Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

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

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Republicans don’t trust women.

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

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

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Colts/Pats Open Thread

Reader Interactions

239Comments

  3. 3.

    Aji

    Mmm . . . my favorite. Be right over. [Except for the 2,000-mile geographic gap.]

    Drinking coffee and already cursing the Pats. Pasta later.

  5. 5.

    The Dangerman

    Still shocked about the brain cramp by Colston of the Saints; I can see a trick play there, but tossing it several yards forward isn’t going to get it done.

  8. 8.

    jl

    I’m not a real big football fan, so only watching the important games. But you kids have your fun.

  10. 10.

    Comrade Luke

    Exhaling after a stressful Seahawks win, and enjoying the fact that I can calmly watch another game while others freak out over it.

  11. 11.

    Corner Stone

    Plan to make a few more foam crafts.
    Surprisingly, it hasn’t gotten me any action yet, but I figure one day. One day.

  13. 13.

    James E. Powell

    Watching Pats/Colts, hoping Pats win comfortably, and wondering if I spend too much time watching NFL football.

  16. 16.

    FlyingToaster

    Just made seconds for WarriorGirl (she’s already up past her weekday bedtime and watching some kind of Scooby Doo marathon).

    For a kid who I can’t normally get to eat at all, this was a real win for me as Mom.

    Not watching the Pats, though I do hope for any of the following:

    Pats defeat spawns of Satan. (I grew up in KC, y’all. Shook Hank Stram’s hand and everything.)

    Pats lose and spawns of Satan take Brady with them. Nice guy, but needs to retire because boring as fuck.

    Comet; hopefully only taking out Foxboro (I live in H₂OTown and given that we’ve survived the Tsarnaevs, we should be able to withstand a mere comet).

  17. 17.

    max

    watching this while I wait for the Penguins game at 10

    I have finally managed to get it straight in my head who is playing. I also saw who was playing tomorrow, but I’ve forgotten it again.

    Hard to remember things when you just don’t care at all.

    max
    [‘I think I will waste some time conquering Carthage again.’]

  18. 18.

    jl

    @gogol’s wife:

    TPM has the traffic engineering take on FatsoBridgeWaterlooGate-ocolypse, which I think is a must read for any true aficionado .

    An Interesting Read
    Josh Marshall, TPM
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/an-interesting-read

    Click through to the scintillating sexy story:

    Poorly executed toll lane reallocation trial at Geo Washington Bridge escalates-two top execs of PANYNJ are out in political furore.
    Tollroadsnews.com
    December 17, 2013
    By Peter Samuel

  22. 22.

    elmo

    Made favorite pasta – toasted pine nuts in olive oil, with a whole head of garlic, black olives, spinach, and sundries tomatoes, in a white wine sauce thickened with feta – and now having peanut butter balls and Cabernet. Football is on, but I don’t care much until tomorrow. Wife is fussing with her aquarium.

    This is not the life I planned, but it is very, very good.

  23. 23.

    Poopyman

    Well, Penn State has a coach. Here’s hoping for a successful program!

    @max: Don’t forget the salt.

    And I couldn’t be bothered to give a fuck about the remaining NFL teams. Talk amongst yourselves.

  25. 25.

    Punchy

    @Comrade Luke: Negative. Business trip. May be able to get 9 in on Friday, but weather is mid -40Fs. Tough to hit out of the pot bunkers with frozen mitts. We’ll see….

  36. 36.

    Xantar

    @jl:

    That may have been a good article, but dear Buddha, Josh Marshall’s post needed some copy editing. It took me three read throughout to figure out what that single paragraph was saying.

  37. 37.

    Violet

    Steak and baked potatoes for dinner. Potatoes are in the oven, steaks are warming to room temp.

    I’m still fighting some infection or something, so I’m tired. Lymph nodes in my neck are enlarged and I have some sinus drip stuff but not a lot. Just yesterday I started coughing up some gunk. Cough is slightly worse today but I’m not coughing all that much. I did have a cold in early/mid-December but thought I was over it until this nonsense started a week ago. I’ve been exhausted all week.

