Big rainstorm here in Central Florida. I’m parked on the sofa with my girl Patsy. I’d show you a picture of her, but WordPress has decided to upload photos sideways if you’re using an iThing. So fuck it.
Had lunch at a fancy burger place. The condiments included things like roasted garlic aioli and onion marmalade.
Now I’m watching “Nurse Jackie” and waiting for the football. I’m rooting for the Texans and Bengals. You?
Corner Stone
The first weekend of playoffs always makes me so sad.
Corner Stone
In case anyone ever had any doubts, it’s just another racket.
“How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers”
Felonius Monk
Rainy, drizzily, here in upstate Ny -– but temp in 40s -– great for January. Eating a piece of ?G*diva dark chocolate with sea salt in it. Nice combination.
Didn’t know Nurse Jackie played football. :)
Corner Stone
@efgoldman: I don’t know how they can argue that it’s not just another boiler room type scam.
Felonius Monk
@efgoldman:
Which Chuckie? Chuckie Todd or Chuckie the Nightmare Doll? Oh, wait they’re one and the same.
Redshift
Waiting for my auto club service because my father-in-law’s car mysteriously decided not to start after sitting in our driveway for a couple of weeks. (I don’t think it’s the battery, but I’m hoping I’m wrong.)
Clearing clutter so our new Sleep Number bed can be delivered on Wednesday (yay!)
Going to see Star Wars in real IMAX tonight (yay!) at the Air & Space museum, before they close it down to “upgrade” it to 3-D digital projection (boo!)
NotMax
But were the burgers any good?
The most chi-chi of condiments cannot disguise a mediocre burger beyond the first bite.
OzarkHillbilly
You and Obama….
Corner Stone
Welp, that’s not going to help at all.
JPL
Well that’s not good for Houston.
Mike J
Chiefs on pace to score 5.45 times per minute.
raven
How bout that coverage???
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: We got to talking about Jeremiah on the previous post and I dug up this shot of Redford and a bunch of mountain men carrying his casket after they moved him from the LA Vets cemetery to Cody.
Betty Cracker
Lightning knocked our power out, goddamn it. Updates, if you please!
Bobby Thomson
The Royals started their playoff run in Houston.
raven
@Betty Cracker: Houston gave up a td on the opening kickoff then went 3 and out. Maybe KC will whip their asses so bad Murray will play!
raven
@efgoldman: Stuck on that fabulous highway system!
Bobby D
I don’t watch American football anymore, not since the 90s. (I do watch real football, what we call “soccer” in the US. It’s called the “beautiful game” for a reason). So it’s a no sports day for me, as the english league isn’t playing.
So I return from the grocery to see these Bundy Bumpkins have now added a bunch of armed militia from all over the PNW. Heavily armed, AR-15s mostly. This is becoming infuriating. Reports are the FBI and local LEO have a command post in the local middle school, but no other visible presence. I truly hope they are going with the “honey pot” approach, get all the nutbags in one place, and let them break every law they possibly can before snatching them up…the Hicks-bala are now talking about destroying a federal fence to let a local ranchers’ stock onto the land. The list of charges might grow enough to take most of them off the streets for decades. At least I hope that’s the plan, otherwise the inaction is ludicrous.
If I were a local up there, I’d be having a real, real hard time not heading over there and shooting bottle rockets at them. First one that exploded would probably send them into a frenzy of indiscriminate blasting with their wee wee compensators (let’s face it, most of these morons have no actual military or tactical training), and turn the whole thing into a circular firing squad.
I know many police forces are basically militarized with APCs and such. Why not send one in (or the Nat Guard), and just crumple their vehicles into a pile of useless metal, with the Barney the Dinosaur theme song blaring, and then drive away, laughing over the loudspeaker? “Damn Cletus, they done squarshed muh truck”. They could plink at an APC all day with those .223 cal ARs and their sidearms, to no effect other than a mark on the paint. No risk for the feds, disable their vehicles, demoralize them.
Redshift
@efgoldman: The other Air & Space (Udvar-Hazy, out near Dulles Airport) has 3-D IMAX already; they probably saw it there.
I’m actually not so much of a purist that I’ll avoid that, but Ms. Redshift has bad enough astigmatism that 3-D at best does nothing for her and at worst makes her seasick, so the rarity of non 3-D IMAX showings is pretty annoying.
JenJen
WHO DEY!! We’re already getting pumped in the Natti!
Bobby D
Weird, stuck in moderation for? FYWP.
