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

Before Header

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

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

People are weird.

When the time comes to make an endorsement, the pain of NYT editors will be palpable as they reluctantly whisper “Biden.”

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Second rate reporter says what?

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Mobile Menu

  • Four Directions Montana
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2024 Elections
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  December 5, 201610:39 pm| 158 Comments

This post is in: OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUDS

FacebookTweetEmail

I am tired of being broke and paying for this house. I’ll add this to the list of shit that is pissing me off in 2016.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Open Thread: Pizzagate — You Can Fix Ignorant, But You Can’t Fix (Deliberately) Stupid
Next Post: Early Morning Open Thread: Sundown Voters for A Sundowning Party? »

Reader Interactions

158Comments

  1. 1.

    Peale

    December 5, 2016 at 10:46 pm

    House poor. Happens to most people when they move. House poor for a few years, at the beginning, then again 15 years later when everything that you did starts breaking down.

  2. 2.

    rikyrah

    December 5, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    Hey Cole . Hope you feel better.

  3. 3.

    satby

    December 5, 2016 at 10:53 pm

    Ditto. But things will turn around when it’s done and you can enjoy it.
    Hang in there John.

  4. 4.

    The Moar You Know

    December 5, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    I am tired of being broke and paying for this house

    -AKA The Homeowner’s Prayer

    I fucking swear it never ends. But you have to.

  5. 5.

    cmorenc

    December 5, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    @John Cole:

    I am tired of being broke and paying for this house.

    Just be grateful it isn’t a boat that you bought instead of a house. A boat is a hole into which you put all your money, and your two happiest days with a boat are the day you bought it and the day you sold it.

  6. 6.

    Smitty

    December 5, 2016 at 10:55 pm

    It looks like a great house to me. Bright, good layout. Once it becomes a home the pains of house restoration fade. Soldier on!

  7. 7.

    mai naem mobile

    December 5, 2016 at 10:55 pm

    Well,dude it would help if you weren’t making two housing payments.
    I saw an ad for Chip and Joanna Gaines. Don’t really care that their megachurch pastor is a big time homophobe because they’re in Waco and they talk enough religious shit on their show that I wasn’t surprised. But, I’ve never cared for their style. It just looks hicktown country/trailer trash and cheap looking.

  8. 8.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 10:56 pm

    2016 wasn’t that bad. My favorite musicians didn’t die and we didn’t find ourselves on the verge of Armageddon even a little.

  9. 9.

    PsiFighter37

    December 5, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I’ll have some of what you’re smoking.

  10. 10.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    If you need a break and like Cary Grant, come vote on which screwball comedy we should watch for the next Weekend Movie Club.

    If you don’t like Cary Grant, why are you talking to me? ;-p

  11. 11.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Can I have some of what you are mainlining?

  12. 12.

    Yutsano

    December 5, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    This is why I never want to own a house. Even if I could afford the payments the fucking maintenance is killer.

    Apparently Spectrum is down in my area. But I will be in Seattle next month for a couple days.

  13. 13.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    @Mnemosyne: No Bringing up Baby?

  14. 14.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    My deep dark secret is that I hate Bringing Up Baby. Katharine Hepburn just bugs the crap out of me in that movie even though I normally like her.

  15. 15.

    Adam L Silverman

    December 5, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    @cmorenc: Owning a boat is like standing in the shower in your clothes with the water on full cold while flushing $100 bills down the toilet.

  16. 16.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    @Mnemosyne: But there are leopards.

  17. 17.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    @PsiFighter37: @Omnes Omnibus: mood stabilizers and cavendish, baby.

  18. 18.

    Adam L Silverman

    December 5, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Really leading with your chin tonight.

  19. 19.

    RaflW

    December 5, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    So 5 years ago I bought a new place, a condo that had been owned by a little old lady. Kitchen was a total disaster, other parts of the unit needed quite a bit of attention. But so did the house I was living in that I would need to sell.

    I took out an equity loan on the house, remodeled the kitchen on the new place and did the updates, moved all my stuff and half my furniture (leaving the nice pieces for show), then remodeled the kitchen in the old place, then staged it and put it up for sale, while living with the crappy 1/2 of my furniture in my new (now with nice kitchen, at least!) place.

    Somewhere along the way I hit the I am tired of being broke and paying for this house. I’ll add this to the list of shit that is pissing me off in 2011 wall.

    Five years later I can see that I was crazy. But five years later I can also say it was worth it. I like my life in the new place so much better, and I sold the old place to some great people and made money even in the crappy and uncertain market back then.

