I thought *I* did, but Mr. Cole seems to have forgotten his proposed meet’n’greet. As I had to admit to the Boston-area commentors who’ve contacted me tonight.
Stood up at the last minute, and at my age, too!
.
I can't get over the fact that Obama was more popular at 10% unemployment than Trump is at 4.7% unemployment: https://t.co/M4oronf9pv
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) March 29, 2017
#Putin: "President-elect of the U.S. isn't being allowed to fulfill his agenda. Once that's over, we can start working together."#Russia pic.twitter.com/fwXnb2ampp
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) March 30, 2017
schrodingers_cat
Oh good, I thought you were in Putin’s lair.
Baud
I’m so happy Trump was elected over Hillary. Now we get to spend all our time on real scandals instead of fake ones.
Baud
Wait, it’s Thursday. What happened to tomorrow’s meet-up?
dmsilev
Maybe try tweeting at John?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I don’t know much about Putin, sooner or later I’ll get around to reading Man Without a Face, but I’ve always had a hunch Putin would fuck with Trump when it suited his politics and/or just to amuse himself. I suspect this is the latter.
FlyingToaster
I’ve even arranged for HerrDoktor to take over WarriorGirl at 4:45pm, too (or at least to be home by then). Dammit.
Holding out hope that there will be a “oh, what the hell, I’ll be here at Xpm” post by morning.
All indications are that we’re in for 3 inches of slush. A complete nothingburger of a storm inside of 128. My condolences to NH and Maine, who are getting the hammer this time.
schrodingers_cat
Why don’t all of you Boston BJers meet anyways, JC may show up or not.
amk
Are we there yet? #Impeachment #Prisontime
Ian G.
To answer the question, tickets to the Islanders game. 2 weeks ago, it looked like it would be an important one in the playoff race, but their season has gone the way of Trump’s approval rating.
Whatever, if I had to choose between the ACA still existing after a colossal GOP fail, and an Islanders Stanley Cup, I know what I’d take.
Anne Laurie
@dmsilev:
I don’t have a Twitter account, but at least now the title of my post has shown up in his twitter feed as a reminder.
Suspect it’s some combination of Cole being slammed at his workshop / conference, and hanging on to see what the weather predictors are saying about Friday evening. Nothing good, alas! — cold rain / sleet turning into wet snow, gearing up just as we’d be getting together. But I’d like to know what to plan for, and so would the others who hoped to meet Cole for the first time.
khead
A tale of two states I know stuff about this week:
“Maryland bans fracking”
“WV Senate passes bill to help gas industry force drilling on unwilling owners”
Those are real headlines. Use your Google to look it up.
Aimai
@schrodingers_cat: JC? Jesus Christ? Would this be the first or second coming?
schrodingers_cat
@Aimai: Tunch is Ceiling Cat and John Cole is his prophet, Anom.
mainmata
I didn’t realize Cole ever left West Va. Huh! Meanwhile, everyday brings another episode to the Cheeto Monster’s eventual downfall. If this doesn’t become a Netflix series (once it’s resolved) I’ll be really surprised. Of course, we’ll then be stuck with Ayatollah Pence for a while but we can hope for 2018 (and work to make something happen, too).
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Anne Laurie: He’s trying to get Charlie Pierce to take him out to dinner
Anne Laurie
@FlyingToaster:
Don’t jinx us, dammit!
We’re out by the 93/95 interchange; prediction is anywhere from 3 to 8 inches of nasty wet snow, and I’d be perfectly happy if the second flush of daffodils along the back fence didn’t get ice-blasted like the first flush along the front of the house.
gbbalto
@khead: Especially MD GOP Governor ready to sign it! First state to do it legislatively.
ETA It would have passed over his veto anyway but he didn’t posture against it.
Anne Laurie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Serve Cole right, if Pierce invites him to dinner — in Worcester. Which will get tomorrow’s storm earlier (it’s further west), and be hit much harder (because of ‘elevation’).
Marcopolo
OT but early voting has now begun in the GA runoff election for Price’s former seat. If you live in district or know folks there, Get Out The Vote!