American football, so boring. Play for 8 seconds, pat asses and walk around around for 3 mintues, repeat 3-7 times, kick and watch commercials for 3 minutes. European soccer is the most popular sport in the world for a good reason, it’s actually entertaining for 45 minutes straight, you take a tea and potty break, and another 50 solid minutes of virtually non stop action. I was raised on NFL, but haven’t seen a game since about late 90s.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Cool.
Mike J
If a pass were picked off by somebody on your own team that you were targeting, would that be a intraception?
Mike J
@Mike J: That you *weren’t* targeting.
OzarkHillbilly
@Bobby D:
That’s why it will never catch on here. THIS IS AMERICA DAMMIT AND WE DEMAND OUR COMMERCIALS!!!!
raven
@Bobby D: Who cares? If you don’t fucking like it don’t watch it. Jesus.
Tommy
@raven: And that is how I feel about soccer. Not a fan so I don’t watch. Easy solution.
Mike J
Is this Pop Warner football? Kickoff run back, two interceptions and a fumble in the first quarter. It’s like the vast majority of people on the field don’t really know how to play.
Kathleen
@JenJen: my neighbors are giving me the cold shoulder because I’ve stated that i think steelers are a good team. I am rooting for the Bengals, One of. their trainers lives in my building. and he got all the Bengals to sign a jersey for my neighbor’s brother, who is terminally ill
OzarkHillbilly
@Mike J: The Rams made the playoffs?
Tommy
@Mike J: Yeah. My team which is racist to say the name almost won their division with a losing record. I’d say the quality of play is somewhat lacking.
JPL
@Kathleen: lol The Steelers are a good team.
JPL
Betty, KC just kicked a field goal. The score is 10-0
Patricia Kayden
About to go and watch “The Revenant” and enjoy some sneaked in Coldstone ice cream in the movie theater. Heard it was great from Hubby and the reviews look good.
raven
@Patricia Kayden: Be interested to see what you think. I saw it last night.
Mike J
What the fuck is wrong with you Canada? You’re supposed to be the sane one:
WaterGirl
@efgoldman: I’m pretty sure John Oliver did a show on that before the holidays. He made a pretty good case for how absurd it is to try to make the case that it’s NOT gambling.
Anon A. Mous
We saw Suffragettes a couple of weeks ago, very dramatic historical movie. I was shocked at how brutal the English “Bobbies” were in attempting to crush the women seeking the vote and legal status as human beings.
Women were beaten viciously while writhing on the ground, then sent to prison – real English prison – where they were force fed when they went on hunger strikes. Pretty horrible… one woman was arrested just for walking in the wrong neighborhood, when she got out a few days later, her husband had sold their daughter into adoption with a well to do couple. They pushed a lot of buttons, all of which were historically accurate.
Bobby D
@raven: I care, obviously. Having read Cole’s site since he was a right winger, though rarely commenting as I am west coast and Alaska based, what must be about a decade now, I’ve rarely seen any comment out of you that isn’t one-line acerbic grouchy ass old man garbage. So kindly GFYS, champ.
WaterGirl
@Mike J: I wonder how long it takes to ride your bicycle from the US to the Muslim Association of Canada Centre?
raven
@Bobby D: Oh my what a badass.
Mike J
Betty, thirteen naught.
David Koch
@Betty Cracker: It’s available on your phone
Botsplainer
Got a mani-pedi today, nail tech broke out a planer and belt sander.
Now I’m at Best Buy to pick up a new Apple TV remote, and am choking back the urge to swirlie this entire crowd of employees
David Koch
@Anon A. Mous: If you’re interested in the subject there is a film on US suffragettes: Iron Jawed Angels
Corner Stone
WTF is this BS. Go back to college, O’Brien. FFS.
Germy
@Anon A. Mous: Here are some photos from 1908-1917. What you said is true.
Corner Stone
@Bobby D:
Mmmmm…Baked Alaska…
David Koch
@Botsplainer: what do you use your apple tv for – to stream netflix & amazon? If so how would that differ from a roku?
Corner Stone
God damn it.
raven
Half baked.
lol chikinburd
My advice to everyone is DON’T DIE. It’s fuckin’ expensive.
Especially when your executor is broke, and is some time away from even being your executor under law, and the funeral home wants 20% up front before they’ll even go ahead with the cremation. (And this isn’t one of those states where funerary costs can be put up against property or just billed straight to the estate as a creditor.)
Betty Cracker
Damn, the power came back on just in time for us to see the goal-line pick. FFS! Thanks for the updates, guys!