    Hang in there, John. Later you’ll find it was worth it, I’m sure.

  20. 20.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    December 5, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    I’m glad that 2016 is soon going to its richly deserved death.

  21. 21.

    Adam L Silverman

    December 5, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    @Yutsano: Its been screwy here too. Not down, just doing strange things. Like when you turn it on, you’re either in On Demand or Showtime non HD.

  22. 22.

    laura

    December 5, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    Nobody tells you about home owership before you buy.
    But when much of the work is done, and you move in, and Steve and perros find new, exciting spaces, and you stop with the double payments, you’ll still be poor. But you’ll be poor in your own home. And that’s more than most can dream of.
    Hang in there, it gets better.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:09 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    For some reason, I am now wondering if the ocelot in “Archer” is a tribute to Bringing Up Baby.

    Nonetheless, I just don’t like it. It’s too episodic, and Hepburn is such a ditz that she just irritates me.

  24. 24.

    CaseyL

    December 5, 2016 at 11:11 pm

    Think how wealthy you’ll feel when it’s all done and you’re no longer throwing buckets of money at every contractor who walks by. Not to mention no longer paying for two residences.

    Also – the new place will be amazing, judging from the photos you’ve shared with us.

    I’d be readier to see the door hit 2016 on its way out if I didn’t have a sinking feeling 2017 will be even worse. What’s strange is that, knock wood, my life in and of itself is just fine, thanks; the angst and anger are all political.

  25. 25.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:11 pm

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.): It’s not done with you yet.

  26. 26.

    frosty

    December 5, 2016 at 11:13 pm

    @Peale:

    …then again 15 years later when everything that you did starts breaking down.

    LOL exactly!! In January it will be 14 years since we moved in and we’re back to fixing walls and ceilings and repainting this now 94 year old house. It’s amazin’ the changes that happen when you raise 2 teenage boys. Airsoft BBs embedded in the plaster?

  27. 27.

    delk

    December 5, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Big man, pig man…

  28. 28.

    frosty

    December 5, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Owning a boat is like standing in the shower in your clothes with the water on full cold while flushing $100 bills down the toilet.

    I think that was Bill Buckley’s description of ocean racing, too, although it might have been thousand dollar bills. Interestingly, when you read between the lines in his sailing adventures he had a crew to do most of the work and he took the wheel for occasional shifts.

  29. 29.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    @Mnemosyne: “You have an ocelot?!”

  30. 30.

    NotMax

    December 5, 2016 at 11:17 pm

    Well, it was more or less an impulse buy, and previous owner apparently took as good care of the house as he did of Walter.

  31. 31.

    Sam Dobermann

    December 5, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    I am tired of being broke and paying for this house. I’ll add this to the list of shit that is pissing me off in 2016.

    Been here in this house since 2004. Shit still happening. I want out but first I need to thin out my stuff. It keeps multiplying behind my back yet I still have only one sock of a pair times about 10. If socks can disappear why not other stuff?

    By the way, when CBS Nightly News reported on the shoot up at the DC Pizza house they reported that the fake news was heavily promulgated by the son of that _ _ _ _ _ _ General Flinn, our new Security Chief who also said at that time that Clinton was about to be arrested. CBS did an excellent job. BBC and PBS didn’t.

  32. 32.

    NotoriousJRT

    December 5, 2016 at 11:21 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    What? No “Bringing Up Baby”?

  33. 33.

    NotoriousJRT

    December 5, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    @NotoriousJRT:
    Asked and answered.

  34. 34.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: That episode has one of my favorite lines in TV.

    “You’re just going to leave me locked in here with nothing to do?”
    “Now you know how Babu feels!”
    “What, crepuscular?!”

  35. 35.

    Lyrebird

    December 5, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    At the moment I could describe getting a house as an expensive indulgence, bowing too far to my dislike of leaf-blowers and the former neighbors & property owners wielding them. RAKES rakes it is all about RAKES! Except that 1. getting a house with a livable basement was a good move before my little one took over my life and 2. sure maybe we have some quality time raking now and again, but the last deposit of leaves from oak & maple just got removed by two windstorms ,bc i did nothing.

    I liked our drought (in PA east of John’s neighborhood) bc the grass stopped growing for a while.

    So maybe if and when I get a new job for next fall, I should just jolly well rent.

    I know this new nest is gonna be great for JGC though.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    December 5, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    @frosty: Just something I remember someone saying once.

  37. 37.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: God help me, I love that show.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:28 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    G and I spend way too much time mock-shouting, “You’re not my supervisor!” at each other.

