I just love this stupid song and even stupider video:
This year continues to suck for the Cracker clan. My dear old father-in-law, a kind, generous, crusty old soul, is gravely ill and in the hospital. My husband has been shuttling between our house and his parents’ place to try to help out and spend time with his dad, much as I did a few months back when my mom was sick. It’s a soul-crushing slog.
Under the circumstances, I’ve decided to try to avoid news media consumption as much as possible. Watching the neo-con vultures waddle out of the woodwork to sanctimoniously squawk over the corpse of GWB’s glorious Iraq victory is just too much to bear right now.
Anyhoo, feel free to discuss whatever, and may your Saturday be filled with puppies, butterflies, sunshine and even fútbol, if that’s your thing.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
Good thoughts for your f-i-l and the rest of the Cracker family.
Schlemizel
Its ‘funny’ how these things run in streaks. I am sorry for your pain BC, the upside is that you know things will be better. I hope this new fresh hell passes with the minimum amount of turmoil and unhappiness. hugs.
I have found the recent events to be too depressing to follow also. I have seen this movie before and hated it the first time, it has not improved with repetition.
Morzer
Following last night’s soccer “event”*, Marca now has a black front page with the headline “Fix this!”
*That 5-1 annihilation of Spain by the Clockwork Orange.
Svensker
What the hell is she wearing in that video? And why?
Sorry to hear about your FIL, BC. We sure do have to go through some tough stuff on our journey through this world, don’t we. Hope you find comfort, love and strength all around you to help.
AliceBlue
“Sucky 2014” seems to be a thing for a lot of people, including me.
Hugs and comfort to you and your clan, Betty.
raven
eta, Ah, just read the entry. Hang in there lady.
Still nothing on Chuck Noll huh. Surprising.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Thinking good thoughts for your FIL and Mr. Cracker and the entire bunch of Crackers. Hang in there Betty; wise choice to avoid news for a bit.
Betty Cracker
@raven: I figger Cole will be on it eventually.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Betty Cracker: He’s probably in deep, deep mourning right now.
Ferdzy
Do you think if enough of us got together and voted for 2014 to be reset and start again, better this time, it would work?
Yeah, I’m afraid not. Sorry to hear about your FiL, Betty.
Olivia
So sorry about the tough times right now. Warm thoughts and good wishes for you and your family.
beth
Sorry to hear more bad news for the Cracker family. You’re making the right choice to stay away from the bad stuff out in the world. When I went through my husband’s cancer diagnosis, treatment and recuperation I stayed away from the computer for a few months. I think it really helped me deal with everything not to get all worked up every day over shit I couldn’t fix anyway. Good luck.
MattF
Boy, that’s a dumb video. Short, too. Thankfully,
And, for the rest, the message is that doing your best is all one can ask.
The Pale Scot
Watching this always gets me feeling better
Airedale babysitting Scottie Pups
Tommy
Good and happy thoughts pointed your way. My mom was in the ICU last year for a month. Your phrase “soul crushing” is very accurate IMHO. It was just that. The only upside is my parents have like the best insurance possible and she was at one of the top hospitals in the nation.
SiubhanDuinne
Ah, Betty, so sorry to hear this. Very tough year at Chez Cracker, and I don’t blame you at all for avoiding most MSM news — indeed, it may be the only sane choice for a lot of us. Hugs to all of you.
@Schlemizel:
Yup. I still think of 1999 as “the year of the funerals.” Among them, in about an eight-month stretch, my aunt, best friend from college, former husband, good friend from New York days, a colleague, and a couple of other people I knew (although not as well). They were, for the most part, unexpected and rather shocking. I got to the point that I had a small panic attack every time the phone rang.
CaseyL
Holy crap, Betty; not again. Sending best wishes to you and your family.
And, yeah: watching the old war criminals, enablers, and grifters get trotted out again and listened to like they have something to say worth listening to is….
You know what? I’ve just given up on outrage. Everything the GOP has done since 1992 (okay: since 1980, but it’s really accelerated since 1992) has been evil, destructive, and mendacious. Every week – hell, every day – they find a new depth of depravity.
They’re like ebola, if ebola could be spread by word of mouth.
Kropadope
I read this in Boston.com today
Let me fix that for you
There.
gene108
I always find these videos of babies laughing to be therapeutic.
SarahT
Boy that sucks. Hang in there, Cracker family.
Tommy
@SiubhanDuinne: That is flat out horrible. I can’t imagine going through that. I guess at some levels I am blessed with good genes. People tend to die of old age in my family. I don’t know if this makes things easy exactly, but you kind of know it is coming and honestly when somebody is in their 90s, well you have to feel they had a full life.
Alex S.
Here’s an armadillo taking a bath.
Biscuits
Sorry Betty. We too have been on a four year long “soul crushing” slog with three of my parents passing and some dark family secrets coming to light. I have been telling myself “one day at a time” everyday for just as long. Sometimes, it’s all you can do. Hang in there.
Tommy
@CaseyL: I got rid of cable a few months ago cause well, I was sitting in front of the TV for too many hours, when I should have been doing something else. Heck I work out of my house and would have MSNBC on for 10+ hours a day as background noise. No longer. I am sure my blood pressure is a lot lower :).