    Did have my quarterly visit with my endocrinologist scheduled last Tuesday so when I told him what was going on he listened to my lungs and looked in my ears and throat and said everything looked and sounded fine. My temp was fine. I had my annual physical in November and they said everything, bloodwork etc. was fine then. No red flags.

    I figure it’s something that lingered from the cold but don’t really know what to do. I’m not so sick I can’t do anything but I’m not well. I get dizzy from time to time and the lymph nodes are still swollen. And I’m fatigued. Ugh. Don’t know if I should go to another doctor and if so what kind. ENT? GP? Wait it out? It’s been going on a week now and I’m not much better.

  39. 39.

    Geoduck

    Seahawks never make it easy to be a fan, but yay! I guess I’m pulling for the Colts, simply because they appear to be the underdogs.

  40. 40.

    lamh36

    Watching season 2 of Sherlock Holmes so I’ll be ready for next Sunday’s season 3 premiere on PBS

  44. 44.

    Anoniminous

    Went hiking up the mountain today. Where there should be 2′ of snow there was nothing. Where there should be 4′ of snow there was about 6″. Where there should be 6′ of snow there was about 2′.

    WE NEED SOME PRECIPITATION, STAT!

  45. 45.

    CaseyL

    I’m happy the ‘Hawks won, but what the hell is going on with the offense? It has been mostly ineffectual for weeks now. I love Lynch, but for FSM’s sake everyone in the known universe knows Wilson’s gonna hand off to him on nearly every first down.

    Game’s funniest moment: When Earl Thomas took one right in the goolies from his own team-mate, and the announcers said “Looks like Thomas, um, got the wind knocked out of him.” Meanwhile, Thomas is rolling around on the ground clutching himself, so I said in my best Bill Cosby voice: You will not touch certain areas of your body while on the playing field. (The friends I was watching with never heard that routine, though, and didn’t get the joke.)

  46. 46.

    Aji

    @Violet: Bleah. My symathies.

    I can no longer take antibiotics, like, ever, so I’ve had to come up with workarounds. First thing I’d do: Get rid of all dairy from your diet for a few days. Not just milk, ice cream, etc., but any processed or other food that contains caseins or caseinates (dairy proteins). Dairy is a huge manufacturer of mucus; you’ll probably see the coughing clear up fast. If you need something for headaches, butterbur – you can get it at any health food-type place. Got any eucalyptus oil? If you do, pour a few drops in the shower in the morning, with the water as hot as you can stand it. Or add it to a vaporizer if you have one. There natural/herbal are things you can take for sore throat/cough, too, if necessary.

    Now, none of it means that there isn’t something viral or bacterial going on, of course. But even if there is, it might give you some relief from the more unpleasant symptoms, maybe enough to let you get some rest.

  51. 51.

    trollhattan

    @Anoniminous:

    Today’s “storm” was a complete bust. Now the forecast is sunny and 60s for the next eight days. Here being the Sacramento Valley.

  52. 52.

    scav

    @jl: Being so old it necessarily downplays the other, larger, political context that’s been established with the new emails. The one-lane test was an add-on: there’s a plan with 3 test options and then an amended plan with the single land option added unless I’ve gone completely nuts. The political appoints were pushing for hurt and overriding the usual processes. All that not communicating with the public thing is a massive clue. Ignoring technical advance (and reality itself) if it gets in the way of political objectives is GOP SOP, but this was still an unusually petty display of their spots.

  53. 53.

    Violet

    @Aji: Thanks. I’ve eliminated most dairy since last weekend. I don’t usually have a problem with dairy, but because I’ve got this issue I’ve almost completely eliminated it. I don’t know if the last tiny bit (a tablespoon or so in my tea in the morning) would make that much of a difference but I could give it a try. Like I said, I have experimented before with dairy elimination and dairy really isn’t a problem for me. Maybe my genetic background or something.

    I have been doing steam inhalations adding tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil to the bowl and putting a towel over my head. I started doing them about four times a day but I get tired of doing them–they’re hard work for me–so I’ve kind of tailed off to once a day. While they make me feel better in the immediate short term they haven’t made much difference long term.

