• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

No one could have predicted…

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  December 3, 20141:34 pm| 108 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

Sitting in a Tim Horton’s while my car windows are tinted. I decided to get them done since I wear regular eyeglasses and no longer wear sunglasses, and the glare is just really bad on my eyes and I don’t think I am able to drive as safely as I would like to because of it.

At any rate, apparently in WV there are a number of arcane rules regarding how much tint you are able to have. According to the tinter (is that what you call them?), 39 is the darkest you can go to pass the annual inspection. It won’t be a problem if you get pulled over, but they are a real stickler at inspections. Since “39” meant nothing to me, I had him show me, and I pointed at a car and asked if that was 39 (because it was just WAY to dark and if that was 39, I wanted less). He told me no, that that was a 20 and it was factory stock. At this point I am now completely confused and asked him why they were allowed to have 20 but I am only allowed to have 39 (even thought I don’t want 20, but the rules were confusing me)- if my car had been tinted at the factory, would 20 be legal?

It turns out that SUV’s are allowed to have their windows tinted darker than cars (for reasons I didn’t get in to with the guy because he was starting to get that look my grade school teachers used to get when I was in question mode). I finally saw a 39, and that seemed fine and not too dark, when really what I am most concerned with is getting rid of glare.

It makes no sense though about the SUV/Car differences, because the reason I would want something as dark as a 20 on my rear window is because of the damned SUV headlights behind me blinding me at night. At any rate, another day in the life of Cole.

Oh, and I have no idea what the appeal of Tim Horton’s is- their soup is awful and the coffee is only marginally better than Starbucks (which I think is dreadful- why do they burn all their beans?), but the wifi is pretty decent, so there is that. There is a loud man sitting two tables over who seems to think he is the only one in the establishment, as he is loudly having business conversations on his phone. I’m debating if I should start responding to him as if I was on the other end of the phone call just to see what he would do. This is another odd quirk of mine- I hate people using their cellphones in public places for extended conversations. IF I am in the grocery or somewhere and someone calls me, I respond to the question or whatever, and then immediately tell them I am in public and will call them back later at a more appropriate time. I guess I am just weird.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « White People, Ferguson, And The Offensiveness of ‘Ma’am’
Next Post: Eric Garner’s Killer Won’t Be Indicted »

Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    shelley

    December 3, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    I absolutely love this NewsMax headline.

    “100 Human Brains Vanish From Texas School”

  2. 2.

    Jay C

    December 3, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    @shelley:

    I know: my first reaction was: “I‘m amazed that they could FIND that many there!”

  3. 3.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 3, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    I have been to a number of Tim Horton’s and no one I know goes there for the soup. But I would put their doughnuts up against anything at Dunkin’, and a box of Timbits (the doughnut hole nuggets) got me through when stronger stuff couldn’t.

  4. 4.

    Interrobang

    December 3, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    > I have no idea what the appeal of Tim Horton’s is

    Chocolate-dip doughnuts, and those filled ones with the white powdered sugar on them. Lemonade slush in the summertime. (I’ve also never had bad soup from there. Do you have a bad Timmy’s locally?)

    I’ve heard Americans complain before that Timmy’s coffee is burnt, so I’m going to guess that’s a cultural difference between Canadians and Americans, but I don’t drink coffee, so don’t take my word for it.

  5. 5.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 3, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    @shelley: Yeah, and the irony of it being on NewsMax is noted.

  6. 6.

    NCSteve

    December 3, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    @Jay C: Given that their whole educational system is designed to make young brains vanish, I read it as more of a “dog bites man” story.

    And as for Cole’s question, New SUV’s are allowed to have darker tint because they’re more likely to be driven by rich white people than regular cars are.

  7. 7.

    JPL

    December 3, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Who is Tim Horton?

  8. 8.

    Nicole

    December 3, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    You’re not weird. There have been studies done on why listening to one-sided phone conversations are so much more infuriating than listening to two people having a conversation. Not that that can’t also be infuriating, but it’s nothing like listening to someone on a phone. I once had the questionable pleasure of listening to a guy in the same train car as me have a long, loud conversation on his phone about his plans for moving to another state so he could get out of paying child support.

