Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

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

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Infrastructure week. at last.

Republicans in disarray!

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Consistently wrong since 2002

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

Nothing worth doing is easy.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

I really should read my own blog.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

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

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Might as Well Make it Official…

Might as Well Make it Official…

by | 242 Comments

This post is in: ,

Made a command decision this morning when I woke up and someone was not on his spot on the pillow next to my head and I freaked out because I couldn’t find him right away.

official

He was fine, he was just going potty on a pee pad like a good little doggie, and I realized right then and there that I wasn’t fooling anyone anymore.

#fosterfail

Reader Interactions

242Comments

  3. 3.

    Violet

    Ha! A bunch of commenters called it! Happy for all of you. And more pet pics please!

  4. 4.

    Diana

    so the foster is now permanent?

    amazing how often that happens. Has happened to me twice now.

  5. 5.

    MomSense

    Yes!

    I got a text this afternoon that the dog ate a box of crayons. Got home just now and discovered she also ate the arm of the couch.

    Both her poop and my language were colorful.

    ETA May be a #fosterfail but it looks from the picture like you are wearing pants.

  6. 6.

    SiubhanDuinne

    By orders of magnitude, this is the happiest news of the day! Congratulations to John, Thurston, Lily, Rosie, and Steve.

    When does Lovey go to her forever home at geg6‘s? Or did the drop already happen and I just missed it?

  8. 8.

    khead

    This is why we could not be foster parents for kittehs. We would have a house full. Congrats.

  13. 13.

    cmorenc

    I kind of thought Thurston was pretty close to winning a permanent spot in the Cole menagerie of furry best friends family. Glad you recognized it in time before someone offered to adopt him at a moment when you were temporarily peeved enough at your collection of dogs to give him up as the necessary sacrifice to regain purported household peace and order.

  17. 17.

    Mary G

    Very happy for you and the new addition to your family. Thurston Howl is one of the greatest doggie names evah.

  18. 18.

    Skyweaver

    Thanks for that good new, John! And congrats to Thurston for becoming a part of a great family.

  19. 19.

    GregB

    Political anecdote of the day.

    At the Rand Paul rally, his opening tune was Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein.

    Closing tune was Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

    As the line “I ain’t no Senator’s son” played all I could think was, yeah, but you are the son of a 12 term Congressman.

  21. 21.

    D58826

    I realized right then and there that I wasn’t fooling anyone anymore.</blockquote Only one being fooled was you

  22. 22.

    jl

    Glad Thurston is OK and relieves himself like a good doggy should.

    Now we BJers are going to demand regular pupottydates.
    With relevant number, of course.

    Edit; or should it be pottypupdates?

  23. 23.

    scav

    @Steeplejack: Well, for that matter, I did rather wonder why this was a single-ring ceremony and only Thurston H. was getting the Engraved collar. So doubt the little guy’s totally behind the obey part of the rite too, at least under all circs.

  25. 25.

    Violet

    @Steeplejack: Also, not sure who took the picture. It doesn’t have the usual Cole picture trademarks–poor lighting, lack of focus, etc.

  33. 33.

    Mike J

    @GregB:

    At the Rand Paul rally, his opening tune was Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein.

    Closing tune was Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

    And youtube took down his announcement because the content id system recognized copyrighted music in the video.

    And in other photo op news…

  36. 36.

    Monkeyfister

    I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: You are one good Human Being, John Cole.

  39. 39.

    Arclite

    @GregB:

    As the line “I ain’t no Senator’s son” played all I could think was, yeah, but you are the son of a 12 term Congressman.

    Heh, didn’t think that one through very well, did they?

  42. 42.

    kindness

    Having made this proclamation now the offers will start storming in…..We Have To Have Thurston for our very own!!!!!11!!

    Not me mind you. 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 tanks of fish are enough. I’d get a goat be it would eat all my better half’s flowers & plants before eating any of the weeds. Don’t need that headache either.

  46. 46.

    kc

    @GregB:

    At the Rand Paul rally, his opening tune was Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein.

    Closing tune was Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

    As the line “I ain’t no Senator’s son” played all I could think was, yeah, but you are the son of a 12 term Congressman.

    The fucking gall.

    He should have been laughed off the stage.

  47. 47.

    Hal

    Yay puppies! Kind of obvious were that was going.

    I came downstairs to find the garbage bag I had taken out of the can ransacked and several old rib and chicken bones along with foil all over the floor. I’m a little worried because they were dry, brittle bones, but the dog (terrier mix) seems fine so far. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye out just in case.

  50. 50.

    Betty Cracker

    @kc: “Frankenstein” is somewhat appropriate given that Baby Doc’s platform resembles the badly stitched together gristly bits of Ayn Rand, Zombie Reagan, George Wallace, etc.

  51. 51.

    Hal

    Also:

    http://thechroma.squarespace.com/news/2015/4/8/gofundme-rejects-attempts-to-raise-money-for-police-officer-who-killed-unarmed-black-man-on-video

    Crowdfunding website GoFundMe confirmed today that they rejected a campaign set up for Michael Slager, an ex-police officer who fatally shot 50-year-old black man Walter Scott, which was caught on camera last week.

