Just enviable.