  39. 39.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 5, 2016 at 11:28 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I don’t own a boat, airplane, or vacation home, but I have friends who do. Life is good.

  40. 40.

    RepubAnon

    December 5, 2016 at 11:28 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Kitty!

  41. 41.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:29 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    So wrong. And yet so funny. And yet so wrong.

    ETA: The show, not you, obvs.

  42. 42.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:30 pm

    Samwise is in very “Sir is not amused” form tonight.

  43. 43.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:30 pm

    @Mnemosyne: The wrongness is key. And funny.

    ETA: I didn’t play lacrosse. Cole did. I played rugby which does not make me better.

  44. 44.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 5, 2016 at 11:32 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: your taste in tv is as excellent as your taste in music. Well done.

  45. 45.

    NotMax

    December 5, 2016 at 11:32 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Tantalizing tidbits about the upcoming season 8.

  46. 46.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:34 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Mnemosyne: And the “Bob’s Burgers” cold open! OMG!

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    @NotMax: RIP Woodhouse.

    @Steve in the ATL: I have a few good points. Dogs and cats like me. I am allergic to cats.

  48. 48.

    Aleta

    December 5, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    @cmorenc: My two happiest boat days were the day I decided to buy my friend’s sailboat and the day I changed my mind.

  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:36 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Is that the crossover on Bob’s side?

  50. 50.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:37 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    We haven’t watched it yet. No spoilers!

    Remember, the Dutch baby is a little premature, just like Jesus.

    ETA: Wait, now I’m thinking you mean the crossover episode. Use the correct terminology, dude!

  51. 51.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:38 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Mnemosyne: It’s from seasons ago!

    ETA: It starts with what people referred to as the Bob’s Burgers cold open. Jeez, read the literature.

    Am I the only one who reads here??

  52. 52.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Until Death!)

    December 5, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Non-sequitur: Have you seen Arrival? If so, would you mind sharing your thoughts?

  53. 53.

    frosty

    December 5, 2016 at 11:41 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Just something I remember someone saying once.

    At least once by every sailor I know who had something too big for a trailer and daysailing. Once you get a motor you need the 100s and once you get a head you have a place to flush them!

  54. 54.

    NotMax

    December 5, 2016 at 11:42 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Yeah. Like Ian Wolfe’s acerbic butler in WKRP, needlessly gone but never forgotten.

  55. 55.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:48 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Am I the only one who reads here??

    I’ve read six novels in the past two weeks.

  56. 56.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:50 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I wrote a scene today!

  57. 57.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 5, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    @NotMax: Mama Carlson and Hirsch! what a great combination

  58. 58.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Yea!

  59. 59.

    Adam L Silverman

    December 5, 2016 at 11:52 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I made a scene today.

  60. 60.

    FlyingToaster

    December 5, 2016 at 11:53 pm

    @Mnemosyne: You left off my favorite: People Will Talk. Obscure, but funny as all get out.

  61. 61.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:53 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I quietly tried to get things done.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    December 5, 2016 at 11:55 pm

    @Temporarily Max McGee (Until Death!):

    I have not. I am WAY behind in my viewing of current movies, sadly.

  63. 63.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:56 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: @Omnes Omnibus: I did both!

  64. 64.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 5, 2016 at 11:56 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I call bullshit.

  65. 65.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 5, 2016 at 11:59 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yeah, I’m not really a scene-causer.

  66. 66.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:00 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I would have to watch the episode again, but technically it may not be a cold opening, or at least no more of one than every other episode of “Archer.” But I haven’t done TV crit in a while.

    I wrote a scene yesterday — I did end up going with an Unexpected Aunt as the most functional character for that part of the book, and she’s a hoot to write, too.

    I think I’m going to set myself a daily writing goal of 250 words going forward. It’s small enough that I should be able to reach it (and probably more) every day, and what’s the point of setting oneself up for failure? Plus I really need to get into a daily writing habit, so it’s better to have a small, easy to reach goal than have one that’s so big that I get frustrated and quit.

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:00 am

    @Major Major Major Major: Sorry, man.

  68. 68.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:02 am

    Cole – 26 more days of 2016 to put up with….or 46 more days of Obama as President, depending on your outlook. In 47 days we’ll have a dessicated narcissistic sociopath with the worst, most regressive cabinet in history as the leader of the free world. Consider savoring what remains of 2016…

  69. 69.

    Lizzy L

    December 6, 2016 at 12:02 am

    @Major Major Major Major: Am I the only one who reads here??

