Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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

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

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

After roe, women are no longer free.

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

This fight is for everything.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

No one could have predicted…

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Republicans in disarray!

Not all heroes wear capes.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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Open Thread

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It’s cool and light rains here in OKC.  I’m on call at work, so here’s to all those medical students who haven’t been in our facility in three months and can’t remember their passwords!  Meantime, I’m watching The Lord of the Rings movies with my daughter, and we’re experimenting with some home-made hot chocolate, and we’ve turned on the gas logs for the first time since we bought the house.

Have fun, and stay warm.

Reader Interactions

129Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Anyone else getting the “250m Americans Infected” ad right above the comment section.

    WTF is it with this blog and disease?

  3. 3.

    Arm The Homeless

    Hanging out and working on statistics for the fiances job applications. We also supposedly have a game versus NCState this afternoon.

    I have been hooked on a new mobile game, Simpsons Tapped Out. As much as I loath EA’s Origin service, this game is addicting and fun. Anyone interested in adding me my handle is ajna8081.

    GO NOLES!

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    A cool 70 degrees and clear here in Central FL. I’m working today, which sucks. But I work at home, so I don’t have to go anywhere, which doesn’t suck. No football games I’m interested in are being televised prior to 7 PM (Go Cocks!), so it’s a football-less fall Saturday until nightfall.

  9. 9.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Betty Cracker: You mean you’re not going to be checking out your rivals in expectation of our game in November? I wouldn’t either with how bad the Gators have looked this season.

  11. 11.

    gelfling545

    Making curried pumpkin soup & cutting out pumpernickel bats for sandwiches. Tomorrow being the Sun. nearest Halloween will be our Halloween dinner. Sundays (most of them) are our family dinner time with my kids, grands & a few stray family/friends. Guess who gets to cook but, as it’s only once a week, I enjoy it.

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    I’ve been growing a beard for the past month or so. (Very exciting, watching your beard grow…) Mostly white at the chin, but nary a hint of gray anywhere else. I don’t enjoy shaving, but then again I don’t really look like myself with a beard, either. Still, I might let it grow for another month or so before I consider shaving it off.

  15. 15.

    Betty Cracker

    @Arm The Homeless: The Gators suck out loud this year, it is true, and just looking at the two teams on paper, you’d expect the Noles to beat Florida by 50 points or so. That may happen. But on the other hand, rivalry games — you just never know. And since the Noles’ schedule features powerhouses such as Little Sisters of the Poor, Snotleigh Prep, etc., it’s tough to gauge their quality until they run into a school from the men’s division.

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: @IowaOldLady: I got one the other day telling me I almost certainly had an intestinal parasite that looked like pink offspring of the spice worms from Dune.

  18. 18.

    Corner Stone

    @Amir Khalid: You’ve been needing something to replace the gravitas you had when you used to have an underscore in your commenting handle.
    Now I can start taking your in-depth posts on the X-Files seriously again.

  21. 21.

    Steeplejack

    Gosh darn it, I missed the start of the Good Witch marathon on the Hallmark network. Don’t know if I’ll be able to jump in in the middle, much as I admire the dramatic stylings of Catherine Bell. I really wanted to experience director Craig Pryce’s multi-volume saga from start to finish.

    It’s 49° and sunny here in NoVa. Yesterday I remade the bed for the winter—took off the light summer blanket and replaced it with the down comforter in the flannel cover. The housecat loves sinking into the down and sleeping in a nest of warmth.

    But currently she is hard at work by the computer, dozing on her microfleece throw with the heating pad set to 3 (low simmer).

  22. 22.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Betty Cracker: As much as I love to laugh at South Cackalack teams, Clemson want a push over team, at least not on paper. If the noles can beat UM and UF I don’t think there is a case to be made that they aren’t one of, if not the best team in the nation this year.

  23. 23.

    nancy darling

    @dp: I’m making Spicy Summer Squash Soup for freezing. Recipe is in Waters’ The Art of Simple Food. The summer squash in the stores won’t be there long. I’ve already used up all the garden squash.

  25. 25.

    Origuy

    @Baud:

    WTF is it with this blog and disease?

    A lot of talk about health care? If you talk about Medicare often enough, the Google elves think you must be likely to have something wrong with you. I got one for a new medication for overactive bladder.

  27. 27.