According to this article (yeah it is Politico), all the energy is with Ossoff: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/georgia-special-election-tom-price-seat-jon-ossoff-236703
Mnemosyne
I know several people here watch “Underground” — is the first season available for streaming anywhere? We have Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, because G loves to have too much TV available. ?
amk
Does voting for supremes affect in any way the senate critters in their reelection? Do the voters in their states even know or give a fuck about their vote for supremes?
Fuck you, munchin & heitkamp.
gbbalto
Why oh why am I undefined????
OK that was a temporary editorial state
Or was it? What is reality?
ThresherK
@khead: What are the odds of an angled fracking well on the WV side of the border aimed to go underneath MD land?
lamh36
Man, I’m tired. Still adjusting to the new job dynamic. I’m bout to get in my bed, but I had to share this cause honestly it really had my pressure boiling.
So a friend of mine wanted to see this guy in concert at one of the festivals. She already knows going out to festivals or concerts for stuff I don’t know or like isn’t my thing. But she didn’t want to go alone. At first I told her no…I’m really NOT interested. But being the friend that I am, she was able to badger me to where I said fine, but she had to pick me up and pay for my ticket and some other things. Cause first of all I didnt’ even want to go to this thing anyway…so I darn sure didnt’ want to pay for the chance to do some shit I don’t even like or care for.
So this friend says ok to my terms. Ok, so now I’ve committed myself to going. But just when I resigned myself to having to do this, I get a call today, talking about how this friend got the time wrong and it’s actually supposed to start earlier than they thought. Long story short, now they want me change at work, then to drive myself downtown (I live 30min away w/o traffic) park and then ride to this damn thing I.DIDN’T.WANT.TO.GO.TO.ANY.DAMN.WAY!
So of course now, I’m just pissed. I already fuqn’ agreed to go, but she knows I HATE when folks change shit last minute. I especially hate it when you fuqn already know I didn’t want to do the damn thing anyway. I was fuming, still am. I told em fine, since I’ve already agreed to this, but I’m never doing this again. This is the last time I’m doing shit like this for em ever again.
Ugh…I am getting pissed off about it just talking bout it now…
Ugh
ruemara
I was maybe going to see if I felt up to going out to dinner, but I needed some other soft pants (6-8 weeks is a long time with 3 pairs of work wearable soft pants) and after shopping, my plans are now, eat cold baked potato, 3 handfuls of crackers, a half cup of yogurt and cradle my lower abs until I give in and take a percoset for pain.
healing takes too long. bless the gods for a 3 day.
Baud
@amk: Yeah. I think wingnut voters care about the court.
lamh36
@lamh36:
Why is it so hard for folks to understand that YES there are some people perfectly happy to go home after work or whatever their day is and not go out? I don’t understand why folks feel it’s up to them to get this person who obviously just a homebody to do stuff? If I am content with it, what is it to you? Why do some people feel it’s some sort of benevolent jester to make this person do stuff they obviously don’t care to, just to “broaden their horizons”? Newsflash, all you are really doing is bothering someone who’s never actually asked you to broaden any damn thing…
Ugh hopefully this headache goes down so i can get some rest
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/mgrn.gif
Steve in the ATL
@Anne Laurie: move it to next Tuesday and I will join you!
Also, someone made a crack about getting to Logan airport from Somerville. I have to do that next Wednesday afternoon. Is there some secret i need to know?
gbbalto
@ThresherK: MDANG has a Warthog squadron. Just sayin’
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
They’re on the expensive side, but Betabrand has these awesome pants called Yoga Dress Pants that look like nice work pants but are actually made of comfy yoga pant material.
The only downside is that they have no pockets.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Maybe I imagined or misinterpreted it, but I am pretty sure Charlie said in a recent column that he has moved to Rhode Island (the better to hang out with efg).
Steve in the ATL
@Baud:
Lemons to lemonade. Very well played.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The article doesn’t give a timeline, but IIRC Sanford was an early and consistent public ‘no’
Omnes Omnibus
@Steve in the ATL: Charter a helicopter.
