Those are amazingly forbearing felines — if you look at their expressions, that’s the you-are-my-dear-friend cat squint, believe it or not.
Everybody prepped for the weekend? We did our weekly Barnes & Noble pilgrimage, and at 10pm the checkout line was stretched half-way across the store even with all the registers staffed. But with luck, we won’t have to leave the house until it’s time for Christmas dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant…
Это курам на смех
Thank you Anne that was lovely.
rikyrah
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Those are some ugly cats.
That video is hilarious.
MikeBoyScout
So,,,
In Moscow Russia.
tRump tweets his BS praising VV Puttie.
The reaction here is very much like when G.W. Bush told reporters in 2001 that he saw Puttie’s soul looking into his eyes.
They laugh, ironically, at the naivety.
West of the Cascades
Evidently Moshow is the Portland cat rapper. Who knew? Now I hope I see him around town with his cat(s) on a leash!
Mnemosyne
I think lamh36 had some of his videos in her Twitter feed, or mentioned him, because I saw him when she linked to pictures of the adorable Zoe.
We’re going to my aunt’s for Christmas Day, so the only prep I have to do is pick up a chocolate banana cream pie tomorrow to bring on Sunday.
Suzanne
I bought some cinnamon pinecomes, made some hot spiced bourbon cider, and whipped up some homemade almond vanilla body butter. In case you are wondering what that smell is, it’s Christmas, emanating from my house.
Mnemosyne
First World Problem of the Day: I ran out of my favorite facial cleanser, which I can only buy online because it’s organic and made in Hungary. But, it’s the only cleanser I’ve found that doesn’t make me break out. Harrumph.
Major Major Major Major
You were at Barnes & Noble at 10pm?
NotMax
A holiday favorite tradition wherein Mel Blanc works overtime trying to make Jack Benny totally lose it and comes this close to succeeding.
Mary G
Suzanne
@Mnemosyne: What is it?
I’ve been making my own facial cleanser from raw honey, almond oil, and Castile soap, and the breakouts have significantly reduced in number. Maybe that can tide you over.
NotMax
Not bad at all. Trip to Costco made late this afternoon for standing rib roast and a couple of other items.
Total time from entering the parking lot to being back on the highway headed home: 28 minutes.
Morzer
I now understand the culture that produced John G Cole and His Naked Mopsters much better:
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a51673/drug-companies-opiates-west-virginia/
Captain Oblivious
Oh gawd, autotune.
Ruckus
@NotMax:
I’ve spent nearly 28 minutes waiting to buy gas at Costco. It really isn’t worth it.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
Now that’s a grift racket. If they had been taking them the population would end up being the pharmacist. But if they sold them they could have moved from WV. A conundrum.
Suzanne
@Morzer: These “pain clinics” are such a red flag. Seriously. Just smoke some weed.
One of these is opening in my neighborhood in a strip mall, and I am not happy about it.
LesGS
Slow cooking/carmelizing some onions tonight for my Xmas eve French onion soup dinner. Our kids are old now (24 and 27) so we all go to the movies on Xmas day. We all believe in full frontal nerdity, so Fantastic Beasts and Rogue One are on our docket for that day. I’ll toss the corned beef into the *other* slow cooker before we head out in the morning. When we get home from the movies, we’ll do stocking exchanges. We do the kids’ and they do ours. It’s pretty interesting to see what they think we deserve in our stockings…
(Maybe we’ll also go see Arrival again. My partner and I have already seen that, and it’s possibly the best movie we’ve seen this year.)
Morzer
@Suzanne:
For a couple of years, I had the delightful experience of living down the street from a New Haven pizzeria connected to the local Mob. It made for some intriguing encounters and local legends. Pretty good pizza, although I did wonder whether I was the token genuine customer kept around for camouflage purposes. Still, as Pope Frankie said: “Who am I to judge?”
LesGS
@Mnemosyne: Have you tried any Lush products? I know diddly squat about skin care, but my younger kid got into them, and I understand they’re made from pretty basic, plant based ingredients.
Ruckus
@Morzer:
Family story is that my grandmother, who is from Sicily, was brought over as a very young infant when her father was asked to leave Sicily, because as a mob enforcer, he did too good a job. I think there is less to the story than it sounds like but one never knows.
Ruckus
I live a block away from a firehouse and I have to say the boys aren’t getting much rest tonight. Second full run in less than an hour. That’s pumper, ladder and EMT trucks.
opiejeanne
@NotMax: Thanks for posting that, I’veneer seen it before.
I was 7 and not allowed to stay up that late.
opiejeanne
Shopped this morning, in and out of Costco pretty quickly. Off to the mall to get something for mr opiejeanne; home by noon. Baked cookies all day, made one of the desserts for the big party on Christmas Eve at our older daughter’s; I’ll make a flourless chocolate cake tomorrow morning.
I need raspberries for the sauce! Someone will have to go to the store.