Amir Khalid
Sorry to hear about your father-in-law’s continuing problems. Here’s another song that might cheer you up — a novelty number with sings by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren, and words by Les Misérables lyricist Herbert Kretzmer.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tommy:
Thanks, Tommy. I expect most of us have weighed whether we’d prefer to go (or have our loved ones go) suddenly — which can leave you with a lot undone and unsaid — or slowly, which provides more time to get affairs in order, say the goodbyes, etc., but can prove to be, as Betty put it, “a soul-crushing slog” for family, not to mention quite likely painful, debilitating, and expensive. One thing, both my grandmothers lived well into their 90s, so I’ve got at least some of those genes going for me.
Villago Delenda Est
@Kropadope: Well, I’m deeply disturbed that the sacrifices made by Mitt Romney’s sons in Iraq were in vain.
Betty, hang in there, you and Mr. Cracker and FIL and all. We’re pulling for you, in between blood pressure spikes from even hearing about neocons wailing about the sacrifices made by Mitt Romney’s sons in Iraq are being forgotten in the chaos there.
SiubhanDuinne
@Alex S.:
That is just adorable!
Tommy
@SiubhanDuinne: Yeah spending time in a hospital sucks. As I mentioned my mother was in the ICU for more than a month last year. Even worse cause it was like the TV show House. Where they think they know what is wrong, treat her, she then gets worse. This happens over and over. Honestly I didn’t think she was going to make it out of the place. But somehow she got better.
I was not a fan of the doctors but the nurses, my gosh they were saints. Just wonderful people that made the experience as easy as possible. I sent them flowers.
srv
This version makes it clear you would be much happier in Iceland
Villago Delenda Est
OK, upon reflection, which one of the Romney sons was wounded in Fallujah? The one who spilled his guts all over the main street in an IED explosion? Tagg? Scuzzbucket? Wifflepoof?
Baud
Best wishes for the Cracker family.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Villago Delenda Est: They were serving their country by working to get their dad elected and don’t you forget it.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Reelecting Obama was like spitting on everyone who served.
NotMax
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
Mission Unaccomplished.
scav
I’ll throw this in here, under the “may your Saturday be filled with puppies, butterflies, sunshine and even fútbol” clause, even though it’s hoverflies.
The Fly Trap (Penguin link)
from Fredrik Sjöberg: ‘I realised I had to write my book for people not interested in flies’
Tommy
I am watching the PBS Frontline report on the NSA. I knew most of it cause I’ve read Risen’s book and Greenwald stories. But I didn’t realize how much pressure the White House put on the New York Times. I knew at the request of the White House they held the story for more then a year. But if you believe the executives at the Times if what the White House did wasn’t illegal it should be.
Villago Delenda Est
@Tommy: The NYT and WaPo sit on stories at the behest of politicians of both parties. They should not, ever. However, their mission isn’t to report all the news that fits, it’s to make money, and that takes priority.
Corner Stone
@scav: There’s more than a little creepy factor going on there. Kind of like when you hear some guy say, “She turned me down every time, but on the 60th time she said yes! We’ve been married ever since!”
Awk-Ward…
Tommy
@Villago Delenda Est: Again if you believe the executives at the Times I am stunned by the pressure they put on them. They said almost every senior level person in the government called them saying there would blood on their hands. Finally brought them in the Oval Office and read them the riot act.
Susanne
Betty, I’m sending the most positive, hopeful thoughts I can come up with your way. I’m hoping and wishing for no more horrible experiences for you and the whole Cracker family.
Violet
Sorry for all you’re going through, Betty. I’m in the middle of some of that myself. Busy, busy.
scav
@Corner Stone: Depends entirely on the breadth of his cast. If it was all to one, yes, but flittering from one to the next, scattering practice manuscripts liberally about the rocky islets. . . . PerPetual Sunset is Rather an UpSetting Thing . . . (Sorry, back now) Points usually awarded for recognizing being unwanted.
Genine
My thoughts are with you and your family, Betty. Hang in there.
Villago Delenda Est
@Tommy: Yeah, like I’m going to believe the guys who led the cheerleading for the deserting coward’s utterly illegal war of aggression against Iraq in 2003, and who can barely contain their subtle hatred of that near sheriff guy in the WH.
They’ve already got the blood of tens of thousand of Iraqis on their hands.
Ruckus
@CaseyL:
Mental ebola. In the future scientists will discover a pathogen that is transmitted by politicians and the msm as stupid borne. It grabs onto stupid ideas and affects everyone that believes them. Has caused an entire political party to lose their shit.
ruemara
Sending good vibes to your FIL, Betty. Sorry this year is teh suxx. We don’t know how much time we’ll get, but we do know how we can spend it. It sounds like you’ve spent your life with some people who knew how to live well.
Nothing much happening here. Had a nice long exercise walk, having some eggs, a bit of weights and then off to see Edge of Tomorrow. Maybe a bit of work, cook for the week and tomorrow, I can chillax with some home work. Boring, but, it’s not bad. Next week, I shoot a music fest.