    I guess that’s why I’m wondering if I’ve got some virus or bacterial infection or something. Not even sure what kind of doctor to consult. I’m not a big fan of going to the doctor–figure the body will heal itself if I rest and drink fluids, especially since I don’t have a fever. But this has been going on awhile now.

  56. 56.

    Aji

    @Violet: Anything inflammatory going on? I mean, I have multiple autoimmune disease, so any little bug gets magnified. If so, maybe you need the meds.

    I know what you mean about the inhalation thing. Gawd, I hate it. When I was a kid, my parents used to make me spend what seemed like hours in steam tents whenever I’d get sick. So now, I just do the shower and vaporizer thing, and if I feel like I need a little extra, I sit next to the vaporizer.

    I’m dairy-allergic now thanks to the aforementioned antibiotics problem (allergic to them, too), but like most POC, always been lactose-intolerant. I’ve had to give up basically everything with even the tiniest bit in it, and seriously start reading labels. Good thing we don’t eat out much. Once I gave it up, though, I dropped a bunch of weight, and my lifelong sinus issues disappeared overnight.

    The mister is insisting I recommend an Epsom salt bath, so consider it recommended. Never done a thing for me, TBH, but whatthehell – maybe it’ll relax you enough to sleep? :-D

  57. 57.

    jl

    @The Other Bob:

    Thanks. Those cat walks and perches are awesome. Cole must by all of for Steve. NOW!

    Edit: and if Tunch were still here, Cole should have bought it too. Would make for hilarious pics, with Tunch lying on the floor staring at that stuff.

  59. 59.

    raven

    @Aji: My Lil Bit has immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). We’ve been pretty successful at controlling it, I guess cocker’s are really predisposed to it.

  60. 60.

    Amir Khalid

    @Xantar:
    Let me have a go at editing it.

    Courtesy of TPM Reader DD, here’s an article in what would normally seem the non scintillating tollroadnews.com. It is significantly out of date; published on December 17th. But it’s interesting because it looks at the story as of that moment not through mainly through the prism of national politics and scandal-watching but civil engineering and scandal management. So it’s a helpful perspective on whether or mainly whether this didn’t make sense in those terms.

    My version:

    Courtesy of TPM Reader DD, here’s an article in the normally non-scintillating tollroadnews.com, dated December 17th. It offers a helpful perspective on the story, not as a national-politics scandal, but in terms of civil engineering and management.

  64. 64.

    Aji

    @raven: Oh, dear god. We lost one of our dogs to that, in combination with IMTP. Result of a bad med that she should never have been given.

    Glad to hear that your girl’s is under control.

  66. 66.

    Poopyman

    @Violet: You might also try the neti pot to clear out anything that might be in there. I was surprised the other day to discover my upper teeth hurting from sinus pressure when I hadn’t even realized there was anything going on – no blockage, no drainage, nuthin’.

    I had a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes for something like two weeks over Christmas. A swab at Urgent Care showed nothing, yet it persisted for another week and then … went away. Dunno what that was about, but I bring it up because folks seem to be having episodes like these all over this winter. Hang in there.

  67. 67.

    Richard Mayhew

    Idiot announcers don.t understand expected value of ball at 2 is greater than safety and free kick backing Colts up to own 30

  69. 69.

    raven

    @Aji: What did you give her, Pred? We are lucky to have some great vets because of the UGA Vet school and our’s prescribed Atopica (cyclosporine) instead of pred. She also has no tear ducts so she gets cyclosporine in her eyes twice a day for life (along with three other meds). Her story is half way down this page.

  72. 72.

    Aji

    @raven: Nope. Metacam (for humans, Meloxicam). And I didn’t give it to her; someone else did (and to our Newfie). Killed ’em both, over time.

    [Sigh] a long and unpleasant story.

  76. 76.

    Aji

    @raven: Okay, and now you went a got me all teary-eyed. I just read her story.

    BTW, how much did the cataract surgery set you back? Our She-Wolf is newly-diabetic (DX’d on 11/19), and the vet tells us to expect total blindness within two months 9almost there, and no blindness yet); four at the outside. He says cataract surgery is the only fix, but that it’s hellishly expensive.