    Amtrak now has one quiet car on the train I take when I visit my family, and I had genuine pleasure one trip asking the conductor to deal with a loud woman on the phone who either didn’t know or didn’t care that she was in the quiet car. Those conductors do not mess around when they want someone off the phone. It was really satisfying.

  9. 9.

    EthylEster

    December 3, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    I had no idea that Tim’s was in the US.
    They really rave about the coffee and sandwiches on CBC.
    I guess Canadians have the same shitty fast food/coffee places as we do.
    Who knew?

  10. 10.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    December 3, 2014 at 1:46 pm

    As a CTA commuter there are 3 groups of people who have stereotypically bad phone behavior…older immigrant women (especially Indian women), salesman who do business like the train is there office and middle-aged white women who will talk for 30+ mins.

  11. 11.

    GregB

    December 3, 2014 at 1:46 pm

    Maple frosted donuts for God’s sake. Having the soup at Tim Horton’s is akin to ordering a cheeseburger and fries at a Chinese restaurant. It’s on the menu but is to be ordered by the knaves.

    You want soup…go to a local diner

  12. 12.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 3, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    @JPL: He was an ice hockey player. The chain of “coffee” shops is based on Canada and is popular there.

  13. 13.

    GregB

    December 3, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    @JPL: Canadian hockey player.

  14. 14.

    Quaker in a Basement

    December 3, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    IF I am in the grocery or somewhere and someone calls me, I respond to the question or whatever, and then immediately tell them I am in public and will call them back later at a more appropriate time. I guess I am just weird.

    You can be weird and still be right, you know.

  15. 15.

    dedc79

    December 3, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    @Nicole: I just wish they’d flip the default and have a single “loud car.”

  16. 16.

    Belafon

    December 3, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    I’m debating if I should start responding to him as if I was on the other end of the phone call just to see what he would do.

    Sounds like an awesome xkcd strip.

  17. 17.

    Svensker

    December 3, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    Timmie’s donuts in Canada are pretty good. Not fabulous but pretty good (way better than Dunkin’ Donuts, let me tell ya). However, Timmie’s donuts in the US are Dunkin’ Donut quality, worse then meh and not worth the calories.

    Tim Horton’s coffee anywhere in the world is the shits. And if you really want bad, try their “latte.” Blech. I don’t know what’s in it but it isn’t coffee and it isn’t milk.

    As an old-time Seattleite I can tell you that Starbucks coffee used to be adequate if you didn’t mind dark roast. Not great but pretty good and way better than Folgers. However, in the last 10 years — about the time they spewed out the “Pike Roast” abomination — their coffee went way downhill, into the toxic dirt range.

  18. 18.

    beth

    December 3, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    At Kohls once, a guy was standing by the cashier talking way too loudly on his cell. When I got to check out, I started yelling my words at the cashier and to my absolute delight, she got it and started yelling back at me. The guy walked away shaking his head at us as if we were crazy. My daughter slunk away in horror. There’s some good to being old and cranky.

  19. 19.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    December 3, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    I love hockey and am well aware of Tim Horton’s. I was watching a Sabres game last month and they unveiled a statue outside of one of their new joints of aTim Horton in hockey gear. I immediately hit up Wikipedia. I had no idea the restaurant was named after said hockey player until that point.

  20. 20.

    JPL

    December 3, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: He died so young.

  21. 21.

    Linnaeus

    December 3, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    I’ve long been a fan of Tim Hortons. We usually made a stop there when we took the tunnel across the border. There’s now three Tim Hortons within a 3-mile radius or so of my dad’s house, so it’s easier to go to one whenever I visit my family.

  22. 22.

    MattF

    December 3, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    @beth: Yeah, my dad used to bark back at yappy dogs. ‘You’ve got to show them who’s the boss,’ he’d say. And that’s true for yappy cell phoners as well.