Found out that while we were at Costco, the house 3 doors down was broken into. Took a tool from the shed and forced the sliding glass door out of the track. The alarm went off but it’s a tiny house so they had time to grab the wife’s jewelry. Now I’m feeling a little strange leaving my house for the party tomorrow. I guess we can make it look and sound like we’re here.
Christmas morning the kids are coming to our house and we’ll open presents, then we’ll all go see Rogue One. This is a much better choice than past Christmas movies that the older girl has taken us to. I liked it but I do not think Django Unchained is appropriate for Christmas Day.
Major Major Major Major
@opiejeanne: that’s funny, I saw it on theatres with my husband and parents on Christmas. Or was it the day after?
EBT
Lucky me! I am home alone until some friends come over for lunch on the 26th.
opiejeanne
@Major Major Major Major: My older daughter sometimes has unfortunate judgement wrt movies. When she was in college she rented Boogie Nights for her little sister, who was 14 at the time. *eyeroll*
Another Christmas she took her dad and me to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and my husband had not read the book and was not expecting the rape or the violence, especially when the cat was murdered (off-screen, small favor).
opiejeanne
@EBT: It snowed most of the day here and I’d almost just as soon stay home and watch Christmas movies rather than go out to the Christmas Eve dinner because it’s nice and warm inside.
Major Major Major Major
@EBT: @opiejeanne: I’m still here just playing Skyrim with my cat.
evap
I am currently in Myanmar with my spouse of (almost) 30 years and it will be my first Christmas ever without any sort of celebration/fuss. We are taking a Burmese cooking class on the day itself. It’s very liberating to ignore it all and I would be completely happy except that I will be missing my daughters and the rest of the family.
EBT
@opiejeanne: If my oven worked then everything would be fine, as it is I am thinking about making biscuits on the stove top.
@Major Major Major Major: I am still finding it hard to get the motivation to play anything that should sound interesting. I have a distressing string of half finished things.
Major Major Major Major
@EBT: clearly you’re in dire need of my cat.
EBT
@Major Major Major Major: Kitties make everything better yes.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
La famille Colette just finished our eve-of-Christmukkah-eve Shabbat/Christmas (that is too a thing!) family dinner. I made a roast capon and an apple torte and then we decorated the Festivus pole, er, tree. I’m now beyond holidayed out and yet I still have two more days of intensive celebrating and another 8 nights of gifts to come up with for demi-Colette. More and more, I understand why Leonard Cohen retreated to a Buddhist monastery for several years. I feel overwhelmed with first-world problems but if I step off, I take my family unwillingly with me.
Bah humbug. Happy holidays and here’s to a better New Year, even though I have little faith it will be.
ETA: Thank doG for the cats. They don’t care, as long as there’s kibble and head-skritches.
dmsilev
Gearing up for Hanukkah dinner with the family on Monday, and before that, Christmas Day dinner with some dear old family friends. Sadly, this year, dear old friend has some mobility issues due to a fall, so in addition to the desserts we normally bring, this year we’ve been tapped to bring the turkey. So, today and tomorrow has a bit more cooking than planned.
Richard Mayhew
The kids are watching cartoons, Mrs. Mayhew is sleeping in late and I am doing the dishes and baking a cinnamon roll….Then we will need to get cookie ingredients later on for a gaggle of kids to bake and test
Zinsky
Settled in at home – all the kids (20 somethings) are home, the refrigerator is well-stocked, life is good….
Wishing everyone at BJ a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays!
Josie
Will make one last sortie from home to get fresh tamales for our Christmas Eve dinner and then settle in with family and pets.
ETA: Doing research on the Mexican Revolution, which makes our current situation look like a cakewalk. I guess the lesson is that it could always be worse.
wenchacha
We’re having a shit Christmas. We’re in WNY, and the adult children are on the West Coast. First Christmas in 30+ years without kids or a dog. Two weeks ago, my contractor husband’s truck went belly-up, so he’s been driving my car to work. The engine had to be replaced, plus labor, but it’s back on the road as of today. I could still drive to see my folks and go to a family party, but I’m just not feeling it.
I am far more fortunate than most of the people on this planet, but I forget, sometimes. Those of you with last-minute exasperation and stress: remember it doesn’t need to be perfect! Give yourselves a break for whatever holidays you celebrate!
Svensker
At the airport heading home after a funeral. Quiet Xmas planned with immediate family. Hold your loved ones close and don’t sweat the small stuff.
J R in WV
We’re upahollow, with the remnants of a leg o lamb I did the other day, which is destined to be stew tonite. We celebrated Solstice last Saturday, received a small gift both thoughtful and useful, are invited to New Year’s at friends across two ridges and the other side of (the) town, which you don’t have to go through.
Have wine and beer, and each other. So lucky, life has been good to us so far. I almost feel guilty being so lucky!
Happy Festivus, and Merry Hanukkiah to ALL.
and:
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All!
Til day after tomorrow. Then we can go back to jackels and vultures!
Shana
@NotMax: Now that’s a Christmas miracle.