  78. 78.

    CaseyL

    OK, I’ve seen the ad for the Lego Superhero Movie about a dozen times and I still have no idea who the target audience is for that one.

  79. 79.

    Violet

    @Aji: Thanks for the Epsom salt bath recommendation. I know magnesium deficiency is a problem for most people and it’s a great way to get some. I’ll give it a try.

    Out to man the bbq. Then dinner. Thanks!

  81. 81.

    Aji

    @raven: Oof. Well, it’s an NSAID, albeit an exceptionally potent one. In humans, I think the biggest risk is the liver; I assume you’re getting the periodic labs?

    The thing about it with dogs is that they have much smaller bodies via which to metabolize it. Bleed-outs are common, but no one said a word about it. Yes, we have a different vet.

  83. 83.

    raven

    @Aji: Well, we have a GREAT doggie opthamologist (ex-wife of a semi-famous Georgia Blue Dog congresscritter), She recommended that we do one and she how the other one was. A great part of the cost is the anesthesia but we did what she said and had to do two separately. I can’t recall exactly, somewhere in the $700 range. You don’t even want to know about Raven’s fight with cancer.

  85. 85.

    trollhattan

    @Comrade Luke:

    That was a hell of a collision–every dude watching that doubled over in sympathy pain.

    Lynch gets game ball easily, but Baldwin’s catch while losing the helmet was my play of the game.

  86. 86.

    scav

    @Amir Khalid: V. nice, but I’d add something about it (the article) being based on information available at the time it was written — which is important as so much has come out since then. Don’t want to leave the impression they’re ignoring or white-washing details. That would be unfair to them.

  87. 87.

    Aji

    @raven: Wow! Our vet told us to expect at least $3K per eye. He said if we were really lucky, someone might do both at once for $5K. No, we wouldn’t put her through that.

    @raven: Oh, jeez, hon, I’m sorry. Let me know what happens, okay?

  88. 88.

    raven

    @Aji: One thing we learned with Raven’s post radiation pain was the limitation of opioid effectiveness in dogs. Poor little guy was really hurtin and there wasn’t much we could do. He did recover and live 2 1/2 years so there was that.

  91. 91.

    raven

    @Aji: I better check with the boss when she gets home but I don’t think it was near that much and she is a big deal in the field.

    I’m OK, bicep tendon and the MRI should tell us if there is a tear. I stayed out of the water for 3 weeks and it’s better but there’s still something going on (has been for years). My goal is to be able to keep my daily swim as long as I can.

  92. 92.

    Svensker

    @Violet:

    . I know magnesium deficiency is a problem for most people and it’s a great way to get some.

    Yes, epsom salts bath/soak helps. But get yourself some magnesium CITRATE. Solaray makes a good one, but try different brands until you find one you absorb well. Don’t get it combined with calcium. You know you’re taking enough when you….well, you’ll just know, believe me.

  93. 93.

    jl

    @gogol’s wife: In the Tollroadsnews.com author’s defense, it was written before most of the smoking guns re intent were public, and I guess there was actually an issue about the allocation of lanes, and I guess somebody had to try to make sense of it that way, and who better than a traffic engineer type.

    But, the guy’s theory does read a little humorously now.

  95. 95.

    Amir Khalid

    @scav:
    A story dated December 17th can of course have only the information available as of its publication date, or the date it was written/edited, so I didn’t feel the need to mention that again.

  96. 96.

    CaseyL

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    @efgoldman:
    @FlyingToaster:

    Really? I thought the movie was just a bit too grown-up for the under-10 set. I could very well be wrong.

    (I do know some adults who love Legos even more than little kids do; I know there are entire clubs for Legos. I just didn’t think there were enough Legos fans to make a movie for.)

  97. 97.

    Aji

    @raven: Wow, seems like there’s a lot of variance.

    We’re in a tourist-trappy area, so things are expensive here; we’d probably have to take her down to Santa Fe anyway just to find someone to do it. But like I said, no change apparent yet, and I’m giving her multiple daily supplements designed to stave it off, so we’re not going down without a fight.