  23. 23.

    Josie

    December 3, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    No, you are not weird. People who want dozens of strangers to hear their stupid telephone conversations are weird. I resigned from a health spa after trying to work out on a treadmill while a woman talked loudly on her phone (in Spanish) for 20 minutes next to me. By the way, I was there first and there were other empty machines further away. I am not a violent person, but I really wanted to deck her. Instead, I informed the front desk why I would not be returning.

  24. 24.

    IdahoFlaneuse

    December 3, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    @shelley: What I find oddest about the article is that they claim that the collection of brains are “carefully curated”. Doesn’t seem careful to me if you have lost 100 of them.

  25. 25.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 3, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    Tim Horton’s Bagel B.E.L.T. Is a damn good breakfast sandwich.

  26. 26.

    Tree With Water

    December 3, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    @Nicole: Then again, the great Bob Newhart carved a fine career for himself by inviting people to eavesdrop on his one sided telephone conversations. And people did, by the millions.

  27. 27.

    Suzanne

    December 3, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    I also hate the loud public phone conversation. I am generally in favor of everyone shutting up and minding their own business, and saving their conflict for Balloon Juice threads.

  28. 28.

    gbbalto

    December 3, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    An alternative to tinting is clip-on, flip-up sunglasses. I’ve worn regular glasses for decades and buy these whenever I can. They are cheap and don’t have to match your glasses lenses in size; in fact so much the better if they are bigger.

    I commute thru a long tunnel where morning and evening I am driving towards the sun. I can flick the sunglasses up or down with one finger when entering or leaving the tunnel without having to take my attention off the road at all, unlike with the spring-loaded clip-ons or prescription shades.

    The flip-ups are harder to find than before but Walgreen’s still carries them. Make sure they are labeled as meeting the ASTM standard for polarized lenses (the ones at Walgreen’s all are).

  29. 29.

    Bobby Thomson

    December 3, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    It’s been done.

  30. 30.

    tbone

    December 3, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    Tinted windows are super nice in the summer. I always thought they were lame. Bought a used car a while back, and my only gripe was the tinted windows. I soon grew to love them. Keeps your car so much cooler.

  31. 31.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    December 3, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    At any rate, apparently in WV there are a number of arcane rules regarding how much tint you are able to have.

    Try California. Jesus. If you want to have tint that does any good, you’re pretty much forced to break the law. Even if you have skin cancer and need it for medical reasons.

    That being said, I don’t have skin cancer and I tinted the shit out of my truck with the 3M infrared block stuff and it’s fantastic. No more sunburned left arm. No more furnace exhaust when opening the door in summer. Totally worth it.

  32. 32.

    Tommy

    December 3, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    I don’t mean this to sound the wrong way, but you were in West Virginia. I think it is one of the more wonderful natural in the nation. But you got shit like this.

  33. 33.

    Doug r

    December 3, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Horton

  34. 34.

    beltane

    December 3, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    OT, but Twitter says a NY grand jury has refused to indict the cop who choked Eric Garner to death.

  35. 35.

    Roger Moore

    December 3, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    @Svensker:

    As an old-time Seattleite I can tell you that Starbucks coffee used to be adequate if you didn’t mind dark roast. Not great but pretty good and way better than Folgers. However, in the last 10 years — about the time they spewed out the “Pike Roast” abomination — their coffee went way downhill, into the toxic dirt range.

    I remember that they used to have mostly single country coffees, with only a handful of blends that were usually even darker roasted than their usual stuff. The Pike Place blend seems to have been part of a broader move to selling mostly blends. I assume this is part of the process of getting really huge. They simply can’t get enough decent single country coffee anymore to have it be the backbone of their offerings, so they’re having to go to lower quality blends to attempt to get any kind of consistency. Consistency vs. quality is a classic problem for companies as they get really huge.

  36. 36.

    philpm

    December 3, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    I’d take Tim Horton’s over Dunkin’ any day. Doubt I’m ever getting one in Missouri though, so I’ll have to get my fill on my next trip up to Syracuse.