    WereBear

    @schrodinger’s cat: Do they give you thighs like canteloupes? (Winger joke.)

    It’s snowing here. But it won’t stick; it’s not Halloween yet. Just making things generally miserable and causing me to contemplate a variety of beverages.

    Enjoy the new house, SoonerFam!

  29. 29.

    Linnaeus

    Cloudy and 51 degrees here in the Emerald City. That’s been more or less the weather (with some heavy fog at times) for the past two weeks.

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    @Baud:

    WTF is it with this blog and disease?

    I don’t think it has anything to do with this blog, or at least not exclusively about this blog. For some reason, the ad providers seem to think this blog is inhabited by teabagger types, and ad people have apparently decided that fear is the correct way of marketing to them. There are tons of ads here that are built around fear of one thing or another. FWIW, I had the guts to click through, and it’s a company that sells snake oil nutritional supplements.

  34. 34.

    Arm The Homeless

    Miami is down by 7 in the second to Wake? WTF? Has anyone checked the forecast in Hades?

  35. 35.

    Keith G

    @Baud: I am seeing a “get bigger breasts” ad right now. As a 55-year-old gay male, the last thing I want are bigger breast…on anyone, but especially me.

  39. 39.

    ruemara

    Quite disappointed. Canceling my event. “My” in the sense that all the leads in the group but myself dropped out. Which is nuts. I may go weed my friend’s garden.

  41. 41.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    It’s 38 and drizzling here in Bemidji as I get ready to watch the Gophers win their 57th game in a row a little later this afternoon. In the meantime I expect Nebraska to pound the sorry excuse for a football team we have.

  42. 42.

    WereBear

    @Amir Khalid: Mostly white at the chin, but nary a hint of gray anywhere else.

    Sounds distinguished! Go for it. Mr WereBear grows a full one every winter. I like having two different husbands :)

  44. 44.

    Keith P.

    @J.: Drinking chocolate is even better than hot chocolate. It’s little pieces of chocolate you melt into milk rather than the powder (maybe the same as homemade HC?)

  45. 45.

    Yatsuno

    @Linnaeus:

    That’s been more or less the weather (with some heavy fog at times) for the past two weeks the rest of the winter.

    Adjusted that fer ya good sir. The snow line was creeping down over Snoqualmie when I went over it a couple weeks ago.

  48. 48.

    Comrade Jake

    I don’t know what he’s got, but the cat in the 250M Americans infected! Ad looks fucking miserable.

  52. 52.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Amir Khalid: I’m preparing to embrace my grey, which is quite nearly as interesting. Wednesday is the shorter cut, with no chemical touch up. Clearly I need a full time job. (Sadly not entirely a joke as it is quite possible that my little nonprofit will be folded into another chapter.)

    I’m not sure what the over and under is on how long I’ll go without running back to the color, as no one seems interested in telling me.

  53. 53.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Because OpenThread and There’sNeverEnoughGnashingOfTeethAboutHealthcare.gov – I blame Java and Internet Exploder:

    HNeilM
    11:45 AM AST

    I HAD same problem & fought it for a week. After many useless heathcare.gov online chat sessions (Boy, are THEY rude!), and about twenty LONG & equally useless phone conversations, I simply DISABLED Java on my laptop, and then cleared my IE cache (F12, CtrlR, F12), rebooted, and BAM!. IT WORKED. I still found bugs, but I got through entire process & bought a policy in about an hour. A great policy at a fantastic price!

    :-/

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @Amir Khalid:
    Once you experience the joy of not having to shave everyday…. And have that for a few months….
    Beard owner for 40 yrs minus 3 days. Yes I once had an entirely stupid thought and shaved off my beard. By the third day I had gotten over that momentary lapse in judgement.

  57. 57.

    Betty Cracker

    @Arm The Homeless: Much as it pains me to say it, if FSU beats UF this year as universally expected, it won’t prove anything except that the Noles can beat a poorly coached team with a crappy offense and mediocre defense. And Miami, who knows since they’re also in a basketball conference. But if the Noles run the table, I wouldn’t mind watching ‘Bama crush them like a rotten walnut in a bowl.

  59. 59.

    Steeplejack

    Wake Forest seems to be taking care of Miami. It’s 14-3 with 3:50 left in the first half, and it doesn’t look fluky.