Germy
@lol chikinburd: It’s a disgusting racket. Preying on people at their most vulnerable.
raven
@Betty Cracker: Oh, but some people don’t like football. . .
Germy
Waiting for the season premiere of Doc Martin. Doc’s wife has taken the baby and left. He’s decided to see a psychologist.
MobiusKlein
Is there offensive holding on every play?
Betty Cracker
@lol chikinburd: Sorry you’re going through that. Been there, and it sucks. If you haven’t made an agreement already, do some research about your options. My sis and I did after getting sticker shock from the funeral homes the hospital recommended after we lost our mom. We ended up saving thousands of dollars, and we agreed Mom would have approved because she always loved to find a bargain! Hang in there.
Corner Stone
@Betty Cracker: You missed the brilliant goal line play call by O’Brien to have Watt as wildcat QB lined up behind Wilfork. Next play – INT.
Corner Stone
@MobiusKlein: Yes.
MobiusKlein
@efgoldman: On some earlier Chief’s play, I swear I saw an arm around the neck, and nobody batted an eye. Not even the commenttators. Shows what I know.
JPL
@Corner Stone: You might get your wish.
Betty Cracker
Sweet babby Jeebus, Hoyer! ?☹
Corner Stone
Jeebus, any way I can get some of S Holmes heroin to dull out this game?
Corner Stone
@efgoldman: Rick Smith. Waiting for Davebo to chime in on RS. Hint – Davebo’s not a fan of RS for good reason.
Corner Stone
@efgoldman: Bill O’Brien cut his nuts off the very first game of the year. Not saying Hoyer is a world beater but B O’Brien got Happy Feet and fucked over his best roster QB option. O’Brien is a fucking joke as an NFL head coach.
CaseyL
Man, Hoyer is really really bad. Halftime conference is gonna be ugly in the Texas locker room.
JPL
@Corner Stone: haha.. The announcers appear to agree with you.
Schlemazel
@Corner Stone:
I’m ok with it. Should be fun in Minneapolis tomorrow as it will be near 0 plus a wind that is really cutting. We will be at a hockey game a block away so we get to deal with all the drunk dipsticks and no parking. Public transportation and we are hoping for a blow out so the drunks stumble home early and we can leave in peace after our game
Corner Stone
Speaking of unwatchable TV, has there been a recent TV series more hardcore obviously doomed to fail and fail hard than The Outsiders on WGN?
I hate every character they have shown a vignette of so far, and not the good kind of hatewatch Cole was talking about last night with HGTV. More like the I want to crawl through the series of tubes and personally plug these fucking characters.
Corner Stone
Yes, Brian Hoyer. We know you’re going to give it every thing you have until it’s done. The four TO’s in the first half prove that you’re willing to give it away until it’s done.
gene108
@Corner Stone:
Who was the best QB option for the Texans?
BruceFromOhio
Texans and Bengals, indeed, though the Texans are making hash of it.
trollhattan
Got my arse soaked at my kid’s soccer match, now getting a growler of IPA in anticipation of the late handegg competition.
Tomorrow will see the Hawk’s crush the Vikes the second time. Watch out, Cam.
Corner Stone
@gene108: The beginning of this season it was Hoyer. Not saying anybody loved that personnel situation but it is what it is.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Corner Stone: Only if you share with me.
Corner Stone
@efgoldman: God damn. When did you move to Athens?
Corner Stone
Holy fuckballs. That should have been INT numero 4 for Hoyer. Wowsers.
Corner Stone
@BruceFromOhio: Mmmmm…hash…
BruceFromOhio
@Corner Stone: Oh but for the daze of big chunks of blonde burning under glass. There was a span of time when that was joined with big sticky gold bud from who knows where, all that was missing was more time to enjoy it. All long gone now, not to be seen since.
Oh, wait, you meant the spam, ham, eggs and potatoes variety, dincha.
ETA: Shit, first and ten at the 11? Time for a martini, and start the grill for dinner, this one’s over.
EETA: …and stick a fork in ’em, they are done. Four turnovers and no points on the board, Watt out for the game, it’s a crummy day to be rooting for the Texans.
MomSense
@lol chikinburd:
Is there a Funeral Consumer’s Alliance near you? They might be able to help.
Elizabelle
Have acquired my Powerball ticket. I await riches to accrue.
@lol chikinburd: You are in my thoughts too.