  37. 37.

    MikeInSewickley

    December 3, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I know this should go to another thread and post but, folks, be prepared for a long Xmas Season.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/nyregion/no-charges-in-eric-garner-chokehold-case-for-officer.html?emc=edit_na_20141203

  38. 38.

    Peej01

    December 3, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    @gbbalto: the last time I got new eyeglasses, I got a pair that came with magnetic “stick on” sunglasses. They’re super easy to put on…even when you’re driving.

  39. 39.

    Guy

    December 3, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I doubt I’ll ever see Tim’s here in NC, but I agree their donuts are better than Dunkin’s. And I have never understood the appeal of Krispy Kreme. Over sweetened, over shortened, just godawful.

    The normal way of navigating the tinting rules around here is to get whatever you want and know someone who has a friend who has a friend who works at a place licensed by the state to do inspections.

    Another alternative is to get a pair of Cocoons which fit over regular glasses. They are cheap and you can just leave them in the car for whenever you need them.

  40. 40.

    JPL

    December 3, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    @beltane: oh no.. They really can kill people at will.

  41. 41.

    Kevin

    December 3, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    Had no idea Tim Hortons had invaded all the way to WV! I’m not a fan…but as a Canadian, I’ll show my patriotic pride that our crappy restaurants are spreading to you.

    Americans can’t really fathom how popular Tim’s is up here. I believe it is close to as profitable as McDonalds in Canada. And it’s literally everywhere you turn. They did a great job marketing it as part of the fabric of Canadian society (really lame but popular series of commercials featuring all cultures and races having one thing in common…Tim’s coffee and donuts in the morning. As lame as they were, they worked wonders. I can still remember the one with the old Asian grandfather cheering on his grandson at a hockey game with a cup of coffee in his hand).

  42. 42.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    December 3, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    oh no.. They really can kill people at will.

    @JPL: They always could. You just didn’t know before.

  43. 43.

    trollhattan

    December 3, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    @JPL:
    I’m in the same boat: hear “Horton’s” and say, “Who?”

    To JC: will speculate that number is the percentage of light transmission, so a “20” would be blocking 80% of light while a “39” would block 61%. 20 would be like closing your camera lens a little more than two stops (wait, forget the camera talk, we’re all happy you can finally focus the little bastard).

    Johnny Law doesn’t like heavily tinted windows and in California it’s a typical reason to get pulled over. Arizona-plate cars seem to have much darker windows. And no, I don’t understand the SUV exemption either. They’re eventually losing their safety, emission and mileage exemptions, though.

  44. 44.

    Culture of Truth

    December 3, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    NYC won’t indict a white cop for an illegal chokehold. Labeled a homicide. Where there’s a video. Suck, it Missouri!

  45. 45.

    gbbalto

    December 3, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    @Peej01: I’ll check that out! Thanks

  46. 46.

    MikeInSewickley

    December 3, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    @Culture of Truth: I posted the link to the NYTimes article at #37

  47. 47.

    Belafon

    December 3, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    So the banner when I opened balloon juice said:

    John McCain is a Republican, but is he conservative?

    From some group called the Conservative Review.

  48. 48.

    SatanicPanic

    December 3, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    So the NYT has a story on how the divorce rate has been dropping for decades. Is there anything that all the “kids today get off my lawn” people are right about? Next we’ll find out that using mobile devices makes you smarter.

  49. 49.

    schrodinger's cat

    December 3, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    I didn’t know that you were in Canada.

  50. 50.

    Belafon

    December 3, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    @SatanicPanic: Does it break the rates down by region?

  51. 51.

    schrodinger's cat

    December 3, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    @SatanicPanic: They absolutely do, as does reading Balloon Juice.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    December 3, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    I’ll be the annoying person to point out that not wearing sunglasses may raise your risk of glaucoma and other degenerative eye problems:

    http://consumer.healthday.com/eye-care-information-13/eye-and-vision-problem-news-295/could-time-spent-outdoors-raise-cataract-glaucoma-risk-691389.html

    I currently have separate glasses and sunglasses, but I’ve had clip-ons in the past and liked them. The frame and clip-ons came together, so there were no problems with fit.