    No.

  70. 70.

    Steve in the ATL

    December 6, 2016 at 12:02 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    I have not. I am WAY behind in my viewing of current movies, sadly.

    I’m way ahead, by virtue of flying cross country ever week for the last couple of months. I’ve also read more novels than I can remember. And I still have only gold status on delta this year. All those damn short haul flights to Detroit ruined my life!

  71. 71.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:02 am

    @Mnemosyne: Over the summer I was reliably doing 500 a day during my commute with editing on the weekends. Think I’ll get back there starting this month.

  72. 72.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:06 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I’ve read six novels in the past two weeks.

    Any good ones to recommend? Something not overly angsty? Trying to avoid news, and filter what my psyche absorbs. Mostly watching Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” on Netflix.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:07 am

    @Mnemosyne: @Major Major Major Major: I have never written fiction, but as a legal writer I come on blocks. I accept them, Usually, I come out of a block with something good. Fighting against a block is counterproductive.

  74. 74.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:07 am

    @seaboogie: Not overly angsty? I’m enjoying a British locked-room murders buddy-detective series by Christopher Fowler. It begins with “Full Dark House.”

    What genres do you like?

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    December 6, 2016 at 12:07 am

    I’m having an allergic reaction to something I ate yesterday, I’m not sure what..Itching like crazy all over, Tongue slightly swollen. At least the swelling around my lips is going down. Feh.

  76. 76.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:10 am

    @efgoldman:

    if you weren’t soft as puppy shit

    I’m stealing that. Also, no Cole house news thread would be complete without descriptions of canine excreta. {{{Waves to debit and Walter}}}

  77. 77.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:10 am

    @seaboogie: I’ve been doing Dick Francis novels. Just switched to rereading Forsyth.

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    December 6, 2016 at 12:10 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    “Babou! Serpentine!”

  79. 79.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:12 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Because I have specific goals for myself in 2017 — like the writers’ conference I’m going to in March — I invested in a Passion Planner for 2017 since, in the past, I’ve usually done better with a paper planner. Right now, I’m punching out various printable stickers I bought on Etsy so I can reward myself like a 5-year-old. Because nobody wants their inner writer to be too mature and adult for stickers.

  80. 80.

    lamh36

    December 6, 2016 at 12:13 am

    John are u gonna be renting rooms shoot, i’m so tired of living with my mama right now Id move to West Virginia…

    no wait…scratch that never mind ???

  81. 81.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:13 am

    @Steeplejack (tablet): Exactly.

  82. 82.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:14 am

    @lamh36: No! You do not want to go there.

  83. 83.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:15 am

    @Mnemosyne: I don’t want my inner ANYTHING to be too mature for stickers. It’s actually the only reason I vote.

  84. 84.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 12:15 am

    @seaboogie

    Should you like humor both understated and bone dry, Dreamland on Netflix. Originally titled “Utopia” when it aired in Oz.

  85. 85.

    lamh36

    December 6, 2016 at 12:16 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: ha…naw John make it to NOLA again before i ever step foot in WV…lol

  86. 86.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:16 am

    @Major Major Major Major: You frighten me.

  87. 87.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:16 am

    @seaboogie:

    If you like historical romance or historical mysteries, I have some recommendations.

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:19 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I just bought myself a piece of wall art that says, “Writer’s Block: When your imaginary friends stop talking to you.”

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I always make them give me two “I Voted” stickers — one to wear out the door and one to place later. One of my bicycle purses has a couple of them on it.

  89. 89.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:19 am

    @lamh36: It does have good skiing. I will certainly go to NOLA before I go to WVA again. I have taste and priorities .

  90. 90.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:22 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Good.

    @Mnemosyne: Me too! Lol

  91. 91.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:23 am

    @Major Major Major Major: Haven’t done murder mysteries in a while, but could probably use some of that if it’s not too dark, bleak or bloody.

    I enjoy Americana and Canadiana novels, esp. Kent Haruf and Richard Russo – where you get to know the characters and the community. I have John Irving’s (one of my favorite authors) “Avenue of Mysteries” here, and can’t seem to get started on that.

    Something meaty and beautifully written, that I’ll savor and miss when I’ve finished reading it. Also, a pony.

  92. 92.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:24 am

    G loves to watch this podcast movie review show out of Wisconsin called “Half in the Bag,” where they drink beer and talk about movies. One of the guys on it has a laugh so penatrating that I can hear it from two rooms away. Oy.

