Yesterday afternoon, I was complaining about the rising repair bill on my 16-year-old’s car, which had been in the shop for a few days. They kept finding new things that were wrong with it. I picked it up yesterday evening. The final bill topped out at $1,400 and change.
The kiddo had been driving my car to school and to after-school activities this week since her vehicle was in the shop. Yesterday was a late day for her since she had sports practice and then had to haul several schoolmates around to complete some class project, allegedly.
Somehow during that excursion, she managed to lock the keys to MY car in the trunk while all the way across town. When she called us for help, I decided I’d drive the extra set of keys to my car over in her car and then reclaim my vehicle.
Her stupid car was on empty because of course it was. When I stopped to gas up, I noticed this sign:
Naturally, when I fetched my car, it was on empty too, so on the way home, I had to stop for even MORE freedom. Goddamnit.
I can’t sleep, so I was half-watching Rachel Maddow on rebroadcast, half-reading something awhile back, and unless I’m very much mistaken, I think Rachel was urging Senator Claire McCaskill to run for president if HRC stays out of the race. Whaaaa?
I can’t believe it’s Friday already, but yay, I guess.
ETA: I found out the hard way many years ago that it’s inadvisable to drive through an automatic car wash with dogs in the car (they go berserk). But being from a state where, if you dig a hole, it immediately fills up with water, I was unaware of the effect tunnels have on babies until I saw this delightful compilation, courtesy of Gawker:
Poor little terror-stricken babies!
cckids
I saw that too. She said (in apparent seriousness) that she thinks if Hillary doesn’t run, McCaskill has the best chance to win not only the nomination, but the presidency.
I had to scrape my jaw off the floor.
Betty Cracker
@cckids: Okay, so I didn’t hallucinate that — good to know. I don’t dislike McCaskill at all; I get why she has to do her middle-of-the-road shtick. But wouldn’t she have been bounced out of office last time had the Republicans not been dumb enough to put up a gaffe-prone forced-birther to run against her? I just don’t see her as a shoo-in.
opiejeanne
It’s nearly 1am on the west coast, just outside Seattle and I should be sleeping but we drove 600 miles today to make it home so that the part for my oven can be installed tomorrow, and I am wide awake. We have been waiting for this part since September. The oven was new a year ago in November. It’s a nice electric wall oven that I bought specifically for baking, and I haven’t been able to use it for Thanksgiving, which I hosted, nor for Christmas baking. I have a 36″ range that I bought about 4 years ago when we moved into this place and the oven is pretty accurate, but it’s ridiculous to heat up that monster for a batch of cookies or for a single cake or pie. The story of how the part was (not) shipped/overnighted x number of times, is too long and annoying and I had finally gotten the manufacturer to promise to just install a new one next week, and then the part magically appeared. The installers called me to let me know it’s actually in Seattle this time, unlike the other time when it was missing from the package. I can’t understand how they found the part two days ago since it has been out of stock for months. Anyway, I made a deal with the manufacturer that if the part wasn’t installed by the 15th of February I would expect a new oven. They agreed, so YAY! I’m getting my nice oven back in time to make stuff for the SuperBowl Party at Middle Kid’s house.
Also I’m wide awake because I’m hardly fit company this week on Facebook, attracting lunatics out of the woodwork of my friends’ acquaintance who then “shout” at me on said friends’ pages. I argue with people, link to quotes and facts, and sometimes I shout back. I didn’t shout back at the most recent idiot and I think that’s eating at me a little.
But I’m happy that my oven is going to work again! YAY!
opiejeanne
@Betty Cracker: I missed that, and I think McCaskill would have a hard time beating whichever white male the Republicans put up against her, short of Louie Gohmert… and I might not even bet on that.
Betty Cracker
@opiejeanne: What are you going to make for the Super Bowl party? We’re having people over, and I’m still trying to decide, so I need ideas!
Regarding Facebook assholes, I manage to avoid that by mostly avoiding Facebook and strictly limiting feeds. What I don’t see won’t piss me off. I figure I get my shouting quota in here.