  101. 101.

    raven

    @Aji: It’s such a hard call. She’s probably going to lose her vision at some point but we feel so lucky to have had such success with her. She’s so damn happy and goofy and, between her and the Bohdi, we just try to enjoy every second.

  106. 106.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    Stolen Baltimore Colts vs. Patriots? Sorry, rooting for the meteor here.

  107. 107.

    Amir Khalid

    Incidentally, the Intertoobs is announcing the death, at the age of 74, of the man who succeeded James Brady as Ronald Reagan’s press secretary. Alas, no one has used the headline

    Larry Speakes No More

  108. 108.

    scav

    @Amir Khalid: True, I was just being careful and nudging down the reading level, dotting all serifs a bit harder, largely because of the emotions and politics of the subject.

  109. 109.

    some guy

    According to Facebook the MLA stepped up and doubled down on the ASA resolution.

    Also,more ass whooping.

  110. 110.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @raven: Furnace, not oven. It was metal shop, remember?

    One of those albums came out in the summer when we were playing marathon games of Sucker’s Monopoly (only rule: Don’t Get Caught) and I can still remember how it feels to have a mouthful of Coca Cola and have it come out your nose ’cause you’re laughing so hard.

    I still remember a heck of a lot of Cosby’s lines:

    “We used to steal the wheels. Off of baby carriages, to make go-carts.”
    “Riiiight. What’s a cubit?”
    “Why is there air? To blow up volleyballs!”

  116. 116.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @raven: S’okay. I have a steel-trap memory for useless information. Stuff I need to know, like why I just went downstairs? Gone before I get there.

  129. 129.

    Aji

    @raven: This. She-Wolf was a rez dog rescue, and we’re not abandoning her now.

    Also, too, I had a long-ass reply to the bit about your bicep MRI, but I guess moderation eated it. Not gonna bother to try to duplicate (what was the bad word, Cole? the acronym for the Indian Health Service?), so suffice to say that I said you should let me know what happens on Monday.

  130. 130.

    raven

    I remember when the Hokies and their vaunted D played Stanford with Luck and got the dogshit kicked out of them!

  133. 133.

    raven

    @Aji: Oh, I wasn’t coming even close to suggesting abandonment. I just wonder how crucial their vision is when it comes down to it.

  137. 137.

    Aji

    @raven: Oh, notsomuch, IME. Major, our 14.5-y.o big guy with cancer, also has bad cataracts in both eyes. His balance is horrible because his vision is so bad. [He’s also nothing but bones now, but we’re not going to subject him to cancer treatment, what with his age and his abused past; he’s being allowed to hang out as long as he still wants to be here, which, so far, he does.] he still patrols the perimeter of the land, I guess mostly by a combination of memory, fell, and smell.

    And Griffin lost sight in one eye 4.5 years ago when he got hit by a truck, The other one is fine, and you’d never know anything was wrong (at 13.5, he’s now profoundly deaf, though, but otherwise, still a puppy).

    And She-Wolf apparently does have the beginnings of one forming in the back of her right eye – vet found it back at her DX visit in November, but so far, there doesn’t seem to be any change at all.

  140. 140.

    raven

    @Aji: My home boy in Tucson had a huge black shepherd that got hit by a car and blinded as a pup. My boy was a seeing eye person for the galoot for years. He’d take him to the high school football field and the big dude would run until the hit the chain link fennce, turn and keep going. Great dog.

  153. 153.

    Corner Stone

    @efgoldman: Holding is a penalty. It can be called a bunch where it is not called.
    But tripping, or leg whipping is a fast track to awful injury.

  156. 156.

    Aji

    @raven: Wow. Maybe I should take a road trip with her, if it ever comers to that.

    @Omnes Omnibus: [Sigh] yeah. The first few of each were by choice. In recent years, though, they’ve begun finding us. Just randomly showing up. For better or for worse, neither of us is capable of turning an abused/injured/starving animal out into the elements. Word’s obviously getting around. :-D

  159. 159.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @efgoldman:

    Bitching about officiating is a loser’s ultimate excuse.

    Can we at least bitch about the zebras when even the talking heads talk about the bad calls?