  53. 53.

    Davebo

    December 3, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    Oh, and I have no idea what the appeal of Tim Horton’s is- their soup is awful and the coffee is only marginally better than Starbucks (which I think is dreadful- why do they burn all their beans?), but the wifi is pretty decent, so there is that.

    I thought it was just a Canada thing? Regardless, get a decent coffee maker and stay home!

    Life outside obviously has negative effects on you John. Just try not to become a hoarder.

  54. 54.

    MomSense

    December 3, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    Damn, Bobby Keys died.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0bxMWdOMbs

  55. 55.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 3, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    @Culture of Truth:
    @MikeInSewickley:

    This just has me so despairing. I don’t even know the right words. How can one be both shocked and not at all surprised? In tears. Feel like throwing up.

    Really. How do we even begin to turn this kind of shit around?

  56. 56.

    beth

    December 3, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    @Culture of Truth: And the end of the article notes that the cop faces potential punishment and possible termination of his job. Maybe he can join Darren Wilson in teaching police departments about proper use of force.

  57. 57.

    Jerry O'Brien

    December 3, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    The solution to the problem of people in public wanting to have phone conversations is to bring back phone booths. Not like the old ones with phones built into them–just a booth or at least a little enclosure stuck on some wall out of the way, where people can use their cell phones to talk. Just a little enclosure to get the talker out of everybody else’s earspace.

  58. 58.

    Rosalita

    December 3, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    @Culture of Truth:

    NYC won’t indict a white cop for an illegal chokehold. Labeled a homicide. Where there’s a video. Suck, it Missouri!

    And for selling plain old cigarettes!

  59. 59.

    Davebo

    December 3, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    And for the record while I understand why some would need tinted windows, my girl certainly does due to eye surgery, for the most part you can always spot an idiot driver by the darkness of his window tint.

    “If they can’t see me I can be as much of a jerk on the road as I like”.

    That and my girl is Chinese and everyone knows the best way to blind a Chinese person is to put a windshield in front of them.

    Stereotype? Sure it is but most are based on truths. Don’t believe me just notice all the body shops in your local “China Town”.

  60. 60.

    trollhattan

    December 3, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    Didn’t discover the joys of “real” sunglasses until I got contacts as an adult, ditching the eyeglasses. Will note that non-tinted lenses will block some amount of UV and UV coatings are available to block it 100%, so one needn’t be wearing sunglasses to be protected.

    But since I like being able to see in the California sun, I’m a sunglasses addict. Can’t begin to count them all.

  61. 61.

    ThresherK

    December 3, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: DD stopped running their Time to make the donuts” ads and stopped making donuts at their stores. I consider that sacrelige.

    Since I really haven’t been, did Tim Horton’s swallow up The Whole Donut here in the northeast? And does TH’s make donuts onsite?

    Obligatory thread content: Frontier is mismanaging their internal communicationn in their t akeover of AT&T in CT. But the guy who did the service at our place was fine at his job, and went a bit beyond the call for inside line diags with no charge.

  62. 62.

    beltane

    December 3, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    @SatanicPanic: Very, very few of the young couples with children I know are married. If marriage is limited to old people and higher income people, it’s no wonder the divorce rate has been dropping. Of course, once kids are involved there’s no avoiding family court in the event of a breakup but that would be another statistic.

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    December 3, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    Used to be that folks who talked out loud to themselves in public were insane.

    Now it’s also folks apparently talking out loud to themselves.

    (Happily, ecstatically cell phone free, and shall remain so.)

  64. 64.

    Tripod

    December 3, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    @EthylEster:

    Horton’s bought up a bunch of Rax locations, which explains their presence in WV.

  65. 65.