AxelFoley
@cckids:
Heh, and they say Rachel is smart. LOL
Cliff in NH
@opiejeanne:
Yea, I ordered a expensive thing that was listed as in stock on the website on 12 12 14, on the 21st I asked for a eta or tracking #, no response, 23rd, same Q, no response, 28th, same Q + if no response in 24 hours I’ll have CC comp reverse charges, 29th you lost a cust, calling cc comp in morning, tada, instant response and solution offered and delivered(drop ship, it wasn’t in stock).
Lesson; threaten to reverse charges when they won’t follow thru, it costs them money and that’s all they care about.
If they read this they know who they are.
Chet
Suge gonna Suge.
Jesse Pinkman, Yo!
Where are the Ginger and the puppies? MOAR PUPPEHS!!!!!!
Betty Cracker
@Chet: From the linked article:
Okay, but if you’ve deliberately run down two people in front of witnesses, killing one of the victims, isn’t it customary for the cops to come over and arrest you rather than waiting for you to turn yourself in at your leisure? I was under the impression you had to be a rich white man to receive such deference from law enforcement.
Keith G
Official wake up time is still an hour away (CST). But the sounds of cats crunching while eating dry cat food woke me up. I realized I should not be hearing that sound as I have not fed the cats yet this morning. Investigation shows that the cats managed to flop over the Tupperware type container containing food and the sealed top popped off spilling a couple pounds of cat food over the kitchen floor.
So, it probably wasn’t the crunching of cat food that woke me up. It was the sound of the container toppling over, and then the crunching finished the job. Anyway, apparently the cats are done eating since they’re back with me in the bedroom. At least they’ve already had breakfast.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Betty Cracker: The color of justice is green.
ETA: The lighter the shade of green does make a difference.
Betty Cracker
@Keith G: Smart kitties!
@BillinGlendaleCA: I tried watching the “Mildred Pierce” miniseries currently streaming on Amazon earlier today and thought of you because it’s set in 1920s Glendale. As for the show, I nodded off just long enough to lose the plot, so I’ll have to try watching it again when I’m more fully conscious.
bjacques
For those following such things, Greece’s new economics minister Yanis Varoufakis, lately a visiting professor at UT Austin, has a blog, and it’s definitely worth a read, especially this interview he posted last week:
yanisvaroufakis.eu/2015/01/25/biblical-economics-leave-everybody-blind-and-toothless-interviewed-by-…
Read his bio, too.
Cliff in NH
@Keith G:
Make a self feeding hopper on a timer, and you won’t ever have to get up again – as long as it’s full… they will shred you if its empty I assume.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Betty Cracker: The 20’s were a bit before my moving to the Jewel City. We do have an interesting history and not one to be entirely proud of(Sunset town, the Bund…).
Keith G
@Cliff in NH: I have thought about that. My two rescue kitties (sisters from the same litter), have two different attitudes toward food. Meredith is very passive, while her sister Izzy, quickly gobbles down any food in front of her and then goes over and nudges her sister out of the way to gobble down that food as well.
So, I’ve had to resort to controlled feedings in separate rooms so that one kitty gets nutrition she needs and the other one doesn’t plump up like the Great Pumpkin.
raven
My pups don’t mind the carwarsh.
Anya
I understand McCaskill’s ‘middle-of-the-road shtick’ but she’s very problematic. I don’t like her showboating ways and I don’t get authentic from her. But how is she supposed to win Dem primary with her support of Ferguson prosecutor Robert McCulloch, her vote for the Keystone Pipeline, and all of her other problamatic votes.
OzarkHillbilly
You too, huh? Been awake since 1:30 myself.
Who’s a$$ does Rachel have her head up?
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
This cheesy crab and artichoke dip in a breadbowl is super easy, really good and a crowd pleaser. Delicioso heated but also mighty tasty when served cool.
Video here.
Ingredients here.
Suggest leaving out the tarragon and instead adding finely chopped cooked and well drained spinach, about ½ cup or so.
Keith G
@OzarkHillbillyThe Senator’s?
Maddow been an enthusiastic supporter of McCaskill for several years now. Effusive would actually be the best word to use.
Betty Cracker
@raven: Really? Years ago, my mother and I were going somewhere with two dogs in the car, and they went absolutely insane when we drove through a car wash! When the rollers came down over the hood, they were biting at the windshield to get at it, then they leapt over the seat to confront the rollers at the back window and trampled us while flinging themselves against the side windows. It was kind of horrible because we were trapped with them for the duration! The outside of the car was clean, but the inside windows were flecked with slobber and fur.