Villago Delenda Est
@dmsilev: “We know where the mustard is. If you want to see it again, come to the Boston meetup.”
p.a.
No Cole? Bet he was bullshitting: he didn’t bring pants.
ETA: I, too, want to know WTF the issue is with cargo shorts??!!
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think Appalachian Trail has more balls than Little Hands.
SiubhanDuinne
There seems to be an extraneous, superfluous, and totally unnecessary “L” in the last word.
Thru the Looking Glass...
I don’t believe that translation is correct…
I think what it says is:
MomSense
@FlyingToaster:
I still have a good foot of snow covering my yard and that’s after 2/3 of it melted from the last storm.
Feathers
@Steve in the ATL: The secret to getting to Logan Airport is to take the T. The Red Line (Davis Square stop is in Somerville, several others are adjacent) connects to the Silver Line buses at South Station. You don’t even have to go above ground, it’s all in the same station. The Silver Line buses then run on their own dedicated lanes right to the terminal. And have luggage racks.
I live in Arlington and am now a total Masshole who makes people come to Alewife on the subway and i pick them up there. It’s free coming from the airport!
MomSense
@p.a.:
Maybe he left them on the Megabus.
Lyrebird
@lamh36: Sending good wishes; sure don’t have any answers. Just grateful I have some good friends who don’t do that… probably means I don’t see them as often. Hope you’ll be good to yourself, still adjusting to move, new job, etc!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: he’s a hard right dickhead and I would never vote for him for anything, but he’s not stupid and he believes his hard right shit.
and there’s a part of me that admires someone who would take the kind of “demotion” from SC Gov back to the House (yeah, I know, scandal). I think most pols would just go graze in the tall grass.
amk
Can’t wait for kkk kaukus to kneecap the twitler permanently. Karma, the Big B.
Calouste
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The fact that Sanford tells this to the press shows that he isn’t afraid of the threat in the least.
I think people have realized that the shitgibbon has very little power, and he doesn’t know how to negotiate from that position, because he never had to. And the only people who the shitgibbon still seems to have power over, we can be fairly sure it’s because they’re up to their nipples in Russian sh1t.
Lyrebird
@Steve in the ATL: Unless you have a whole steamer trunk of luggage, the T will be fastest. Davis Sq or Porter Sq Red Line … can take Silver Line bus from South Station or deal with two changes to get from Red to your choice of Green or Orange to the Blue Line train, step out at the airport stop, hop on a free bus, get to your terminal.
Just don’t take a cab unless you like being stuck in traffic for a really really long time.
trollhattan
Going to a screening of Big Lebowski at our art deco theater. Abiding anticipation of dudeness.
MomSense
@ruemara:
I think I missed what kind of surgery you had. Really sorry you are still feeling pain.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yep. No one is sacred of Trump.
MomSense
@lamh36:
Ugh is right.
Omnes Omnibus
@Calouste: Jesus fucking Christ, you can swear and say all kinds of fucking shit on this blog. Just fucking saying and shit.
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus: Freaking A man.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: The fuck you say.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: John Q. Adams became a Congressman after he was president.
schrodingers_cat
@ruemara: Have checked Talbots? They can be a bit grandma, but if you get the right cut, they can be pretty good. I like the quality of their stitching etc. Plus they have good sales.
Corner Stone
@Baud:
Ooooo, I was waiting for time to edit ran out on this one.
Baud
@Corner Stone: I am ashamed.
Steve in the ATL
@Omnes Omnibus:
So same advice as commuting in Atlanta now. Got it.
ruemara
I do Forever 21. Because I go dumpster diving in their sale dept and walked away with a pair of decent pretend sweatpants for 8.99 and stumbled on a very nice fancy hoodie for 7.99 with a BOGO, so I paid 10. I can’t buy decent clothes while my abdomen is swollen like I’m about to spawn.
Steve in the ATL
@Feathers: @Lyrebird: I was going to rent a car. Bad idea? I don’t know if there is public transportation where I’m going in Somerville.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steve in the ATL: You could take the T, but management-side labor lawyers don’t do that.