  93. 93.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:24 am

    @Mnemosyne: I have a cow centerpiece on my dining table. Most of the cows have an “I voted” sticker. I am from WI, don’t judge me. California does a thing about cheese. Really?

  94. 94.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:26 am

    @seaboogie: It’s two old British guys having low-key hijinks. Also a murder, but it’s low-key too.

  95. 95.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:26 am

    @NotMax: I’ll check it out, and thanks for the rec.

  96. 96.

    lamh36

    December 6, 2016 at 12:27 am

    Lordt…my mom stays up ALL night on the cell phone with her gossipy azz friend from Ohio until she falls asleep…

    is is disrespectful to say “shut up mom” in her own house???. I feel like it might be??

    anyhoo i gotta try to get some sleep while i’m not coughing up a lung, i’ve been sick with cold and coughing for over a week, so much coughing I’ve lost my voice…so i try to catch sleep when i can.

    Good night!

  97. 97.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:28 am

    @Major Major Major Major: That sounds just about right – something that works with a cat by my side and a cup of tea or glass of claret (getting into the vibe already) at hand.

  98. 98.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 12:28 am

    @Adam L Silverman: As someone who grew up on a boat I must agree.

    What’s the rule?

    If it flies, floats or fornicates, rent it.

  99. 99.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:31 am

    @Davebo: That wasn’t put so politely when I heard it growing up.

  100. 100.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:31 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I have taste and priorities .

    I have a cow centerpiece on my dining table. Most of the cows have an “I voted” sticker.

    “Taste” does not compute. “Priorities” does.

  101. 101.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:33 am

    @seaboogie: He said not to judge him!

  102. 102.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Until Death!)

    December 6, 2016 at 12:33 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s very, very good harder sci-fi. I’m not going to say much more than steer clear of spoilers.

  103. 103.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:33 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    We have cheese out here, but it honestly isn’t as good. “Wisconsin cheese” is actually a selling point at a lot of stores.

  104. 104.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:34 am

    @seaboogie: Whatever.

  105. 105.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 12:36 am

    @Major Major Major Major: It’s a family blog.

    “Folds” works as well.

  106. 106.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:36 am

    I bet he has one of those foam cheese-heads in a closet somewhere…and I’m sure it looks tres elegant over the Brideshead ‘do….

  107. 107.

    FlipYrWhig

    December 6, 2016 at 12:37 am

    @Peale:

    House poor.

    Wait — isn’t John “house rich”? Isn’t it “house rich, cash poor” (lots of house, no money) vs. “cash rich, house poor” (lots of money, no house)?

  108. 108.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:38 am

    Have any of y’all been to the Seattle Mystery Bookshop? Great little store. Lovely staff. Full of… mysteries! And sci-fi.

  109. 109.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 6, 2016 at 12:39 am

    @seaboogie: Ask me what you want to ask. I will look in the morning.

  110. 110.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 12:42 am

    @seaboogie

    Just to avoid possible confusion, was referring to the TV series (2 seasons). Believe there’s also a movie (unrelated) with the same name on the ‘flix.

  111. 111.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 12:45 am

    @NotMax: Thanks again.

  112. 112.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:47 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    We live within walking distance of a famous horror bookstore called Dark Delicacies. It always amuses me that they carry supernatural romances as well — I guess vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghosts are cross-genre, even when there’s a guaranteed happy ending.

  113. 113.

    CaseyL

    December 6, 2016 at 12:49 am

    @Major Major Major Major: I haven’t been there in years – and when I was last there, they didn’t carry scifi. If they do now, another visit may be in order! I love both genres – most of my fiction reading is one or the other. But my go-to bookstore since I no longer work downtown is Third Place Books up in Lake Forest Park.

  114. 114.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 12:50 am

    @Mnemosyne: The place in Seattle has two entire shelves of ‘culinary mystery’, which is apparently a genre. With recipes!

    ETA: @CaseyL: They do! My last visit I got ‘Ready Player One’ and ‘Year Zero’.

  115. 115.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 12:53 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Pfft. Pikers. On my very own bookshelf, I have the most specialized genre book of all: a supernatural knitting shop mystery romance. With cats. It’s the first of a series by Barbara Bretton.

  116. 116.

    joel hanes

    December 6, 2016 at 12:57 am

    @seaboogie:

    Americana and Canadiana novels …
    Something meaty and beautifully written, that I’ll savor and miss when I’ve finished reading it

    _Fifth_Business_, Robertson Davies
    _My_Antonia_, Will Cather
    _Angle_Of_Repose_, Wallace Stegner

    you might well try
    _The_Solitudes_, John Crowley (originally published as _Aegypt_)
    but that’s kind of a flyer.