Cliff in NH
@Keith G:
way back in 1988ish I recall seeing a cat door that only would let the cat wearing the right tag go thru the door, I’m sure there is something like that avail today… it was pretty cool, it locked behind the authorized kitty within less than a second.
separate feeding rooms would work with something like that…
OzarkHillbilly
@Keith G: I don’t watch TV except what clips I find on the internet so color me surprised. The only reason I vote for McCaskill is because what alternative do I have? (she is not the worst Senator in the world, but dog knows she’s no where near the best)
raven
@Betty Cracker: My pups are pretty secure. As far as the Superbowl, we cancelled our party because of the construction mess. The put the sidewalks and curbs in yesterday and, besides the fact that we had to 86 the driveway because we didn’t have a permit, it went well. Today they are going to do their best to square away all the dirt pile and such, put up some silt fences and put a good load of crusher run on the street. We just didn’t think it was a great idea to have a house full of people so we disinvited everyone. The one exception is my buddy who has been in throat cancer treatment for the past 3 months. He emailed asking if we were having the gig and I said “no but we’d love for ya’ll to come over”. Because of his situation we’re not going to do food, just watch the game.
raven
Oh yea, here’s the sidewalk.
ThresherK
@OzarkHillbilly: Ayup.
For a non-blue-state statewide officeholder she’s no Clinton (Bill).
As a Senator, what kind of politcal skillz have been tested for Presidential timber (or timbre)?
Which of her positions are going to be diluted if she goes national? What of her speaks “Democratic wing of the Democratic party”?
Nothing about her really rings out to me, but maybe I’m missing something.
Betty Cracker
@raven: Holy shit, they really did tear up everything!
NotMax
@raven
At least from that shot it appears they were considerate of the trees.
OzarkHillbilly
@Betty Cracker: Bacon wrapped dates (bake in the oven until bacon is cooked) are easy to make and the perfect mix of salty and sweet.
raven
@NotMax: There were 4 water oaks taken down there and one large oak from in front of the house where the sewer actually runs under the foundation. The oak has completely undermined the foundation of that house and we expect the owner will tear it down and rebuild.
NotMax
@OzarkHillbilly
Should one prefer crunch to sweet, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts also work.
raven
@Betty Cracker: Hell that’s nothing, here’s the street in front of the house as the dug the 15ft trench. One thing I will say is that these guys violate the shit out of OSHA regs in these trenches. I hope someone doesn’t get killed down the road.
Baud
Maybe Maddow’s ratings are down and she decided to say something shocking to peak interest?
JPL
@raven: I sure hope that you enjoy the addition when it’s finished.
Mustang Bobby
Yay, we made it almost through January.
Noting the passing of Rod McKuen, I am wondering how many guys my age got laid in high school by doing a soulful reading of one of his poems to his girlfriend on a moonlit bank by a creek on a June night.
OzarkHillbilly
@NotMax: Nice.
@raven: The slopes in that pic look within regs (perspective and all that) but yeah, I’ve seen a lot of guys jump down into ditches they had no business getting anywhere near and every year somebody pays the price.
raven
@JPL: Oh god, don’t even mention that! The princess has all kinds of ideas and I will have very little input. I’m sure it will all work out but it’s going to be a pain in the ass. Here’s a drawing.
Betty Cracker
@raven: And the obligatory red Georgia clay!
@Baud: Policy-wise, I don’t think it’s such a nutty idea; McCaskill’s positions on most issues are pretty similar to HRC’s. I suppose conventional wisdom would hold that her centrism would pull in independents, etc. But she probably wouldn’t carry her home state and would have almost certainly lost her senate seat if the GOP hadn’t nominated a bug-eyed loon. That doesn’t disqualify her, IMO, but for Rachel to go on about it as if McCaskill were such an obvious shoo-in surprised me. Rachel usually has more sense than that.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
Couldn’t you say that about almost any two Democrats? The fact is, folks like Warren, Sanders, and Sherrod Brown are outliers, which is why the blogs talk about them so much.
ETA: I agree that it’s nutty on politics. I don’t see what her core constituency is.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Betty Cracker: Donnie on Morning Schmoe sez that JEB!!! will be the next President, so there’s no need to discuss any of this stuff.