    But don’t worry. These wonderful klansman, uh I mean upstanding citizens, will soldier on.

    Despite GoFundMe refusing to host the campaign, the campaign’s organiser moved the campaign to IndieGoGo, another crowdfunding website. Though, the campaign has thus far been unsuccessful, and the response has largely been negative.

  53. 53.

    LesGS

    @MomSense: My godson, when 18 months old and then in my care, ate a piece of green sidewalk chalk. The next diaper change was quite alarming! Puppies and toddlers…

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    Cole, I assume you consulted with the lady of the house before you made your decision? Lily must be given her props, after all.

  63. 63.

    Elizabelle

    @WaterGirl: Yes.

    I am wondering about Miss Lily and her “nose out of joint.”

    Did you realize she was secretly fond of the interloper?

  66. 66.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Anyone who didn’t see this coming doesn’t know Cole. Although I am surprised that he didn’t adopt all three dogs.

  68. 68.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Hal: So shooting unarmed Black men is the new way to make $$$? Good to know. I wonder if GoFundMe would have allowed the fundraising to take place if that video had not come out.

  69. 69.

    Steeplejack

    @WereBear:

    My impression is that it’s in a state of clusterfucked limbo. Mary G is saying, “I want Ginger.” Someone else is saying, “I can arrange an inspection, but I need to know if it’s a go.” And Cole drops in occasionally and says, “Does Mary G still want Ginger?” (Whereas presumably he has access to her e-mail address and could ask her directly.)

    And I haven’t seen anywhere that the inspection actually has been scheduled.

  70. 70.

    trollhattan

    @GregB:
    Dollars to donuts (delicious donuts!) both misters Winter and Fogerty go all “Like fuck you’re using my music!” on his ass.

  71. 71.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @WereBear:

    Our own #fosterfail slept on my head. I think it’s a sign.

    Yeah, when I read about him sleeping by Cole’s head was when I was ready to bet all the money that Thurston wasn’t going anywhere. Before that I was only ready to bet some of the money.

  73. 73.

    satby

    Foster fail is how I ended up with all mine, though mostly because they never found forever homes and after over a year (for each) we quit looking as the pet was already established here. So happy as I am for you John, realize that this is how people end up with 12 animals so you may want to pass on future fostering. Jest sayin is all….

  74. 74.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    lolololololol

    Fuck, you’re just like me, a sucker for any hard case that comes along so long as they’re furry.

    You’re a good guy, Cole. You treat your friends and animals with respect and dignity, and there’s no higher mark of a man in my book. No shame in fosterfail, I’d take that dog in a second, he’s a keeper.

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    @Steeplejack: That’s the last I knew of the status, too, with one addition.

    Mary G. replied to a comment from me that the email from the person who had the contact who could arrange the inspection had previously arrived in her inbox; she said the timing had been bad because her house was all torn up but that she was going to send a message to that person right away.

    That was in the past 2 weeks, and I haven’t seen anything else since then.

  78. 78.

    Howard Beale IV

    Yay for Thurston.

    Now it’s time to get pissed:

    Mary Root, an 82-year-old widow from Havre de Grace, Maryland, spent two days in jail last March after her neighbor complained to animal control that her Chihuahuas had gotten loose three times.

    Root was charged $525 for the incidents. Living on roughly $2,000 a month and already struggling to pay her property taxes, she couldn’t afford the fines. But she was thankful nothing happened to her dogs.

    When she missed a court hearing about the violations — which Root said she couldn’t attend for medical reasons — an arrest warrant was issued and she was put in jail.

    Root learned that she could either face more than a year in jail or owe $7,000 — an amount that included the initial fines and new ones for missing the hearing. A Harford County spokesperson didn’t respond to requests for comment.

    Root was only able to get out of jail after a good Samaritan heard her story on the local news and bailed her out. A pro bono attorney helped her negotiate the $7,000 bill to around $500, which she paid with the help of her church and lawyer.

    “It’s been a nightmare,” said Root, who lives alone. “I’m 82 and I’m just hanging in there — that’s why I value my little dogs.”

  80. 80.

    Garbo

    That is the best news. And much needed. Athenae posted that she lost dear Bucky today, so I really needed this.

  81. 81.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @WaterGirl:

    Didn’t she get all surly with a dog that was nosing around too close to (for her liking) Thuston and Lovey?

  82. 82.

    Mary G

    @WaterGirl: I don’t know. From my phone conversation with John, the rescue group was pretty adamantly against it, saying they like to check up on adoptees periodically after adoption.

    I have been forbidden to fly by my doctor (nothing serious, just still have a lot of soft tissue damage to the foot that I broke the ankle of and would be Elephant Woman by the time I got off the plane), so I couldn’t go get her myself. The service that flies dogs would charge $1500, which seems like too much to spend on one little doggie when there are so many in need of help.

    I did get in touch with SWMBO, who is referring me to someone who can do a home inspection, so it is still possible, I guess. I will email John. His sister said they would have no trouble adopting her out back there, but if the diabetes makes a difference I am still available if we could get her approved and across the country.

  86. 86.

    Pogonip

    What a pleasant non-surprise. Cole, we want pictures!