    SatanicPanic

    December 3, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    @Belafon: Haha, I just skimmed it because the headline validated my opinion. IIRC it’s exactly what you’d imagine- red states/working class people= about the same, blue states/educated people= lower. My HTML is broken so I can’t link it nicely.

    @beltane: I’m sure that’s part of it too, but since I am biased I am going to take the fact that people are wise enough not to enter into bad contracts as further proof of my thesis

  66. 66.

    Kryptik, A Man Without a Country

    December 3, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    Sad as it is, but unlike what protestors keep trying to convince us, the Garner ruling, hot off the heels of Ferguson, proves that Black Lives Really Don’t Matter.

    Black People aren’t really People, to far too much of the country. Other brown folk are only marginally moreso, but more and more, this country makes it clear that unless you’re a White Conservative, this isn’t your country, and it never was.

  67. 67.

    Matt

    December 3, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    Wait, they *actually* check that? I assumed those laws were just the visual equivalent of “smelling marijuana” – an excuse for cops to fuck with whoever they wanted to…

  68. 68.

    Goblue72

    December 3, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    I expect the SUV exception was a political carve out. Who gets driven around in dark tinted SUVs? Politicians that’s who.

  69. 69.

    Belafon

    December 3, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    @SatanicPanic: That’s exactly what I was wondering/expecting. Those Godless blue states, thinking they should only have one spouse.

  70. 70.

    Goblue72

    December 3, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    @Svensker: SBUX has started selling lighter roasted brews lately – a “golden” roast. They’ve also started having single origin pour-over bars in some of their stores. So they are learning – or re-learning.

  71. 71.

    Goblue72

    December 3, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    @Culture of Truth: I got roasted here a few months back for suggesting most cops (and police departments) were pigs and should be treated as such.

  72. 72.

    Paul in KY

    December 3, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    @MattF: Your dad was correct!

  73. 73.

    Paul in KY

    December 3, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    @tbone: If you live in Florida, you just have to have them.

  74. 74.

    Mike E

    December 3, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    Well, I made it…my ‘internals’ audit went well, though I don’t remember a thing. Next one will be in 10 years.

  75. 75.

    scav

    December 3, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    @Kryptik, A Man Without a Country: It is rather looking like a national police decision that Black Citizens are best served on slabs in mortuaries and protected by deadbolts on the drawers.

  76. 76.

    Tripod

    December 3, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    The vagaries of fast food branding churn. I think at one time they were owned by Wendy’s, and now have been bought by Burger King (who moved HQ up north). It’s the same greasy sugared crap you get in the states, but with a hint of maple syrup.

  77. 77.

    JPL

    December 3, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    @CONGRATULATIONS!: What will Morning Joe say? If only he had said yes sir.

  78. 78.

    Belafon

    December 3, 2014 at 3:26 pm

    @scav: What’s happening is that there is video for you to see.

    What needs to happen now is that we stay angry at this thing and try to fix it.

  79. 79.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 3, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    @trollhattan: I wear sunglasses religiously when I am outside during daylight.

  80. 80.

    mai naem

    December 3, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    I don’t like DD coffee. It tastes burned. Don’t particularly care for Starbucks either. I believe Starbucks has a higher caffeine content because it winds me up. I like Coffee and Tea Leaf coffee but there’s not enough of those stores here. Dutch Bros. coffee is pretty good but the coffee I really like is Circle K(the local version of 7-11). They have their House Blend which I’m pretty sure is mostly Colombian and then they have Colombian also which I like.

  81. 81.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 3, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    Burger King, based in Miami, is buying up Tim Horton’s but moving their North American operations center (or is it centre?) to Hamilton, Ontario, or thereabouts. I assume it is not so I can get a box of Timbits on the way to work now; it is a tax dodge so they don’t have to pay US taxes on their North American operations.

    They have had Timmies in the Toledo area for a while, but then, with being across the lake from the southern tip of Ontario, I grew up listening to CKLW and watching Hockey Night in Canada on the CBC, so it was just another doughnut shop to me.