Botsplainer
@raven:
I got the best trench story of all time, if a little wince-inducing.
I represented a guy about 10 years ago. He was a slab of meat, a convicted felon whose customary occupation was to act as a collector for his dad, a bookmaker for the lowest level of that clientele.
He’d picked up a bit of day labor on a jack leg construction site for a seedy strip mall. They were doing foundation work and had a lot of exposed, uncapped rebar poking up. At some point, the big lump was climbing out of his part of the trench and the ground gave way. He fell, and impaled himself on exposed rebar, 8 inches in – via an entry point 3/4 an inch to the right of his anus.
There he was, stuck and flopping like a fish. His fellow day laborers thought he was fooling around and were laughng and throwing dirt clods at him until they realized something had gone awry.
Botsplainer
Anyway, the contractor had no workers comp coverage, and claimed that he was just visiting and wasn’t employed. It triggered a liability policy and he was still trying to defend on it, vigorously. We finally got paid after the contractor got sliced up and murdered in a three way gone bad at the Stratosphere in Vegas.
danielx
@Mustang Bobby:
Never tried that. I did give my youthful (male) cohorts a four word piece of advice: buy them flowers, gentlemen. It was good advice then and now, whether you’re in your teens, twenties, thirties, forties and onward. When you’re married, bringing flowers home just because is still a good, nay, excellent idea, and not just on those occasions when you’re in deep shit with the spousal unit and trying to swim your way out.
In one of the fastest walkbacks EVAR, Mike Pence has abandoned the idea of a state-sponsored news outlet. Pence is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I have to give him credit for being able to recognize a billboard-sized red neon light saying ‘This Is An Incredibly Bad And Stupid Idea’.
And I thought Pravda on Pogue’s Run had such a nice ring to it, too.
Mustang Bobby
@danielx: Oh, yeah, flowers do work. On my first date with the guy who would become my partner for fifteen years, he stopped by one of those curbside flower vendors on the way to my house. It worked, obviously.
ThresherK
@danielx: I’ll wait for Karen Ryan and the corpse of Armstrong Williams’ good name to weigh in on Pence.
Pence created Just IN, didn’t he? To analogize, skidding to a stop before launching off a cliff he steered the car towards at 100mph isn’t the most praiseworthy thing a driver can do.
PS I don’t know much about the Indy Star, but when some reporter says
followed by
my source hooring alarm goes off.
What do journalamism folk who don’t speak to Pence on a first-name basis think of his press relations?
danielx
There’s a Nick Lowe sing called Stoplight Roses, but it’s about the usual desperate attempt to bribe your way out of trouble. I always figured that if you’re that far up shit creek, flower stems will not suffice to paddle your way out.
danielx
@ThresherK:
Generally speaking, they follow the Mencken dictum about how the only way a reporter should ever look at a politician is down.
Give him credit, at least he brought it to a stop. A great many pols – George W. Bush comes to mind – would press down the gas pedal because to admit error is to appear weak. And just to be a putz, in W’s case.
Baud
ThresherK
@danielx: So he’s not subject to the “Will he or won’t he” rah-rahing that his predecessor Mitch (Tall Glass of Non-Dairy Creamer) Daniels got?
I mean, what’s the limiting factor for the presidential ambitions of non-crazy* reddish-purple state GOP govs nowadays? Are the qualities of charisma and gravitas both simply things which our press corpse will fluff out of nothing?
(*Compared to Ernst, not regular people or normal civil servants.)
@danielx: Okay, I’ll cede that. At some point I can’t apply normative behavior to these folks, and I should also remember there are a lot of innocent Hoosiers who’ll be better off with that proverbial car still at the edge of the cliff.
Disclaimer: I lived under the regime of John “Hot Tub Crime Machine” Rowland”, so I should not discount the ability of govs to get all bigheaded about their own lovability which really stems only from their transient power.
JPL
@Botsplainer: That contractor won’t be doing shoddy work again. There’s must be a moral to the story. The buck stops here…
Betty Cracker
@Mustang Bobby: My mom and I used to argue about Rod McKuen. She loved him. I thought he was a godawful hack. RIP, regardless of literary merit!