    About a zillion comments down, someone linked to William Hope Hodgson’s “The Hog.”. Thank you! I hadn’t read that in ages.

    Science-fiction writer John C. Wright did a Hodgson spin-off called ” Awake in the Night Land.”. Did anyone read that and, if so, how’d you like it? “The Night Land” is not my favorite Hodgson; nothing much happens. I prefer a rousing battle with invisible luminous pigs (why was Hodgson so down on pigs, anyway?).

    My very first Hodgson story was about a couple cast away on an island where there’s nothing to eat but weird gray lichen; a steady diet of same turns you into a mold-monster, as they find out the hard way. For the life of me I can’t remember the title of that one and haven’t seen a reprint in 40 years.

  87. 87.

    Elizabelle

    @Howard Beale IV: You need to think twice about throwing up a link to “dogs killed over unpaid fines” without some warning. Seriously. Not saying don’t post, just disclose better.

    Although: isn’t stuff like that happening because municipalities are desperate for money and taxes are not sufficient?

    Are Mrs. Root’s chihuahuas still alive? I didn’t read the story for the particulars.

  89. 89.

    Hal

    So how long would a war with Iran take? Two years? Five? According to Tom Cotton:

    “Even if military action were required — and we certainly should have kept the credible threat of military force on the table throughout which always improves diplomacy — the president is trying to make you think it would be 150,000 heavy mechanized troops on the ground in the Middle East again as we saw in Iraq. That’s simply not the case,” Cotton told Tony Perkins on the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch program, according to CNN.

    Oh ok. So no need for another war in the middle east? All we need is a few days, just like Bill Clinton. But wait! Wasn’t there another war effort after Clinton left office? One that was also only supposed to be a quick few days/weeks and that was it? Funny how Cotton doesn’t even mention that other conflict. Let’s just skip back to the 90s and pretend the 2000s never happened.

    “It would be something more along the lines of what President Clinton did in December 1998 during Operation Desert Fox,” he added. “Several days of air and naval bombing against Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction facilities for exactly the same kind of behavior — for interfering with weapons inspectors and for disobeying Security Council resolutions. All we’re asking is that the president simply be as tough as in the protection of America’s national security interest as Bill Clinton was.”

  93. 93.

    geg6

    @Mary G:

    The service we used for Koda was a lot less than $1500 and came to PA from CA. I’ll try to find the paperwork from that and BJers will kick in like they did for me, I’m sure.

  94. 94.

    Pogonip

    @Hal: 6 months, tops, and the local yokels would greet the 12 American troops who’d be needed as liberators.

  97. 97.

    beth

    They just worm their way into your heart and there’s nothing you can do about it. Glad to hear Thurston’s found his forever home.

  98. 98.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Elizabelle: Duh, try reading-the article said her goggies are OK.

    And no way, no how am I playing the trigger warning bullshit.

  99. 99.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Steeplejack Close-I’m much more svelte than he is-OTOH, maybe 15 years ago, I’d be about that size….

    (he’s got the fez and the cigar nailed)

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack

    @Howard Beale IV:

    Duh, try reading—the article said her goggies are OK.

    Uh, your link led to an article with the headline “Dogs Killed over Unpaid Fines” and the lead:

    California resident Gerilynn Aflleje was horrified when her 4-year-old Siberian Husky mix was killed by a local animal shelter over $180 in fees that she couldn’t afford.

    Maybe some goggies are okay, but clearly not all. Elizabelle’s discomfort is understandable.

    ETA: Mary Root’s story is down in the bottom of that article.

  103. 103.

    Violet

    @WaterGirl: Lily’s gonna have a sad when Lovey goes to her forever home this weekend. :( Happy for geg6 but it’s going to be different. I hope Ginger is okay.

  104. 104.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Howard Beale IV:

    Glad to know I can avoid following the links you post, then. Believe it or not, some of us need a little mental preparation before reading yet another horrifying story. I suppose I should be hardened to them by now, but I am not.

  105. 105.

    Elizabelle

    @Howard Beale IV: That’s the point, though. I did not want to seek out an article like that. I figured the lady’s pups were fine, especially since she had a pro bono lawyer involved and a church looking out for her, but apparently I’d have to wade through sad stories about less lucky pet owners and pics of their doomed pets to find out for sure.

    There’s a lot of sadness and imbecility out there, and not everyone wants to see everything that’s out there.

    It’s fine to share an article like that, but I think you do need to warn folks.

    And it intrudes on the happy mood of Thurston finding his #fosterfail home.

    ETA: Mnem put it better.

    I don’t click a lot of links here, because there’s no clue what you’re getting or why it’s interesting. Blind link stays blind link until others start commenting on it.

    You were, to me, a trusted source. So I clicked.

    So you might want to think about that.

  106. 106.

    ThresherK

    Just seeing it on the nametag is pretty sweet.

    As a couple with cats only, I’m trying to remember when things got officially named. Sometimes it was a week or so, and sometimes it was before we got it home.

    Then again, I never had to imprint a name on an animal which would pay attention maybe 10% of the time you called it.

  108. 108.

    Elizabelle

    I don’t want angst with my cocktail hour and happiness over Thurston Howl Subaruriding Cole.