  117. 117.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:00 am

    @Mnemosyne: Lay it on me sister – I am in escape mode, and will entertain all well-written comers. Don’t like Sci-Fi or Fantasy though –

  118. 118.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 1:06 am

    Trying to get ready for Christmas and a trip to Scotland on the twelfth night with my girl and finding my budget seriously stressed.

    Need inexpensive gift ideas, 12 of them.

  119. 119.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:07 am

    @joel hanes: Thank you, Joel. Tried to print off the list, but my printer didn’t want to work (as they are wont to do), so I took a pic of your post with my iphone. Cannot imagine any of the authors on your list could have imagined such a solution.

  120. 120.

    jk

    December 6, 2016 at 1:08 am

    NY Times Public Editor appears on Tucker Carlson’s show and throws NY Times reporters under the bus for their tweets about Trump

    Journalists from all corners of the internet turned to Twitter on Monday evening to slam New York Times public editor Liz Spayd for calling certain tweets authored by Times journalists during the campaign “outrageous,” with some even calling for her to submit her resignation.

    “I do think that when people go over the line like that, and I think some of those are over the line, that there ought to be some kind of consequence for that,” Spayd told Fox News on Friday, in reference to tweets published by Times journalists that were critical of President-elect Donald Trump.

    h/t http://www.businessinsider.com/liz-spayd-public-editor-nyt-tweets-trump-2016-12

  121. 121.

    Gemina13

    December 6, 2016 at 1:14 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I’m betting you’ve got a sweet stash of Vicodin somewhere.

  122. 122.

    reality-based (the original, not the troll)

    December 6, 2016 at 1:14 am

    @seaboogie:

    well, I love Kent haruf too – that was gonna be my recommendation, I press “Plainsong” on everyone I meet –

    Since you love Haruf – – have you read “animal dreams”, an early Barbara Kingsolver? (and i think, the best)

    also – just trowing this out – “The Girl with the dragon tattoo” and the sequels? Great escapism, plus memorable characters.

  123. 123.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 1:15 am

    @seaboogie

    History/mystery: Any of the Cadfael books. Also too, Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.

    Americana/Canadiana revolutionary period history novel: Arundel by Kenneth Roberts

    Can’t put it down American history: Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose

  124. 124.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:16 am

    BTW, for any of you all into murder mysteries, there is a great website listing all titles chronologically by any author in the genre – it’s called “Stop, You’re Killing Me”.

  125. 125.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 1:16 am

    @Gemina13: And why’s that?

    ETA: @seaboogie: Have you read the Aubrey/Maturin novels?

  126. 126.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:21 am

    @reality-based (the original, not the troll): Plainsong is one of the loveliest novels I’ve ever read, re-read and also gifted to others. The sequel “Eventide” is good too. I have not read Animal Dreams by Kingsolver, but I will check it out. Dragon Tattoo seems a step too far for me right now, but I thank you for that rec.

  127. 127.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:24 am

    @Davebo: Socks. Great socks cost at most $12. If you give them one at a time, they count as two things.

  128. 128.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:25 am

    @NotMax: As one of our FPers would say: “tracking”… and anything not in my wheelhouse there will surely be in my father’s, so thank you.

  129. 129.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 1:30 am

    @efgoldman: Could I substitute a quail in a mesquite bush?

    @seaboogie: My late wife and I actually gave socks one year when things were tight. But no, I just don’t see it. Your suggestion however was infinitely more useful than efgoldman’s!

  130. 130.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 1:32 am

    @Davebo

    Possibility?

    Set of 6 nice coffee mugs, along with 6 sampler sizes of quality coffee and/or tea.

  131. 131.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 1:33 am

    @Davebo: if you get socks you only need six pairs. Twelve presents!

  132. 132.

    KithKanan

    December 6, 2016 at 1:36 am

    @FlipYrWhig: Doesn’t the house have to be habitable before he counts as house rich? At the moment he sounds house poor and cash poor, with some hope of improving both… eventually.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 1:37 am

    @seaboogie:

    I tend to like British stuff, or at least stuff set in Britain, so that’s where most of my recommendations would fall. I’ve really been enjoying Tessa Dare in the romance world — she’s a major best-selling author, but the e-book versions are usually pretty reasonable. Her best-selling one is A Week to Be Wicked and should give you a pretty good idea of whether or not you’ll like her writing style. Plus it’s only $3.49 in e-book form, so it’s a cheap date.