  82. 82.

    scav

    December 3, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    @Belafon: They do seem to be getting very blatant about it. Much like people going more and more out of their way to explicitly use racist and sexist language / behaviors and defend doing so. Pride themselves on same.

    ETA: oh, and the next poor soul tasked with calling me about those eternal PD give us cash cold calls may not witness me at my most polite.

  83. 83.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 3, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: The best part of getting contacts was being able to finally get a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers

  84. 84.

    Tinare

    December 3, 2014 at 3:42 pm

    I thought darker back windows on SUVs had to do with the fact that they don’t have trunks in which to hide cargo. Without it whatever is in the vehicle can be seen clearly which would make them an easier target for theft.

  85. 85.

    Mike G

    December 3, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    @Jerry O’Brien:

    Larry David knew how to deal with annoying cellphone users in public places —

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtdpJlZ07u4

  86. 86.

    Mnemosyne

    December 3, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    @scav:

    I mentioned in one of the threads below that a co-worker told me that his uncle dropped the N-bomb at the dinner table on Thanksgiving. He no longer has to explain to his wife why he prefers to spend the holidays with her family — he said she had an expression on her face that he had never seen before (they’ve only been married a couple of years).

  87. 87.

    Goblue72

    December 3, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    @scav: count how many time you see or hear the word thug over the next few weeks.

    It’s depressing.

  88. 88.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 3, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: I still have the Wayfarers I bought back in ’84. I have about eight pairs of sunglasses, but the Wayfarers are one of my main go-tos.

  89. 89.

    Morat20

    December 3, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    I suspect the carve out is simpler than that — to make SUV’s look “cooler”. That’s why they can get away with those ridiculous grill/bumpers, the ones seemingly designed to make sure whatever they hit is screwed up as much as possible without offering the SUV additional protection

  90. 90.

    RSA

    December 3, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    A get-off-my-lawn complaint: I was on 95 between Richmond and DC last week, thinking about how much less I like driving these days than I used to. Part of it is age, I’m sure, but part of it is SUVs. It used to be that most personal vehicles were cars or station wagons, and even in heavy traffic you could typically see a few cars ahead, to know what you were coming up on. SUVs and minivans often make that much harder. People (friends and family mostly) have sometimes told me they like their SUV because of the extra space inside and because it puts them up higher off the road. Exactly why I don’t like them. And tinted windows? Icing on the cake.

  91. 91.

    trollhattan

    December 3, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    @RSA: Exactamundo. It’s the roadway arms race, and if that eff-two-fiddy is blocking your view then by gawd, get your Silverado 2500 jacked up so you can see over HIM. Never mind the schmuck behind you, in the sedan [schmuck=me, in this illustration].

    I always make goddamn sure whatever I drive can outbrake every truck/SUV made. With Obi Wan dead, it’s my only hope.

  92. 92.

    SoupCatcher

    December 3, 2014 at 4:27 pm

    I’ve been happily watching the rain outside the window all day. A hint of blue sky in the distance, the steady sound of water hitting the roof, every green thing in sight turgoring to the sky, and me in comfortable warmth. On days like today where the news sucks, nature doesn’t. We still need a ton more of that water, here in California, but it’s nice to see the numbers shift in a more positive direction.

    Though Santa Barbara seems to be over-doing it: more than 2 inches in a 24-hour period!

  93. 93.

    trollhattan

    December 3, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    @SoupCatcher:
    Ain’t it grand? Two inches here in the last two days. No snow in the mountains, as it’s warm as heck for November, but it soaks the ground so the eventual snow [knock wood] can run off instead of just being absorbed.

  94. 94.

    sharl

    December 3, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    @Culture of Truth: Stolen, lightly edited, & tweeted.

  95. 95.

    Shana

    December 3, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: The best part of cataract surgery was being able to wake up and see clearly, for the first time since I was 5.

  96. 96.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 3, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I got mine in ’88 the day after I got my contacts fitted. When I got my first Mustang convertible, it was like the stars aligned.