    I don’t run to the TV set and turn it up every time Sarah McLachlan and her parade of sad doggies appears. Actually, those things get me to mute the set as fast as “let’s talk about pelvic mesh” and ED ads and really rude commercials that aren’t funny.

  109. 109.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Steeplejack: Uh, it was the whole last part of the article, dude-why do you think I highlighted that (good outcome, but at a cost) section? The rest of that was much worse.

  110. 110.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: Thanks for the update!

    One step at a time… It seems to me that nothing else can move forward until you get the home inspection arranged and approved.

    If you can focus on making that happen, I can’t imagine that we at BJ can’t put our collective heads together and work everything else out.

  111. 111.

    Mike J

    @Hal: Who is R Owens? The indiegogo site says, “for Michael T. Slager Support Fund and R Owens!”

  112. 112.

    Elizabelle

    @Violet: I kept thinking Lovey had transferred Easter Saturday and was wondering when we’d see some pics.

    This is so perfect, because maybe Thurston and Lovey can have pup reunions from time to time.

    And it would be lovely if Ginger ended up in Cali, living large with Mary G.

  113. 113.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Elizabelle:

    It’s less “trigger warnings” and more “do I really want to read about kitten mutilations today?” I may need to get off the Alley Cat Allies email list, because I just can’t take that stuff in my email box every single day.

  114. 114.

    Howard Beale IV

    @ThresherK: My last cat I adopted I didn’t even bother to change his name. He’s a Red smooshed-faced Persian who graced a previous BJ calendar.

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    @Howard Beale IV:

    As a kid in the ’60s I was fascinated by those strips in the Sunday funnies that had obviously outlived their natural lifespan: Our Boarding House (Major Hoople), Gasoline Alley, The Katzenjammer Kids. They were a fascinating time portal into a midcentury parallel universe that had just ended but was gone forever. Boarding houses, the clothes—guys wearing windbreaker-type jackets and fedoras—and everybody seamlessly (lower) middle-class (and white!).

    Holy shnikeys! Wikipedia says The KatzenjammerKids and Gasoline Alley are both still in syndication! I can’t believe it. Of course, I haven’t looked at an actual Sunday funnies section in years, so anything’s possible.

  117. 117.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    Happy for the #FosterFail. Though empty collars in this house mean something entirely different, something you keep after a very sad visit to the vet.

  118. 118.

    Steeplejack

    @Howard Beale IV:

    That’s the point: you didn’t warn people they were going to get smacked in the puss with some awful stuff before they got down to the story you highlighted.

  119. 119.

    Elizabelle

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): Yeah, I avoid that stuff, because you can’t save them all.

    And realizing there are people who lose their beloved pets, because of arbitrary fines they cannot pay? Some of which are very high and meant to be punitive and probably to pull in cash? It’s cruel.

    It’s something we should get changed. Poorer people and the economically challenged deserve pets too.

    Back to public policy: a lot of this is about throwing the costs onto users, when it’s better paid for through taxes spread broadly and relatively gently upon everyone.

    This is pets being killed. Ferguson was the black community being hassled with fines and costs so the Miss Twittys of the world could sit in a court clerk’s office and sent out, um, entertaining emails.

    Can’t pass the buck forever.

  120. 120.

    NotMax

    Good luck sleeping with a sixty pound weight on your head in a couple of years.

    :)

  123. 123.

    shell

    Wow, so a lot of you guys were right on the money! I was sure John was adamant that both pups were going to other loving homes.
    I gotta say, this makes me very happy.

  127. 127.

    SuperHrefna

    @NotMax: It’s going to be fun seeing how big Thurston Howl gets. Wasn’t his father a Bluetick hound? While Ginger is a toy poodle. That’s quite the genetic mix!

  129. 129.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Elizabelle As a wise holy man once told me: shit happens.

    How one chooses to deal with life’s realities is up to them. Since it now seems you’d rather deal with sweetness and light vs. pain and sorrow, then that’s your prerogative.

    But in doing so, you may miss out on crucial things that could actually make a critical difference in your life’s direction.

    But that’s not my decision.

    It’s your’s.

    Choose wisely.

  131. 131.

    ThresherK

    @Howard Beale IV: So, did you adopt it as a cat or kitten? Did its name come from an owner or foster (if it had one), or someone else?

    I remember the old days where, say, a pair of littermates at a shelter would be listed by name from previous owners, and the next, a bunch of little kittens with nothing. We had adopted two torties we called “the light one and the dark one” for over a week until we came up with juuuuust the right names.

    Now isn’t it the case that most every adoptable is on the internet, and they all have names already (I guess)?

  133. 133.

    sharl

    Congrats JGC! Like a lot of other commenters, I had a feeling you would keep Thurston.

    @Garbo: Aw that’s too bad about Bucky. I rarely get over to First-Draft anymore – too many good sites, too little time – and it was sad to read that they are now (temporarily?) a one-ferret home. Of course, that may not last…

    I did remember that she recently had a baby, after a long time trying. Her account of Kick’s birth and first few months in the world is – as so much of her writing – a thing of glory. Reminds me of those days in Atrios’ comments 10-12 years ago, where you could read her (and Backslider and a few others I have forgotten) and recognize that some people have to write like they have to breathe, and of those, a few (like her and Backslider) in addition seemed to have some journalist spirit inside them. There are a number of such gifted folks too decent to ever make it in Big Time Journalism, but what a boon for the rest of us to be able to read them, when real life allows them the chance to write.