Mnemosyne
The cats are slightly freaked out by the wind outside, and I can’t really blame them. It’s making some pretty bizarre noises.
Steve in the ATL
@Omnes Omnibus: I ain’t riding no train driven by a union conductor!
FlyingToaster
@Steve in the ATL: That was me.
Where in Somerville?
If West (Davis Sq, Tufts, etc), get on 16 east to 2nd Street in Chelsea (the second right after Town Faire Tire), turn right, go down 2nd behind Mystic Mall to Spruce, turn right, go two blocks to Williams, turn left. Stay on this road under the Tobin, past Pearl (your street changes to Marginal), past the gravel/sand/salt piles on your right to the Chelsea St. Bridge into East Boston. You can make the first left onto 1A (McLellan Highway inbound), get into the left lane and follow the signs into Logan.
If East (Union Square), take Somerville Ave east to Sullivan, around the circle and exit just after the Schrafft’s Building, take the bridge into Everett (99 North) and turn right at Beacham. It winds around through the produce warehouses and past the unlamented King Arthur’s, and changes names into Williams. After Spruce, the above directions apply.
If Assembly Row, I’d just turn right up 28, turn right at Wellington Circle onto 16, and onward from there.
Beacham is bumpy as hell — we’re talking shake the fillings out of your teeth bumpy — and I lived out by Tufts, so I always took 16 East and 2nd.
Anne Laurie
@Steve in the ATL:
Unless you’re experienced with NYC or Boston traffic, don’t do that. The drivers are every bit as insane as their reputation, the streets are confusing (and unlabelled), and there’s no parking.
Public transit is pretty accessible from anywhere in Somerville, in my experience, and there are plenty of taxis (‘livery services’). As folks have said, it’s expensive and boring to take a taxi from the airport, but once you’re in Somerville proper it shouldn’t be a problem.
BBA
@Baud: If Hillary had won, we’d be in week eight of the impeachment trial when someone pipes up to mention that appropriations run out in a couple of weeks so get on that maybe, hmmm?
And the entire cabinet would be vacant.
I was expecting a constitutional crisis this year. I wasn’t expecting THIS constitutional crisis.
Steve in the ATL
@FlyingToaster: Assembly Row for lunch. And thanks!
Also, fuck Tom Brady!
@Anne Laurie: thank you as well.
Also, fuck the Patriots!
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
Watching the local Atlanta news about the I-85 fire and collapse. I’ve had four jobs in Georgia, and two of them had me driving on that stretch of 85 every day. (As if I needed another reason to be glad I quit my last job.) What a monstrous clusterfuck this is going to be.
Maybe people will come to depend more on Marta and it’ll lead to a long-term shift in attitudes towards public transportation in Atlanta. Ha! I’m funny.
Aleta
@ruemara: Would a hot water bottle or a heating pad or a frozen thing (package of peas ) help ? Or a hot water bottle on the chest or neck, just for a little comfort.
Ella in New Mexico
Anybody heard of The Jester? Very interesting Twitter feed he has:
https://twitter.com/th3j35t3r/status/847633397090365442
Gin & Tonic
@FlyingToaster: Nothing personal here, but why would someone need driving directions in 2017? “Hey Siri, I need directions to Logan Airport.”
FlyingToaster
@Steve in the ATL: There’s public transit everywhere in Somerville :) But a lot of it is the bus (boo, hiss).
There’s a Red Line Stop in Davis, a block into Cambridge at Porter. There’s an Orange Line stop at Assembly Row, and about 3 blocks into Charlestown at Sullivan. There’s Busses to everywhere from those stops.
The MBTA Trip Planner is your friend.
Gin & Tonic
@Anne Laurie:
What I learned decades ago when I first moved from NY to BOS: NY drivers are insane but predictable; BOS drivers are insane and unpredictable.
Steve in the ATL
@Gin & Tonic: dude, have you been following the discussion? Boston streets laugh at GPS. Only locals know how to get anywhere, and if you ask them for directions they scream “fahk you!”