    My other romance recommendation would be Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower series, starting with Secrets of a Summer Night. Again, it’s reasonably priced at $3.99 for the e-book and should give you a pretty good idea of if you like her writing style or not.

    Both of them are obviously reasonably light reading, but they have enough substance that you won’t feel stupider after reading them (each of the characters has some fairly dark stuff from their past that they’re dealing with). No serious violence, and you have the comfort of knowing it will have a happy ending no matter how bleak it looks around three-quarters of the way through.

    Both books are also part of a series (the Dare book is #2 in that series and the Kleypas one is #1), so you can either continue on or just drop the whole thing afterwards. :-)

  134. 134.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:37 am

    @Davebo: Okay…you’ve sparked my imagination. Consider making your gifts “experiential”, rather than goods or trinkets, because that just keeps everything going on and on.

    As an example: I’ve been taking baths with dead sea salts for my wonky knee, and I use lavender essential oil in the bath too. So dead sea salts and essential oil is 2 things.

    A spice, such as saffron, plus a recipe that uses it. It keeps until you are ready to break it out and make something special that you can share.

    All of these things are relatively inexpensive, and also very sensual and luxurious. Like great socks ;-)

  135. 135.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:40 am

    @Mnemosyne: Thank you Mnem, and I appreciate the insight that I won’t feel stupider after reading them. Will check them out.

  136. 136.

    liberal

    December 6, 2016 at 1:40 am

    Hilarious

  137. 137.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 1:42 am

    For the mystery recommendation, I still love the Julian Kestrel series by the (sadly) late Kate Ross.They’re set in the Regency (Napoleonic) time period and have some off-screen violence, but also some really interesting social background. There are only four of them, unfortunately.

    And when I really need to escape, I go back to PG Wodehouse. I once got into an argument with someone who claimed that Heart of Darkness was the greatest novel in the English language, while I argued that it’s The Code of the Woosters. I still think I was right. Plus Wodehouse was almost insanely prolific — his career started in the 1910s and continued until the day he died in 1975 — so there’s a lot of back catalog to read.

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 1:42 am

    @Davebo

    Ooh, a thought: Stuff from our own satby’s soap ‘n’ stuff store.

  139. 139.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:43 am

    @NotMax: Second that idea!!!

  140. 140.

    joel hanes

    December 6, 2016 at 1:43 am

    @seaboogie:

    Where I wrote “Will Cather”, I of course meant “Willa Cather”

    Stupid fingers.

  141. 141.

    Mnemosyne

    December 6, 2016 at 1:44 am

    @seaboogie:

    I love the romance genre dearly but, as in any genre, there are always books that make you feel stupider after you read them. I won’t claim that they’re deep and meaningful literature, but you probably won’t feel like you wasted your time.

  142. 142.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 1:45 am

    @joel hanes: I knoes…

  143. 143.

    danielx

    December 6, 2016 at 1:47 am

    I am tired of being broke and paying for this house.

    Why should you be any different?

  144. 144.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 1:52 am

    @seaboogie: Actually that’s pretty good! We just got back from a weekend trip where she ran a marathon so a salt soak is good and she loves to cook so you may be on to something there.

    @NotMax: See, and they say I waste my time here.. Thanks. Where can I find Satby’s store?

  145. 145.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 1:58 am

    @Davebo

    Here ya go.

  146. 146.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 6, 2016 at 1:58 am

    @joel hanes: my mom has been gushing about Cather lately.

  147. 147.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    December 6, 2016 at 1:59 am

    Somebody said last week they listened to a friend play jazz guitar. Here’s a short set:

    Wes Montgomery, “’Round Midnight.”

    Stanley Jordan, “The Lady in My Life.”

    Pat Metheny, “Are You Going with Me?”

  148. 148.

    reality-based (the original, not the troll)

    December 6, 2016 at 2:08 am

    @seaboogie: yes, but eventide broke my heart – before mending it at the end – I love all of Haruf!

    so i think you will really like Animal Dreams

  149. 149.

    Davebo

    December 6, 2016 at 2:09 am

    @NotMax: Thanks

  150. 150.

    NotMax

    December 6, 2016 at 2:10 am

    @Davebo

    Might want to wait a bit before placing an order as she usually announces BJ-specific discounts for the holiday season.