  134. 134.

    Elizabelle

    Y’all make an Interesting point about comics: they’re still kind of middle or working class, whereas television has people living in enormous homes (miles of counter space) and living a much more upscale life than the average viewer. Comics are not all about ostentation.

    Brenda Starr is no longer with us. I guess she’d be Mika Brz, today.

  137. 137.

    bobbo

    Last night I freaked out when Gloria wasn’t in the bed with me. Checked her crate – not there either. Turned out she was in the bed, just very well concealed. Pretty impressive at 55 pounds

  138. 138.

    Steeplejack

    @Elizabelle:

    Why, yes, Tanqueray and tonic (Schweppes, the only acceptable). My usual is Mount Gay (rum), but I thought I’d change it up tonight.

    By the way, those bastards at United Airlines charged me for an extra drink on my flight back from Las Vegas on Friday. (Saw it when I checked my on-line banking.) It’s not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but air travel is so awful these days that it’s pissing me off—like rubbing juniper-flavored salt in the wound, as it were. So I’ve been scheming over what I can “shoplift” when I ride with them again.

  139. 139.

    Elizabelle

    I started wondering when Cole said he and geg had decided it was best the puppies be separated. Presumably for Lovey’s sake.

    And then no further forward motion on finding Thurston a home.

    Lily and Rosie will adapt, and Steve seems to like being a cat godfather.

  142. 142.

    ThresherK

    @Steeplejack:
    @divF:

    I guess Maggie’s arm wore out throwing that frying pan at Jiggs.

    Nice to know I’m not the only one who grew up reading the comic my parents grew up reading, and wondering why, exactly, they were still like that. (But doesn’t it beat Hi and Lois, whose attempts to reference anything modern is like “Kelly” at The Onion? except it’s not kidding.)

    Got a nicely made collection of Bringing Up Father from the library and I was laughing pretty hard at it, and admiring the artwork. My wife was totally underwhelmed with the violence in the humor, totally didn’t get it.

    But she’ll laugh right along with me at Archer, and dip more than a toe in while I dive headfirst into the cringe comedy and Adult Swim.

  143. 143.

    Howard Beale IV

    @ThresherK: He was a 3 yr old pedigreed declawed cat when I adopted him. I recently was in contact with his breeder (who named him), who was looking to find homes for some of his retired queens. He moved with me when I relo’ed from IL to MN back in the late 00’s-during the move I had to put down my 16-yr old Himalayan Sealpoint who had cancer. (sniff)

  145. 145.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @GregB:

    Closing tune was Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

    Doesn’t John Fogarty get somewhat vocally annoyed when wingnuts use that song?

  147. 147.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Steeplejack:

    Mount Gay

    Having been suckered into Bacardi for so long it wasn’t until a former co-worker of mine said that the only rum she drank was Mount Gay.

    Never developed a liking for it, tho.

  148. 148.

    Elizabelle

    @shell: But only if you’re on Medicare. And Cancer Treatment Centers only want to work with your insurance.

    Otherwise: no soup for you!

  151. 151.

    ThresherK

    @Elizabelle: Brenda Starr took on a character named “Rat Sludge” back in the late 90s/early aughts. I don’t know that Our Brenda (okay, as a one-time college newspaper writer of little to no distinction I get to say that) would devolve into Morning Schmo’s sidekick.

    @Howard Beale IV: I just hope that your onetime showcat appreciates everything you’ve done for it. (As much as a cat can.) And that it never goes all Norma Desmond on you.

  153. 153.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @GregB: Closing tune was Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
    As the line “I ain’t no Senator’s son” played all I could think was, yeah, but you are the son of a 12 term Congressman.

    That ranks up there with ” ‘scuse me while I kiss this guy’ for misunderstood lyrics.

    The Daily Show clips of Paul’s extravaganza were the most of a campaign announcement I’ve ever seen. Are they usually such a mini-convention? And JC Watts MCing for Rand Paul? I woulda thought he was Team Huckabee or Cruz

  154. 154.

    shell

    @pseudonymous in nc: Always amazed at political campaigns who highjack a copyrighted song without a by-your-leave’, and then are all surprised when they get a ‘cease and desist’ notice from the composer.

  157. 157.

    Steeplejack

    @divF:

    Linky no work. I fix.

    Yeah, that was another one. Even some of the “modern” (at the time) strips seemed kind of anachronistic, e.g. Steve Canyon and Apartment 3-G (which didn’t start until 1961, says Wikipedia). Maybe there was something about the format of the Sunday strip itself that caused that.