Mnemosyne
@lol chikinburd:
As Betty said, make sure you shop around for the cremation. You don’t need to get rushed into a bad deal. IIRC, my brother’s cremation was about $2,000 and people here thought that was too high. It does suck that you have to deal with all of the BS when you’re least emotionally prepared for it.
Corner Stone
@efgoldman: Reading is fundamental.
Mnemosyne
@David Koch:
We have an Apple TV and use it to stream movie files from our computer (of which we have many). It’s been a long time since we actually put a DVD or BluRay in to watch it since we have digital copies of most of our collection.
debbie
@Elizabelle:
Against my better judgment, I bought a couple tickets. I wasn’t going to, but there was no line when I went food shopping this morning, so just in case that was a sign…
CaseyL
O God: another pic.
rikyrah
This was a criminal enterprise: POISONING THE PEOPLE IN FLINT
https://youtu.be/qEWBGE31qCY
catclub
@efgoldman: of course, if they found a way to get a cut to those states, they could probably continue the ‘enterprise’.
David Koch
@Mnemosyne: where do you get the digital copies from?
Linnaeus
I heard the hockey bar that I like here in my city is having a hard time, so I’m here showing them some love.
Zinsky
@Bobby D: I love the suggestion about crushing these dipshit’s vehicles with an armored vehicle, Barney theme music blaring….Too funny. I about wet myself when I read that. Good job!
mclaren
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library at the U.N. just announced that the most checked-out is “Immunity of heads of state and state officials for international crimes” by Ramona Pedretti.
Which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about 2016.
Corner Stone
wrong threadkill
Mnemosyne
@David Koch:
Some of them come with the DVDs these days. I plead the fifth on the rest.
Soylent Green
@Bobby D: The feds are massing vehicles and personnel at a private airfield near Burns. Some local took a video, which is now all over the right-wing-o-sphere, and is what drew the additional cosplay soldier boys from other states. They know a clash is coming. The true believers think they will win, and be celebrated like Davy Crockett.
This is the FBI’s turf. It’s nobody else’s jurisdiction except the county sheriff’s, but he can’t afford to be anything but conciliatory because of threats to his family. When this is behind us, he still has to live there.
No way the Guard will ever be called. And a shootout is unlikely. At some point the feds will have to restrict access to the site. Then they will wait until the camo cowboys have nothing left to eat.
I give this another three or four frustrating weeks to drag out.
Applejinx
Eventful day. Had a steering linkage break on the car, at 60mph on the highway. Always wondered how it would go if a wheel suddenly turned a totally other direction. Now I know. It goes ‘screeeeeeeeeeech!’. Surprised the tire didn’t blow. It was actually turned way more than this
However it’s also the day I put out my first serious video game project, which has consumed my last two weeks and is now available for people to try (link at the youtube video). It’s called Counterpart and it ain’t bad: pretty obviously different from the run of the mill stuff. I hope when it goes on Steam, it gets some buzz.
Soylent Green
That sounds about right for 10,000 square miles (Harney County is bigger than nine states).
Omnes Omnibus
@Soylent Green: But people complain that nothing is being done. This is a huge country and getting equipment and people to a site takes time.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Applejinx: Yikes! I’m glad you’re Ok.
Good luck with the game!
Cheers,
Scott.
Linnaeus
@efgoldman:
Thankfully, no.
Mnemosyne
@Soylent Green:
Davy Crockett died at the Alamo — we just saw the “Drunk History” episode about it. In fact, everyone died at the Alamo except for a few slaves that the Mexican army freed after the battle.
Soylent Green
At least one guy told reporters he wants to die there as a free man. The others expect to carry the day against Obama’s jackbooted thugs and be praised by a grateful nation.
a different chris
@raven: @Tommy: But the thing is, I’m not watching any kind of game on TV, I’m reading a comment thread on Balloon Juice. Maybe instead of ‘if you don’t like football then don’t watch’ you should have said ‘if you don’t want to read a thousand live-tweets of a football game don’t read Balloon Juice because once we get started, we keep doing it just to piss off anybody who complains we’re being annoying’.
I thought there were occasionally football-specific open threads or something? Do there need to be more? I don’t know how frequently they come up, I’ve removed them all from my version of the interwebs by adblocking anything with ‘football’ in the post meta-tags, so I’m doing my part there to not watch if I don’t like it.
WaterGirl
@Applejinx: Holy shit! Glad you are okay. When I was 20, I went to turn a corner on my bike, and the handlebars turned but the rest of the bike kept going straight. That did not end well, as you can imagine. Of course, I’m here to tell the story, so ultimately it did end well. Same for you, glad you’re still with us!