Tommy
@Villago Delenda Est: I’ve read Risen and Bamford’s book on the NSA. Read Greenwald on a daily basis (you know when he used to write). Watching Frontline I realize there is much I didn’t know. Often little details, but the devil is in the details.
A Humble Lurker
({[Betty and the Crackers]})
Bex
@Kropadope: Have his sons volunteered to go over there and fix it?
Villago Delenda Est
If you’re going to do jungle love songs/videos, this is required to be linked to.
PurpleGirl
Betty: Thinking good thoughts for you and the family. Hope you all find comfort and peace.
WRT the news: This is why I watch kitten cams. The different stages kittens go through and they way they learn to walk, run, zoom, climb, jump, pounce, bounce and everything else makes me laugh. Helps my blood pressure immensely.
(And all those pols and their chickshit non-serving coward relatives can go DIAF.)
schrodinger's cat
{{{Betty Cracker}}}
Caturday Open thread needs Caturday Kitteh!
Singing Truth to Power
Best wishes to you and all, Betty. It’s been a year of deaths and losses here too – I am making Greek yogurt, sourdough bread and hummus today with Bach for my soul and no news at all.
Tommy
@Singing Truth to Power: Any chance you can post how you are making the hummus. I mean I know I could Google it, but thought I would ask. I eat hummus almost daily, but never thought of trying to make it myself.
bemused
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
As dear Mumsy would say, “This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring”.
RSA
You and your family have my best wishes, Betty.
Today I think we’ll spend outside on the front porch or the back deck. Nice weather in NC for a lazy day within range of my wireless connection.
tesslibrarian
Hugs, Betty. I had a year like that in 2009. That November, I went to my GP to ask for val!um–it took me at least 10 minutes just to say all the things that were happening, too much of it associated with cancers in the family. She just stared at me a minute, then told me she preferred to prescribe at!van.
@Tommy: Watch the extended interviews on the PBS website. Diane Roark’s is especially worth every second of the time you give it.
Back to trying to transcribe a 19th century French birth registration. My French is already pretty poor, but couldn’t they have chosen someone who knew how to form letters to write all this stuff down???
gbear
The weather in the Twin Cities is kind of scary today. We’ve had constant high winds all day and a weather advisory says we could be getting 70 mph blasts for another couple of hours. I had to run out and rescue some stuff that had blown out into the street. I don’t think I’ll lose any trees, but I’ll bet they’re getting mowed down in other parts of town. I’ve never seen it last all day like this before and I don’t like it.
tybee
jungle and love?
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQ3ywwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DT7YxSmxEbM0%26feature%3Dkp&ei=yJmcU6i_IJWhsATy04Bo&usg=AFQjCNHUFPMSceJL-iFunmUdbb2ZvQwoeg&bvm=bv.68911936,d.cWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=H75ivqdjgCg
Singing Truth to Power
Tommy, here’s my hummus:
Put about 1/4 c. each tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice into blender, and whirl a bit until well-blended. Rinse a can of chickpeas – dump into blender. Add garlic or garlic clove and several pinches of salt, and ground cumin. Blend. If it is too thick, add water, lemon juice, or more olive oil, or all three. Blend more until it is smooth. I like to add about 1/2 small jar of roasted red pepper, and sriracha or another hot sauce. Paprika on top makes it look extra good. Taste. I tend not to measure most things – adjust seasoning as you like. Enjoy –
Cervantes
@Tommy:
There are two parts, both worth the time. You can also find transcripts on line, I imagine.
WaterGirl
Betty, this kitty video never fails to make me smile.
This music video that Omnes linked to a couple of months ago always lifts my spirits. Susanna Hoffs Matthew Sweet – Different Drum.
Maybe they will work for you, too.
Mnemosyne
Ugh. It sounds like your 2014 is going the same way our 2013 did. That. Year. Sucked.
G and I decided to go to Huntington Library tomorrow instead of today, so I’m wandering out to a Worldwide Knit in Public GTG. Then we’re going to go buy his new bike — they’ll give him $50 to trade in his old one, and he was like, Sold!
schrodinger's cat
BTW any Juicers in San Fran? I may be tagging along with husband kitteh when he goes there for the annual ACS conference.
ETA: How is the public transport?
max
I just love this stupid song and even stupider video:
For that kind of bubblegum, that was pretty awesome.
It’s a soul-crushing slog.
Yeah. I’m sorry, hon.
may your Saturday be filled with puppies, butterflies, sunshine and even fútbol
Hopefully the butterflies will show soon.
max
[‘Don’t let the bastards get you down.’]
StringOnAStick
So sorry Betty; best wishes to you and your family.
Tehanu
@CaseyL:
Betty — everything CaseyL said. So sorry about your father-in-law. Hang in there, we’re all rooting for you and yours.
Kristine
Good thoughts for you and your family.
Kerry Reid
Sorry to hear the news, Betty. There’s just nothing helpful to say in these circumstances, as I’ve learned.
satby
Betty, holding your family in my thoughts. Hugs
chopper
@Kropadope:
Poor mitt. He has stock in Halliburton.