    Man, now I’m flashing on strips I haven’t thought about in decades: Brenda Starr, Steve Roper and Mike Nomad, Prince Valiant, Mary Worth. And—special LOL—Mark Trailan early proto-“eco” strip (oops, “conservation,” at the time) that even then struck me as especially weird—monotone “voiceover” with pictures of animals doing wild-animal stuff.
    http://www.education.noaa.gov/images/MarkTrail/MTComics/MT_NWR_03211999_lo.jpg

    Occasionally I think I’d like to find—and I’m sure they’re out there—compilations of some of those strips, so I could read them in bulk. As a kid I loved Prince Valiant—the artwork was amazing—but it drove me crazy that the action barely inched forward from week to week. So true of a lot of them.

  158. 158.

    divF

    @ThresherK:
    @Elizabelle:

    The Wikipedia entry for Bringing Up Father discusses the strip as describing the process of assimilation from working class-Irish to middle-class non-ethnic mainstream (“lace-curtain Irish”), with George McManus (the creator of the strip) taking a middle ground that you could assimilate without giving up your ethnic roots.

    ETA: Thanks for fixing the link, Steeplejack. It will teach me to check links in the five-minute window.

  160. 160.

    Elizabelle

    @Steeplejack: Sometimes I cut out particularly odd Mark Trail strips.

    Like with people in the background, and an enormous and active squirrel (action pose!) in the front. And I want to compose my own strip about “Animal Avengers.”

    Cherry: Mark, I am becoming concerned we live in a forest of oversized wildlife.

    Mark: That’s OK. Did I tell you my magazine is sending me to the South Seas for 6 weeks? Lock and load.

    Kid: what happened to my otter? And what’s a magazine?

  161. 161.

    Howard Beale IV

    @ThresherK: He was never a showcat as his agreement called for him to be neutered-same thing for my Himalayan as she was spayed.

  162. 162.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Elizabelle: True.

    And did I not say I was PISSED when I posted the link?

    THINK. Do not let the conditioned mind rue the day.

  163. 163.

    Steeplejack

    @Elizabelle:

    The flight attendant swiped my card twice in rapid succession. I guess the first one was not the misfire she thought it was.

    Another reason I prefer to pay with cash, but they don’t allow that now. And, admittedly, it’s a pain for them to make change, etc. But no tips now, so there’s that.

  164. 164.

    MazeDancer

    Such wonderful news Thurston is officially home. And, of course, no surprise.

    Out in politics land, NY Times reports some surprise that Ted Cruz has a consortium of 4 SuperPacs that have already raised him $31 million. Link to article

  165. 165.

    Elizabelle

    @Howard Beale IV: Yeah, well, point made.

    And I think the issue of exorbitant fines that result in people’s pets being “euthanized” is an issue that deserves publicity.

    I just think we should get to know and choose what we’re clicking on. I don’t watch Fox. I do not want to see a snuff film. Etc.

  166. 166.

    Elizabelle

    @Steeplejack: I hope United will email you a coupon for one or two free drinks.

    That could be a good little racket, if they’re charging for drinks not provided. I’d guess it was an accident too.

  167. 167.

    gogol's wife

    Congratulations, John and Thurston. I hope Ginger gets settled somewhere nice some time soon.

  168. 168.

    Steeplejack

    @Howard Beale IV:

    White rum—Bacardi, Ron [anything], etc.—is the devil’s swill. Give me Mount Gay, Barbancourt or, if you want a really dark rum, Gosling’s Black Seal. And Myers’s and Captain Morgan are right out.

  170. 170.

    ThresherK

    @Steeplejack: Mark Trail has long been what my wife and I would call each other when something went sideways while hiking, canoeing, XC skiing or camping.

  171. 171.

    divF

    @Steeplejack: For a long time (we don’t drink much) we had a bottle of “Navy rum” around the house that someone had left us. Dark as molasses, it brought to mind the infamous British Navy trio of “rum, sodomy, and the lash”.

  173. 173.

    Steeplejack

    @Elizabelle:

    I’m sure it was an accident, and even at their rapacious prices ($8.99 per drink!) it’s not worth it to navigate the phone-tree hell in hopes of talking to a real person and getting the charge reversed. I should take the advice of someone in a previous thread to take my own miniatures and hit them for free tonic. Yeah, that’ll show ’em!

  175. 175.

    ThresherK

    @Howard Beale IV: Showcats are, um, always intact? (Cue “The More You Know” theme.)

    I seriously didn’t know that. I mean, I guess that’s the part of the judges’ exam they don’t show on TV.

  176. 176.

    Pogonip

    @Steeplejack: Yes, and then they have to use 2-3 panels rehashing the story for those who are just starting to read the strip and those who forgot what happened last week.

    I still like Prince Valiant. The strip strives for period accuracy, has fun storylines, and Val and family are good people. Would that more TV shows met these standards. (There’s one called Mad Men which, I understand, is excellent on period accuracy, but I haven’t seen it so I don’t know how it does on the other two criteria.)

    I even prefer a villain who’s good people, from his own point of view. More realistic.

  177. 177.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Steeplejack:

    I should take the advice of someone in a previous thread to take my own miniatures and hit them for free tonic.

    I think that may be illegal, to say nothing about what the TSA would do. Happy TSA screeners.

  179. 179.

    Pogonip

    @efgoldman: My mom started listening to ” The Guiding Light” when it was on radio and saw the final episode decades later.

  182. 182.