  169. 169.

    The Sailor

    CBS has an investment in the Pats winning.
    The refs have an investment in the Pats winning.

    They probably could of won honestly, but I hate a crooked game.

    And that’s why I don’t watch the NBA or boxing any more. Not because my team loses, but because it’s fixed.

  176. 176.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MikeJ: I am still annoyed about the catch/interception thing at the end of the GB-Seattle game last year. The refs got it wrong. I don’t think they were corrupt. OTOH, in the GB-Chicago game at the end this regular season, the Bears probably came out on the wrong end of the weird fumble play. What goes around comes around.

  177. 177.

    MikeJ

    @Omnes Omnibus: Refs screw things up all the time. Over the long run, they tend to screw them up in your favor as often as they go against you.

    Most of the Seahawks fans responded to the GB incident by pointing to the Steelers game in which they were screwed.

  178. 178.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Heliopause: Why did they do that (punt rather than go for the easy field goal)? Just to be merciful? Some other reason?

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  180. 180.

    reality-based

    @Violet:

    elderberry syrup
    airborne (the fizzy pill.)
    an epsom salt bath – just makes you feel better, a little extra magnesium always helps.

    It is a balmy +22 degrees fahrenheit here in Sunny North Dalota – the gods be praised, after last weeks deep freeze.

  181. 181.

    mzrad

    I’m without a TV for sports games but with a glass of red wine and a cat: so, perfect! IMHO, watching sports games is about as interesting as playing extensive games with the cat, which means not especially interesting. His favorite “game” is to plop on the ground for homage, which is pretty boring after a while. He also likes to nap with me when I’m laying down to think or rest: a good cat! Hope all’s well with you all, Mr. C.

  184. 184.

    James E. Powell

    @The Sailor:

    CBS has an investment in the Pats winning.
    The refs have an investment in the Pats winning.

    They probably could of won honestly, but I hate a crooked game.

    There’s something about that “could of” that makes me think you’re a little upset. Or that you’re Cormac McCarthy.

  185. 185.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Violet:

    I second the neti pot suggestion. If you have trouble with the traditional ones (I was never able to get them to work), I got a Nasopure, which works much better for me.

    I was able to avoid the worst of the nasty cold that was going around work with the neti pot, because the massive post-nasal drip was making everyone lose their voice. I try not to use it every day, but when I have a cold or it’s high allergy season, it sure is helpful.

  186. 186.

    MikeJ

    @James E. Powell: Speaking of Cormac McC, did you read about his ex getting arrested this week?

    McCarthy went into the couple’s shared bedroom then emerged wearing nothing but white lingerie and “a silver handgun in her vagina,” police wrote in the probable cause statement.

    The woman started having sex with the handgun, her boyfriend told cops, and asked him, “Who is crazy, you or me?”

  188. 188.

    James E. Powell

    @MikeJ:

    Speaking of Cormac McC, did you read about his ex getting arrested this week?

    I did see that. It made me very sad.

  190. 190.

    KG

    @Omnes Omnibus: the Fail Mary was due to replacement refs, who were gone by the next week because of it.

    The higher level you go in sports, the less petty and stupid, and yes, bad, the refs tend to be

  191. 191.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    Eleven years on the official side in professional sports. Doesn’t even matter if you did everything right every time, someone will bitch about how you did your job. As you elude to, just the nature of the deal. Especially the closer you are to the action, the harder/impossible it is to see everything.

  194. 194.

    MikeJ

    @Omnes Omnibus: How did I score below 1% at 15/15?

    There wasn’t one question on that quiz I had to actually think about.

    Seems the 1% thing wasn’t the only screwy stat:
    Worship service attendance:
    At least weekly 52%
    Monthly/yearly 48%
    Seldom/never 49%

    Huh?

  196. 196.

    Violet

    Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I just took an Epsom Salt bath and it sure was relaxing. Hope it helped.