  60. 60.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Betty Cracker: Bama is not as good as their rankings state. But we shall see. My only fear is that Winston leaves next year for the pros. I sure hope he doesn’t but if he gets a Heisman its pretty much a foregone conclusion.

  62. 62.

    aimai

    Soonergrunt’s day sounds like heaven, to me. My daughters are getting to be a little old for cuddling down although I’m hoping that my youngest and I will have time to crawl into bed and watch Fringe together sometime this weekend.

    I just got back from going to an intro session for Simmons school of social work, the MSW program and now I’m going to take my mother out to look at whatever is left in some garden stores for planting. I guess I’d better change out of my good clothes into something that can get dirty when she starts waving her hadn around and demanding I buy her some plants.

  64. 64.

    eemom

    Hey y’all — I think today would have been General Stuck’s (61st?) birthday.

    Aside from being a stalker, I know because it’s Hillary Clinton’s…..and also my 22nd marriage anniversary.

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eemom: Congratuations. I think it is my brother’s 17th anniversary as well. Three years in a row in the mid-late 90s, I was in a wedding on the last weekend in October. Apparently, it’s a popular one.

    ETA: I am feeling quite a bit better. Not back to my old self yet, but progressing. Thank you.

  69. 69.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @schrodinger’s cat: Lots of people who use Winders and are afraid to download anything from the Internet, I think.

    Interesting.

    For kicks I decided to create an account on Healthcare.gov and see how it worked now. Everything worked fine in Chrome as far as creating an account, answering the 3 security questions. On answering the confirmation e-mail and logging-in I get a blank page at w.h.gov/marketplace/auth/userprofile/ Refreshing didn’t help. But creating a new Incognito window (ctrl-shift-n) and logging in from there worked fine.

    After that, everything seems fine, up to a point. It asks for home address, birthdate (SS# is optional). Then asks for verification of address, verification of previous addresses, etc. No, I haven’t bought pet insurance. :-/ Then it says my identity has been verified and says I can Continue. Clicking the Continue button seems to do nothing, but maybe it’s busy or something…

    Up until the hang at the Continue button, I spent at most 10 minutes.

    It does look like at least some of the problems are on the client side and not on the server side, but more is going on.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  70. 70.

    srv

    Oh, this is so excellent on many levels:

    No Woman, No Drive

    Saudi artist takes Bob Marley, satire and protest very seriously. When you notice his ‘instruments’, know that conservative Saudi’s don’t believe in mechanical instruments.

    h/t reddit

  73. 73.

    gelfling545

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Some people have been saying it works better with IE. I don’t know as I have no need to register & don’t want to clog up the sight with tourists but sadly, sites are often made with IE in mind.

    ETA: The Balloon Juice site is not working very well with Firefox lately. Takes quite a while to load pages.

  75. 75.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eemom: @Omnes Omnibus: Thanks to you I just got to be the caring and conscientious older brother/brother-in-law who remembers things like anniversaries. It actually matters to my s-i-l.

  76. 76.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Oh, BTW, the hang at the Continue button is seemingly related to it needing to access a cookie. Logging in via a normal Chrome tab (a non-Incognito tab) lets me start the application process (entering names and other information, etc.). It seems to be working fine.

    Dunno what information it will give me about policies (I can’t use the exchange anyway).

    IOW, at least at the moment, there are client-side issues with Healthcare.gov, but they can be worked around.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  77. 77.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @gelfling545:

    I found some at Target. They also had fleece-lined leggings at Burlington Coat Factory, and I’ve seen them at other discount stores as well.

    @WereBear:

    I hate pantyhose, but I don’t mind tights. If I have to wear pantyhose, I get the thigh-highs.

    If I want to wear a skirt to my office, I pretty much have to wear tights, because they keep it freezing cold year-round. Plus it seems like every time I wear a skirt, I end up either having to climb a ladder or crawl under a desk, so I’d rather have something opaque underneath.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    I was last clean-shaven in 1970 in boot camp for the US Navy. Once I graduated from boot camp, the USN adopted a historically valid policy of allowing well trimmed beards on sailors, so I’ve never seen my face bare ever since.

    When I shave(d) I broke out with little infections everywhere, so I could have even gotten a medical waiver to not shave. It’s all white and grey now, tho. And bald on top…

    I think a beard with some grey/white in it can give one an appearance of intellect and wisdom… if the rest of you doesn’t contradict that image too much.