  151. 151.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 2:21 am

    @Davebo: If your sweetie loves to cook, get her some Olio Nuovo (freshly pressed olive oil) here: https://www.mcevoyranch.com/olive-oil-and-table/olive-oil/2016-olio-nuovo

    My good friend is the master olive oil miller there, and the oil is exquisite from estate grown Italian varietal olives. Olio Nuovo is seasonal, and meant to be consumed and used as a condiment or for bread-dipping ASAP.

  152. 152.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 2:35 am

    @Steeplejack (phone): Thank you Steep…

  153. 153.

    TriassicSands

    December 6, 2016 at 3:00 am

    Random thought: The “fake news” used to come from The Onion and it was funny (or supposed to be).

  154. 154.

    opiejeanne

    December 6, 2016 at 3:37 am

    @seaboogie: May I suggest the Inspector Gamache series? Written by Louise Penny and set in Canada, mostly in Montreal and the nearby territory, especially the make-believe town of Three Pines. She’s witty and evokes laughter in most of her books.

  155. 155.

    seaboogie

    December 6, 2016 at 4:29 am

    @opiejeanne: Thank you opiejeanne….and also everyone else with your generous offerings. So many wonderful possibilities in various genres for distraction and immersion. I am deeply grateful to and for this community.

  156. 156.

    Kay Eye

    December 6, 2016 at 10:04 am

    @Peale: My realtor called this “the pride of home ownership.”

  157. 157.

    Denali

    December 6, 2016 at 11:18 am

    @opiejeanne,
    Beat me to it.

  158. 158.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    December 6, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    Well… this isn’t uncommon. I bought in 2009, and picked up 8 grand as a “thank you” from the US government. It was *gone* before the renovations were completed.

    Now, I’m way overwater (remember, 2009 was a *damn* good time to buy!), and about to refi.

    Since you bought a distressed house, unless you bought in a neighborhood that’s losing value, you’ll probably be glad you did in 3-5 years.

    (Side note: since I live in a no-income tax state, I did get to deduct 10% of my purchases to fix the place – which is, alas, only about the same as shopping at Amazon with a rewards card – 3% back. But it did cheer me up in 2010, a bit.)

    I also had some “friends” who kept reminding me of how much of a money sink a house could be. Set boundaries – remind them that you’re broke and hurting a bit, and please stop making you feel worse about a decision you can no longer change. Maintain friendships with those who try to hold to those reasonable boundaries.

    (I didn’t say *cut* friendships with those who don’t. But carefully consider whether they’ve really earned the right to bust your chops by being there when you needed help. A friend who’s got your back has earned the right to take a few digs, even when you’re down. A fair-weather friend who insists on busting your chops deserves to have the door hit ’em where the dog shoulda bit ’em… while it’s pouring down sleet!)

    Also: go out. De-stress. Have some fun. Maybe exercise, if you have an exercise that can make you feel a bit better. Then come back, and think about why you decided to buy this home. Think about the plans you had, the stuff you looked at and thought “oh, *man* that’ll be great!” And bank that feeling – remember it. You’ll get through this, but yeah, it can be rough. (Like sandpaper. When you THOUGHT it was toilet paper. Sorry for the image, but that’s what I mean by “it can be rough”.)

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • Jay on War for Ukraine Day 782: If the Opposite of Pro Is Con, Then the Opposite of Progress is a GOP Majority in Congress (Apr 16, 2024 @ 2:55am)
  • YY_Sima Qian on War for Ukraine Day 782: If the Opposite of Pro Is Con, Then the Opposite of Progress is a GOP Majority in Congress (Apr 16, 2024 @ 2:41am)
  • wjca on Monday Evening Open Thread: Another ‘Rich’ Narcissist, Having A Bad Start to His Week (Apr 16, 2024 @ 2:03am)
  • Princess on Monday Evening Open Thread: Another ‘Rich’ Narcissist, Having A Bad Start to His Week (Apr 16, 2024 @ 1:37am)
  • artem1s on Late Night Weekend Wrap-Up Open Thread: Journamalism, Not A Dependable Profit Center (Apr 16, 2024 @ 1:05am)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Balloon Juice Posts

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

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Talk of Meetups – Meetup Planning
Proposed BJ meetups list from frosty

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8
Virginia House Races
Four Directions – Montana
Worker Power AZ
Four Directions – Arizona
Four Directions – Nevada

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
Positive Climate News
War in Ukraine
Cole’s “Stories from the Road”
Classified Documents Primer

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Twitter / Spoutible

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

Political Action 2024

Postcard Writing Information

Balloon Juice for Four Directions AZ

Donate

Balloon Juice for Four Directions NV

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Copyright © 2024 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

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

Email sent!