Old Dan and Little Ann
My old lab Mickey, would sit shotgun the several times I took him with me through the car wash. He was rather unflappable so he sat there without a care in the world. My rescue dog on the other hand only travels to the vet. He’s a fucking danger to me and himself when I’m driving.
RSA
Freedom ain’t free, but these days it’s pretty cheap per gallon, isn’t it?
Keith G
@Baud: It will be interesting to see what the impact of the negative economic shocks of ultra low oil prices ($50 and lower) are going to do to jobless numbers. Here in Houston companies were already announcing and executing layoffs.
Betty Cracker
@Old Dan and Little Ann: Maybe the two dogs riding with us were outliers, then. They were sweet, normal dogs without any known history of abuse or insane behavior, so I just assumed car washes would drive any dog nuts. I’ll certainly never chance it again!
danielx
@ThresherK:
Fixed.
Pence is crazy enough, given his stands on various issues, but his political instincts are good. Even the wingnuts were saying hey, I’ve got Rush, Newsmax and Red State, why should my tax dollars be spent on a vanity project?
Having not personally experienced the Pence aura (my luck is still in) I can’t speak to the quality/quantity of his charisma and gravitas, but you have to admit that his hair is absolutely perfect.
Baud
@Keith G:
Obviously, low oil prices hurt oil exporting regions. But I’m a little taken aback how the reporting on the oil market crash has generally been dour rather than upbeat with regard to its impact on the overall economy. They cheer low wages; why not low oil prices?
satby
High today of 25 outside and 58 inside. Furnace is blowing cold air. UGH.
I have my infrared space heater going (that’s how we got to 58). Can’t stay home today, and won’t have my pension deposited until tonight to pay for repairs anyway. Fortunately, I keep the house cool anyway, I’m well insulated!
By the time life quits teaching me valuable lessons, I should have a doctorate.
The Thin Black Duke
@Baud: Because there’s a Democrat in the White House.
raven
@Botsplainer: dang
Elizabelle
@satby: This is where those rescues earn their keep, keeping each other and you warm.
Sending you a virtual hot beverage.
Baud
@The Thin Black Duke:
Sounds about right.
sparrow
@bjacques: My husband (a Greek) and I have been following Varoufakis for a long while now, and have read his book The Global Minotaur, which is excellent. We’re beyond happy that he’s the new finance minister… I’m just worried that they guy, not being a politician, will not appreciate the political hurdles to what they want to accomplish. :(
Elizabelle
I don’t understand R. Maddow’s enthusiasm for Claire McCaskill.
That said, I’d feel much more secure if we had a few good and ELECTABLE Democratic alternatives to Hillary Clinton. What happens if something takes her out of the picture?
And I know the consensus here is that Elizabeth Warren should stay right where she is, as Senator, but I think she’s the most electable Democrat out there. Her message is real, based on people’s empirical lives and a clear view of reality, and she communicates well and connects with others.
I see her reaching disaffected Republicans. She was one herself, once.
And what good is it to have a superstar senator from Massachusetts if a Republican beholden to the Kochs et al is making Supreme Court appointments?
2016 is all about the Supreme Court.
danielx
@Baud:
Because big banks were holding so many oil-related derivatives/swaps that were predicated upon/related to steady or increasing oil prices. There is, after all, a reason why Jamie Dimond was personally lobbying congresscritters for that passage in the odious (and heinously named) Cromnibus bill that allowed banks to keep on making risky bets using taxpayer-backed money. After all, you can’t seriously expect JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, et al, to actually put their own capital at risk in order to keep profit levels
and keep paying ridiculous bonuses to traders and senior management. Why, that would be capitalism and the free market at work!Oh, right….socialism for them and capitalism for the rest of us. I forgot.
bemused
Some time ago, I remember watching a video of a cat owner taking her cat through a car wash. The cat was loose in the car, not in a carrier and remarkably calm, looking more curious than scared. My first thought was that no matter how laid-back your cat is, any cat can freak out when suddenly startled. Relatives transported their cat to their summer cottage 4 hours away from home for years with no issues, loose in the car with a small litter box until one time when the cat had diarrhea.
I missed Scott Walker’s freudian slip in Iowa when he said Republicans need to promote policies that support and defend hard work in this company…er, this country again.