  79. 79.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @gelfling545: I suspect many sites are made with IE in mind because so.many.people (who don’t know better, obviously) use that browser. Mr. Q bitches on occasion at how things have to be done so that they’ll work in Exploder, which often complicates how they work in better browsers. He assures me that I forget how many people aren’t connoisseur level internet users.

  80. 80.

    Gozer

    Just got back from afternoon yoga with Dr. Mrs. Gozer.

    She can do a back bend from standing and go right back to standing…I…did a back bend that killed my back…from a supine position. Gonna load up on motrin and take a hot shower and get ready for a b-day party later.

    We’re in our 30s, but I think my orthopedic age is at least 50 due to sports and military service.

  81. 81.

    normal liberal

    @J.:
    Pumpkin spice, whatever the hell it means, is omnipresent here in Illinois, and mostly horrible. I had to supply a meeting with doughnuts yesterday, and Dunkin Donuts was awash in the stuff, which seemed to involve various spices and orange food coloring. (This is what I get for not going to the local bakery.). And Starbucks has a full range of unspeakable drinks on the theme.

    I shudder to think what they’ll all come up with for Christmas, but at least it won’t involve massive squash.

  82. 82.

    Kay

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    Oh, BTW, the hang at the Continue button is seemingly related to it needing to access a cookie. Logging in via a normal Chrome tab (a non-Incognito tab) lets me start the application process (entering names and other information, etc.).

    Would you mind elaborating for me? What is a “normal Chrome non-incognito tab”?

  84. 84.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Kay: In Chrome on Winders, hitting “ctrl-t” opens a new (normal) tab. That’s the type of tab that let me get past the Continue hang that I was getting in the “incognito” tab. (Incognito tabs are the same as “private browsing” tabs in Firefox – the browser limits what can be done with cookies, etc., to “help protect your privacy”.)

    It looks like one succesfully logs in to healthcare.gov one shouldn’t use an “incognito” tab after that. IOW, once you get past the “Continue” button you should log in with a normal tab in your browser.

    I hope this is clear. Let me know if it isn’t.

    Good luck.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  85. 85.

    WereBear

    Sitting here waiting for the new Mac OS, Maverick, to finish all its stuff. Love my Mac, but it does make me appreciate the Chromebook, which has 20 second updates.

  88. 88.

    Cassidy

    @Cassidy: and that’s what happens when you get distracted mid comment. Can’t remember if I was trying to say love or live for. Oh well.

  91. 91.

    Linnaeus

    @WereBear:

    Sitting here waiting for the new Mac OS, Maverick, to finish all its stuff. Love my Mac, but it does make me appreciate the Chromebook, which has 20 second updates.

    I’m going to wait until I can fully back up my computer, then when I do install Mavericks, I’ll set up my computer for dual boot because there’s still software (coughStarCraftcough) that I need Snow Leopard to run.

  92. 92.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @eemom: Happy Anniversary. And it’s great that you helped Omnes make his SIL’s day.

    I still plan to go visit the General in repose, but not for a couple of weeks due to scheduling.

  93. 93.

    realbtl

    @efgoldman:
    Nice thing about a beard is that I can honestly say I have as much hair as when I was in high school, it has just, um, moved around a bit.

  95. 95.

    handsmile

    @eemom:

    You got married at 78?! ‘Coz you once said on this very blog this very year that you were 100 years old. (and you know I believe everything I read on the intertubes.)

    Hearty congratulations to you and eedad; hope the eekids behave appropriately today.

    (me and the missus celebrated our 13th in August.)

  96. 96.

    WereBear

    @Linnaeus: Good thinking!

    Got all signed up with iCloud & such. I do appreciate the whole Cloud concept. This whole day, between indulging in a restaurant breakfast and updating the Mac and working on blog posts, I’ve moved between all Chromebook, Mac & iPod touch pretty seamlessly, with the only constant being the Internet.

  97. 97.

    Suzanne

    Spawn the Elder joined a xylophone band called Marimba Masters this year and they have their first performance this afternoon.

    Car is still not done and I am freaking out.

    House is a mess.

  99. 99.

    eemom

    Thanks to all for the good wishes!

    And for y’all talking about beards who are on FB, here’s a post I just saw that you might like.