    I drove home from work tonight with the top down, the Wayfarers on, and enjoying the evening breeze. (Yeah, winter in Florida.)

  97. 97.

    Chris T.

    December 3, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    @trollhattan: Alternatively, just drive a Peterbilt.

  98. 98.

    Svensker

    December 3, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    @Goblue72:

    SBUX has started selling lighter roasted brews lately – a “golden” roast.

    I was hopeful but sadly, think the lighter roasts stink, as well.

  99. 99.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 3, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    @trollhattan: Pass the fuckers. If you are in front of them, they can’t get in your way (but they can ram you at stoplights).

  100. 100.

    Just One More Canuck

    December 3, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    @Linnaeus: there’s one spot in.Hamilton (where the 1st store opened) where there are 4 Timmys within view

  101. 101.

    RSA

    December 3, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    @trollhattan:

    It’s the roadway arms race

    Perfect analogy.

  102. 102.

    steverinoCT

    December 3, 2014 at 9:18 pm

    When I wore contacts they were a royal PITA. The slightest breeze bothered me, and forget about having the defroster on in the car. I had to wear sunglasses, and if I were going to wear glasses anyway, why put up with the added grief of contacts? Especially with the super-lightweight lenses these days. I wear darkening glasses, and they have the magnetic clip-on sunglasses for the car where the darkening effect is blocked by the glass.

    OTOH, I used to have prescription sunglasses, and hit the Lincoln Tunnel while changing back to them from clear when exiting: I ran up the Jersey barrier and blew a tire on the spikes they used to hold the barrier in place.

  103. 103.

    Paul in KY

    December 4, 2014 at 7:59 am

    @RSA: Agree! Hate being behind a big SUV, as I can’t see thru their windows to see what’s ahead. I drive a Solara.

  104. 104.

    Paul in KY

    December 4, 2014 at 8:00 am

    @Shana: That is wonderful!

  105. 105.

    Brantl

    December 4, 2014 at 8:42 am

    No, Cole, you’re just a reasonably polite person, raised more than 20 years ago. I was in a building supply store yesterday, and I had a guy in front of me, who wouldn’t stop clicking a pen, non-stop. I was ready to ask him if he was older than 5. He did it for about 5 minutes, until he left the store.

  106. 106.

    mark

    December 4, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Tim’s must put something like crack in their coffee because everyone in Canada is addicted to it. Line-ups out to the street in drive-throughs all across the country before work every morning. It’s like your first beer: Doesn’t taste that great but you get used to it fast and before you know it you’ve got a drinking problem.

  107. 107.

    Ramalama

    December 4, 2014 at 9:18 am

    @Svensker: I was just thinking about donuts from Top Pot in Seattle when I saw you’re there. So jealous. Top Pot donuts are the bomb. And sadly they do not ship their goods anywhere, but they do tease when they make their website fluent in multiple languages.

    Tim Horton’s in my part of Canadia is only good for the wifi. The missus prefers Green Mountain coffee from Vermont over Tim’s. But she can only get that when we road trip the H out of Quebec.

  108. 108.

    Wrye

    December 4, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    Well, with the food at Tim’s it’s designed to be eaten when it’s -30 in Winnipeg; bland, warm, filling, a tad oversalted. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the US locations aren’t as good, or if the Burger King Merger has some horrid aftereffects.

    My partner, from Chicago, despises their food. “Those aren’t real biscuits” and so on. But how would we Canadians know?

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - BarcaChicago  - Off the Gunflint Trail/Boundary Waters 8
Image by BarcaChicago (7/11/25)

World Central Kitchen

Donate

Recent Comments

  • TS on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 6:14am)
  • mrmoshpotato on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 6:11am)
  • bjacques on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 6:08am)
  • Baud on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 5:59am)
  • Baud on Saturday Morning Klown Show Open Thread: GOP Falling Into the Pit They Have Dug (Jul 12, 2025 @ 5:58am)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!