Betty Cracker
@Elizabelle: I’m not sure what’s behind it either. I think McCaskill and HRC have similar views — if anything, HRC might be slightly more leftward tilting, but there’s really just not much daylight there. HRC’s big advantage is that everyone knows who she is (a double-edged sword), and she’s dialed into big donors.
I love Warren and agree that she can connect outside of blue states, but she says she’s not going to run, and I believe her. Agree than the SCOTUS is THE issue for 2016, but rising wealth inequality is the pressing issue of our time (IMO), and as much as anyone in politics is addressing it and making a difference, Senator Warren is.
What do you think about Senator Gillibrand? I think she’s for sure not going to get in HRC’s way if she’s going to run, but Gillibrand would make an interesting alternative. Our bench is a bit thin, and that worries me too. But the GOP’s is pretty terrible.
Hillary Rettig
Everyone check out this article about Obama’s talking to the Youtubers:
slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/01/30/hank_green_news_media_and_the_president.html
Hank Green’s response to Rupert Murdoch will put a song in your heart.
raven
So I just looked at the driveway apron they poured yesterday and out tenant let her do run all over it. Maybe she won’t get a discount this month.
Elizabelle
@Betty Cracker: I’d support Gillibrand. I will support just about any Democrat, because, as you say, the GOP is so awful.
I worry about electable. We saw how evil and money-grubbing the MSM was in runup to the midterms — all Ebola and ISIS and negative campaign ads all the time.
2016 is going to have almost $1 billion of Kochdollars, as well as whatever their junior partner the GOP spends.
currants
@bjacques: He’s FABULOUS! The parable of the ant and the grasshopper is maybe the best way to describe that crisis (esp w/the bankers as grasshoppers) I’ve seen. Thanks so much for that link–I’ve book-marked it.
Elizabelle
@bjacques: @currants:
Agreed. Thank you for giving me some brainfood to read.
Cervantes
@sparrow:
Not sure he’ll last as long as I want him to. Like most academics, he has left a paper trail that can be used as fire-starter when the need (or opportunity) arises.
Keith G
@Elizabelle:
I am wondering if there is anyway we can pull a little bit of a Frank Luntz and rename/rebrand the mainstream media (MSM) into something else that has a more desirable impact.
Democracy Now always uses the phrase “the corporate media” instead of MSM. I think that would be a start since they are not mainstream, but instead more likely to be servants of the corporate structures that pay their salaries.
Elizabelle
@Hillary Rettig: Thank you for that. Counteracts despair, when contemplating FoxWorld and the MSM. Will watch the PBO video.
Phil Plait in Slate, Hillary’s link:
Problem for me is, awful legacy media can still set the tone. And people who are older or too time-pressed to websurf — a lot of voters raising kids while working fulltime — only get the false narrative put out by legacy media. It’s a miasma of truthiness, when you’re already saturated by negative advertising.
And young people and those open to the non-GOP message don’t vote enough. It’s their responsibility, and too many are uninformed or cynical. (Again, hello legacy media.)
Elizabelle
@Keith G:
Corporate-owned antique media?
Corporate-owned legacy media?
bjacques
Varoufakis’s “Modest Proposal” for EU finance looks good (to a non-economist like me) and is fairly easy to follow.
cmorenc
@Betty Cracker:
When you’re a young man, any poet whose stuff is good enough, when read to a young lady, to get you laid – is a truly great literary genius up there with Shakespeare and Shelley. A “hack” is any poet whose work is unhelpful toward getting laid.
Keith G
@Baud: There is probably a variety of reasons for that. One is that price breaks to consumers seldom accrue from downward changes in the price of oil as quickly as price rises do. They’re harder to track and therefore harder to write glowing reports about.
Secondly, in many parts of the nation the oil economy, as well as the energy economy as a whole, is one of our last major manufacturing industries. And when those prices drop and those layoffs occur, the news pretty significant.
And of course as touched on by an earlier comment, there are financial news priorities in discussing the ripple effect on the greater financial markets to the lowering price of such widely held stocks as Exxon and the rest.
Nicole
As the countdown to the end of public kindergarten applications in NYC approaches, I find I’m turning into one of those crazy parents I swore I wouldn’t be. So stories like this remind me there are people (or critters) out there with bigger problems:
community.petco.com/t5/petco-scoop/Hercules-Burned-but-not-Broken/ba-p/53339?utm_source=outbrain…
Betty Cracker
@Keith G: Excellent suggestion!
chopper
@Botsplainer:
I assume the Saul Goodman character is based on you?