    Steeplejack

    @efgoldman:

    Expense account?! It is to laugh. I fly so rarely, and my “normal” life is so featureless, that I can “splurge” on a few overpriced drinks and wi-fi at $3.99 an hour. (I can remember when my CompuServe subscription was $12.00 an hour at 1,200 baud.) Besides, it’s a mental-health thing: the Steepletonian mind, like the shark, must constantly move forward or die. (Other viable modes are sleep and meditation.) I used to read or do crossword puzzles, but sky-high wi-fi is so much better. As I said, it makes flying just like a regular evening, except no housecat sideboard and I have to wear pants.

  185. 185.

    Rarely Posts

    Not at all surprised, but very happy to hear it’s happening for sure. You needed a permanent pup!! And Thurston was clearly your love puppy.

  186. 186.

    NotMax

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    It’s perfectly legal nowadays, provided the bottles are each 3 oz. or less, unopened, and inside a plastic bag within the carry-on.

    I’ve done it several times with no fuss whatsoever being made, except for once on Alaska Airlines (BTW, an airline would happily shun in the future for other reasons).

  187. 187.

    Steeplejack

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    No, someone here on Balloon Juice—so it must be true—assured me that you can take aboard the little two-ounce miniatures in your carry-on bag.

  191. 191.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Smokey Stover! I loved that one, too. And Mutt and Jeff. God, they’re all coming back like the hot kiss at the end of a wet fist.

  196. 196.

    Botsplainer

    @Steeplejack:

    Give me Mount Gay

    We went to the Mt Gay distillery in Barbados when vacationing there. Neat place, great product – I buy it all the time.

    They age it in used Kentucky bourbon barrels – those give it the caramel notes. It’s awesome to see all those Jim Beam barrels laying on the bluff above the sea.

  197. 197.

    Elizabelle

    So happy that Cole kept a puppy, and we’ll get Thurston updates. Quite sure the frat boys, especially Christion, will be happy at the outcome too.

  198. 198.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @NotMax: I remember when Alaska was one of the nicer airlines, good food and wine with your meal, even in coach.

    @NotMax: @Steeplejack: I sit corrected, though it’s obvious information that I can’t use anymore.

  199. 199.

    MomSense

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):

    They were a big help to me but I had to get off the mailing list. I just can’t take those sad stories.

    How are your kitties doing? I think I read that they were doing ok but had a setback. I really hope they can figure out how to get along.

    I’ve decided not to get a cat. It is weird not having one in the house. I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t had at least one cat but my pup is not going to be able to cohabit peacefully with any other animals.

  200. 200.

    Patricia Kayden

    The young man who shot the SC police shooting was just on Chris Hayes. Admitted that he considered deleting the video out of fear. Wow.

  201. 201.

    Elizabelle

    Woo hoo. NYTimes news alert. He is trolling them.

    Obama to Call for End to ‘Conversion’ Therapies for Gay and Transgender Youth

    President Obama will call for an end to psychiatric therapies aimed at “repairing” gay, lesbian and transgender youth, White House officials said. His decision on the sensitive issue is the latest example of his continuing embrace of gay rights.

    In a statement to be posted on Wednesday evening alongside a WhiteHouse.gov petition begun in honor of a transgender teenager, Leelah Alcorn, who committed suicide, Mr. Obama will condemn the psychiatric practice, sometimes called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy, which is supported by some socially conservative organizations and religious doctors.

    ETA: and:

    Officials also announced the creation of an “all-gender restroom” in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where many of the White House staff members work, to provide an additional option for transgender individuals who are not comfortable using either the men’s or women’s restrooms.

    All-gender restroom. Well done.

    linky: http://nyti.ms/1FjqqDy

  204. 204.

    NotMax

    @SteeplejackFrom TSA’s site:

    TSA and our security partners conducted extensive explosives testing since August 10, 2006 and determined that liquids, aerosols and gels, in limited quantities, are safe to bring aboard an aircraft. The one bag limit per traveler limits the total amount each traveler can bring. Consolidating the bottles into one bag and X-raying them separately from the carry-on bag enables security officers to quickly clear the items.
     
    3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3.4 ounce (100ml) container size is a security measure.

    Also, here.

    Flight attendants do seem to grimace if they see you using your own (lost revenue!), so best to wait to bring it out until they’ve passed well behind you.

  205. 205.

    baquist

    Congratulations! This far in the comments you are tired of hearing versions of ‘I told you so’…………………………….

  206. 206.

    Mike J

    @NotMax: I can assure you the FAs do not give a shit about lost revenue. They’re probably more worried about an alcoholic asshole who is afraid of having his booze service cut off.

  207. 207.

    Steeplejack

    @Botsplainer:

    They’re on my shit list right now, because they recently changed their bottles and label design for the worse. The absolute worst is that they changed the 1.75L bottle from a squat shape with a helper handle at the neck to a larger replica of the 750ml (fifth) bottle, and it’s ungainly as hell. I saved one of the old 750ml bottles and transfer rum to that for pouring/serving.

    #FirstWorldProblems

  208. 208.

    NotMax

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    Only flew on them once, last fall, and that was sufficient. Steerage class in the air.

    No amenities at all.