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): I am kind of afraid of using Neti pots or the like. I have something like you’ve linked, although not that brand, that I used two years ago when I had the cold that wouldn’t go away. I somehow used it incorrectly and ended up pushing the mucous up into my eyes, where I then would wake up day after day with my eyes glued shut. I had to use clear saline eye drops to wash the mucous out of my eyes. You can’t imagine how gross it is to have snot coming out your eyes. So yeah, although I hear great things about Neti pots, I’m a bit hesitant.

  197. 197.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MikeJ: I told the (Jewish) friend that had posted the quiz and the question on FB that “One percent beat you because you can’t beat your addiction to bacon. One percent beat me because, quite honestly, I haven’t been in a house of worship of any kind for anything other than weddings, funerals, or architectural/historical appreciation purposes for 25 years or more.”

  199. 199.

    Amir Khalid

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Missed the last one. But then I don’t know much about the history of Protestant Christianity. My 14/15 is still a creditable score by American standards.

  201. 201.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Violet: It was – without being overly self-congratulatory, it should be understood that the average commenter here is a fairly knowledgeable person.

  202. 202.

    Violet

    Since we’re doing religion quizzes, how about Beliefnet’s Belief-O-Matic. It tells you what religion you really are. The last time I took it, it told me I should be Jewish.

  203. 203.

    reality-based

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    oh, good – its a damn Midwestern Tropical Heat Wave! Yay, us! (for as long as it lasts)

    also, played scrabble with my 90 -year-old mom tonite (how’s that for thrills? ) She beat me by making “bastions” as her 7-letter word, connected with “noh” (the Japanese Theatre genre>

    Norwegian longevity genes, I tell ya – can’t beat ’em.

  206. 206.

    reality-based

    @Omnes Omnibus: can’t beat, but tied – nothing like a Lutheran Sunday School upbringing combined with a good Liberal Arts Education

    are you, like me, one of those agnostics who annoys the hell out of bible-banging fundamentalists by correcting their bible quotes?

  208. 208.

    max

    Bah. 14/15. Started to go with Jonathan Edwards, talked myself into Charles Finney.

    And the other quiz says I’m a Liberal Quaker.

    max
    [‘Makes sense, I think.’]

  211. 211.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @ruemara: Odds are that is the mistake most people will make. Edwards is a great…great uncle of mine and that is the only reason I knew.

  212. 212.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Violet:

    It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I’m honestly not sure how you could get mucus from your sinuses into your eyes. I mean, anatomically, how does that happen?

    One thing I learned was to not blow my nose until I was totally done, because otherwise I ended up with water in weird crevices inside my sinuses.

  214. 214.

    Violet

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): Bend your head too far over and it happens. When it happened to me I freaked out, talked to some friends, read up on it online and yeah, it can happen. Disgusting.

  218. 218.

    max

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I’m honestly not sure how you could get mucus from your sinuses into your eyes. I mean, anatomically, how does that happen?

    Oh, Wikipedia!:

    The nasolacrimal duct (sometimes called the tear duct) carries tears from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity. The opening of the nasolacrimal duct into the inferior nasal meatus is partially covered by a mucosal fold (valve of Hasner or plica lacrimalis). Excess tears flow through nasolacrimal duct which drains into the inferior nasal meatus. This is the reason the nose starts to run when a person is crying or has watery eyes from an allergy, and why one can sometimes taste eye drops.

    There’s also the issue of air pressure, needing to keep it in balance. (Same thing with your ears.)

    max
    [‘Basically, your sinuses connect all over your face/head.’]

  219. 219.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Omnes Omnibus: That’s really funny. I got 14 out of 15, and the one I missed was about whether the Catholic position is that host and wine are symbolic stand-ins for the the body and blood of Jebus, or actually are considered to literally become them. And I was raised observant Catholic. I just forgot how completely nuts they are.

    If someone said “transubstantiation” to me these days I’d probably think we were talking about a cell phone tower or something.

  220. 220.

    ? Martin

    @Violet: Neti pots are awesome. I avoided it for years as well, but my sinus infections were so bad and so regular that I was desperate. And holy shit did it make a world of difference. I haven’t had a proper sinus infection since – they’ll start, and the neti pot just wipes it clean out.

  221. 221.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    host and wine are symbolic stand-ins for the the body and blood of Jebus, or actually literally become them

    IIRC that is a major divider between Catholics and most Protestants.