Patricia Kayden
@Elizabelle: If minorities don’t sit out the 2016 elections, like they did with the mid-terms in 2014, Dems should be fine. All the Clown Car Occupants look scary — especially to Brown/Black people, so Secretary Clinton should win easily. Unless she’s dumb enough to tick off her base by attacking President Obama.
Librarian
To top it off, McCaskill’s appearance, if I am not mistaken, was right after she voted for the Keystone pipeline- which Rachel of course never mentioned.
Amir Khalid
@Hillary Rettig:
I looked Hank Green. His co-blogger and brother John is the guy who wrote The Fault In Our Stars, isn’t he?
ixnay
@Cliff in NH: If you don’t also have dogs, and if you don’t mind occasionally stepping on dry cat food, here’s the least expensive solution: Take a 7-oz Parmesan container – the kind with the larger opening on one side, and 3 holes on the other. After using/disposing of the cheese in whatever way suits your culinary proclivities, fill the container with dry food. Open the side with the 3 holes. Your cats will find it, play with it, observe each other playing with it, knock out 3 or 5 kibbles at a time. Nobody except the very most food-dedicated cat gets to be a piggie, and even the piggies need to work for the food. 3 of our 4 (indoor) cats are completely svelte. The 4th is the piggie, although he has another issue that makes me think it’s a metabolic issue. I think we have 3 or 4 of the containers floating around; the kiddoes are good at losing them under the furniture.
Thus spaketh the cheap veterinarian. Less frugal veterinarians will try to sell you much more expensive toys that do essentially the same thing.
sparrow
@bjacques: Krugman likes it, so that is also a (rare) appeal to authority that gets my attention. :)
opiejeanne
@Betty Cracker: I’m usually the dessert-bringer to parties, and this is a potluck. I’m not sure what to take yet, but probably a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce on the side. Or maybe an apple pie, or both.
Also, I need to check my freezer and see if I still have some tomatillos from the garden, and if I do then I will make a batch of salsa by roasting the little darlings with some garlic and onions and a jalapeño or two and then zapping them in the blender. This has gone over really well in the past.
And just to make myself nuts, I might make empanadas using frozen puff pastry, but I’m not sure they really are empanadas. The recipe is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. They sound good but might be a bit too fussy.
Tree With Water
“..had to haul several schoolmates around to complete some class project, allegedly”.
In high school I used to complete class projects with my friends while cruising around, too.
Never got arrested while doing it either, thank god.
opiejeanne
@Cliff in NH: Last year I waited too long to reverse the CC charge on a product because they DID answer the damned phone, were very nice about getting it from the manufacturer etc, until they just closed up shop and left the answering machine set up as if they were just too busy to answer it. I went along for a while because the remodeling wasn’t ready for the item, two sets of door handles for the French doors, leaving messages every week, waiting for the return call that had always come before, and decided to cancel but I was just a couple of days late to do so. The company was in Florida, I sicced their Attorney General on them and they tried, according to the letter I got, but they couldn’t locate the owner.
This was an online company recommended by the contractor because they sold the items at a discount; he’d used them for his own house. It turned out that for less than what I lost I could buy a much better product from a brick and mortar locally. The contractor was embarrassed, but it wasn’t his fault that this crook had decided to fold up with people’s money still in his till.
opiejeanne
@OzarkHillbilly: My husband used to make the contractors put in shoring all the damned time. He is a Civil Engineer and worked in Public Works, and there are just too many stories about people dying in trenches that don’t look all that deep. He did it on jobs that weren’t his by threatening to call the inspectors in. That worked.
opiejeanne
@Botsplainer: Whoa! That IS some story.
opiejeanne
@Betty Cracker: I liked him when I encountered him at age 18, in my college roommate’s collection of LPs. She didn’t like my Doors or my Betthoven’s 7th or much of anything else I brought.
By the end of the year I had a great roommate, one of my oldest friends now, and had grave suspicions at age 19 that Rod McKuen might be a hack.
Betty Cracker
@opiejeanne: Mmmm, empanadas! It all sounds good, though.
Theodore Wirth
Are not all Murkans terror-stricken little babies?