    First plane was pulled from the gate by mechanics. “It’ll be an hour until we can get another plane to a gate for passengers of Flight XXX.”

    2&189; hours later, boarded plane #2.

    On approach to landing, this:

    “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain So-and-so. No cause for concern, but need to inform you we’re experiencing a major problem with the flaps, so have requested full emergency services stand by on the runway. Thank you.”

    Rather offputting to see a dozen people in full-body hazmat/fire resistant suits running at full tilt to check the plane as it stopped at the jetway.

  209. 209.

    Peale

    @Steeplejack: Hmmm. I feel like singing the praises of Old Monk from India, but I’m too busy trying to research bramble recipies for a party I’m throwing this weekend to worry about rum tonight.

  211. 211.

    Eric U.

    @Hal: I still could be yanked back on active duty. Iran is one of those countries where the fighting is going to be going on until the last 60 y.o. soldier kills the other side’s last soldier with a sharpened stick. Because we’ll be out of bullets

  212. 212.

    Steeplejack

    @Peale:

    Hipster, please! If it’s not readily available at my neighborhood Virginia ABC store, I’m not interested. If I’m going to go on a quest, it won’t be over rum.

  213. 213.

    Steeplejack

    @Mike J:

    Yeah. I had a long-time girlfriend who was a flight attendant, and her only concern about liquor was that the count came out right: bottles stocked – bottles sold = bottles left. End of story.

  215. 215.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Only bottle of rum in the house is bottle of coconut rum which I use when making rumballs to bring to parties or for preparing Bananas Foster.

  217. 217.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    “Coconut rum”?! Normally I would say, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” but since you’re cooking with it, not drinking it . . . carry on, then.

  218. 218.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @NotMax: I’ve not flown them in over 15 years, as I said they used to be really good. The last times I flew them in coach to AK they were OK, but I could use miles to get upgraded to first class on some segments of the trip.

    ETA: Satan had lots of operations in AK.

  220. 220.

    Gvg

    show cats can be neutered, they are shown in a separate class called premier. My last cat show was 25 years ago but the premier class was growing pretty fast. female cats in heat are really annoying, so cat breeders had more pressure than dog breeders did to adapt to modern life I think. Cat breeders found it added to a breeders rep and stud and kitten fees because winning premiers parents gained increased value if they sired/gave birth to winners in both championship and premiership classes. the more premiers their were, the more competitive the shows were and the better it was for the breeders.
    I don’t know if the AKC has given in yet. another factor is their were 7 different breed registries in the US. CFa was the biggest but they had real competition and many pure reds were double or even triple registered with their own shows. My cat won in 2 different organizations. that meant no monopoly powers and they evidently had had to get modern. at least some of the shows had non purebred competition too with points on condition, coat and personality. she liked travel, but not noisy show halls plus I got bored so I stopped but the show people sat around the whole show telling favorite cat stories so that part was fun. competitive cage decorating was also a thing. got good cat toys and combs, brushes and stuff that was much better quality than pet stores. Keep that in mind if a show is near you.

  221. 221.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Whole variety of spirits and liqueurs in the larder that reside there solely for kitchen use.

    Only ones of that variety which might occasionally decide to quaff are the sherry, the framboise, or from the Grand Marnier/Drambuie/B&B family.

  223. 223.

    max

    @Patricia Kayden: The young man who shot the SC police shooting was just on Chris Hayes. Admitted that he considered deleting the video out of fear. Wow.

    Smart. Guess he figured he had to go through with it and sucked it up and did it. I wouldn’t bet on him staying out of jail though.

    max
    [‘Happy Pupday, Cole!’]

  225. 225.

    Pogonip

    @efgoldman: Actually, outside cities, the Middle Ages were a lot cleaner than people think. Whereyou had your major-league filth, oddly enough, was in the 17th-19th centuries.

  227. 227.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @MomSense:

    Kitties are continuing to improve relations. Yet another of the benefits of my husband’s layoff is that he’s home during the day, so he can let them out to mix and mingle under supervision and we don’t have to wait until the very end of the day. There have been a couple of screaming matches (between the cats, not us) but we separate them for 10 minutes and then let everyone back out. So far, so good.

  229. 229.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @MomSense:

    He’s still seriously considering going back to school for an MLIS (library and information science) degree, so we’re figuring out what kind of job(s) he can find that won’t be completely unrelated while he works on that. Most of the accredited programs are online now, so he could easily work and get his degree. Ideally, his next job would offer tuition reimbursement, but we have enough savings that he could get a “loan” from our savings and pay it back.

  231. 231.

    Pogonip

    Where’s Rikyrah for her (I think) moment of triumph? She was the first one to announce that Thurston wasn’t leaving and Cole was quite grouchy with her. Granted since he hates us all she may not have noticed.

  237. 237.

    Steeplejack

    @ruemara:

    Maybe it’s a knee-jerk “You’re not the boss of me!” reaction. Like when someone posts a quote or item with no link and, when asked for one, says, “You can look it up!” Yes, it makes much more sense for everyone else to ferret out the source—or not—than for the person who was at the page, because that’s where they got the item, to just bring along the URL as well.

    Still feeling a bit ranty this morning.

Comments are closed.