FlyingToaster
@Gin & Tonic: Because the GPS is fucking stupid and puts you onto 93 south and through the Callahan. Jeebus Artifical Stupidity Christ.
Steve in the ATL
@Gin & Tonic:
so NY drivers=pence, Boston drivers=trump?
Omnes Omnibus
@Gin & Tonic: Boston is weird that way. A few years ago, my Garmin told me to go from Beverly to Salem via Seattle.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@Ella in New Mexico: That makes me feel kind of like how I would feel when I was much younger, would get dumped by a guy, and run into a mutual friend who thought it would be helpful to tell me my ex seemed unhappy without me — that sick feeling when your heart leaps with joy and your rational mind has the depressing task of smacking it back down.
I want so much for this to be true, but I’ll believe it if/when I see it.
Gin & Tonic
@FlyingToaster: I didn’t know that. That *is* stupid.
Gin & Tonic
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: That dude knows some things but is pretty tightly wound.
FlyingToaster
This.
I’ll give you an example. Put “Get me from here (Mount Auburn Cemetery) to there (United Parish of Auburndale) now (4:45 pm).”
It will try to put you onto Soldier’s Field Road, Nonantum Road, Charlesbank, MassPike, Washington Street, Woodland. If you take this route you will arrive at your destination about 6pm. For a 5:30 violin lesson, this does not work.
If you instead take Greenough, Arsenal, Main, Pleasant, River, Farwell, North, Crafts, Waltham, River, Auburndale, Lexington, Auburn, Grove, Woodland, it will take 35 minutes. But the GPS cannot figure it out (mine says “recalculating”).
Fuck the GPS. I tend to program in the destination, and suspend guidance until I’m half a mile from my destination.
Calouste
@Omnes Omnibus: I couldn’t fucking remember if the fucking crap software that this blog is running on had “shit” in it’s pathetic excuse for a spam filter, so I just changed it because I couldn’t be bothered to get my post in purgatory.
zhena gogolia
It says “the elected president,” not “president-elect.”
Thru the Looking Glass...
Hell… food poisoning, hives, and root canals w/out anesthesia are all probably more popular than Trump…
randy khan
@Steve in the ATL:
I actually find Boston drivers entirely predictable – the most aggressive action possible is what they’ll do. It’s also important to remember when entering rotaries that you must act like you have no fear.
TriassicSands
I have little doubt that Trump is shocked by his lack of dictatorial powers. I imagine he thought he’d come into office and order everyone to do X, Y, and Z and they’d all snap to attention and obey. I’m sure he envies Putin’s control. The question now is will Trump pull a Putin and have Flynn or anyone else who might spill the beans and put Trump in jeopardy killed. I’m sure Trump has no moral qualms about murdered a disloyal formal underling, but neither does he have an extensive network of murderers working for him — something Putin seems to have.
Wouldn’t it be delicious if Trump ended up charged with attempted murder? (I’m not going to wish anyone — even the scum that surrounds Trump — dead.) I’m tired tonight and so sick of the Trump clown show that I’m ready to explode, so fantasizing about horrible things happening to the Idiot-in-Chief is cathartic even if the fantasies are improbable.
Captain C
@Gin & Tonic: Truth that I can vouch for, having driven a cargo van once or twice in both places (also once a van full of Soviet Georgian exchange students in Boston, but that’s a crazy story for another time).
Captain C
@TriassicSands:
Putin has plenty of skilled, officially employed people in various agencies, plus I’m sure some freelancers and privately employed, whom he could call on for wet work, or even hint heavily, and they’d jump at the chance and keep their lips tightly zipped. If Trump tried this with the corresponding American agencies, I’m fairly confident it would be leaked by that evening’s newscast; I also don’t think any competent freelancer would work for him (and even the incompetents would likely demand cash in advance). Plus, when push comes to shove, Trump is a coward who will walk away rather than face the music (cf. multiple bankruptcies, business plans that look more like bust-outs, &c.).