  222. 222.

    jl

    Hmmm. I am supposed to be a Unitarian/Universalist.

    And I got 14/15 because I was confused about whether teachers could lead a class in prayer.

    I thought that they could if it was nondenominational and students didn’t have to participate.
    Those damn liberal activist judges wrecked my perfect score! I hate them now.
    Edit2: and wasn’t that an effing law question, not a religious quesion? Huh? Unfair I say. I was revved and psyched for stuff like antidisestablishmentarianism.

    Edit: And Patriots won? Glad I didn’t watch. I’ll watch the Patriots play when it is important vital and absolutely necessary to beat them like a dirty rug.

  223. 223.

    Violet

    @? Martin: Maybe I should go get an actual Neti pot instead of the thing I’ve got. Maybe it would work better for me. What do you put in the Neti pot? You’re not supposed to just use tap water, right?

  224. 224.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Omnes Omnibus: Classified among the many varieties of angels dancing on the head of pin controversies, at least by me. I think the Life of Brian pretty much nailed the whole bunch.

  225. 225.

    jl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Zwingli, an early Presbyterian, was for mere symbolism. Roman Catholicism was for real blood and flesh. Other prots were/are some kind of incomprehensible middle muddle.

    Zwingli didn’t have much influence, maybe ’cause he loved him religious wars and got hacked to pieces in one at a relatively early age. Stubborn cantankerous Swiss dude, IIRC.

  226. 226.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Bill E Pilgrim: Hey, I came in on the other test as a secular humanist. I ain’t going to fight about this. I find it interesting because the Reformation/Counter Reformation is rather fascinating.

  227. 227.

    James E. Powell

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    I came up Roman Catholic, had the Baltimore Catechism drilled into my head. Later I read up on what exactly we Roman Catholics believe that our Protestant brethren and sisteren do not. Naturally, I was appalled. Hardly any Catholics bother to learn what they are supposed to profess.

  229. 229.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh I wasn’t aiming that at you. Just sighing at what maroons we humans are. I knew all about the position, all my life, and how it differed from others, that’s what struck me so funny. That when I read it stated in plain language, “literally becomes the body and blood” I found myself thinking “No, that’s too crazy”, having just forgotten that there’s no such thing.

  231. 231.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @jl: That’s the thing, when it’s real blood involved, especially your own, it’s pretty much apparent without a lot of theorizing. If people had spent more time worrying about that, rather than “Now, who’s to say that this wine is NOT the actual blood…”

    I like Vonnegut’s satire in the Sirens of Titan, in which our entire civilization was horribly warped by aliens using us to get a spare part to a stranded space traveler. No wonder we couldn’t make any sense at all, one character says.

  233. 233.

    Yatsuno

    @Bill E Pilgrim: I honestly don’t recall. I imagine the questions are the same but the order given might be different. For methodological purposes giving the same questions in the exact same order decreases bias, but this isn’t exactly a scientific survey.

    Drugs hitting, it’s sleepytime. Night y’all.

  237. 237.

    Nerull

    If the colts lost by two points, you could maybe be justified in whining about bad calls.

    They didn’t.

  238. 238.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    Not that anyone’s coming back to this thread, but …

    @max:

    I knew everything was connected, but I wasn’t sure how.  Thanks!

    @Violet:

    NO TAP WATER! You can use filtered boiled water but, really, I find distilled water to be easier, plus it comes in a handy jug.

    And, yes, you have to be careful about tilting your head too far forward — try to bend at the waist instead, and tilt your head to the side to prevent the liquid from dribbling back into your mouth. The real neti pots are pretty cheap — they have store brands of them at places like CVS and Walgreens — so you may as well try that and see if it works better for you.

  239. 239.

    Violet

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): I think I used distilled water before but it’s 2 years old now so I should probably get some new water if I’m going to do it.

    After my experience last time I swore I’d never do it again. I’m still pretty hesitant. I don’t usually have sinus problems and am not sure where this one came from. Probably the cold I had in the middle of holiday season followed by really cold weather where I was inside with the heat on all the time so I got all dried out.

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