  101. 101.

    Steeplejack

    Wake Forest scores to take the lead! Awesome, awesome block by No. 2 to clear the way.

    Wake now up 21-17 with 4:02 to go. This turned out to be a really good game.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    My ex had never seen me without a full, and I do mean full beard. Used to not trim it from about November till March. Then I surprised her with the shave. She screamed because at first she thought I was an intruder. She got mad when I laughed at that. I think she got over it. About 2 yrs later. It really was funny though.

  104. 104.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Well, it worked but I’m still unimpressed with the call. With most coaches I’d joke that they had a brain seizure.

  105. 105.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    I had tried a beard while in the navy because Adm. Zumwalt said we all could. It went OK but I shaved it off anyway. On the day I got out in 73 I stopped shaving and cutting my hair. Let both get good and long. Wasn’t having anyone think of me as anything other than a hippie. No mistaken identities for me.

  108. 108.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Well, heck. We’re going to be bowl eligible now and we still have Indiana on the schedule.

  113. 113.

    MomSense

    @eemom:

    Congratulations on your anniversary! Hope you enjoy your happy day or what the heck are you doing here with us crazies??

  114. 114.

    Arm The Homeless

    Whatever they like to call themselves they just bought themselves some major props. I hope they make some waves in the Big10

  115. 115.

    handsmile

    @MomSense:

    Now that I see you here (and that I seem to have returned to commenting on this blog), I want to offer an apology to you for failing to follow through on our proposed “Mid-Coast meet-up” this past summer.

    As this is a public forum, let me simply say that in late July, several unfortunate circumstances demanded my immediate attention and action. It resulted in curtailing my vacation and what time we did have was devoted to rescheduled activities with family and friends. A certain personal reassessment of time and energy followed; one feature of which was limiting online commitments. Returning here, I would like to clear up any misunderstanding or ill feeling between us.

    As we visit Maine a couple of times each year other than vacation, I hope you’d be amenable to a future meeting when mutually convenient. Dirigo!

  116. 116.

    MomSense

    @handsmile:

    No worries. Hope that everything is ok with you and your family. Next time you are in Maine, we can try a meet-up again.

    You really should have been here last night, however because a friend brought a bucket full of lobsters right off his boat. Wow, but they were tasty.

  117. 117.

    Amir Khalid

    @MomSense:
    Is that a real holiday? Never heard of it here. Bt I’ll see if I have the willpower to keep the beard all the way to December, at least.

  120. 120.

    GHayduke (formerly Lojasmo)

    Working 12 hour nights. Slept for about three fitful hours this morning after last night’s shift.

    Night shifts suck. Luckily, I only have to do a handful a year.

  121. 121.

    GHayduke (formerly Lojasmo)

    Working 12 hour nights. Slept for about three fitful hours this morning after last night’s shift.

    Night shifts suck. Luckily, I only have to do a handful a year.

  125. 125.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @eemom:

    Hey y’all — I think today would have been General Stuck’s (61st?) birthday.

    Aside from being a stalker, I know because it’s Hillary Clinton’s…..and also my 22nd marriage anniversary.

    Happy anniversary to you, and happy birthday to Secretary Clinton. Your mention of General Stuck’s birthday rings a faint little bell, because it’s also the (38th) anniversary of my mother’s death, and I kinda feel that there was a discussion, or exchange of comments, about it a few years ago.

  126. 126.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @J R in WV:

    I think a beard with some grey/white in it can give one an appearance of intellect and wisdom…

    I think it’s sexy as hell.

    Intellect and wisdom, that is.

    And greyish beards.

  128. 128.

    Birthmarker

    Here is how my Mom (who would be 95 now if alive) made homemade hot chocolate. No amounts because she would never measure.

    Put cocoa, a bit of water (to make a paste) and a dash of salt in a saucepan, and stir and cook for a minute or two. (Like making a white sauce.) Then add sugar and milk til you get the taste right. You can add a bit more cocoa as needed. Heat til sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot enough.

    If I had to guess, you add about a teaspoon or two each of sugar and cocoa per cup.

  129. 129.

    eemom

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    RIP to your Mom, and the General. And thank you for sharing that little memory of him, however fuzzy.

    I still miss him…..and as I’ve said before, I’m sure he would be pleased to know that we honor his memory here.

Comments are closed.